Once the frontwoman of UK band Blue Zone, which saw modest success with their single "Jackie", she became a major international star beginning with her guest vocal stint on Coldcut's record People Hold On.
Stansfield is probably best known for her first UK #1 single, All Around the World (1989), which also peaked at #3 in the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 the following year. Other worldwide hits from her debut solo album Affection include This is the Right Time (featuring a house music-styled production by Coldcut with Mark Saunders), Live Together, What Did I Do To You? and You Can't Deny It. "All Around the World" was the second song by a white female soloist to hit #1 on the Billboard R&B chart (the first being "Ooo La La La" by Teena Marie in 1988). "You Can't Deny It" also topped that chart. Affection went platinum in the U.S., and sold a total of five million copies worldwide.
In 1990, Stansfield was among a handful of high-profile artists to participate in the Red Hot + Blue charity album, which honored the songwriting career of Cole Porter, and benefitted AIDS research at a time when funding from government agencies was insufficient for those in need. She was given the chance to show her swing and jazz chops on the song "Down in the Depths" (video), which was one of a few throwback renditions to appear on the album. This likely won her the female lead in the independent film Swing (1999), for which soundtrack she also performed most of the songs. Thus began an illustrious and respected tradition of Stansfield offering jazz and torch songs to outside projects (she also sang I've Got the World on a String in the original movie soundtrack of 2003's Mona Lisa Smile).
In 1992, Stansfield won a BRIT Award as best British female solo artist. Her second album Real Love did not quite live up to the success of Affection, despite selling very well. However, it did spawn four Top 40 singles on the European charts: Change, All Woman, Time to Make You Mine and Set Your Loving Free. "Change" has since become one of her signature classics, and still receives regular air-play to this day. "All Woman" became Stansfield's third #1 single on the Billboard R&B chart, and due to the success of that song, the album went gold in the U.S. Filled with pathos and emotion, it is "kitchen sink soul", from the viewpoint of a woman taken for granted. Like "All Around the World", many critics initially believed that it had been performed by a black singer.
Stansfield continued recording disco-influenced soul throughout the 1990s. Her third album So Natural (1993) spawned three Top 40 European singles including the title track So Natural, In All the Right Places and Little Bit of Heaven, but the album was never released in the U.S. She had continued success throughout Europe, but her popularity in America had diminished.
sidenote: "In All The Right Places" was featured on the soundtrack of the movie Indecent Proposal (1993), for which Stansfield was shortlisted as the lead that eventually went to Demi Moore. You can catch her talking about it in this YouTube interview clip (@ 1:30).
Her self-titled fourth album Lisa Stansfield (1997) was a hit in Europe with two Top Ten singles - People Hold On (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels Mix) (a re-released dance mix by The Dirty Rotten Scoundrels) and The Real Thing, and the Top 40 track Never, Never Gonna Give You Up (a remake of the late Barry White's 1973 hit). Upon being released in the U.S., the album scored some mainstream attention, but fared much better in the dance clubs where remixes were very successful; an astonishing four singles - "Never, Never Gonna Give You Up", Never Gonna Fall, I'm Leavin', and "People Hold On" reached #1 on the Hot Dance Club Play chart. It charted modestly, peaking at #30 Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and #55 on the Billboard 200. Subsequently, The Remix Album was released due to revived interest in Stansfield within the dance community. The music video for "Never, Never Gonna Give You Up" (video) was an eye-catcher featuring her strolling nude down a city street, acquiring a few items of clothing along the way. VH1 featured the clip and even gave it the Pop-Up Video treatment. During the promotion for the single, Stansfield appeared on the RuPaul Show, but inexplicably, did not sing the song (or any others, for that matter).
Her 2001 album Face Up was less successful, barely charting through a lack of publicity, but featured the singles Let's Just Call It Love and 8-3-1, which found her experimenting with newer styles of R&B such as 2-step while continuing with her established sound. Stansfield's husband, Ian Devaney, delivered an arrangement for the ballad How Could You?, which displayed his love of Burt Bacharach's legacy. Only one single was officially released in the UK.
Following the release of Face Up, a 2-CD greatest hits collection titled Biography: The Greatest Hits was released in 2003, which sold well in the UK and Europe. Stansfield then parted ways with Arista/BMG, ending an 18-year association with the label.
Stansfield signed with ZTT Records from the UK, and her 2004 release The Moment was produced by Trevor Horn, well-known for his work with Seal, Grace Jones, and Frankie Goes to Hollywood, among others. The album was distributed in Europe by Edel, featuring the singles Treat Me Like a Woman (released as a double A-side with Easier) and If I Hadn't Got You, a song written by Chris Braide with ex-Squeeze songwriter Chris Difford. The album found her exploring more pop-oriented material, and focusing on lush ballads.
