Barefoot in Beverly Hills

How about some barefoot music this morning?

There are a fair number of barefoot songs. In the past I’ve written about Barefoot in Baltimore, by the Strawberry Alarm Clock.

 

Here’s another one for you, Barefoot in Beverly Hills, by Grace Jones. (Are you only allowed to sing about going barefoot in a city beginning with a “B”, for the alliteration?)

The song appeared in her album, “Inside Story”, in 1986.

Grace Jones — Inside Story

You may recall Grace Jones from her appearances with Arnold Schwarzenegger in “Conan the Destroyer” and with Roger Moore in the James Bond movie, “A View to a Kill”.

I didn’t realize that she also had a pretty extensive singing career.

Here’s the song.

Grace grew up in Jamaica, so I imagine she really knows going barefoot.

Here are the lyrics (as best I could determine them). Start the music, and you can read along.

Still walkin’ barefoot.
Still walkin’ barefoot, still.
Still walkin’ barefoot, in Beverly Hills.
Still walkin’ barefoot, still, in Beverly Hills.

I can walk on the stone, I can walk on the glass,
I’m walkin’ all over this earth.
I can walk on fire, I can walk on air,
I’m walkin’ all over this earth.
And I can walk on wood, I can walk on wire,
I’m walkin’ all over this earth.
And I can walk on grass, I can walk on grass,
And walk on, you name it.

Still walkin’ barefoot, in Beverly Hills.
Still walkin’ barefoot, still, in Beverly Hills.

I can walk in a lively strut,
To keep my feet from burning up.
For years I walked back beat,
With everything under my feet:
An immunity to heat,
An immunity to heat.
Now I can walk on, you name it.
And I can walk on, you name it.
I can walk on, you name it.
And I can walk on, you name it.

Still walkin’ barefoot, in Beverly Hills.
Still walkin’ barefoot, still, in Beverly Hills.
I’m still walkin’ barefoot, in Beverly Hills.
Still walkin’ barefoot, still, in Beverly Hills.

For many years I walked back beat.
This callus developed onto my feet.
Whatcha call callus.
An immunity to heat.
An immunity to heat.

Still walkin’ barefoot, in Beverly Hills.
I’m still walkin’ barefoot, still, in Beverly Hills.
Still walkin’ barefoot, in Beverly Hills.
Still walkin’ barefoot, still, in the Beverly Hills.

I’m walkin’ around without my shoes,
Yes well, feels like pedicures.
Scratchin’ on the way,
Livin’ it up in L.A.
Years and miles walked back beat.
Callus developed onto on my feet.
What you call a callus.
An immunity to heat.
An immunity to heat.
An immunity to heat.

By the way, this really doesn’t agree all that well with the lyrics that you can find online. For instance, you can find a set here. (All the other websites with lyrics have exactly the same ones—I think they all just copied off each other.) I have the distinct impression that the person who tried to transcribe them had absolutely no experience with going barefoot.

Anyways, I suspect the song is a metaphor for surviving in the Hollywood and music industries. But it takes somebody who knows going barefoot to make the connection, and to understand how one really can build up callus and gain an immunity to heat..

It’s my new favorite song.