"Private Life" | |
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Song by the Pretenders | |
from the album Pretenders | |
Released | January 11, 1980 |
Recorded | 1979 at Wessex Studios and Air Studios |
Genre | Reggae rock, [1] punk rock |
Length | 6:25 |
Label | Sire Records |
Songwriter(s) | Chrissie Hynde |
Producer(s) | Chris Thomas |
"Private Life" | ||||
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Single by Grace Jones | ||||
from the album Warm Leatherette | ||||
B-side | "She's Lost Control", "Pars" | |||
Released | June 27, 1980 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 4:37 | |||
Label | Island | |||
Songwriter(s) | Chrissie Hynde | |||
Producer(s) | ||||
Grace Jones singles chronology | ||||
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Alternative cover | ||||
![]() 1986 Remix |
"Private Life" is a 1980 song written by Chrissie Hynde, and released by both English band The Pretenders, and Jamaican singer Grace Jones in 1980.
The song was written by Chrissie Hynde, the leader and singer of The Pretenders, and included on that band's 1979 debut album Pretenders . The same year the track was covered by Grace Jones on her first post-disco album Warm Leatherette , recorded at the Compass Point Studios in the Bahamas with among others Sly and Robbie. In the liner notes to Island Records' 1998 compilation Private Life: The Compass Point Sessions , Hynde is quoted as saying:
Like all the other London punks, I wanted to do reggae, and I wrote "Private Life". When I first heard Grace's version I thought 'Now that's how it's supposed to sound!' In fact it was one of the high points of my career – what with Sly and Robbie being the masters, and Grace Jones with her scorching delivery. Someone told me it was Chris Blackwell's idea – thanks Chris! [3]
"Private Life" was released as the third single from the Warm Leatherette album. However, it marked a new era in Jones' career as she left her disco persona behind her and adopted an entirely different image, exploring genres like reggae, rock and new wave. It became Grace Jones' first ever chart entry in the UK, peaking at number 17. The single's B-side was a non-album track; "She's Lost Control", originally recorded by Joy Division. Both tracks were remixed and re-edited for the 7" single with the 4:38 version of "Private Life", now available on the Spectrum/Universal Music for Girls Night Out compilation CD. [4]
The original 7" version of "She's Lost Control" is still yet to be released digitally. In the Netherlands the B-side was the French language "Pars" from the Warm Leatherette album. In Germany, "La Vie en rose" from Portfolio (1977) was re-issued as a follow-up single to "Private Life" whereas the UK and the Netherlands opted for "The Hunter Gets Captured by the Game", which had already been the lead single from Warm Leatherette for the American market.[ citation needed ]
Following the release of the compilation Island Life in 1985, the song was remixed and re-issued as a single in the UK, then with "My Jamaican Guy" as the B-side, and charted again.
The original video for this song, directed by Mike Mansfield, [5] presented the famous Grace Jones mask for the first time. The entire video shows Jones' face in close-up, with her taking the mask off, replacing it, and then taking it off again, and mostly singing straight to the camera. The clip was filmed in a single take, without any editing.[ citation needed ]
Another music video for the song was produced, which was included in the program of the 1982 A One Man Show VHS release. It again presented Jones in a close-up, with her face partially covered with shadows, as well as posing in front of a white wall.
Chart (1980) | Peak position |
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United Kingdom [6] | 17 |
Chart (1986) | Peak position |
United Kingdom [6] | 91 |
The Pretenders are a British-American rock band formed in March 1978. The original band consisted of founder and main songwriter Chrissie Hynde, James Honeyman-Scott, Pete Farndon and Martin Chambers. Following the deaths of Honeyman-Scott in 1982 and Farndon in 1983, the band experienced numerous personnel changes; Hynde has been the band's only consistent member.
Christine Ellen Hynde is an American-British musician. She is a founding member and the lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter of the rock band The Pretenders, and one of the band's two remaining original members alongside drummer Martin Chambers. She is the only continuous member of the band, appearing on every studio album.
Grace Beverly Jones is a Jamaican singer, songwriter, model and actress. Born in Jamaica, she and her family moved to Syracuse, New York, when she was a teenager. Jones began her modelling career in New York state, then in Paris, working for fashion houses such as Yves St. Laurent and Kenzo, and appearing on the covers of Elle and Vogue. She notably worked with photographers such as Jean-Paul Goude, Helmut Newton, Guy Bourdin, and Hans Feurer, and became known for her distinctive androgynous appearance and bold features.
