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Living My Life (album)

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Living My Life
Studio album by
Grace Jones
ReleasedNovember 1982
Recorded1982
StudioCompass Point (Nassau, Bahamas)
Genre
Length37:32
LabelIsland
Producer
Grace Jones chronology
Nightclubbing
(1981) 		Living My Life
(1982) 		Slave to the Rhythm
(1985)
Singles from Living My Life
  1. "Nipple to the Bottle"
    Released: October 1982
  2. "The Apple Stretching"
    Released: October 1982
  3. "My Jamaican Guy"
    Released: January 1983
  4. "Cry Now, Laugh Later"
    Released: January 1983
  5. "Unlimited Capacity for Love"
    Released: January 1983
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Robert ChristgauB+[3]
The Boston PhoenixFavorable[1]

Living My Life is the sixth studio album by Jamaican singer Grace Jones, released in 1982. It was the last of three albums she recorded at the Compass Point Studios in the Bahamas.

Background and production

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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]

Artwork

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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]

Singles

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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]

Track listing

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All tracks produced by Chris Blackwell and Alex Sadkin.

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."My Jamaican Guy"Grace Jones6:00
2."Nipple to the Bottle"
5:55
3."The Apple Stretching"Melvin Van Peebles7:08
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
4."Everybody Hold Still"
3:10
5."Cry Now, Laugh Later"
  • Jones
  • Reynolds
5:00
6."Inspiration"
  • Jones
  • Reynolds
4:35
7."Unlimited Capacity for Love"
  • Jones
  • Reynolds
5:45

Personnel

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Charts

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Certifications and sales

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Certifications and sales for Living My Life
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.

Release history

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Region Year Format(s) Label
Worldwide 1982 LP, Cassette Island
Yugoslavia 1983 LP Jugoton, Island
Europe 1989 CD Island Masters

References

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  1. ^ a b Hunter, James."The Boston Phoenix - March 1 1983". Retrieved September 7, 2016.[dead link‍]. Stephen M. Mindich The Boston Phoenix
  2. ^ Ron Wynn. "Living My Life - Grace Jones". www.allmusic.com. Retrieved 2006-12-28.
  3. ^ Robert Christgau. "Robert Christgau: CG: grace jones". www.robertchristgau.com. Retrieved 2012-04-12.
  4. ^ Bessman, Jim (March 4, 1995). "Capitol's Melvin Van Peebles Issues 1st Album in 20 Years". Billboard. p. 86. ISSN 0006-2510.
  5. ^ a b Leo Sacks (26 March 1983). "Amazing Grace: Singer/Model Jones Aims to Alter Her Exotic Image". Billboard. Retrieved 2012-02-29.
  6. ^ Paul Flynn. "The Apple Stretching Dummy » Reviews". www.dummymag.com. Archived from the original on 2012-10-29. Retrieved 2012-05-24.
  7. ^ Michael Verity. "Awesome Album Covers: Grace Jones' "Living My Life"". wnew.radio.com. Archived from the original on 2012-07-19. Retrieved 2012-05-24.
  8. ^ John Paul Thurlow. "volume 2 / Some inspiration. Grace Jones Living my life. Art direction by Jean Paul Goude. 1982". pinterest.com. Archived from the original on 2012-07-24. Retrieved 2012-05-24.
  9. ^ "Images for Grace Jones - Colour Collection". www.discogs.com. Retrieved 2012-05-24.
  10. ^ "Inspiration: Grace Jones: Amazon.co.uk: MP3 Downloads". www.amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 2012-05-23.
  11. ^ "Inspiration - Grace Jones". www.allmusic.com. Retrieved 2012-05-24.[permanent dead link‍]
  12. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 160. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  13. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Grace Jones – Living My Life" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 24 December 2021.
  14. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Grace Jones – Living My Life" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 24 December 2021.
  15. ^ "Charts.nz – Grace Jones – Living My Life". Hung Medien. Retrieved 24 December 2021.
  16. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Grace Jones – Living My Life". Hung Medien. Retrieved 24 December 2021.
  17. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Grace Jones – Living My Life". Hung Medien. Retrieved 24 December 2021.
  18. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 24 December 2021.
  19. ^ "Grace Jones Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 24 December 2021.
  20. ^ "Grace Jones Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 24 December 2021.
  21. ^ "Top Selling Albums of 1983". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 24 December 2021.
  22. ^ "New Zealand album certifications – Grace Jones – Living My Life". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 2024-11-20.
  23. ^ "Polindo a imagem". Manchete (in Portuguese). 6 August 1983. p. 99 – via National Library of Brazil. 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.
  24. ^ Hudelist, Darko (October 1, 1984). "Rang-lista licencnih izdanja". Yugopapir. Archived from the original on October 31, 2019. Retrieved August 22, 2022.
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