Living My Life (song)

"Living My Life"
Single by Grace Jones
Released1983
Recorded1982
Genre
Length7:34
LabelIsland
Songwriter(s)Grace Jones
Producer(s)
Grace Jones singles chronology
"Cry Now, Laugh Later"
(1983) 		"Living My Life"
(1983) 		"Slave to the Rhythm"
(1985)
Music video
"Living My Life" on YouTube

"Living My Life" is a Grace Jones song released as a single in 1983 by Island Records. It was written by Jones with production handled by both Chris Blackwell and Alex Sadkin.

Background

The track was originally recorded for the album of the same name, due to it's overall pop and R&B sound compared to the album's reggae direction,[1] it did not make the final cut. It received a scarce 1983 release as a UK white label single and was officially released only in Portugal. Jones, however, performed the track on several TV shows. A remixed version was released as the B-side to the UK reissue single of "Love Is the Drug" in 1986. The original and dub versions are yet to be reissued on CD.

Music video

The music video for the song was directed by Jean-Paul Goude and famously includes the "suicide" scene, with Grace blowing her brains out.[2] Excerpts from the "Living My Life" video were used in the "Slave to the Rhythm" clip. The music video for "Living My Life" was also included in Jones' concert film, A One Man Show.

Track listing

  • 12" single (1983)
A. "Living My Life" – 7:34
B. "Living My Life" (Dub) – 4:15
  • 12" promotional single (1983)
A. "Living My Life" – 7:34
B. "Living My Life" – 7:34

References

  1. ^ a b Grace Jones (14 June 2015). I'll Never Write My Memoirs. Gallery Books. ISBN 9781476765082. During the recording sessions for my album, "Living My Life", the label told me to remove the title track as having listened back to the song with other songs from the album, they felt its pop and R&B sound did not compliment the album's reggae vibe, so it became a stand alone single of such.
  2. ^ "Grace Jones - 'Living my life'". MVDBase.com (video). ASG. 1998–2017. Retrieved 2011-12-23.