Swain was introduced to the recording industry by her then-boyfriend, a local musician. Her recording career began in 1981, when she met producer, future manager and longtime collaborator Jon St. James. St. James had also been a "sound-alike" announcer for Los Angeles radio and was proprietor of Fullerton's Casbah Recording Studio, which had hosted Berlin and Social Distortion.
In 1981 Swain and St. James formed the synthpop outfit Q composed of St. James on guitars, Dan Van Patten and John Van Tongeren on vocoder and synthesizer, and Swain as assistant producer. When the band was recording basic tracks for The Q EP, St. James realized someone was needed to provide vocals for the first track, "Sushi." Swain, who had previously recorded demos at St. James's studio, was asked to sing the lyrics, and her vocals were featured on the final record. Swain became the band's lead singer based on that performance, even though she still considers herself a dancer rather than a singer.
Although The Q EP received virtually no airplay outside of college radio, that was successful enough for St. James and Swain to continue on other projects. In 1982, Q reformed with two additional members, drummer Karl Moet and synth player Rich West. After the reformation, they were forced to change the name of Q because of copyright problems (famed producer Quincy Jones reportedly had "established use of the 'Q' moniker"). Swain explained many years later in a 2006 radio interview that the band was renamed SSQ after Jon St. James "was fishing in a lake 'no bigger than a bathtub' and made a joke that the boat was the 'S.S. Q,'" referring to the current band Q. St. James had another reason for the name: "SS" stood for "Stacey Swain", who had become the most recognized member of the band's limited success.
SSQ first released their debut album Playback in 1983 under Enigma Records. The video for the "Synthicide" single received some small airplay and brought some greater notice for the five-member band. Skip Hahn officially replaced John Van Tongeren just before the release of Playback
In 1985 Swain signed a recording contract with On the Spot Records, an independent label. Her first solo single, "Shy Girl", was released the same year, while her first solo album, Stacey Q, was distributed in cassette format to limited release (the album contained an early version of "Two of Hearts", which originated with another artist, Sue Gatlin). As a solo artist, Swain adopted the name "Stacey Q" in reference to the original Q project.
"Shy Girl" and other singles collectively sold several thousands of copies, not staggering but enough to attract the attention of major record labels. Major label Atlantic Records offered Stacey Q a record deal in 1986 as a solo artist and she signed, with Jon St. James as manager, and the other members of SSQ as backup musicians. Better Than Heaven, her debut record for Atlantic, was recorded in three weeks, with tracks co-written by Berlin ("Better Than Heaven"), Jon Anderson of Yes ("He Doesn't Understand") and Willie Wilcox of Utopia ("We Connect").
Albums:
1982 - The Q EP (as Q)
1983 - Playback (as SSQ)
1985 - Stacey Q
1986 - Better Than Heaven
1988 - Hard Machine
1989 - Nights Like This
1995 - Stacey Q's Greatest Hits
1997 - Boomerang
2010 - Color Me Cinnamon
Don't Let Me Down
Stacey Q Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Dance, boy
Dan-dance with me
Dan-dan-dance with me tonight
B-b-b-boy from the wrong side of town
We connect
When we‘re together, it's so perfect
I start to overload
I explode when we connect
We connect
When we‘re together, it's so perfect
Boy, you shock me with your wide hot love
I start to overload
I explode when we connect
It's no exaggeration, not imagination
You're the finest boy around
Playing with temptation, overnight sensation
With a boy from the wrong side of town
Give me your love and affection
Dance with me tonight
Give me all of your attention
Dancin' in love's light
We connect
When we‘re together, it's so perfect
Boy, you shock me with your wide hot love
I start to overload
I explode when we connect
We connect
When we‘re together, it's so perfect
Boy, you shock me with your wide hot love
I start to overload
I explode when we connect
I-I-I-I-I explode
I explode when we connect
Love and affection
Dance with me tonight
We connect
When we‘re together, it's so perfect
Boy, you shock me with your wide hot love
I start to overload
Come on
Give me your love and affection
Dance with me tonight
Give me all of your attention
Dancin' in love's light
We connect
When we‘re together, it's so perfect
Boy, you shock me with your wide hot love
I start to overload
I explode when we connect
We connect
When we‘re together, it's so perfect
Boy, you shock me with your wide hot love
I start to overload
I explode when we connect
We connect
When we‘re together, it's so perfect
Boy, you shock me with your wide hot love
I start to overload
I explode when we connect
We connect
When we‘re together, it's so perfect
Boy, you shock me with your wide hot love
I start to overload
In Stacey Q's song "Don't Let Me Down," the lyrics express the overwhelming feeling of connection and love between two people from different sides of the track. The singer wants to dance with their partner and feels an explosive connection when they are together. They describe the intensity of their emotions during the dance, saying that the experience is not an exaggeration or imagination. The singer insists that their partner is the finest person around, despite coming from the "wrong side of town."
The lyrics emphasize the power of the dance, which is portrayed as a way for the lovers to connect with each other fully. The singer implores their partner to give them love and attention, and they are willing to give all of their love and affection back in return. The repeated use of the phrase "we connect" reinforces the idea that dancing and being together are the primary ways the lovers connect with each other.
The lyrics to "Don't Let Me Down" are straightforward but express the intense emotions felt between two people who may not have much in common but are able to come together through the power of dance.
Line by Line Meaning
Dan-dan-dan-dan-dance with me tonight
Let's dance together tonight
Dance, boy
I want you to dance with me, my boy
Dan-dance with me
Just dance with me
Dan-dan-dance with me tonight
Let's dance together tonight
B-b-b-boy from the wrong side of town
You're a boy from the not-so-right part of town
We connect
We have a special connection
When we‘re together, it's so perfect
Our togetherness is just perfect
Boy, you shock me with your wide hot love
I get surprised with your intense and passionate love
I start to overload
My emotions start to overflow
I explode when we connect
I feel like my emotions burst out when we are together
It's no exaggeration, not imagination
I am not exaggerating or pretending
You're the finest boy around
You are the best boy I have ever met
Playing with temptation, overnight sensation
Flirting with danger, we've become famous overnight
Give me your love and affection
Please love me and show me affection
Dance with me tonight
Let's dance tonight
Give me all of your attention
Please pay attention only to me
Dancin' in love's light
We are dancing under the light of love
I-I-I-I-I explode
I can't control my emotions and I burst out
Come on
Let's keep going
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JON ST. JAMES, KARL MOET
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind