"Pull Up to the Bumper" is a 1981 song by

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

n 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 ...

, released as the third single from her fifth album, '' Nightclubbing'' (1981). Sonically, it is an uptempo electro-

disco Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric pia ...

post-punk Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad genre of punk music that emerged in the late 1970s as musicians departed from punk's traditional elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a variety of avant-garde sensibilities and non-roc ...

dance-pop Dance-pop is a popular music subgenre that originated in the late 1970s to early 1980s. It is generally uptempo music intended for nightclubs with the intention of being danceable but also suitable for contemporary hit radio. Developing from a ...

and reggae-disco song with dub production, "pulsing drums and chic new-wave licks", as well as elements of

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the m ...

and R&B music. Its lyrics were written by Jones alone, while she, along with Kookoo Baya and Dana Manno, are credited as its composers. The song's instrumental part was originally recorded in 1980 during the ''

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 ...

'' sessions; however, it did not make the album as

Chris Blackwell Christopher Percy Gordon Blackwell (born 22 June 1937) is an English businessman and former record producer, and the founder of Island Records, which has been called "one of Britain's great independent labels". According to the Rock and Roll ...

found its sound not fitting in the rest of the material. It was completed for the 1981 critically acclaimed ''Nightclubbing'' album and became its third single in June 1981. The song peaked at number two on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

Hot Dance Club Songs Dance Club Songs is a chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine in the United States. It is a national look over of club disc jockeys to determine the most popular songs being played in nightclubs across the country. It was launched as t ...

chart in the US and number 53 in the UK. When re-released in 1986, it peaked at number 12 in the UK. The track has come to be one of Jones' signature tunes and her first transatlantic hit. The song sparked controversy for its sexually suggestive lyrics, prompting some radio stations to refuse to broadcast it. Among the lines are "Pull up to my bumper baby / In your long black limousine / Pull up to my bumper baby / Drive it in between", "Grease it / Spray it / Let me lubricate it" and "I've got to blow your horn." However, in a 2008 interview with '' Q'' magazine, Jones suggested that the lyrics were not necessarily meant to be interpreted as a metaphor for

anal sex Anal sex or anal intercourse is generally the insertion and thrusting of the erect penis into a person's anus, or anus and rectum, for sexual pleasure.Sepages 270–271for anal sex information, anpage 118for information about the clitoris. ...

Release

Over the years, "Pull Up to the Bumper" has been remixed several times. The original

12-inch single The twelve-inch single (often written as 12-inch or 12″) is a type of vinyl ( polyvinyl chloride or PVC) gramophone record that has wider groove spacing and shorter playing time with a 'single' or a few related sound tracks on each surfac ...

featured the unedited album master recording as an extended mix of 6m45s. There also appears to be an untitled long album version lasting 5m48s which can be found on the US Rebound Records/

Polygram Records PolyGram N.V. was a multinational entertainment company and major music record label formerly based in the Netherlands. It was founded in 1962 as the Grammophon-Philips Group by Dutch corporation Philips and German corporation Siemens, to be a ...

''World of Dance: The 80's'' compilation CD. An extended dub version lasting 7m17s also known as "Remixed Version" was included as the B-side on the 12-inch release of Jones' " Walking in the Rain"; this version can be found on the

Universal Music Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Netherlands, Dutch–United States, American multinational Music industry, music corporation under Law of the Netherlands, Dutch law. UMG's cor ...

compilation CD ''12"/80s''. The "Walking in the Rain" 7" single also had an alternate dub mix as the B-side, called "Peanut Butter" and credited to the

Compass Point All Stars Compass Point Studios was a music recording studio in the 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, musicians, producer ...

. The full mix of "Peanut Butter" lasting 7m02s as well as "Pull Up to the Bumper"'s "Party Version" lasting 5m01s can be found on the US

Hip-O Records Hip-O Records is a record label that specializes in reissues and compilations. It is part of Universal Music Group. Established in 1996, the label has distributed releases from 'out of style' genres such as disco and early hip-hop music as wel ...

/Universal Music ''In Good Company'' CD by

Sly & 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 separat ...

. In 1985, the track was remixed and re-released to promote the ''

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 ...

