A Bite of Grace Jones 🍪

My teenage obsession with Andy Warhol led me to seeing Grace Jones in person, and she did not disappoint

Jan 22, 2024

Monday Bites are bite-sized musician spotlights & playlists by Grace Lilly.

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• 3 min read •

“Grace Jones will appear in person on April 14”

The Film Society of Lincoln Center’s Spring 2018 New Releases email announced that they were premiering Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami and that Jones would be in attendance. I knew I couldn’t pass up the chance to see her in the flesh for a mere $30.

Despite having heard her name countless times thanks to my teenage obsession with Andy Warhol, I never knew much about her. I just knew she was a big deal. The muse to my heroes.

The night of the screening, after the film was over, I felt my girlfriend Sara poke my arm and whisper, “Look!” I turned my head and spotted her. She was wearing holographic snake eye glasses and a dark hooded ensemble, standing against the wall of the theater waiting for the host to bring her on stage.

No one had noticed her yet. It felt like a rare privileged moment to see her when she wasn’t “on.” Being around her made the cells in my body wake up and stand at attention.

I could feel I was in the presence of greatness. Someone historic. Someone iconic.

Grace Jones

The basics

🤝 Jamaican singer, songwriter, model and actress

🤝 b. 1948 (Jamaica)

🤝 Disco, new wave, reggae, R&B, pop, rock

Why you should know her: Jones is one of the most significant living cultural icons and one of the most unforgettable artists to emerge from NYC's Studio 54 disco scene of the late 70s

If you like

✨ Rihanna

✨ FKA Twigs

✨ Doja Cat

✨ Beyoncé

✨ Madonna

Known for

🏆 A singular vocal approach that sounds simultaneously detached and all-powerful

🏆 Her sexually charged live shows, which led her to be known as "Queen of the Gay Discos"

🏆 Playing with gender, her distinctive androgynous appearance and bold features

Bite-sized facts

🍪 Born in Jamaica, she and her family moved to Syracuse, NY when she was a teenager

🍪 Was shy as a child and had only one schoolfriend; found solace in the nature of Jamaica

🍪 The daughter of a Pentecostal minister, she rebelled against her parents & their religion by wearing makeup and visiting gay clubs with her brother

🍪 Immersed herself in the counterculture of the 1960s; lived in hippie communes, worked as a go-go dancer

🍪 Modeled in Paris for YSL & Kenzo, appeared on the covers of Elle and Vogue, shared an apartment with Jerry Hall and Jessica Lange

🍪 Became a high-profile figure of New York City's Studio 54 disco scene; muse to Andy Warhol who photographed her extensively

Songs & dates

♫ 1977 "La Vie en Rose" and “I Need A Man” become her first big hits off her debut record Portfolio

♫ 1981 Nightclubbing comes out, now widely regarded as her best studio album

♫ 1982 Releases the music video collection A One Man Show which earns her a nomination for Best Video Album at the 26th Annual Grammy Awards

She said

⭐ “Music has its own depths, and I let it take me where it takes me, even if it means stripping all my clothes off.”

⭐ “We’re not perfect; we all have things that people might not like to see, and I like to show my faults.”

⭐ “I’m always rebelling. I don’t think I’ll ever stop.”

⭐ “I go feminine, I go masculine. I am both, actually.”

My Grace Playlist

I gathered my fav Grace songs, from me to you with love. Save on Spotify and listen all week 💗

Save on Spotify

Where to start

Talking vulnerability

On the Today Show discussing her role in the movie "Vamp" (1986)

Demolition Man

Music video for the lead single from Grace’s 1981 album Nightclubbing, featuring marching "Joneses"

With Andy Warhol and Keith Haring

Music video for her song "I’m Not Perfect (But I’m Perfect for You)” ft. Andy Warhol and the art of Keith Haring

Down the rabbit hole

If you wanna dive even deeper:

Bloodlight and Bami (2017) on Amazon Video

This electrifying journey through the public and private worlds of pop culture mega-icon Grace Jones contrasts musical sequences with intimate personal footage, all the while brimming with Jones's bold aesthetic. Watch here.

Last week’s diary entry 🤫

Car CDs: Joni Mitchell's For the Roses

I’m six years old, sitting in the backseat of my family’s beloved white Nissan I’d affectionately named “Genius.” I’m putting on LipSmackers and waiting for my mood ring to tell me if I’m happy, calm, or uncertain. I’d just gotten my ears pierced at Claire’s in the mall.

I can see the side of my mom’s blonde head bopping as she drives. She’s singing along to “You Turn Me On, I'm a Radio,” a remarkably fun, upbeat song off of Joni Mitchell’s 1972 album For the Roses…

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