Pull Up to the Bumper

"Pull Up to the Bumper" is a 1981 single by Jamaican singer Grace Jones, released as the third single from her fifth album, Nightclubbing. Sonically, it is an uptempo[1] electro-disco,[2] post-punk,[3] dance-pop[1] and reggae-disco[4] song with dub production,[5] "pulsing drums and chic new-wave licks",[6] as well as elements of funk and R&B music.[1] Its lyrics were written by Jones alone,[7] 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 sessions; however, it did not make the album as Chris Blackwell found its sound not fitting in the rest of the material.[8] It was completed for the 1981 critically acclaimed album Nightclubbing and became its third single in June 1981. The song peaked at number 2 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs 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.

"Pull Up to the Bumper"
Single by Grace Jones
from the album Nightclubbing
B-side
ReleasedJune 1981 (1981-06)
StudioCompass Point Studios, Nassau, The Bahamas
Genre
Length4:41
LabelIsland
Composer(s)
  • Kookoo Baya
  • Grace Jones
  • Dana Mano
Lyricist(s)Grace Jones
Producer(s)
Grace Jones singles chronology
"I've Seen That Face Before (Libertango)"
(1981)		 "Pull Up to the Bumper"
(1981)		 "Walking in the Rain"
(1981)
1985 re-release cover
Music video
"Pull Up to the Bumper" on YouTube

The song sparked some controversy for its suggestive lyrics as these figuratively describe sexual intercourse and fellatio, prompting some radio stations in the United States to refuse to broadcast it.[9] 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 the Q magazine, Jones revealed that the meaning of the lyrics were not necessarily meant to be interpreted as a metaphor for anal sex.[10]

Release

Over the years, "Pull Up to the Bumper" has been remixed several times. The original 12-inch single 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 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 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. 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/Universal Music In Good Company CD by Sly & Robbie.

In 1985, the track was remixed and re-released to promote the Island Life 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 "Warm Leatherette", "Walking in the Rain", "Use Me", "Love Is the Drug" 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 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"."[11] 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".[12] Music critic and writer Glenn O'Brien called "Pull Up to the Bumper" "Grace's first car radio hit".[13]

Chart performance

Upon its release, the song spent seven weeks at number 2 on the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart,[14] as well as becoming a Top 5 single on the US R&B chart. The original 1981 release peaked at number 53 on the UK Singles Chart. When it was re-released in 1985, then with the 1977 recording of "La Vie en rose" as the B-side, it reached number 12 on the UK pop chart in early 1986.[15] The song then finally charted in Ireland and Germany, and became the singer's best-seller.[16]

Impact and legacy

The song was ranked at number 8 among the top 10 "Tracks of the Year" for 1981 by NME.[17]

Blender put the song at number 88 in their list of "Greatest Songs Since You Were Born" in 2005.[18]

In 2011, The Guardian'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."[19]

Pitchfork Media featured it in their list of 50 Songs That Define the Last 50 Years of LGBTQ+ Pride in 2018.[4] Same year, Time Out listed the song at number 41 in their The 50 best '80s songs list.[20]

Spin ranked the song as one of The 30 Best Disco Songs That Every Millennial Should Know in 2019.[21]

Slant Magazine placed "Pull Up to the Bumper" at number 64 in their list of The 100 Best Dance Songs of All Time in 2020.[22]

Music video

The music video for "Pull Up to the Bumper" is a combination of live footage of Jones performing the song on her A One Man Show merged and edited alongside excerpts from Godfrey Reggio's 1982 experimental documentary film Koyaanisqatsi. The video uses the edited studio version of the song and its opening section includes excerpts from the song "Nightclubbing".[23]

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.[24]

Track listing

Charts
Chart (1981–86) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[25] 67
Belgium (Ultratop)[26] 14
Ireland (IRMA)[27] 10
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[28] 16
New Zealand (RIANZ)[29] 13
Spain (Productores de Música de España)[30] 37
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[15] 12
US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play[31] 2
US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs[31] 5
West Germany (GfK Entertainment Charts)[32] 26

Later versions
  • "Pull Up to the Bumper" was recorded by Jamaican reggae singer Patra in 1995 from her second album Scent of Attraction. It reached number 60 on the US Hot 100,[33] number 21 on the R&B chart,[34] and #15 on the dance chart.[35] It also reached number 78 in Australia,[36] number 12 in New Zealand,[37] and number 50 in the UK.[38]
  • Coolio 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, which featured in 2000 film The Wog Boy. It reached number 36 on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart in February 2000.[39]
  • 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 pop chart.[15]
  • Bands Gossip and LCD Soundsystem performed the song together at the Coachella festival in 2010.[40]

