Was Grace Jones the musical blueprint for authenticity? (2024)

In 1981, Grace Jones scurried into the nightlife like a messenger of the night, valiant in her own brand of defiance in the face of anything that seemed normal or boring. She fluttered her wings with grace, snarling at the vapidity of paths long taken by many so-called innovators, eager to reinstate the energy that once graced the cobbled streets. At least, that’s exactly what Nightclubbing sounds like.

Until the ’80s, overused formulas and recycled tropes plagued many mainstream spaces, thinly veiled as the work of authentic minds and hearts yearning to “make it” under the industry’s guise. While there were always a handful of outliers, staleness pervaded the scene, lurking around every corner like a tumbleweed in the shadows.

From her musicality to attending Arnold Schwarzenegger’s wedding late with Andy Warhol, the stories about Jones’ desire to break the mould are plentiful. However, her authenticity wasn’t just about her ability to go against convention; it was rooted in her unwavering desire to express herself, both in her personal life and in her art. For this reason, she was a purveyor of doing whatever she wanted, no matter what, and became driven to reinvent what it meant to be a creative force.

In the opening track to Nightclubbing, Jones presents her outlandishness with reckless abandon, singing about “feeling like a woman, looking like a man” while adhering to the main traits that would be frowned upon or deemed socially unacceptable. “Sounding like a no-no, mating when I can / Whistling in the darkness, shining in the night / Coming to conclusions / Right is night is tight,” she sings, her lack of conviction enhancing the message of liberation from expectation.

As she lurks in the dark streets, slipping from one coveted function to another, scorn at the grey hues of sensibility becomes her ammo, fuelling the rebellion in her disposition and transforming every slithering contortion into a strong act of defiance. Nightclubbing creates a dissonance that feels simultaneously mysterious and on the nose, epitomising Jones’ elusiveness with brazen assurance, almost as though it’s difficult to make out if she appears as a silhouette or mirage.

Many figures adopted this dichotomy in their time, which became intensified by their creative execution, like David Bowie, whose fluidity and dedication to otherworldly abstraction gave rise to endless study. However, Jones’ authenticity was firmly rooted in this world, weaving themes of androgyny, sexual suggestiveness, empowerment, and desire into the familiarity of everyday existence with an added viscera that made nothing feel entirely real.

Jones might not have been the first to challenge societal norms, but her ability to refine the bravery of those who came before her, combined with her social and political background, made her one of the most genuinely authentic and unapologetic musical figures ever. In other words, while some of her predecessors may have explored similar themes or achieved comparable milestones, they did not share her lived experience as a Black woman in a male-dominated industry.

Nor could they wield the oppression she faced as a weapon to expose the industry’s claims of diversity, using her artistry to attack its stagnant structures. Nina Simone once said, “An artist’s duty, as far as I’m concerned, is to reflect the times.” If we’re looking at true innovators, who not only confronted and challenged convention but did so unexpectedly in the face of white Western tyranny, all while redefining what it meant to be a global artist, Jones undoubtedly emerges as the leader.

The concept of ’80s nightclubbing also hinges on many of the decade’s most defining controversies, like hedonism, gender and sexual liberation, self-expression, second-wave feminism, global interconnectedness, and sound innovation. With songs like ‘Pull Up To The Bumper’, Jones incited a movement of originality that later acts like Annie Lennox, Laurie Anderson, Lady Gaga, Róisín Murphy, Janelle Monáe, M.I.A., Stevie Nicks, Gorillaz, Massive Attack, Björk, LCD Soundsystem, and countless others would partake in, each standing proud in the face of societal anxieties with a new brand of creative individuality.

As Hercules and Love Affair’s Kim Ann Foxman toldThe Vinyl Factory: “Grace Jones is one the most important pop icons in music in the last century. To me, she really is the last alien on Earth. Her presence is beyond…she is a reference and inspiration for so many artists today.”

Related Topics