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)" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single by the Gap Band | ||||
| from the album The Gap Band III | ||||
| A-side | "Yearning for Your Love" | |||
| B-side |
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| Released | 1980 | |||
| Recorded | 1980 | |||
| Genre | Funk | |||
| Length | 4:11 | |||
| Label | Mercury | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Charlie Wilson, Lonnie Simmons, Rudy Taylor[1] | |||
| The Gap Band singles chronology | ||||
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| 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".
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.[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 number 19 appearance on the dance charts.[4]
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".[5]
References
- "discogs.com". discogs.com. Retrieved May 20, 2021.
- Lyrics
- Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 223.
- Chart History
- "You Won't Believe Which Funky Drummers Dave Grohl Was 'Ripping Off' on Nirvana's 'Nevermind'". Billboard. Retrieved 2021-07-01.
