Burn Rubber on Me (Why You Wanna Hurt Me)

"Burn Rubber on Me (Why You Wanna Hurt Me)" is a song originally performed by the Gap Band in 1980 and written by member Charlie Wilson, Rudy Taylor, and producer Lonnie Simmons.

"Burn Rubber on Me (Why You Wanna Hurt Me)"
Single by the Gap Band
from the album The Gap Band III
A-side"Yearning for Your Love"
B-side
  • "Nothing Comes to Sleepers"
  • "Baby Baba Boogie"
  • "Humpin'"
Released1980
Recorded1980
GenreFunk
Length4:11
LabelMercury
Songwriter(s)Charlie Wilson, Lonnie Simmons, Rudy Taylor[1]
The Gap Band singles chronology
"Party Lights"
(1980)		 "Burn Rubber on Me (Why You Wanna Hurt Me)"
(1980)		 "Humpin'"
(1981)
Music video
"Burn Rubber on Me (Why You Wanna Hurt Me)" (TopPop, 1981) on YouTube

Background

The song's lyrics refer to abandonment by a lover. The phrase "Burn Rubber on Me" itself refers to said woman driving off while her lover is away.[2] The narrative is continued in "Early in the Morning".

According to engineer Jack Rouben, the foundation of the song started with its bassline: "[The track] was a musical idea that Charlie came up with on the Minimoog that turned into a groove, then a completed arrangement, and then they put the lyrics at the very end...This song was built upon that one repeating bass track, and that was the jam that blossomed into a whole complete song."[3] Rouben also remarked how the title for this song, along with many other hits by the band, was a phrase coined by co-writer Rudy Taylor.

Chart performance

In 1981, it peaked at number 84 on the Billboard Hot 100, and it was a number 1 hit on the R&B charts.[4] Billboard magazine ranked it as the 12th biggest R&B single of 1981. A later single released, featuring "Humpin'" on the B-side, scored a number 19 appearance on the dance charts.[5]

Inspiration

On June 30, 2021, Dave Grohl said that the drumming on "Smells Like Teen Spirit" was ripped off from the drum intro of "Burn Rubber on Me".[6]

References
  1. "discogs.com". discogs.com. Retrieved May 20, 2021.
  2. "Gap Band - Burn Rubber On Me Lyrics". Lyrics On Demand. Retrieved 2023-10-18.
  3. Chris Williams (2021). "The Making of 'Gap Band III', The Album That Turned The Gap Band Into Stars" (Interview). Retrieved 11 April 2023.
  4. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 223.
  5. Chart History
  6. "You Won't Believe Which Funky Drummers Dave Grohl Was 'Ripping Off' on Nirvana's 'Nevermind'". Billboard. Retrieved 2021-07-01.
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