I've Never Heard of Grace Jones
Seriously. I mean apart from Chris. I'm assuming she's a real person, and from what I've gathered she's a singer? That's about all I know about this person. Where is she from? When is she from? What does she sing? Is she a real person, or just a figment of Chris' imagination? I'm so confused...
Grace Jones:
Biography
Grace Jones was one of the more unforgettable characters to emerge from New York City's hedonistic Studio 54 disco scene during the late '70s. Born May 19, 1952, in Kingston, Jamaica, Jones studied theater at Syracuse University before launching a career as a model. Jones' statuesque and flamboyant look proved to be a hit in the New York City nightclub scene, which led to a recording contract with Island Records in 1977. While such disco-based albums as 1977's Portfolio, 1978's Fame, and 1979's Muse failed to break the singer commercially, Jones soon amassed a substantial following amongst gay men with her sexually charged live show, leading to her title at the time of "Queen of the Gay Discos."
But with the dawn of the '80s came a massive anti-disco movement across the U.S., leading to Jones focusing on more new wave and experimental-based work resulting in two of her best-known and strongest releases — 1980's Warm Leatherette and 1981's Nightclubbing — both produced by the noted reggae team of Sly & Robbie (the latter release spawned one of Jones' biggest hits, "Pull Up to the Bumper," as well as covers of Iggy Pop's "Nightclubbing" and the Police's "Demolition Man"). It was also around this time that Jones changed her look to suit the times by replacing her S&M look of the '70s with a detached, androgynous image. Jones' sixth solo release overall, Living My Life, followed in 1982, while the singer took a break from recording to focus on film work and landed roles in such movies as Conan the Destroyer and the James Bond flick A View to a Kill (Jones' romantic life also provided tabloid fodder at the time when she was linked with Rocky IV star Dolph Lundgren).
Jones eventually returned back to her recording career, enlisting super-producer Trevor Horn (Frankie Goes to Hollywood) to oversee 1985's Slave to the Rhythm, which turned out to be a somewhat autobiographical work (the same year, a ten-track compilation was issued as well, Island Life). Jones' penchant for working with big-name producers continued on 1986's Inside Story; with production chores handled by Chic's Nile Rodgers, the album spawned one of Jones' last successful singles, "I'm Not Perfect (But I'm Perfect for You)." After 1989's Bulletproof Heart, Jones seemed to turn her back on her recording career (although 1993 saw the release of a new single, "Sex Drive"), as she again focused primarily on movies, including a role in Eddie Murphy's hit 1992 comedy Boomerang. The double-disc set Private Life: The Compass Point Sessions (a collection of 26 tracks that Jones recorded with Sly & Robbie during their early '80s union) was released in 1998, which was followed up four years later with Island Life, Vol. 2.Hit Singles
- I Need a Man, 1977, Peak: #1
- La Vie En Rose, 1977, Peak: #3
- That's the Trouble, 1976, Peak: #7
- Do or Die, 1978, Peak: #3
- Fame, 1978, Peak: #3
- Pull Up to the Bumper, 1981, Peak: #2
- Nipple to the Bottle, 1982, Peak: #2
- Slave to the Rhythm, 1985, Peak: #1
- I'm Not Perfect (But I'm Perfect for You), 1986, Peak: #4
- Love on top of Love/ Killer Kiss, 1989, Peak: #1
- Sex Drive, 1993, Peak: #1Albums
- Portfolio, Black Albums: #52
- Portfolio, Pop Albums: #109
- Fame, Black Albums: #57
- Fame, Pop Albums: #97
- Muse, Pop Albums: #156
- Warm Leatherette, Pop Albums: #132
- Nightclubbing, Black Albums: #9
- Nightclubbing, Pop Albums: #32
- Living My Life, Pop Albums: #86
- Living My Life, Black Albums: #19
- Slave to the Rhythm, The Billboard 200: #73
- Slave to the Rhythm, Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums: #25
- Inside Story, Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums: #26
- Inside Story, The Billboard 200: #81
- Island Life (Greatest Hits), The Billboard 200: #161Movies
2005 - Shaka Zulu: The Last Great Warrior
2001 - Shaka Zulu: The Citadel
2001 - Wolf Girl [TV] (Blood Moon)
1999 - Palmer's Pick-Up
1998 - In and Out of Fashion
1997 - McCinsey's Island
1995 - Cyber Bandits
1992 - Boomerang
1988 - A Reggae Session
1988 - The All-Star Reggae Session
1988 - Pee-Wee's Playhouse Christmas Special
1987 - Siesta
1987 - Straight to Hell
1986 - Vamp
1985 - Mode In France
1985 - A View to a Kill
1985 - Grace Jones: State of Grace
1984 - Conan the Destroyer
1982 - Grace Jones: A One Man Show
1981 - Deadly Vengeance
1973 - Gordon's War
Boy I guess I'm out of the loop.
I've never heard of any of those songs, nor have I seen any of those movies.
You're not out of the loop. Trust me. The peaks for those songs were on the Billboard Club Play list, not the Pop Singles list.Originally Posted by clouded sky
You haven't seen "A View to a Kill" or "Conan?" You haven't heard ""Slave to the Rhythm" or ""Pull Up to the Bumper?" That is truly sad.
What kind of music is it exactly? And why does she look like a boy?
See for yourself. ^
But her music is a mix of reggae/ dance/ r'n'b/ soul/ funk/ new age/ rock/ disco/ world.
As for her looking like a boy. That is a part of her legendary image. She's like the ultimate icon in fashion, and she has been for over 20 years. Her music was way too racy for normal radio back in the 80's, and her image pure (Amazonian/ African) was too strong for the mainstream back then. Her music was something completely else. She's considered by many to be the ultimate Icon for women in the 80's. She was even voted "The Scariest Woman on Earth" in a Men's Health Magazine in 1998 -- the poll was a result of a worldwide, public voting by men in 1998.
Last edited by Chris; 06-10-2006 at 10:42 PM.
Believe me, I knew of Grace Jones, but not to the extent until I saw Chris'rantingsdiscussions about Miss Jones. Indeed we have a section of the cabin area cornered off in creation of a GJ shrine, which includes all her albums, various photographs, and a bronze statuette. It's the most disconcerting part of the PRM ship, especially when Chris is "praying", so I generally stay clear.
There is no signature here. Move along.
I don't even know how to respond to that.
GO GRACE!
Sucks not to be me. K?
K.
There is no signature here. Move along.
She looks like a 'boy' in some pictures because that's part of her style that remains from the times when she was more associated with Sadism and Masochism. Around the same time as Jones was becoming famous, a wave of androgynous-looking pop and rock stars began to emerge. These included people such as Boy George from Culture Club, Annie Lennox from Eurythmics, and Pete Burns from Dead or Alive. I guess it was just something from the late 1970s which also prompted the coming of that undeniable 80s rock sound (now known more commonly as New Wave).
P.S. Grace Jones- She's got the look!
-LYCHON
Annie, etc, were just Grace Jones proto types. She also started the pill box haircut, which became very popular in the 90's.
Grace Jones also invented rugby and bendy straws.
You're awesome.
I never really heard of her either before recently lurking at EoFF. Fortunately.
I didn't know about her before Chris. Ive no idea what she sounds like.
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