'' compilation, and was released in two different 12-inch single mixes, one an extended mix with additional keyboard overdubs and remix by Paul "Groucho" Smykle, which can be found on both the Rodeo Media 2011 ''Dance Classics - Pop Edition Vol. 4'' 2CD Compilation and the very rare EVA Records 1986 ''Now Dance'' compilation CD. The other, an eight-minute megamix entitled "Musclemix", which included excerpts from tracks like "

", " Walking in the Rain", " Use Me", "

Love Is the Drug "Love Is the Drug" is a 1975 song from English rock band Roxy Music's fifth studio album ''Siren'', released as a single in September 1975. Co-written by Bryan Ferry and Andy Mackay, the song originated as a slower, dreamier track until the b ...

" and " Slave to the Rhythm", remains unreleased on CD.

Critical reception

Terry Nelson from Albumism commented in his review of '' Nightclubbing'', "Many critics loved the playful double entendre, but if you were listening carefully, you could tell that it was a pretty blunt statement. She was not pulling any punches. It was a song that could've been ripped out of the pages of the

Penthouse Penthouse most often refers to: *Penthouse apartment, a special apartment on the top floor of a building *Penthouse (magazine), ''Penthouse'' (magazine), a British-founded men's magazine *Mechanical penthouse, a floor, typically located directly u ...

forum set to an infectious, funky beat: "Pull up to my bumper baby / In your long black limousine / Pull up to my bumper baby / And drive it in between"." The Daily Vault's Mark Millan called it an "instant Jones classic", and noted that the singer "peppered the lyric with a swell of sexual innuendos". Music critic and writer

Glenn O'Brien Glenn O'Brien (March 2, 1947 – April 7, 2017) was an American writer who focused largely on the subjects of art, music, and fashion. He was featured for many years as "The Style Guy" in ''GQ'' magazine and published a book with that title. He ...

called "Pull Up to the Bumper" "Grace's first car radio hit".

Chart performance

Upon its release, the song spent seven weeks at number two on the US ''

Hot Dance Club Play Dance Club Songs is a chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine in the United States. It is a national look over of club disc jockeys to determine the most popular songs being played in nightclubs across the country. It was launched as t ...

chart, as well as becoming a Top 5 single on the ''Billboard'' R&B chart. The original 1981 release peaked at number 53 on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

. When it was re-released in 1985, then with the 1977 recording of "

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 ...

" as the B-side, it reached number 12 on the UK singles chart in early 1986. The song then finally charted in Ireland and West Germany, and became the singer's best-seller.

Impact and legacy

The song was ranked at number eight among the top 10 "Tracks of the Year" for 1981 by ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

''. ''

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'' put the song at number 88 in their list of "Greatest Songs Since You Were Born" in 2005. In 2011, ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

s Richard Vine ranked the release of "Pull Up to the Bumper" as one of 50 key events in the history of dance music, proclaiming it "one of those rare records that manages to replicate the sensation of actually being in a club." ''

Pitchfork Media ''Pitchfork'' (formerly ''Pitchfork Media'') is an American online music publication (currently owned by Condé Nast) that was launched in 1995 by writer Ryan Schreiber as an independent music blog. Schreiber started Pitchfork while working ...

'' featured it in their list of ''50 Songs That Define the Last 50 Years of LGBTQ+ Pride'' in 2018. Same year, '' Time Out'' listed the song at number 41 in their ''The 50 best '80s songs'' list. ''

Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning * Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis * Spin (propaganda), an intentionally b ...

'' ranked the song as one of ''The 30 Best Disco Songs That Every Millennial Should Know'' in 2019. ''

Slant Magazine ''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York ...

'' placed "Pull Up to the Bumper" at number 64 in their list of ''The 100 Best Dance Songs of All Time'' in 2020. ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'' ranked it number 84 in their list of ''200 Greatest Dance Songs of All Time'' in 2022.

Music video

The accompanying

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

for "Pull Up to the Bumper" is a combination of live footage of Jones performing the song on her ''

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 ...

'' merged and edited alongside excerpts from

Godfrey Reggio Godfrey Reggio (born March 29, 1940) is an American director of experimental documentary films. Life Reggio was born in New Orleans, Louisiana to an old and distinguished Louisiana family descended from Francesco M. de Reggio, an Italian noblem ...