"The Hunter Gets Captured by the Game" is a 1966 song written by Smokey Robinson. It was a hit single in 1967 for the American girl group The Marvelettes for the Motown label, from their self-titled album released that same year.
Nightclubbing is the fifth studio album by Jamaican singer and songwriter Grace Jones, released on 11 May 1981 by Island Records. Recorded at Compass Point Studios with producers Alex Sadkin and Island Records' president Chris Blackwell, as well as a team of session musicians rooted by rhythm section Sly and Robbie, the album marked her second foray into a new wave style that blends a variety of genres, including reggae, art pop, dub, synth-pop and funk. The album has cover versions of songs by Bill Withers, Iggy Pop, Astor Piazzolla, and others, and original songs, three of which were co-written by Jones.
Compass Point Studios was a music recording studio in the Bahamas, founded in 1977 by Chris Blackwell, the owner of Island Records. The concept of the studio was of a recording facility supported by in-house sets of artists, musicians, producers and engineers, all dedicated to a specific and recognisable sound and style. The session band at the studios, as well as visiting recording artists, became known as the Compass Point All Stars.
Island Life is the first greatest hits album by Jamaican singer and songwriter Grace Jones, released in December 1985, summing up the first nine years of her musical career. The album sits among Jones' best-selling works.
"Brass in Pocket", also known as "Brass in Pocket (I'm Special)", is a song by English–American rock band the Pretenders, released in 1979 as the third single from their self-titled debut album. It was written by Chrissie Hynde and James Honeyman-Scott, and produced by Chris Thomas. Originating as a guitar lick written by Honeyman-Scott, the song's lyrics were explained by Hynde to be about the cockiness that one needs to effectively perform. The song's title derives from a phrase she overheard after a show.
Warm Leatherette is the fourth studio album by Jamaican singer and songwriter Grace Jones, released on 9 May 1980 by Island Records. The album features contributions from the reggae production duo Sly and Robbie and is a departure from Jones's earlier disco sound, moving towards a new wave-reggae direction.
The Grace Jones Story is a greatest hits album by Jamaican singer and songwriter Grace Jones. Released on April 4, 2006 by Universal Music Group. It constists of Jones' hit singles spanning from 1977 to 1993.
Living My Life is the sixth studio album by Grace Jones, released in 1982. It was the last of three albums she recorded at the Compass Point Studios in the Bahamas.
The Ultimate Collection is a 3-CD anthology of recordings recorded by Jamaican singer and songwriter Grace Jones, released on October 6, 2006 by Universal.
Private Life: The Compass Point Sessions is a compilation album constisting of recordings by recorded by Jamaican singer and songwriter Grace Jones released in 1998 by Island Records. The two-disc anthology consists mostly of material pulled from 1980–1982 recording sessions.
"Pull Up to the Bumper" is a 1981 song by Jamaican singer Grace Jones, released as the third single from her fifth album, Nightclubbing (1981). Sonically, it is an uptempo electro-disco, post-punk, dance-pop and reggae-disco song with dub production, "pulsing drums and chic new-wave licks", as well as elements of funk and R&B music. Its lyrics were written by Jones alone, while she, along with Kookoo Baya and Dana Manno, are credited as its composers. The song's instrumental part was originally recorded in 1980 during the Warm Leatherette sessions; however, it did not make the album as Chris Blackwell found its sound not fitting in the rest of the material. It was completed for the 1981 critically acclaimed Nightclubbing album and became its third single in June 1981. The song peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs chart in the US and number 53 in the UK. When re-released in 1986, it peaked at number 12 in the UK. The track has come to be one of Jones' signature tunes and her first transatlantic hit.
"I've Seen That Face Before (Libertango)" is a single by Jamaican singer Grace Jones, released in 1981. The song is a reworking of Astor Piazzolla's "Libertango".
"My Jamaican Guy" is a single by the Jamaican singer and actress Grace Jones, released in 1983.
"A Rolling Stone" is a 1980 single by Jamaican singer Grace Jones.
"Kid" is a song written by Chrissie Hynde that was released on the Pretenders 1979 debut album Pretenders. Hynde wrote the song about a fictional boy discovering that his mother is a prostitute. The song's melodicism was attributed by guitarist James Honeyman-Scott to Hynde's growing interest in pop music. Honeyman-Scott wrote the song's solo, which he had designed over a couple of days.
"Precious" is a song written by Chrissie Hynde and performed by her band the Pretenders. First released on the band's self-titled debut album in late 1979, the song features punk-inspired music and aggressive lyrics.
Private Life may refer to: