"Private Life" is a 1980 song written by

Chrissie Hynde Christine Ellen Hynde (born September 7, 1951) is an American musician. She is a founding member and the lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter of the rock band the Pretenders, and one of the band's two remaining original members alon ...

, and released by both English band

The Pretenders Pretenders are an English–American rock band formed in March 1978. The original band consisted of founder and main songwriter Chrissie Hynde (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), James Honeyman-Scott (lead guitar, backing vocals, keyboards), Pete Fa ...

, and Jamaican singer

Grace Jones Grace Beverly Jones (born 19 May 1948) is a model, singer and actress. Born in Jamaica, she and her family moved to Syracuse, New York, when she was a teenager. Jones began her modelling career in New York state, then in Paris, working for ...

in 1980.

Background

The song was written by

, the leader and singer of

, and included on that band's 1980 debut album ''

Pretenders Pretenders may refer to: * The Pretenders, a rock band ** ''Pretenders'' (album), the 1980 debut album by the group * ''Pretenders'' (TV series), a 1972 British television series * ''The Pretenders'' (play) (Norwegian: ''Kongs-Emnerne''), an 18 ...

''. The same year the track was covered by

on her first post-disco album ''

Warm Leatherette "Warm Leatherette" is a song by Daniel Miller's project the Normal, released in 1978. The Normal original Overview The lyrics of "Warm Leatherette" reference J. G. Ballard's controversial 1973 novel ''Crash'', which had heavily influenced Dani ...

'', recorded at the

Compass Point Studios Compass Point Studios was a music recording studio in the The Bahamas, Bahamas, founded in 1977 by Chris Blackwell, the owner of Island Records. The concept of the studio was of a recording facility supported by in-house sets of artists, musici ...

the Bahamas The Bahamas (), officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the West Indies in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic. It takes up 97% of the Lucayan Archipelago's land area and is home to ...

with among others

Sly and Robbie Sly and Robbie were a prolific Jamaican rhythm section and production duo, associated primarily with the reggae and dub genres. Drummer Sly Dunbar and bassist Robbie Shakespeare teamed up in the mid-1970s after establishing themselves separa ...

. In the liner notes to Island Records' 1998 compilation '' Private Life: The Compass Point Sessions'', Hynde is quoted as saying: "Private Life" was released as the third single from the ''Warm Leatherette'' album. However, it marked a new era in Jones' career as she left her disco persona behind her and adopted an entirely different image, exploring genres like reggae, rock and new wave. It became Grace Jones' first ever chart entry in the UK, peaking at number 17. The single's B-side was a non-album track; "

She's Lost Control "She's Lost Control" is a song by British post-punk band Joy Division. Released on their 1979 debut album, ''Unknown Pleasures'', "She's Lost Control" was first performed live by the band in June 1978 and draws primary lyrical inspiration fro ...

", originally recorded by

Joy Division Joy Division were an English rock band formed in Salford in 1976. The group consisted of vocalist Ian Curtis, guitarist/keyboardist Bernard Sumner, bassist Peter Hook and drummer Stephen Morris. Sumner and Hook formed the band after attend ...

. Both tracks were remixed and re-edited for the 7" single with the 4:38 version of "Private Life", now available on the Spectrum/

Universal Universal is the adjective for universe. Universal may also refer to: Companies * NBCUniversal, a media and entertainment company ** Universal Animation Studios, an American Animation studio, and a subsidiary of NBCUniversal ** Universal TV, a ...

''Music for Girls Night Out'' compilation CD. The original 7" version of "She's Lost Control" is still yet to be released digitally. In the Netherlands the B-side was the French language "Pars" from the ''Warm Leatherette'' album. In Germany, "

La Vie en rose "La Vie en rose" (; ) is the signature song of popular French singer Édith Piaf, written in 1945, popularized in 1946, and released as a single in 1947. The song became very popular in the US in 1950, when seven versions reached the ''Billboard ...

" from ''

Portfolio Portfolio may refer to: Objects * Portfolio (briefcase), a type of briefcase Collections * Portfolio (finance), a collection of assets held by an institution or a private individual * Artist's portfolio, a sample of an artist's work or a ...

'' (1977) was re-issued as a follow-up single to "Private Life" whereas the UK and the Netherlands opted for "

The Hunter Gets Captured by the Game "The Hunter Gets Captured by the Game" is a 1966 song written by Smokey Robinson. It was a hit single in 1967 for the American girl group The Marvelettes for the Motown label, from their self-titled album released that same year. In 1980, Jamaican ...

", which had already been the lead single off ''Warm Leatherette'' for the American market. Following the release of the compilation ''

Island Life ''Island Life'' is a compilation album by Grace Jones, released in December 1985, summing up the first nine years of her musical career. The album sits among Jones' best-selling works. Production and release After the major commercial success ...

'' in 1985, the song was remixed and re-issued as a single in the UK, then with "

My Jamaican Guy "My Jamaican Guy" is a single by the Jamaican singer and actress Grace Jones, released in 1983. Background "My Jamaican Guy" was the third single to Grace Jones' 1982 album ''Living My Life'', her third and last album recorded in the Compass Poi ...

" as the B-side, and charted again.

Music video

The original video for this song, directed by Mike Mansfield, presented the famous Grace Jones mask for the first time. The entire video shows Jones' face in close-up, with her taking the mask off, replacing it, and then taking it off again, and mostly singing straight to the camera. The clip was filmed in a single take, without any editing. Another music video for the song was produced, which was included in the program of the 1982 ''

A One Man Show ''A One Man Show'' is a long-form music video collection featuring Jamaican singer Grace Jones, released in 1982. The video mainly consists of music videos, with some concert footage filmed when Jones was touring with the eponymous tour. Backgroun ...

'' VHS release. It again presented Jones in a close-up, with her face partially covered with shadows, as well as posing in front of a white wall.

Track listing

*7" single (1980) :A. "Private Life" – 4:37 :B. "She's Lost Control" – 3:45 *NL 7" single (1980) :A. "Private Life" – 4:36 :B. "Pars" – 4:05 *12" single (1980) :A. "Private Life" (Long Version) – 6:19 :B. "She's Lost Control" (Long Version) – 8:25 *7" single (1986) :A. "Private Life" – 3:57 :B. "

" – 4:16 *12" single (1986) :A1. "Private Life" – 7:00 :A2. "My Jamaican Guy" – 6:00 :B1. "Feel Up" – 6:14 :B2. "She's Lost Control" – 5:45

Chart positions

References

{{Grace Jones 1980 singles Grace Jones songs The Pretenders songs Songs written by Chrissie Hynde Song recordings produced by Chris Thomas (record producer) Reggae rock songs 1979 songs Island Records singles