Bulletproof Heart

Bulletproof Heart is the ninth studio album by Jamaican singer, songwriter and model Grace Jones, released on October 31, 1989. The album, co-produced by Chris Stanley, would be Jones' last studio album for 19 years, until the release of Hurricane in 2008.

For the My Chemical Romance song, see Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys. For the 1994 film, see Bulletproof Heart (film).
Bulletproof Heart
Studio album by
Grace Jones
ReleasedOctober 31, 1989[1]
RecordedSoundtrack Studios
Quad Studios
Vision Sound Studios (New York City)
Music Mountain Studios (Jamaica)
GenreR&B[2]
Length
  • 58:25 (CD)
  • 72:07 (remastered CD)
LabelCapitol
Producer
Grace Jones chronology
Inside Story
(1986)		 Bulletproof Heart
(1989)		 The Ultimate
(1993)
Singles from Bulletproof Heart
  1. "Love on Top of Love"
    Released: October 6, 1989
  2. "Amado Mio"
    Released: April 13, 1990

Background, production and release

The album came after Jones' short break from recording music, during which she would again focus on acting, appearing in the all-star Straight to Hell and Mary Lambert's Siesta. On Bulletproof Heart Jones would work with producer Chris Stanley, who at that time had become her first husband. Stanley co-produced the album with her, co-wrote the majority of songs and delivered guest vocals on "Don't Cry Freedom". Three tracks were produced/co-produced by Robert Clivillés and David Cole of C+C Music Factory, who would achieve a global success with the dance track "Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)" in 1990, and Jonathan Elias. Musically, Bulletproof Heart continued the commercial pop sound of the previous record, Inside Story, showcasing material heavily influenced by synthesizers, drums and electronic percussion. The CD version of the album included two additional songs, which were absent on the vinyl pressing. Although Jones has always stayed musically active, Bulletproof Heart would be her last studio album for almost two decades. None of her 1990s comeback attempts materialised and her next album, Hurricane, was eventually released in 2008. A remastered, copy protected edition of the album was released in 2004 on EMI Records, and came with two more bonus tracks.

Singles

Only two singles were released from Bulletproof Heart. "Love on Top of Love" was chosen as the lead single and received numerous remixes. It met with limited success and only reached modest positions in Italy and the Netherlands. However, the 12" remix of the song, subtitled "Killer Kiss", was a significant club hit in the US.

Jones' cover of "Amado Mio", a song from the 1946 film Gilda, was released as the final single in 1990. It also made little impact, still reaching the top 40 in Italy, but placing at the bottom of the German and UK charts.

Reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
Robert ChristgauC[4]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[5]

Bulletproof Heart met with unflattering reception in both critical and commercial performance. In his review music critic Robert Christgau wrote that the songs "proclaim her vulnerability and/or softness of orifice" and according to him the result is "incongruous".[4] AllMusic gave the album two out of five stars. The commercial performance of the album was also poor: it peaked at number 55 in Germany, and number 108 in Australia, but failed to enter charts elsewhere, thus becoming the lowest-charting of all her studio albums and one of her least successful offerings.

Track listing

All tracks are written by Grace Jones and Chris Stanley, except where noted

LP version - Front Seat (Side A)
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Driving Satisfaction" 5:50
2."Kicked Around" 5:37
3."Love on Top of Love"
6:10
4."Paper Plan" 3:55
5."Crack Attack" (featuring Freedom) 5:20
LP version - Back Seat (Side B)
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
6."Bulletproof Heart" 4:19
7."On My Way" 4:24
8."Seduction Surrender"
4:57
9."Someone to Love" 4:47
10."Amado Mio"
5:20
CD version
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
8."Dream" 3:26
9."Seduction Surrender"
  • Elias
  • Lasarenko
  • Jones
  • Stanley
4:59
10."Someone to Love" 4:50
11."Don't Cry Freedom" (with Chris Stanley)Stanley4:16
12."Amado Mio"
  • Fisher
  • Roberts
5:20
2004 remastered CD reissue
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
13."Love on Top of Love – Killer Kiss" (Garage House Mix)
  • Cole
  • Jones
7:10
14."Amado Mio" (The Brazilian Mix)
  • Fisher
  • Roberts
6:25

Notes

  • The remastered 2004 CD reissue of Bulletproof Heart has the same track order as the original 1989 LP release of the album, with "Dream" and "Don't Cry Freedom" appearing as tracks 11 and 12 respectively.
  • Freedom is not credited as a feature on the album's tracklist.

Personnel

Charts
Chart performance for Bulletproof Heart
Chart (1989) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[6] 108
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[7] 55

Release history
Release history and formats for Bulletproof Heart
Region Year Format(s) Label
Various 1989 LP, CD, Cassette Capitol, Jugoton
Europe 2004 CD EMI

References
  1. "Bulletproof Heart – Grace Jones". www.allmusic.com. Retrieved 2006-12-28.
  2. Harnell, Steve (2022-01-23). "Grace Jones albums - the complete guide". Classic Pop. Retrieved 2023-10-04. Grace's 80s ended with a damp squib rather than a bang, with a clear sense on Bulletproof Heart that she's chasing trends rather than setting them. Co-writing the bulk of the album with her first husband, Chris Stanley, it continues the commercial approach of Inside Story and attempts to grab a bit of the action of the then-current fashion of beat-heavy electronic R&B. Clivillés and Cole of C+C Music Factory, the hot production duo of the time, deliver the best moments, including Love On Top Of Love, one of only two singles released on the LP.
  3. "Bulletproof Heart – Grace Jones". www.allmusic.com. Retrieved 2006-12-28.
  4. Robert Christgau. "Robert Christgau: CG: grace jones". www.robertchristgau.com. Retrieved 2012-04-12.
  5. The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. pp. 378–379.
  6. "Response from ARIA re: chart inquiry, received 13 September 2016". Archived from the original on 2 October 2016. Retrieved 18 September 2016 – via Imgur.
  7. "Offiziellecharts.de – Grace Jones – Bulletproof Heart" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 18 September 2016.
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