“Pull Up to the Bumper” by Grace Jones
“Pull Up to the Bumpers” is a song in which a mature-minded listener would recognize as the entirety of its lyrics being a double entendre. On the surface, the vocalist is instructing the addressee on how to properly park his “long black limousine” in a particular lot and offering maintenance assistance.
But again, it’s pretty obvious that even that aforementioned phrase, without going into too much detail, possesses sexual innuendos. And the addressee being told to ‘pull up to Grace’s bumper’ is obviously an invitation for this individual to come and bonk the vocalist.
That said, this piece does a masterful job of relaying that message in some of the mildest language imaginable. For instance, the second verse, outside of context, can easily be interpreted as the vocalist actually admiring the addressee’s car. But along the way it becomes pretty apparent what’s going down.
In other words, if a woman really does dig your car like that, she’d usually express a desire like going on a date therein, not “blowing your horn”, ‘greasing’ and ‘lubricating’ your piece, etc. So most easily put, what we’re dealing with here is a sex song. However, it is one that is lyrically based on an automotive motif.
Grace Jones
Grace Jones is a singer who may be known more for her eccentricity than her musical product. Yet the 8 studio albums she came out with between 1977’s “Portfolio” and 1986’s “Inside Story” all appeared on the Billboard 200, and she also dropped quite a few dance hits along the way.
Facts about “Pull Up to the Bumper”
“Pull Up to the Bumper” came out on 11 May 1981. It ranks among Grace’s most successful songs, with the track peaking as follows in the United States:
- #2 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Cub Play
- #5 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
It also broke the top 15 of the UK Singles Chart (upon re-release in 1986).
And it has been suggested that the track would have been an even bigger hit if not for the fact that its nature resulted in reduced radio play.
This song is from Grace’s “Nightclubbing” album. This album, which was a product of Island Records, was her only album to make it onto the top 40 of the Billboard 200.
The album’s producers are Chris Blackwell and the late Alex Sadkin (1949-1987). Both Chris and Alex are also granted songwriting credit alongside Grace Jones and Sly & Robbie on “Pull Up to the Bumper”. Sly Robbie was well-known a reggae act that consisted of Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare (1953-2021).
Some readers may recognize Blackwell as the Briton who founded Island Records. This is a label that helped globalize Jamaican music and for a time counted both Grace Jones and Sly & Robbie (two acts which regularly collaborated) amongst its roster.
Popular Covers of “Pull Up to the Bumper”
A few musicians have covered this song. Perhaps one of the most notable of the lot would be the cover done by another Jamaican female artist by the name of Patra in 1995, resulting in a moderate international hit.
Prior to “Pull Up to the Bumper” another Island Records’ artist, Junior Tucker, released the instrumental, as laid down by Sly & Robbie, to Grace Jones’ dismay as a track entitled “Peanut Butter” (1981).
