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
Genre Disco
Length6:47
Label Island Records
Songwriter(s)
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. [1]

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 ) [6] 6
Spain (AFYVE) [7] 13
US Dance Club Songs ( Billboard ) [8] 3

Cover versions

Eartha Kitt recorded a cover of the song for her 1989 album I'm Still Here . [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grace Jones</span> Jamaican singer, actress and model

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eartha Kitt</span> American singer (1927–2008)

Eartha Mae Kitt was an American singer and actress known for her highly distinctive singing style and her 1953 recordings of "C'est si bon" and the Christmas novelty song "Santa Baby".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pylon (band)</span> American new wave/post-punk band

Pylon was an American new wave/post-punk band from Athens, Georgia, United States. The band's danceable sound, a blend of new wave, post-punk, jangle pop, alternative rock and funk rock, influenced the Athens music scene and the 1980s American pop underground. AllMusic wrote that Pylon's "role as elder statesmen of the alternative rock explosion is unassailable".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Hunter Gets Captured by the Game</span> 1966 song by Smokey Robinson

"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.

Frederick I. Zarr is an American musician, record producer, composer and arranger based in Brooklyn, New York. The CEO of BiZarr Music, Inc., he works alongside numerous artists, singers, songwriters, musicians, & audio engineers at his Brooklyn recording studio - “Z Studio”.

<i>Slave to the Rhythm</i> (album) 1985 studio album by Grace Jones

Slave to the Rhythm is the seventh studio album by Jamaican singer and songwriter Grace Jones, released on 28 October 1985 by Island Records. Subtitled a biography in the liner notes, Slave to the Rhythm is a concept album, produced by ZTT Records founder and producer Trevor Horn, that went on to become one of Jones' most commercially successful albums and spawned her biggest hit, "Slave to the Rhythm".

<i>Fame</i> (Grace Jones album) 1978 studio album by Grace Jones

Fame is the second studio album by Jamaican singer and songwriter Grace Jones. It was released on 7 June 1978 by Island Records.

<i>Bulletproof Heart</i> 1989 studio album by Grace Jones

Bulletproof Heart is the ninth studio album by Jamaican singer and songwriter Grace Jones, released on October 31, 1989 by Capitol Records. The album, co-produced by Chris Stanley, would be Jones' last studio album for 19 years, until the release of Hurricane in 2008.

<i>Warm Leatherette</i> (album) 1980 studio album by Grace Jones

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Love Is the Drug</span> 1975 single by Roxy Music

"Love Is the Drug" is a song by the English rock band Roxy Music, from their fifth studio album, Siren (1975), released as a single in September 1975. Co-written by Bryan Ferry and Andy Mackay, the song originated as a slower, dreamier track until the band transformed its arrangement to become more dance-friendly and uptempo. Ferry's lyrics recount a man going out looking for action.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Need a Man (Grace Jones song)</span> 1975 single by Grace Jones

"I Need a Man" is the debut single by Grace Jones, released in 1975 through Beam Junction. It was re-released in 1977, and reached number 83 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and topped the US Dance Club Songs chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grace Jones discography</span>

Grace Jones' discography consists of 10 studio albums, eight compilation albums and 53 singles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Where Is My Man</span> 1983 single by Eartha Kitt

"Where Is My Man" is a song from 1983 by the American singer and actress Eartha Kitt, which appeared on her 1984 album I Love Men. The song was co-written by comedy writer Bruce Vilanch along with musicians and producers Fred Zarr and Jacques Morali.

This article contains the discography of American singer Eartha Kitt.

"Tomorrow" is a song by French singer Amanda Lear from her 1977 album I Am a Photograph, released as a single the same year. The song was a commercial success and remains one of Lear's biggest hits.

"Run Baby Run" is a song performed by French singer Amanda Lear from her second album Sweet Revenge, released as a single in 1978 by Ariola Records.

<i>I Love Men</i> 1984 studio album by Eartha Kitt

I Love Men is a 1984 studio album by Eartha Kitt, her first album recorded for 14 years. The album was recorded in New York at the Power Station. Produced by French record producer Jacques Morali, who had previously produced recordings by the Village People and The Ritchie Family. This album features Kitt performing Euro disco, dance tracks. The first single released from the album "Where Is My Man" had been previously released in 1983 and had returned Kitt to the UK charts after an absence of 28 years. The single reached #36 after entering the chart in November 1983 and charted in several European countries. and also made the Top 10 of the US Billboard dance chart, where it reached #7. The title track "I Love Men" was issued as the second single and this charted in the UK at #50 in the summer of 1984. The success of this album led to a new collaboration between Kitt and Jacques Morali in 1985 when they recorded two more tracks, "I Don't Care" and "This Is My Life"; the latter also went on to chart in the UK in 1986 at #73. These tracks were also added to later re-issues of the original album.

<i>That Bad Eartha</i> 1953 studio album by Eartha Kitt

That Bad Eartha is a twelve-song reconfiguration of material from American singer Eartha Kitt's first two eight-song, 10-inch albums issued by RCA Victor. It contains all eight songs from the 1953 album RCA Victor Presents Eartha Kitt. It repurposes the cover image and title, and four of the songs from Eartha's 1954 second 10-inch album, That Bad Eartha . In this way, it could be considered an expansion of the first short-length album, supplementing it with packaging and selected songs from the second.

<i>Disco</i> (Grace Jones album) 2015 box set by Grace Jones

Disco is a boxed set of three Grace Jones's first three albums, released in 2015. The set contains Portfolio (1977), Fame (1978), and Muse (1979), all of which were recorded at Philadelphia's Sigma Sound with disco pioneer Tom Moulton as producer, in their entirety. The albums were remastered and each of the three CDs included seven bonus tracks while the vinyl box maintains the original track listings and offers a fourth record, that collects mainly long versions of the 45s from this era. The LP version includes the original 3 LP releases and a 4th LP which includes 8 tracks with selected remixes, b-sides and edited versions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Comme un garçon</span> 1968 single by Sylvie Vartan

"Comme un garçon" is a song by Sylvie Vartan from her 1967 album Comme un garçon. It was also released on an EP and as a single.

References

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