Burn Rubber on Me (Why You Wanna Hurt Me)

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"Burn Rubber on Me (Why You Wanna Hurt Me)"
Burn Rubber on Me.jpg
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 Post-disco
Length4:11
LabelMercury
Songwriter(s)Charlie Wilson, Lonnie Simmons, Rudy Taylor[1]
The Gap Band singles chronology
""
(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

"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.

Song 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".

Chart Performance[]

In 1981, it peaked at number eighty-four on the Billboard Hot 100, and it was a number one hit on the R&B charts.[3] 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 #19 appearance on the dance charts.[4]

Releases[]

All releases are in the U.S. unless indicated:

  • 7" single
  • 12" single
  • 7" with "Nothing Comes to Sleepers" on the B-side
  • 7" with "Baby Baba Boogie" from 1979's The Gap Band on the B-side
  • 7" with "Yearning for Your Love" on the A-side
  • Album, "Gap Band III" (1980), along with a radio edit and 8 other songs

All the releases can be checked at Discogs[5]

Samples[]

Inspiration[]

On June 30th 2021 Dave Grohl said that the drumming on “Smells Like Teen Spirit” was ripped off by taking the intro drums from “Burn Rubber”.

References[]

  1. ^ "discogs.com". discogs.com. Retrieved May 20, 2021.
  2. ^ Lyrics
  3. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 223.
  4. ^ Chart History
  5. ^ Discogs Archived April 25, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
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