Do or Die (Grace Jones song)

Last updated
"Do or Die"
Grace Jones - Do Or Die.jpg
Single by Grace Jones
from the album Fame
B-side "Comme un oiseau qui s'envole"
Released1978
Studio Sigma Sound, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania [1]
Genre Disco
Length6:47
Label Island
Composer(s) James Bolden
Lyricist(s) Jack Robinson
Producer(s) Tom Moulton
Grace Jones singles chronology
"La Vie en rose"
(1977)
"Do or Die"
(1978)
"On Your Knees"
(1979)
European single sleeve
Grace Jones - Do Or Die (Europe).jpg

"Do or Die" is a single by Grace Jones, released in 1978, promoting her album Fame .

Contents

Background

"Do or Die" was the first and in most parts of the world the only single release from Jones' Fame , her second disco album. On Fame it made up the first part of the A-side non-stop medley "Do or Die"/"Pride"/"Fame". The 7" single featured a heavily edited version (3:22) with the French-language non-album track "Comme un oiseau qui s'envole" as the B-side, included as a bonus track on the Canadian edition of the Fame album. The 12" single featured a slightly shorter mix of the album version with a cold end, and the B-side an extended mix of "Comme un oiseau qui s'envole". "Do or Die" reached number 3 on the US Billboard dance chart.

In 1985 the 7" edit of "Do or Die" was included as one of three disco tracks on the career retrospective Island Life , the other being the album versions of "I Need a Man" and "La Vie en rose" (1977).

Music video

A music video was shot as a part of an Italian TV show Stryx , for which Jones made several more clips. It uses the Stryx studio set and sees Jones dancing with a surreal scenography in the background. [2]

Track listing

A. "Do or Die" – 3:22
B. "Comme un oiseau qui s'envole" – 3:10
A. "Do or Die" – 6:15
B. "Comme un oiseau qui s'envole" – 4:30

Chart performance

Chart (1978)Peak
position
Canada Dance/Urban ( RPM ) [7] 6
Spain (AFYVE) [8] 13
US Dance Club Songs ( Billboard ) [9] 3

Cover versions

Eartha Kitt recorded a cover of the song for her 1989 album I'm Still Here . [10]

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References

  1. "Sigma Sound Studios: Singles 1968-1978". Billboard. September 16, 1978. p. SS-11. Retrieved June 11, 2024.
  2. "Grace Jones - "Do or Die" - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 2011-12-28.
  3. "Grace Jones - Do Or Die (Vinyl) at Discogs". www.discogs.com. 1978. Retrieved 2011-12-28.
  4. "Grace Jones - Do Or Die (Vinyl) at Discogs". www.discogs.com. 1978. Retrieved 2011-12-28.
  5. "Do or Die by Grace Jones : Reviews and Ratings - Rate Your Music". rateyourmusic.com. Retrieved 2011-12-28.
  6. "Grace Jones - Do Or Die (Vinyl) at Discogs". www.discogs.com. 1978. Retrieved 2011-12-28.
  7. "Top RPM Dance/Urban: Issue 4613." RPM . Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
  8. Fernando Salaverri (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN   84-8048-639-2.
  9. "Grace Jones Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
  10. "Eartha Kitt - I'm Still Here (CD, Album) at Discogs". www.discogs.com. 1989. Retrieved 2011-12-28.