References
  1. MTV News Staff (25 March 1998). "Grace Jones Retrospective". MTV News. Archived from the original on 12 December 2020. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
  2. Jones, Daisy (2 August 2018). "The Guide to Getting into Grace Jones". VICE. Archived from the original on 12 December 2020. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
  3. Skolnik, Jes (18 June 2018). "50 Songs That Define the Last 50 Years of LGBTQ+ Pride". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 12 December 2020. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
  4. Vine, Richard (15 June 2011). "Grace Jones pulls up to the bumper". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 5 January 2021. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
  5. Walters, Barry (25 August 2015). "As Much As I Can, As Black As I Am: The Queer History of Grace Jones". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 12 December 2020. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
  6. Levine, Nick (22 June 2020). "Why Grace Jones was the most pioneering queen of pop". BBC. Archived from the original on 12 December 2020. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
  7. "Pull Up to the Bumper by Grace Jones Songfacts". www.songfacts.com. Retrieved 2 February 2012.
  8. "Sex: part four of 1000 songs everyone must hear". www.guardian.co.uk. 17 March 2009. Retrieved 1 February 2012.
  9. "Grace Jones laughs off 'Bumper' sex myth". Q Magazine. 18 December 2008. Archived from the original on 18 August 2011. Retrieved 1 February 2012.
  10. Nelson, Terry (9 May 2016). "Grace Jones' 'Nightclubbing' Turns 35: Anniversary Retrospective". Albumism. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
  11. Millan, Mark (15 June 2010). "Nightclubbing – Grace Jones". The Daily Vault. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
  12. Album liner notes by Glenn O'Brien for Island Life CD booklet, page 6.
  13. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Hot Dance/Disco 1974-2003. Record Research Inc.
  14. "Grace Jones - Full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 January 2016.
  15. "1986 Flashback: Grace Jones Pull Up to the Bumper". www.overgroundonline.com. Archived from the original on 17 January 2011. Retrieved 1 February 2012.
  16. "Albums and Tracks of the Year". NME. 2016. Retrieved 13 February 2018.
  17. "Blender Magazine: Greatest Songs Since You Were Born". Archived from the original on 7 January 2010. Retrieved 19 December 2019.
  18. Richard Vine (15 June 2011). "Grace Jones pulls up to the bumper". www.guardian.co.uk. Retrieved 5 April 2012.
  19. "The 50 best '80s songs". Time Out. Retrieved 4 October 2018.
  20. "The 30 Best Disco Songs That Every Millennial Should Know". Spin. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
  21. "The 100 Best Dance Songs of All Time". Slant Magazine. 15 June 2020. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  22. "Grace Jones - Pull Up To The Bumper - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 1 February 2012.
  23. "Grace Jones - Pull Up To the Bumper - Video Dailymotion". www.dailymotion.com. Retrieved 1 February 2012.
  24. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (Illustrated ed.). Sydney: Australian Chart Book. p. 160. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  25. "Grace Jones - Pull Up To The Bumper" (in Dutch). www.ultratop.be. Retrieved 30 September 2012.
  26. "Search the charts". www.irishcharts.ie. Retrieved 16 October 2009.
  27. "Discografie Grace Jones" (in Dutch). www.dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 15 October 2009.
  28. "Discography Grace Jones". charts.nz. Retrieved 10 November 2009.
  29. Fernando Salaverri (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  30. "Grace Jones". www.allmusic.com. Archived from the original on 22 January 2013. Retrieved 16 October 2009.
  31. "Chartverfolgung / JONES, GRACE / Single" (in German). www.musicline.de. Archived from the original on 9 October 2007. Retrieved 10 November 2009.
  32. "Billboard > Artists / Patra > Chart History > The Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved 12 July 2017.
  33. "Billboard > Artists / Patra > Chart History > Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs". Billboard. Retrieved 12 July 2017.
  34. "Billboard > Artists / Patra > Chart History > Dance Club Songs". Billboard. Retrieved 12 July 2017.
  35. "The ARIA Australian Top 100 Singles Chart – Week Ending 29 Oct 1995". Imgur.com (original document published by ARIA). Retrieved 12 July 2017. N.B. The HP column displays the highest peak reached.
  36. "charts.nz > Patra in New Zealand Charts". Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 July 2017.
  37. "Official Charts > Patra". The Official UK Charts Company. Retrieved 12 July 2017.
  38. "Deni Hines - Pull Up To The Bumper". australian-charts.com. Retrieved 1 February 2012.
  39. Andrew Matson (18 April 2010). "Coachella 2010 day two notables: Gossip, Flying Lotus". seattletimes.nwsource.com. Retrieved 1 February 2012.
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