Few songs have retained the aura of allure and dancefloor magnetism quite like Grace Jones’ “Pull Up To The Bumper.” This timeless hit, released in 1981, continues to captivate audiences with its groove.
At the core of the backing track’s magic is the ingenious bassline crafted by reggae legends Sly and Robbie, part of the in-house team at Compass Point Studios in the Bahamas, where Jones recorded her greatest work.
Tina Weymouth of Talking Heads praises Robbie Shakespeare’s bassline, noting, “It’s such a brilliant piece of work because it’s all one string. Keeps it nice and heavy and deep but it’s rolling all the time, it’s driving the track forward, it’s moving – and it’s so cool to dance to.”
The original backing track – referred to as Pour Yourself Over Me Like Peanut Butter and later released as simply Peanut Butter on a 12-inch version of Pull Up… – was recorded in the sessions for Jones’ 1980 album Warm Leatherette, but not expanded on until the same group, including French keyboardist Wally Badarou, guitarists Mikey Chung and Barry Reynolds, and percussionist Uziah Thompson, reconvened to make Nightclubbing a year later.
Jones, in her autobiography, unveils the unconventional genesis of the song. It was her friend Dana Mano who contributed the provocative phrase “pull up to the bumper, baby,” which set the song’s tone. She write that it “sounded nicely naughty, and we started to write some silly stuff that sounded good to go with it.
“There was a double meaning to it, and I liked to write lyrics that had double meanings, but I wasn’t conscious at the time that you could interpret these lyrics as being about -perhaps, if this was how you wanted to take it – anal sex. If you want to take it that way, please do. Take it any way you want. They were some words that sounded good to sing, and sometimes that is more important than the meaning.”
Jones insists that the lyrics were about fun and playfulness rather than any personal narrative. “It wasn’t about anyone. It was a way of having fun with some words that suited a track that sounded like you were having fun,” she elaborated. However, in a candid moment, she later clarified, “I kind of like the doggy position myself, but that doesn’t mean it’s going up me arse.”
Pull Up To The Bumper was an immediate hit in the US, where it peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs chart in the US, but lack of radio play meant it crawled to only number 53 in the UK. However, re-released in 1986 after the success of Slave To The Rhythm, it reached number 12 in Britain and is recognised worldwide as one of Jones’ signature tracks.
As fans and music enthusiasts delve deeper into the making of “Pull Up To The Bumper,” the song’s multi-layered allure becomes more evident.
With the song’s legacy firmly intact, Grace Jones’ dancefloor anthem continues to inspire and provoke, inviting listeners to embrace its enigmatic essence as they groove to that irresistible beat.