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 Love In Me
Lisa Stansfield Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I ain't puttin' no chains on you, baby
The love in Me
If you believe in love then you'll believe in me
'Cause I'm everythin' you want
And baby, I'm everything you need
I know where you're coming from
I'm freer than the breeze
And fresher than the air that you breath
Ohhh, my heart is breakin'
Ohhh, when it's tired and achin' for love
I'll give you more
[Chorus]
It's the love in me, has to be, all that you need
A love that less, can't possess
All that I have to set you free
The love in me
You'll always be free
To come and go as you please
'Cause baby I know you'll
Always want to come back to me
Behind every good man there lies a woman
And incidentally, I'm the woman you need
Ohhh, my heart is breakin'
Ohhh, when it's tired and achin' for love
I'll give you more
[Chorus x2]
I ain't puttin' no chains on you, baby
I ain't puttin' no chains on you
Ohhh, when your heart is breakin'
Ohhh, when it's tired and achin' for love
I'll give you more
Darlin'
[Chorus]
The lyrics of Lisa Stansfield's song "The Love in Me" touch on the topic of freedom within a relationship. Stansfield sings that she is not going to tie her partner down with cages or chains because she believes in the power of love. She suggests that if her partner believes in love too, then they will trust her and believe in her as well. Stansfield sees herself as everything that her partner needs and argues that her love is so strong that it cannot be possessed by anyone else.
The chorus of the song emphasizes the idea of the "love in me," suggesting that it is this love that will set the partner free. She believes that her partner will always want to come back to her even if they have the freedom to come and go as they please. Stansfield also emphasizes the role that women play in supporting their partners, arguing that behind every good man there is a woman. Overall, the song suggests that trust, freedom, and love are all key ingredients to a successful relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
I ain't puttin' you in no cage
I won't try to control you or limit your freedom
I ain't puttin' no chains on you, baby
I won't try to tie you down and restrict your choices
The love in Me
My ability to love unconditionally and with freedom
If you believe in love then you'll believe in me
If you have faith in the power and importance of love, you will trust my ability to love
'Cause I'm everythin' you want
I possess all of the qualities and characteristics that you desire
And baby, I'm everything you need
I am not just a want, but a necessity to your life
I know where you're coming from
I understand your perspective and experiences
'Cause I'm a woman
As a fellow woman, I share similar struggles and experiences as you
I'm freer than the breeze
I have a sense of independence and liberated spirit
And fresher than the air that you breath
I bring a sense of vitality and rejuvenation to your life
Ohhh, my heart is breakin'
Expressing the emotional pain and vulnerability that love can bring
Ohhh, when it's tired and achin' for love
Acknowledging the toll that love can take on one's emotional wellbeing
I'll give you more
Despite the challenges that love can bring, I will continue to love and give more
It's the love in me, has to be, all that you need
Emphasizing the importance and sufficiency of the love I possess
A love that less, can't possess
My love is unique and cannot be replicated or replaced by any other love
All that I have to set you free
I offer my love as a way to liberate and empower you
You'll always be free
I respect and value your independence and freedom
To come and go as you please
You have the agency and autonomy to make your own choices
'Cause baby I know you'll
I have faith and trust in your loyalty and commitment
Always want to come back to me
Despite your freedom, you will still choose to return to me because of the love I offer
Behind every good man there lies a woman
Acknowledging the supportive and empowering role that women can have in a man's life
And incidentally, I'm the woman you need
Asserting that I am the specific woman who can offer the love, support, and empowerment that you need
Ohhh, when your heart is breakin'
Reiterating the emotional pain and vulnerability that love can bring
Ohhh, when it's tired and achin' for love
Acknowledging the toll that love can take on one's emotional wellbeing
I'll give you more
Despite the challenges that love can bring, I will continue to love and give more
Darlin'
Affectionate term used to address the person she loves
Chorus
Emphasizing the importance and sufficiency of the love she offers, and the freedom and independence she affirms
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ANDY MORRIS, IAN OWEN DEVANEY, LISA JANE STANSFIELD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@arobinson68
This woman was so ahead of her time!
@AlexA-bn2wb
You're right!...This song doesn't sound 80s at all...
@Strangeman1989
@@AlexA-bn2wb Well it was '89.. most songs From that year have 90s sound.
@bellabunnell3174
She was right on time!
@soundseeker63
Amazing feel good tune, nearly 30 years old and still fresh as a daisy. Love it. Love Lisa.
@bigmikelongwood3276
Came out in 89so you do the math lol
@broncodevil
Always thought this should have been a hit. The beat, the vocals of course and that wonderful horn. If I had to pick only one Lisa song for my Ipod, this would be it.
@MrCheekyme
GOD! it still sounds so good!!!!!!
@broncodevil
I always thought this was a HIT too ! Love the groove and the horns at the end. Fantastic song.
@ericabrown4838
Imagine being in the club, this song comes on... You hit the dance floor to dance freely and nasty with your partner as if no one else was in the club!!! YEEEEESSSSS!!!! This song gives me that exact VIBE!!! THE LOVE IN ME!!!