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
Symptoms of Loneliness & Heartache
Lisa Stansfield Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Can't love ever fill that hole
You talk fast but your heart is slow
Can't love ever make you whole
Your laughing at my words right now
But you'll end up a tired and lonely man
You tell me love is nothing but wasted time
[Chorus]
I can't see enjoyment
I don't see compassion
I see symptoms of loneliness and heartache
I don't see emotion or quality of life
Just symptoms of loneliness and heartache
I can't figure out the love we share
I can't see that there's any there at all
You buy me flowers and fancy things
But I need your heart above everything
Your laughing at my words right now
But you'll end up a tired and lonely man
You tell me love is nothing but wasted time
Well I'm telling you it's the only way of life
[Chorus: x2]
Your laughing at my words right now
But you'll end up a tired and lonely man
You tell me love is nothing but wasted time
Well I'm telling you it's the only way of life
[Chorus]
The lyrics of "Symptoms of Loneliness and Heartache" by Lisa Stansfield are about a dysfunctional relationship where the man is materialistic and cannot truly love the woman. She criticizes him for valuing money over emotions and believing that love is a waste of time. She tries to convince him that love is the only way of life and that their relationship lacks the depth and quality of true love. The chorus repeats the title phrase to emphasize the theme of the song and the singer's frustration with the situation.
The verses use repetition and contrast to highlight the differences between the couple, with lines like "You talk fast but your heart is slow," and "You buy me flowers and fancy things, but I need your heart above everything." The use of the second person perspective also intensifies the emotional impact of the lyrics. The song has a melancholic and introspective mood, reflecting the sadness and disappointment of the singer.
Overall, "Symptoms of Loneliness and Heartache" is a poignant commentary on the complexities of relationships and the importance of emotional connection. It underscores the need for love and compassion in human interactions, while warning against the pitfalls of materialism and emotional detachment.
Line by Line Meaning
You need money like you've got no soul
You are obsessed with money and material things, and it seems like nothing can fulfill the emptiness inside you.
Can't love ever fill that hole
You don't believe that love can bring you any true happiness or satisfaction.
You talk fast but your heart is slow
You may seem confident and charming on the surface, but deep down you are emotionally closed off and struggling to truly connect with others.
Can't love ever make you whole
You are doubtful that any amount of love could genuinely heal and complete you.
You're laughing at my words right now
You find my beliefs and values silly or unimportant, but that will come back to haunt you.
But you'll end up a tired and lonely man
Your pursuit of money and lack of emotional depth will ultimately lead you to a life of exhaustion and isolation.
You tell me love is nothing but wasted time
You reject the idea of love as a foolish and unproductive pursuit.
Well I'm telling you it's the only way of life
I strongly believe that love is the most important and fulfilling aspect of life.
I can't see enjoyment
I don't perceive any sense of joy or happiness in your life.
I don't see compassion
You appear to lack empathy or concern for others.
I see symptoms of loneliness and heartache
I detect signs that you are struggling with deep emotional pain and a sense of isolation.
I don't see emotion or quality of life
From my perspective, your existence seems devoid of any real feeling or fulfillment.
Just symptoms of loneliness and heartache
Your actions and behaviors betray a sense of inner turmoil and dissatisfaction.
I can't figure out the love we share
I am struggling to understand the nature of our relationship and whether love plays a genuine role in it.
I can't see that there's any there at all
I'm beginning to doubt that there is any love present between us.
You buy me flowers and fancy things
You try to express affection through material gifts and gestures.
But I need your heart above everything
I require a deeper, emotional connection with you in order to feel truly loved and fulfilled.
Your laughing at my words right now
You dismiss my desires and needs as unimportant or unreasonable.
But you'll end up a tired and lonely man
Your lack of empathy and emotional depth will lead to a life of exhaustion and isolation.
You tell me love is nothing but wasted time
You remain stubbornly convinced that love is a futile and unproductive pursuit.
Well I'm telling you it's the only way of life
I am steadfast in my belief that love is the key to a fulfilling and meaningful existence.
I can't see enjoyment
I perceive a lack of joy or pleasure in your life.
I don't see compassion
You seem devoid of empathy or concern for others.
I see symptoms of loneliness and heartache
I sense that you are struggling with deep emotional pain and a sense of isolation.
I don't see emotion or quality of life
Your life appears devoid of any real feeling or fulfillment.
Just symptoms of loneliness and heartache
Your behavior and actions betray a sense of inner turmoil and dissatisfaction.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ANDY MORRIS, IAN OWEN DEVANEY, LISA JANE STANSFIELD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind