Burn Rubber on Me (Why You Wanna Hurt Me)

"Burn Rubber on Me (Why You Wanna Hurt Me)"
Single by The Gap Band
from the album The Gap Band III
A-side	"Yearning for Your Love"
B-side	"Nothing Comes to Sleepers" "Baby Baba Boogie" "Humpin'"
Released	1980
Recorded	1980
Genre	Funk
Length	4:11
Label	Mercury
Writer(s)	Charlie Wilson, Lonnie Simmons, Rudy Taylor
The Gap Band singles chronology
"Party Lights" (1980) "'Burn Rubber on Me'" (1980) "Humpin'" (1981)

"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 and producer Lonnie Simmons. In 1981, it peaked at number eighty-four on the Billboard Hot 100, and it was a number one hit on the R&B charts.^[1] Billboard magazine ranked it as the 12th biggest R&B single of 1981.

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".

A later single released, featuring "Humpin'" on the B-side, scored a #19 appearance on the dance charts.^[3]

Pop singer George Michael sampled the song for his 1997 single "Star People '97"

Releases

All releases are in the U.S. unless indicated:

• 7" single
• 12" single
• 7" with "Nothing Comes to Sleepers" on the B-side
• 7" with "Baby Baba Boogie" from 1979's The Gap Band on the B-side
• 7" with "Yearning for Your Love" on the A-side
• Album, "Gap Band III" (1980), along with a radio edit and 8 other songs

All the releases can be checked at Discogs^[4]

References

1. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 223.
2. Lyrics
3. Chart History
4. Discogs Archived April 25, 2010, at the Wayback Machine.