's 1982 experimental documentary film ''

Koyaanisqatsi ''Koyaanisqatsi'' (), also known as ''Koyaanisqatsi: Life Out of Balance'', is a 1982 American experimental film, experimental non-narrative film directed and produced by Godfrey Reggio with music composed by Philip Glass and cinematography by R ...

''. The video uses the edited studio version of the song and its opening section includes excerpts from the song "Nightclubbing". Another music video for the song was produced, also using the same live footage, cut and re-edited, but this time retaining the original concert soundtrack. The video ends with Jones jumping from the stage into the audience.

Track listing

*7-inch single (1981) :A. "Pull Up to the Bumper" – 3:40 :B. "Feel Up" – 4:02 *7-inch single (US, 1981) :A. "Pull Up to the Bumper" – 3:40 :B. "

Breakdown Breakdown may refer to: Breaking down *Breakdown (vehicle), failure of a motor vehicle in such a way that it cannot be operated *Chemical decomposition, also called chemical breakdown, the breakdown of a substance into simpler components *Decompo ...

" – 3:00 *12-inch single (1981) :A. "Pull Up to the Bumper" (long version) – 5:45 :B. "Feel Up" (Long Version) – 6:14 *12-inch promotional single (US, 1981) :A. "Pull Up to the Bumper" (album version) – 4:30 :B. "Pull Up to the Bumper" (party version) – 5:45 *7-inch single (1985) :A. "Pull Up to the Bumper" – 3:40 :B. "

" – 3:35 *12-inch single (1985) :A. "Pull Up to the Bumper" (Remix) – 6:24 :B1. "La Vie en rose" – 7:24 :B2. "

Nipple to the Bottle "Nipple to the Bottle" is a single by the Jamaican singer, model and actress Grace Jones, released in 1982. Background "Nipple to the Bottle" was the lead single from Jones' sixth studio album, ''Living My Life''. The song was released in some te ...

" – 5:55 *12-inch single (UK, 1985) :A. "Pull Up to the Bumper" – 4:40 :B. "Nipple to the Bottle" – 6:57 *12-inch single (UK, 1986) :A. "Grace Jones Musclemix" – 9:12 :B1. "La Vie en rose" – 7:24 :B2. "Pull Up to the Bumper" (Remix) – 6:24 *12-inch single (Canada, 1986) :A. "Grace Jones Musclemix" – 9:12 :B1. "Pull Up to the Bumper" (Remix) – 6:29 :B2. "Nipple to the Bottle" – 5:55 *Cassette single (1986) # "Pull Up to the Bumper" (Remix) – 6:29 # "Nipple to the Bottle" – 5:55 # "La Vie en rose" – 7:24 # "Peanut Butter" – 5:10

Personnel

– vocals, backing vocals *

Sly Dunbar Lowell Fillmore "Sly" Dunbar (born 10 May 1952, Kingston, Jamaica) is a drummer, best known as one half of the prolific Jamaican rhythm section and reggae production duo Sly and Robbie. Biography Dunbar began playing at 15 in a band called ...

– drums, syndrums *

Robbie Shakespeare Robert Warren Dale Shakespeare (27 September 1953 – 8 December 2021) was a Jamaican bass guitarist and record producer, best known as half of the reggae rhythm section and production duo Sly and Robbie, with drummer Sly Dunbar. Regarded as ...

– bass guitar *

Barry Reynolds Barry Reynolds (born 27 October 1949, in Bolton, Lancashire) is a British guitar player, songwriter, composer and producer, best known for his long-lasting collaboration with Marianne Faithfull. Reynolds first emerged with the band Pacific Drift ...

– guitar *

Mikey Chung Michael Chung (1950 – 28 December 2021) also known as Mao Chung, was a Jamaican musician who played keyboards, guitar and percussion instruments. He was also an arranger and record producer of Jamaican music, and worked with a wide array of m ...

– guitar *

Wally Badarou Waliou Jacques Daniel Isheola "Wally" Badarou (born 22 March 1955) is a French musician. Born in France with ancestry from Benin, West Africa, Badarou is known for his close association with the English group Level 42, and for his prolific work ...

– keyboards *

Uziah Thompson Uzziah "Sticky" Thompson (1 August 1936 – 25 August 2014) was a Jamaican percussionist, vocalist and deejay active from the late 1950s. He worked with some of the best known performers of Jamaican music and played on hundreds of albums. Biog ...

