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
You Know How to Love Me
Lisa Stansfield Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Your love's so much pleasure Like a haunting melody
It came inside and captured me
And I'm so happy
You're the rhythm of my life
You and I together will stand the test of time
Sure you do
(You know how to make it right)
So nice
(You know how to love me
There's no denying
(Sweet as morning light)
Sooner or later
I knew you'd come my way
You're welcome to my love
Just promise that you'll stay
[Chorus]
You know how to love me
Right
In a special way
You know how to love me
Tonight
And I want to say
You know how to love me
You're the real that I feel never go away
Seeing's believin'
Don't you know you're a dream come true
Ain't nothin' deceivin''bout the way that I'm lovin' you
(You know how to love me) You know, you know
(You know how to make it right)
I can feel it
(You know how to love me)
No doubt about it
(Sweet as morning light)
Nothing's forever
That's what people say
But each time that we're together
Forever and a day
[Chorus]
The lyrics to Lisa Stansfield's song You Know How to Love Me express the overwhelming happiness and contentment that comes with being with someone who truly loves and cares for you. The first verse talks about how the love between the singer and her partner is like a beautiful melody that captures her. She describes it as a pleasure and explains how the person's love is the rhythm of her life, implying that everything else in her life moves in sync with that love. The second verse talks about the singer's confidence in her partner's love, expressing that she is certain that it will last forever. The chorus repeats the sentiment that her partner knows how to love her right and in a special way that she wants to hold onto forever.
The theme of this song is that true love is rare, but once you find it, it is worth holding onto. The singer expresses confidence in her partner's love and highlights the unique and special love between them. The lyrics are poetic and flow smoothly, mirroring the pleasant and easy love between the two people. The song is a testament to the power of love and the happiness that comes with finding the right person.
Line by Line Meaning
Measure for measure
Your love for me is reciprocated measure for measure.
Your love's so much pleasure
The love you give me brings so much joy into my life.
Like a haunting melody
Your love for me is like a beautiful melody that lingers in my head.
It came inside and captured me
Your love for me was unexpected, but it captured my heart and soul.
And I'm so happy
Your love brings me immense happiness.
You're the rhythm of my life
You are the constant beat that adds rhythm to my life.
You and I together will stand the test of time
Our love will withstand the test of time.
Sure you do
You really know how to love me.
So nice
Your love is so sweet and kind.
There's no denying
It's undeniable that you know how to love me.
Sweet as morning light
Your love for me is as pure and sweet as the light of morning.
Sooner or later
I always knew that eventually, you would come into my life.
You're welcome to my love
I am open and willing to give you all my love.
Just promise that you'll stay
All I ask is that you promise to stay with me and not leave.
Right
You know exactly how to love me the right way.
In a special way
You love me in a unique and special way.
Tonight
Right now, in this moment, you know how to love me.
You're the real that I feel never go away
Your authentic love for me is real and will never fade away.
Seeing's believin'
Seeing you in my life makes me believe in love.
Don't you know you're a dream come true
You are the dream I always hoped would come true.
Ain't nothin' deceivin''bout the way that I'm lovin' you
My love for you is genuine, and there's nothing deceitful about it.
No doubt about it
Without a doubt, you know how to love me.
Nothing's forever
People say that nothing lasts forever.
That's what people say
But despite what people say, we will always love each other.
But each time that we're together
Whenever we're together, our love grows stronger.
Forever and a day
We'll love each other forever and a day.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: James Mtume, Reggie Lucas
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind