| Living My Life | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | November 1982 | |||
| Recorded | 1982 | |||
| Studio | Compass Point (Nassau, Bahamas) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 37:32 | |||
| Label | Island | |||
| Producer | ||||
| Grace Jones chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Living My Life | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Robert Christgau | B+ [2] |
| The Boston Phoenix | Favorable [3] |
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.
Jones had already recorded two new wave/reggae-oriented albums with the Compass Point All Stars at the Compass Point Studios in Nassau, Bahamas, with the most recent, Nightclubbing , becoming her most successful record to date. She went back into the studio in 1982 to record an album which would be her final offering in the unofficial Compass Point trilogy. This time around, Jones recorded only one cover, "The Apple Stretching", which was originally written by Melvin Van Peebles and used in the Broadway show Waltz of the Stork . [4] "Nipple to the Bottle" was co-written with Sly Dunbar, while, apart from "My Jamaican Guy", the other tracks were collaborations with Barry Reynolds.
The title track "Living My Life", despite receiving a limited single release, was ultimately left off the album. Further outtakes included the track "Man Around the House" (written by Jones and Barry Reynolds), and a cover of Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire". Both tracks were released on the 1998 compilation Private Life: The Compass Point Sessions .
The album was a commercial success, reaching the top 20 in five countries. In March 1983, Island Records vice president Herb Corsack claimed to Billboard magazine that the sales of the album had surpassed 400,000 copies. [5]
The Living My Life cover picture has been described as famous as the music featured on the record itself. [6] Like the majority of Jones' artwork at that time, this one was created by her then-partner Jean-Paul Goude, this time with an additional contribution from Rob O'Connor. It features the singer's disembodied head cut out from the original photograph and pasted onto a blank white background in a way that gives her head and face an angular shape. [7] A piece of tape, or a plaster, has been pasted over her left eyebrow, and her forehead is covered with drops of water, or sweat. This cover, as many other Goude's designs for Jones, has won critical acclaim and has been an inspiration for other artists ever since. [8]
The picture was re-used for the cover of the 2006 compilation Colour Collection, a re-release of The Universal Masters Collection . [9]
The urban-flavoured "Nipple to the Bottle" and reggae-oriented "The Apple Stretching" were released simultaneously as lead singles. "Nipple to the Bottle" received a worldwide release, becoming a highly popular dance track in the US, as well as a top three hit in New Zealand. The latter was not released in the North America and achieved only moderate success in Europe.
Three more singles were then simultaneously released in January 1983, of which "My Jamaican Guy" turned out the most successful. "Cry Now, Laugh Later", released only in the US and Canada, and "Unlimited Capacity for Love" did not chart.
In 2010, "Inspiration" was remixed to a 7:14 "Leroc Sportif Edit" and released as a one-track digital only single in February. [10] [11]
All tracks produced by Chris Blackwell and Alex Sadkin.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "My Jamaican Guy" | Grace Jones | 6:00 |
| 2. | "Nipple to the Bottle" |
| 5:55 |
| 3. | "The Apple Stretching" | Melvin Van Peebles | 7:08 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4. | "Everybody Hold Still" |
| 3:10 |
| 5. | "Cry Now, Laugh Later" |
| 5:00 |
| 6. | "Inspiration" |
| 4:35 |
| 7. | "Unlimited Capacity for Love" |
| 5:45 |
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| New Zealand (RMNZ) [22] | Platinum | 15,000^ |
| United States | — | 400,000 [5] [23] |
| Yugoslavia | — | 20,427 [24] |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
| Region | Year | Format(s) | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| Worldwide | 1982 | LP, Cassette | Island |
| Yugoslavia | 1983 | LP | Jugoton, Island |
| Europe | 1989 | CD | Island Masters |
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.
Alex Sadkin was an American record producer, engineer, mixer and mastering engineer.
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, R&B, dub 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.
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.
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".
Fame is the second studio album by Jamaican singer and songwriter Grace Jones. It was released on 7 June 1978 by Island Records.
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.
Inside Story is the eighth studio album by Jamaican singer and songwriter Grace Jones, released in November 1986, her first with the Manhattan Records label. The album spawned the hit single "I'm Not Perfect ".
"Love Is the Drug" is a 1975 song from English rock band Roxy Music's fifth studio album Siren, 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.
Quick Step & Side Kick is the third studio album by the British new wave group Thompson Twins. It was released in February 1983 by Arista Records, and was their first album to be released as a trio. The album reached no. 2 on the UK Albums Chart and was later certified Platinum by the BPI.
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.
The Universal Masters Collection is a mid-price greatest hits album by Jamaican singer and songwriter Grace Jones, first released on December 2, 2003 by Universal Music.
Hurricane is the tenth studio album by singer Grace Jones, released in 2008, and her first album of new material in 19 years. The album includes a number of autobiographical songs, and the title track was first recorded as a 1997 collaboration with Tricky under the title "Cradle to the Grave". The album sold over 100,000 copies in Europe. Three years after the original release, Jones released a dub version of it: Hurricane – Dub came out on 5 September 2011.
"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.
"Slave to the Rhythm" is a song by Jamaican singer, model and actress Grace Jones. It was released in October 1985 from Jones' seventh album, Slave to the Rhythm (1985), on which it is titled "Ladies and Gentlemen: Miss Grace Jones". It was produced by Trevor Horn and written by Horn, Bruce Woolley, Stephen Lipson and Simon Darlow. The song peaked at number 12 in the UK and number one on the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart. Its music video was directed by Jean-Paul Goude.
"Nipple to the Bottle" is a single by the Jamaican singer, model and actress Grace Jones, released in 1982.
"Living My Life" is a Grace Jones song released as a single in 1983.
Grace Jones' discography consists of 10 studio albums, eight compilation albums and 53 singles.
"Watching" is a 1983 song by the British pop group Thompson Twins. It was released as the fourth and final single from the band's third studio album, Quick Step & Side Kick. The single peaked at number 33 in the UK Singles Chart in July 1983.
And Grace Jones, with her new LP Living My Life, has already sold 400,000 copies in the US./Original text: E Grace Jones, com seu novo LP Living My Life, já atingiu a marca das 400 mil cópias vendidas nos EUA.