Despite this, as with her previous release, the album and supporting singles were not a success. At the time of the project's release, ZTT was directing large amounts of its resources into re-marketing its back catalogue, and producing the Trevor Horn concert for The Prince's Trust and its accompanying double CD Produced by Trevor Horn. The release of "Treat Me Like a Woman" was twice delayed, and the label eventually paired it with "Easier". While ZTT did erect a billboard to advertise the album in Stansfield's home area of Greater Manchester, print advertising and in-store displays were reportedly absent. Later that year ZTT dropped her from their label.
Stansfield's talents also extended into acting; she starred in the 1999 film Swing with actor Hugo Speer, and recorded covers of swing classics and a few original songs written in the style for the soundtrack. She later appeared on a London stage in The Vagina Monologues. In 2006, she guest-starred in the series Goldplated. In 2007, she starred in an episode of Marple: Ordeal by Innocence, and later joined the cast of The Edge of Love.
On June 2012, Lisa told the UK newspaper, The Sunday Mirror that she's working on her seventh studio album, her first in nine years, and that it is going to be released in spring 2013. Lisa announced in November 2012 that the album will be titled 'Seven'.
Official website: http://www.lisa-stansfield.com
I've Got Something Better
Lisa Stansfield Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But I've got somethin' better
Come closer, much closer
Kiss and confide
One taste and be sure you'll find sugar inside
I feel your caress
There'll be no inhibition tonight
Open up, show me love, turn up the music
Tear me up, turn me on
We got the bomb - baby let's use it
Open up, show show love, turn up the music
Tear me up, turn me on
We got the bomb..
Baby close your eyes, take your time, relax awhile
'Cus know when you do it boy you do it to the letter
Stop wasting precious time imagining what we can do
You'use got somethin' us your mind
But I've got somethin' better
You've got somethin' us your mind
But I've got somethin' better
Take what you're thinking and times it by ten
Now you know where you're coming from
Let it begin
Tell me your fantasies, I'll show you mine
There'll be no inhibition tonight
Open up, show me love, turn up the music
Tear me up, turn me on
We got the bomb - baby let's use it
Open up, show show love, turn up the music
Tear me up, turn me on
We got the bomb
Baby close your eyes, take your time, relax awhile
'Cus know when you do it boy you do it to the letter
Stop wasting precious time imagining what we can do
You've got somethin' us your mind
But I've got somethin' better
You'ue got somethin' us your mind
But I've got somethin' better
The song "I've Got Something Better" by Lisa Stansfield is a sultry and seductive track that speaks about the singer's desire for their partner. The opening lines imply that the partner has something on their mind, but the singer has something better to offer, alluding to their mutual passion. As the song progresses, the singer urges their lover to confide in them, promising them sweet satisfaction if they do. They tell the lover to open up and show them love, and in return, they'll turn up the music and indulge each other's fantasies, with no inhibitions.
The singer's words convey a sense of confidence and sensual anticipation, as they implore their lover to take their time and let go of their inhibitions for a night of passion. The lyrics are suggestive and risqué, reflecting the uninhibited nature of their desire. The bridge describes the intensity of the moment, as the singer urges the partner to let go of their fears and let the pleasure take over. In the end, the song is a seductive invitation to indulge in their mutual desire and let themselves feel the intense pleasure of their love.
Line by Line Meaning
You've got somethin' on your mind
You seem to have something on your mind that's troubling you
But I've got somethin' better
But I have something that I believe is much better than what's bothering you
Come closer, much closer
Move closer to me
Kiss and confide
Let's kiss and share what's on our mind
One taste and be sure you'll find sugar inside
If you kiss me, you'll realize how sweet it is
I feel your caress
I can sense your touch
I'm undressed by your eyes
Your gaze makes me feel naked and vulnerable
There'll be no inhibition tonight
We won't hold back or be restrained in any way tonight
Open up, show me love, turn up the music
Let go of your inhibitions, show me affection, and turn up the volume of the music
Tear me up, turn me on
Passionately embrace me and arouse me
We got the bomb - baby let's use it
We have something amazing between us - let's make the most of it
Baby close your eyes, take your time, relax awhile
Take some time to unwind and let go of any distractions
'Cus know when you do it boy you do it to the letter
I know that you'll do it exactly as I like when you do it
Stop wasting precious time imagining what we can do
Don't waste any more time fantasizing about what we could do - let's make it a reality
You've got somethin' us your mind
You still seem to be preoccupied with something
But I've got somethin' better
But I still have something that I believe is much better than what's on your mind
Take what you're thinking and times it by ten
Whatever it is that's troubling you, imagine it being much bigger and more intense
Now you know where you're coming from
Now you understand the source of your concerns and emotions
Let it begin
Let's start the night and revel in the moment
Tell me your fantasies, I'll show you mine
Let's share our deepest desires and explore each other's intimate thoughts
You'ue got somethin' us your mind
You still seem to be preoccupied with something
But I've got somethin' better
But I still have something that I believe is much better than what's on your mind
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: IAN OWEN DEVANEY, LISA JANE STANSFIELD, RICHARD DARBYSHIRE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind