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
Two Years Too Blue
Lisa Stansfield Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Look at all that we did, and we promised to do
There was me, there was you
Two years to blue
I still feel that magic from this
I still feel that spark
With your touch, with your kiss
So such bliss, and then this
But now we've got eternity and we can't go wrong
Baby, we can do as we please
'Cause our electricity could light up this city, baby
We'll charm the birds from the trees
Look at all of the things we've been through
Now let's do everything that we promised to do
Still there's me, still there's you
It's brand new after two years too blue
Two years too blue
Two years too blue
Much too much, too much, too much
Much too much, too much, too much
Too blue
Too blue
You're here baby, I'm here baby
You're here baby, I'm here baby
After two years too blue.
The song "Two Years Too Blue" by Lisa Stansfield is about a couple who have been through a lot together and made promises to each other that they now have the opportunity to fulfill. The opening lines of the song highlight the significance of their shared experiences, "Look at all the things we've been through, Look at all that we did, and we promised to do". The phrase 'Two years to blue' suggests that the couple may have been in a state of sadness or melancholy during the past two years, perhaps because of difficulties in their relationship or external factors. However, despite this, the singer still feels magic in their relationship, which is emphasized by the lines, "I still feel that magic from this, I still feel that spark, With your touch, with your kiss, So much bliss, and then this".
The chorus of the song celebrates the end of the difficult period and a new beginning for the couple, "But now we've got eternity and we can't go wrong, Baby, we can do as we please, 'Cause our electricity could light up this city, baby, We'll charm the birds from the trees". The chorus is again repeated at the end of the song, with the final line being "It's brand new after two years too blue". This line implies that the couple's relationship has been rejuvenated and feels new and exciting again.
Overall, "Two Years Too Blue" by Lisa Stansfield is a romantic song about two people who have overcome challenges in their relationship and are now ready to enjoy a fresh start together.
Line by Line Meaning
Look at all the things we've been through
Reflecting on all the experiences we've faced together
Look at all that we did, and we promised to do
Thinking back on what we accomplished and promised to achieve
There was me, there was you
Acknowledging our presence and impact on each other's lives
Two years to blue
Two years of sadness and heartache
I still feel that magic from this
The love we share still feels as special and powerful as ever
I still feel that spark
The attraction and passion between us remains strong
With your touch, with your kiss
Physical intimacy and affection that we share
So such bliss, and then this
The happiness we had was disrupted unexpectedly
But now we've got eternity and we can't go wrong
We have all the time in the world to make things right
Baby, we can do as we please
We have the freedom to pursue what makes us happy
'Cause our electricity could light up this city, baby
Our love and passion is so strong that it can light up a whole city
We'll charm the birds from the trees
Our happiness and love will be contagious, spreading joy everywhere
Now let's do everything that we promised to do
Let's fulfill all the promises we made to each other
It's brand new after two years too blue
Our love feels renewed and rejuvenated after the tough times we faced
Two years too blue
Reiterating the two years of sadness and heartache we went through
Much too much, too much, too much
The sadness and heartbreak we faced was overwhelming
You're here baby, I'm here baby
Expressing gratitude and joy for still having each other
After two years too blue.
After facing two years of sadness and heartache, we still have each other and our love
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: IAN OWEN DEVANEY, LISA JANE STANSFIELD, NICK MEAD, RICHARD DARBYSHIRE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind