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
If I Hadn
Lisa Stansfield Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
If I hadn't got you
Whose friend would I be
If I lied all the time
If you never trusted my word
The love that we make
when feelings run high
And I can never go back, oh no
For a moment of sweet solitude
If I ever go back
I'd be looking for you
If I hadn't got you
Whose friend would I be
If I hadn't got you
I would die in solitary
If I hadn't got you
God only knows what I'd do
God only knows
Who's friend would I be if
I can't take a joke
If I can't pull a smile from a tear
The love that I feel
whenever you're close
Makes yesterday's hurt disappear
And I can never go back, oh no
For a moment of sweet solitude
With my head in my hands
I've been waiting for you
If I hadn't got you
Whose friend would I be
If I hadn't got you
I would die in solitary
If I hadn't got you
Whose air would I breathe
If I hadn't got you
God only knows what I'd do
God only knows
So don't turn away
Never go back
Hold onto love
Cos love is all we have
Maybe you'll be lost in this world
Without me
If I hadn't got you
Whose friend would I be
If I hadn't got you
I would die in misery
If I hadn't got you
Whose air would I breathe
If I hadn't got you, yeah
If I hadn't got you
God only knows what I'd do
God only knows
The lyrics to Lisa Stansfield's song "If I Hadn't Got You" are an ode to the transformative and healing power of love. The singer reflects on how different her life would be if she had not met and fallen in love with her partner. The lyrics explore the theme of gratitude and appreciation for the presence of someone special in one's life. The singer acknowledges that without her partner, she would be lost and alone; their love is the one thing that makes sense in the world.
The first verse addresses the importance of trust and honesty in a relationship. The singer ponders who she would be if she lied all the time and if her partner didn't trust her. She then goes on to describe the intensity of their love and how it makes everything else disappear. The chorus repeats the key message that without her partner, she would be lost and would die in solitary.
The second verse explores the importance of laughter and joy in a relationship. The singer wonders who she would be if she couldn't take a joke or make her partner smile. She then describes how being close to her partner erases the pain of the past. The bridge highlights the importance of holding onto love and not turning away, as love is all we have.
Line by Line Meaning
If I hadn't got you
Without you, I wouldn't be able to function or find my way in the world.
Whose friend would I be
If I didn't have you, I wouldn't have anyone to be close to or share my life with.
If I lied all the time
If I wasn't honest with you, I would lose your trust and our connection.
If you never trusted my word
If you didn't believe what I said, our relationship would be based on doubt and insecurity.
The love that we make
when feelings run high
Is all that makes sense in the world
The passion and connection we have when we are emotional is what brings purpose and meaning to our lives.
And I can never go back, oh no
For a moment of sweet solitude
I wouldn't give up what we have for anything, even a brief moment of peaceful isolation.
If I ever go back
I'd be looking for you
If I ever left, I know I would come back to you because you are the one I need and want in my life.
I would die in solitary
If I didn't have you, I would be lost and alone in the world.
God only knows what I'd do
Without you, I cannot imagine what my life would be like.
If I can't take a joke
If I can't pull a smile from a tear
If I can't lighten the mood or bring joy, then our relationship would be strained and unhappy.
Makes yesterday's hurt disappear
The love I feel for you helps me forget any pain or hardship from the past.
With my head in my hands
I've been waiting for you
When I feel lost or sad, I look to you for comfort and support.
Whose air would I breathe
Without you, it would feel like I'm suffocating or can't catch my breath.
So don't turn away
Never go back
Hold onto love
Cos love is all we have
Maybe you'll be lost in this world
Without me
Don't leave me or our love behind, because it is what keeps us grounded and happy in this unpredictable world.
I would die in misery
If I didn't have you, my life would feel hopeless and unfulfilling.
If I hadn't got you, yeah
If I hadn't got you
God only knows what I'd do
God only knows
Without you, my life would be a mystery and I don't know what I would do without you.
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: CHRIS BRAIDE, CHRISTOPHER DIFFORD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Wellington Mesquita
SIMPLESMENTE MARAVILHOSA
Silvia Bonar
que bien canta es pura voz sin cuentos, como que no hay esfuerzo en ella y su delicadeza nos enorgullece como mujer
Pauline Halkyard
Love 💘 this song and her voice. She still remains one of my all time favorites.A true Northern Lass.
cidinha oliveira
Linda canção, principalmente cantada pela Lisa. Adorei!!!!!!
1abcdexy
I love her voice! She's my past and my music!
Josilda Santos
Eu a curto desde muito tempo...Linda voz....
Amanda Bueno Abrahao
Linda musica maravilhosa
Metalmecânica
Uma das minhas cantoras prediletas. As músicas delas, todas praticamente, me agradam muito.
Cledson Roma
Linda !!!!!
Música maravilhosa !!!!!
Nelson-Al
What a impressive voice. Really impressive.