Grace Jones: Bloodlight And Bami is a beautiful, yet sincere, collaboration between Grace and director Sophie Fiennes that documents the electrifying life of Grace, in both her private and public worlds. As the director, Fiennes combines intimate and personal footage with outstanding musical sequences creating both a truly unique glimpse into the life of Grace Jones, as well as an incredible cinematic experience. As the documentary will shed light on a side of Grace that hasn’t been seen before, here we take a look at a side of Grace that the public know and love already; her top five songs.
Slave To The Rhythm
Everything aspect of this song is classic Grace Jones, even the album cover is one of the most iconic visions of Grace. The song is the biggest commercial hit for Grace as it climbed the charts in the UK, Belgium, New Zealand and Italy. It is often thought of as her signature song, and no one can forget the brilliant moment Grace Jones hula hooped through an entire performance of the song at Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee Concert.
La Vie En Rose
After living in Paris for just three months, Grace Jones had picked up the French language perfectly – enabling a rendition of Le Vie En Rose that would make Edith Piaf proud whilst also adding her signature vocal style to it. It was widely celebrated throughout Europe when it was released in 1977, reaching and staying in the Top 5 in the charts in Italy, the Netherlands and France. This is Grace’s take on the song, “That’s a very special song to me. Oh God, I cry every time I sing it. I had quite a few French lovers, so every time I sing it I think about them.”
Do Or Die
Taken from Grace’s album Fame, the song is a homage to Grace’s attitude, as shown in the lyrics “Tauruses are more determined / Nothing’s gonna stand in their way.” Do or Die’s reached number three in the US music charts, cementing Grace’s legendary status stateside.
I’ve Seen That Face Before
I’ve Seen That Face Before was released in three different languages; English, French and Spanish and each version was just as popular. The single, also taken from her Nightclubbing album, was met with high praise in Europe as it reached the Number One spot in five different countries. The song is a juxtaposition of classic Argentine tango, mixed with reggae whilst the lyrics lament on the darker side of Parisian nightlife. This seems to be a winning combination, as the song has been hailed as one of the highlights of Jones’ career.
Pull Up To The Bumper
Pull Up To The Bumper proved to be quite controversial in the states due to its sexual content, with some radio stations even refusing to broadcast it. However, this rather fanned the flames on the iconic hit as it climbed music charts throughout the world from the U.S. to Belgium, to New Zealand. Additionally, the song proved to be a source of inspiration as it has been covered by many different artists, including Coolio, Patra and Gossip.
Grace Jones: Bloodlight And Bami will be released in cinemas from 27th October. For more information visit gracejonestickets.co.uk.