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
The Line (Loop Da Loop Downtow
Lisa Stansfield Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I almost start to cry
Blinded by the sun I'm trying to hold onto
The very last of precious time
Then I start to thinking what a mess we're making
And it won't get better by & by
Well we can paint it up and make it pretty but
We cannot overstep
We cannot overstep the
We cannot overstep the line
So many baby's arms with nothing to hold onto
But just a precious flake of life
You think you care about them
They think you care about them
But thinking's only wasting time
If we really want to say the things we want to
It takes a bigger man to try
Well we can paint it up and make it pretty but
We cannot overstep the line
We cannot overstep
We cannot overstep the
We cannot overstep the line
Well politicians sit and pretend they give a shit while
Little men go out to die
The only arms they're hugging are the ones they're running
Later to be justified
I say I don't mind
You say you don't mind
But what about the babies and what about the sunshine
Well we can paint it up and make it pretty but
We cannot overstep the line
We cannot overstep
We cannot overstep the
We cannot overstep the line
Say I don't mind
You say you don't mind
But what about the babies and what about the sunshine
Well we can point it up and make it pretty but
We cannot overstep the line
We cannot overstep
We cannot overstep the
We cannot overstep the line
The lyrics to Lisa Stansfield's song 'The Line' reflect on the state of the world and society, in particular how easily it is to neglect the most vulnerable members and their well-being. The opening lines indicate the uncertainty and worry about the future, while also emphasizing the urgency to take action in the present. The song then moves on to highlight the societal problems such as inequality and value for human life, calling out both politicians and the general public for not doing enough to help those in need. The repeated line "we cannot overstep the line" is a reminder that there needs to be a limit to our actions, especially when it comes to actions that could harm others or disregard their well-being.
The song's repeated theme on the "babies" is likely referring to the next generation, emphasizing the responsibility to make the world a better place for them. The use of the sun's brightness to signify optimism in the future and the reference to "paint it up and make it pretty" are both testament to Stansfield's belief that there is still hope for improvement, but it requires a collective effort from everyone.
Overall, 'The Line' is a call to action for the current generation to step up and make a positive change in the world.
Line by Line Meaning
I look at the sky to where my future's lying
I contemplate my future and what it holds for me.
And I almost start to cry
The thought of the future fills me with emotions.
Blinded by the sun I'm trying to hold onto
The glowing future is hard to grasp and beyond my reach.
The very last of precious time
I only have a limited amount of time left to achieve my goals.
Then I start to thinking what a mess we're making
Reflecting on the state of our world and the problems facing it.
And it won't get better by & by
It is unlikely that the situation will improve with time.
Well we can paint it up and make it pretty but
We can make things look better on the surface but...
We cannot overstep the line
We cannot cross certain boundaries and compromise our values or ethics.
So many baby's arms with nothing to hold onto
There are many children in the world who lack the basic necessities of life.
But just a precious flake of life
These children have only a small chance of survival without proper care and support.
You think you care about them
People may believe they care for these children, but...
They think you care about them
...the children may not see this caring and support materializing.
But thinking's only wasting time
Mere thoughts and wishes won't bring about change or help to those in need.
If we really want to say the things we want to
If we want to communicate what we truly feel...
It takes a bigger man to try
...we need to be brave and take action.
Well we can paint it up and make it pretty but
We can make things look better on the surface but...
We cannot overstep the line
We cannot cross certain boundaries and compromise our values or ethics.
Well politicians sit and pretend they give a shit while
Politicians may seem like they care and are taking action but...
Little men go out to die
...ordinary people are the ones suffering the consequences.
The only arms they're hugging are the ones they're running
Politicians are only protecting themselves and their own interests.
Later to be justified
They will later try to justify their actions or inactions.
Say I don't mind
People may say they don't care or it doesn't bother them, but...
You say you don't mind
...they may not see the impact of their actions or lack thereof.
But what about the babies and what about the sunshine
What about the well-being and happiness of the innocent and vulnerable?
Well we can point it up and make it pretty but
We can make things look better on the surface but...
We cannot overstep the line
We cannot cross certain boundaries and compromise our values or ethics.
Contributed by Ruby D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Anton Medvedev
Extremely wonderful remix! I remember I was high on speed and danced away to it in the club in Moscow 😂💪💪💜
Oh those were the days...
Free VVilly
Dang, finally found this! There's a version of this on World of Speed Garage (Track 15) without the female vocals
Paul Ward
Nice 1. Bassline classics
Barry Ling
loop da loop were speed garage dons!!
Josh Reynolds
anyone got this in 320kbps? pleasssee
Brendan Alexander
holy shit.
Paul Ward
T. U. N. E.
T Pot
Bad tune 🤩