– percussion

Charts

Patra version

"Pull Up to the Bumper" was covered by Jamaican

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...

singer Patra in 1995 and released as the first single from her second album, ''Scent of Attraction'' (1995). It reached number 60 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100, number 21 on the ''Billboard'' R&B chart, and #15 on the ''Billboard'' dance chart. It also reached number 78 in Australia, number 12 in New Zealand, and number 50 in the UK.

Critical reception

Gil Robertson IV from ''

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', was an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...

'' wrote, "Lady Patra is back with an intoxicating remake of Grace Jones' classic

hit. Girlfriend delivers the goods with an over the top, spicy and provocative cover This track will be an across-the-board winner on several formats and offers a great opener for Patra’s new release, ''Scent Of Attraction''."

Track listing

* 12" single, US (1995) :A1: "Pull Up to the Bumper" (LP Version) – 4:50 :A2: "Pull Up to the Bumper" (Salaam's Extended Party Mix) – 4:46 :A3: "Pull Up to the Bumper" (Harder Anthem) – 4:59 :B1: "Pull Up to the Bumper" (Salaam's Party Mix Instrumental) – 4:44 :B2: "Pull Up to the Bumper" (Harder Dub) – 4:59 * CD maxi, Europe (1995) #"Pull Up to the Bumper" (Radio Edit) – 4:09 #"Pull Up to the Bumper" (Salaam's Extended Party Mix) – 4:11 #"Pull Up to the Bumper" (Bumpa Anthem) – 4:09 #"Pull Up to the Bumper" (Harder Anthem) – 4:59 #"Pull Up to the Bumper" (Horny Mix) – 3:58 #"Pull Up to the Bumper" (Old Skool ungleMix) – 5:47 #"Pull Up to the Bumper" (Drum And Bass ungleMix) – 5:44

Charts

Later versions

Coolio Artis Leon Ivey Jr. (August 1, 1963 – September 28, 2022), known professionally as Coolio, was an American rapper. First rising to fame as a member of the gangsta rap group WC and the Maad Circle, Coolio achieved mainstream success as a solo ...

sampled the song on his 1997 single "Ooh La La", from the album '' My Soul''. *Another version was released by an Australian R&B singer

Deni Hines Dohnyale "Deni" Sharon Hines (born 4 September 1970) is an Australian singer who has been releasing music since the early 1990s, with chart success in Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and Europe. She is the daughter of American-Australian singer M ...

, which featured in 2000 film ''

The Wog Boy ''The Wog Boy'' is a 2000 Australian comedy film directed by Aleksi Vellis and starring Nick Giannopoulos, Vince Colosimo, Lucy Bell, Abi Tucker, Stephen Curry, Tony Nikolakopoulos and Derryn Hinch. At the ARIA Music Awards of 2000 the soundtrac ...

''. It reached number 36 on the Australian

ARIA Singles Chart The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offici ...

in February 2000. *Also in 2000, short lived British band Made in London recorded "Pull Up to the Bumper" as a B-side for their only charting single "Dirty Water". *Danish artist Funkstar De Luxe remixed the song with Jones' original vocals, and released it as a single in late 2000, with an accompanying music video. The song reached number four on the US ''Billboard'' dance chart and number 60 on the UK singles chart. *Bands

Gossip Gossip is idle talk or rumour, especially about the personal or private affairs of others; the act is also known as dishing or tattling. Gossip is a topic of research in evolutionary psychology, which has found gossip to be an important means ...

and

LCD Soundsystem LCD Soundsystem is an American rock band from Brooklyn, New York, formed in 2002 by James Murphy, co-founder of DFA Records. The band comprises Murphy (vocals, various instruments), Nancy Whang (synthesizer, keyboards, vocals), Pat Mahoney (dr ...

performed the song together at the

Coachella Coachella may refer to: * Coachella, California * Coachella Canal, in California * Coachella (festival), an annual music and arts festival in California * "Coachella – Woodstock in My Mind", a 2017 song by Lana del Rey See also

* Coachell ...

festival in 2010.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pull Up To The Bumper 1981 singles Grace Jones songs Songs written by Grace Jones Island Records singles 1981 songs