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 Give You Everything
Lisa Stansfield Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
With my heart I give you everything
Everything you ever need, everything you need to be strong
In my mind I can justify why I never tell a lie
'cause you're the only one that I want, that I want, I want
Oh my darling what we have is something good and something true
I do my best to make you happy with everything I say and do
And you know I want you with me every minute every second too
With every passing day I'll tell you
And with every passing moment I will say
With my heart I give you everything
Everything you ever need, everything you need to be strong
In my mind I can justify why I never tell a lie
'cause you're the only one that I want, that I want, I want
Tell me baby can I love you 'till the life runs out of me
I couldn't love nobody else 'cause you're the only thing I see
Take my mind take my body and don't you ever ever stop
'cause there's no love we can discover that is bigger than the one we've got
With every passing day I'II tell you
And with every passing moment I will say
With my heart I give you everything
Everything you ever need, everything you need to be strong
In my mind I can justify why I never tell a lie
'cause you're the only one that I want, that I want, that I want
Make a move
Baby baby baby
That I want
With my heart I give you everything
Everything you ever need, everything you need to be strong
In my mind I can justify why I never tell a lie
'cause you're the only one that I want, that I want
With my heart and soul
The song “I Give You Everything” by Lisa Stansfield is an expression of unconditional love and unwavering commitment to a romantic relationship. It starts with the singer expressing how she is willing to give everything with her heart and soul to her partner. She assures her partner that she has all that they need to be strong.
The lyrics go on to reveal how the singer justifies never telling lies to her partner because they are the only person she wants. The singer declares that what they have is real and it’s the only thing that matters. She reflects on how she does her best to make her partner happy and desires to have them with her every moment of every day. The artist cements her love in the chorus, stating that her heart and mind are completely devoted to her partner.
Overall, Lisa Stansfield's "I Give You Everything" is a tribute to the power of love and the depths of commitment that come with it. It's an affirmation of the importance of honesty, communication and trust in a relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
With my heart I give you everything
I am willing to give you my all with full commitment and sincerity
Everything you ever need, everything you need to be strong
Not just my love and affection, but also guidance, support, and strength to help you succeed
In my mind I can justify why I never tell a lie
My love for you is so pure that I don't need to deceive or hide anything from you
'cause you're the only one that I want, that I want, I want
My desire and passion for you is unquestionably strong
Oh my darling what we have is something good and something true
Our relationship is genuine and based on honesty and trust
There's no other in my life could ever take the place of you
No one can replace you or fill the void you would leave if you were gone
I do my best to make you happy with everything I say and do
I make an effort to ensure your happiness is a priority in our relationship
And you know I want you with me every minute every second too
I desire your constant presence and companionship in my life
With every passing day I'll tell you
My love for you continues to grow stronger with each new day
Tell me baby can I love you 'till the life runs out of me
I want to love you with all of my heart for the rest of my life
I couldn't love nobody else 'cause you're the only thing I see
No one else matters to me because you are the focus of my heart and mind
Take my mind take my body and don't you ever ever stop
I am willing to surrender everything to you and never tire of showing my love
'cause there's no love we can discover that is bigger than the one we've got
Our love is boundless and surpasses any other love we might encounter
Make a move
I am encouraging you to take action and further our relationship
Baby baby baby
An affectionate term of endearment towards my beloved
That I want
Expressing my strong desire for my beloved
With my heart and soul
My love for you comes from the deepest part of my being
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: IAN OWEN DEVANEY, LISA JANE STANSFIELD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind