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
People Hold On
Lisa Stansfield Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Everybody's doing their own thing
And nobody's solving the problem
Ain't nobody helping each other
Some people give into fear
Some people give into hunger
Some of us live for the future
Givin' into life, givin' into love
Maybe there's enough for everyone
Givin' into hope, and into trust
Maybe there's enough for everyone
[Chorus]
People hold on
Don't do yourself wrong
People hold on
We've got to be strong
People hold on
Everybody's getting frustrated
Why should we live with this hatred
We've all dancin' on a thin line
They're makin' out we're having a good time
So who's gonna give us the answer
Sister and brother
Givin' into life, givin' into love
Maybe there's enough for everyone
[Chorus]
People hold on, people hold on to it
you know you gotta do it
Givin' into life, givin' into love
Maybe there's enough for everyone
Givin' into hope, and into trust
Maybe there's enough for everyone
[Chorus]
The lyrics to Lisa Stansfield's song "People Hold On" speak to the idea that although everyone is searching for their own individual meaning and purpose in life, ultimately we are all in this together and need to help each other. The first two lines acknowledge that everyone is doing their own thing, but then the following lines highlight how nobody is really solving the larger problem or helping each other. The next few lines describe how some people give in to fear or hunger, while others are more focused on their future or are simply wondering about their place in the world.
But despite these differences, the chorus emphasizes that everyone needs to hold on and be strong. The repetition of "There's enough for everyone" throughout the song is a hopeful message that there is enough love and support to go around if we all work together. The second verse recognizes that many people are frustrated and struggling with hatred, and are often pressured by society to pretend that everything is okay. The final lines of the song call on "sister and brother" to find the answers together, indicating that unity and collaboration is key to overcoming life's challenges.
In summary, "People Hold On" is a call for people to support one another, to not give up on hope, and to hold on to life with strength and resilience in the face of challenges.
Line by Line Meaning
Everybody's looking for a meaning
Everyone is searching for their purpose and trying to figure out their place in the world.
Everybody's doing their own thing
Everyone is pursuing their own goals and desires.
And nobody's solving the problem
However, nobody is really finding a solution to the issues that plague society.
Ain't nobody helping each other
In fact, there seems to be a general lack of cooperation and support among people.
Some people give into fear
Some individuals succumb to their fears and anxieties, allowing these emotions to control them.
Some people give into hunger
Others become obsessed with material possessions or status symbols, which ultimately leaves them unfulfilled.
Some of us live for the future
However, there are those who focus on their long-term goals and aspirations.
And some of us wonder
While others are left questioning the meaning and purpose of their lives.
Givin' into life, givin' into love
Perhaps we should learn to embrace life and love, rather than constantly worrying and striving for more.
Maybe there's enough for everyone
Perhaps there is an abundance of resources and love to go around, if only we learn to share and support one another.
Everybody's getting frustrated
Despite this, many people are becoming increasingly exasperated with the state of the world.
Why should we live with this hatred
People are questioning why we should continue to live in a world plagued by hate and division.
We've all dancin' on a thin line
It feels like we are constantly teetering on the edge, unsure of what the future holds.
They're makin' out we're having a good time
Others may try to convince us that everything is fine, but deep down we know that this is not true.
So who's gonna give us the answer
People are left wondering who will step up and provide the solutions to the problems we face.
People hold on
However, despite all of this uncertainty and frustration, we must hold on and persevere.
Don't do yourself wrong
We must also remember to take care of ourselves and avoid making decisions that will harm us in the long run.
We've got to be strong
In order to survive and thrive, we must cultivate our inner strength and resilience.
People hold on to it
Above all else, we must hold on to hope and continue working towards a better future.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: MATTHEW BLACK, JONATHAN MORE, LISA JANE STANSFIELD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind