Guthrie was born in Okemah, Oklahoma and raised in Newark, New Jersey. In school, she studied classical music, and her father began teaching her piano when she was eight years old. By the early 1970s, she had joined vocal groups such as the Ebonettes and the Matchmakers, meanwhile working as an elementary school teacher. When a backup singer scheduled to sing on Aretha Franklin's 1974 single "I'm in Love" fell ill, Guthrie took the vocalist's place beside Cissy Houston; thus Guthrie would happily state that her career on record began "at the top".
Guthrie soon began moonlighting as a singer of commercial jingles, sometimes with her friend Valerie Simpson (of Ashford & Simpson fame). A songwriting partnership with Patrick Grant resulted in Ben E. King's comeback single, "Supernatural Thing", and "This Time I'll Be Sweeter", covered by numerous artists. Together they wrote seven tracks on the Sister Sledge's 1975 album Circle Of Love: Cross My Heart, Protect Our Love, Love Don't You Go Through No Changes On Me, Don't You Miss Him Now, Pain Reliever, You're Much Better Off Loving Me, and Fireman. She was also the writer of Roberta Flack's "God Don't Like Ugly".
As Guthrie's solo career developed, she worked extensively with Sly and Robbie on dub-influenced club cuts, and began racking up dance hits. She was dubbed "The First Lady of the Paradise Garage" as several of her songs became anthems at the venue, helped by the frequent and dynamic performances she gave there. She soon teamed musically with famed Paradise Garage DJ Larry Levan.
Guthrie is probably best known for her 1986 dance anthem "Ain't Nothin' Goin' on But the Rent", a self-written and -produced track which garnered some controversy for lyrics such as: "No romance without finance/You've got to have a j-o-b if you want to be with me". (and "...Rent" was later sampled by numerous dance and hip hop artists, notably by Foxy Brown in 1998 "Job").
She also had a hit with a cover of "(They Long to Be) Close to You", which reached #25 in the UK charts the same year.
Her single "Can't Love You Tonight" boldly addressed AIDS at a time when the disease was a taboo subject, and she was an ally to the gay community, and people with AIDS long before the masses caught up. Proceeds from the single went to the AIDS Coalition.
Other club hits of hers include "Padlock", "Peanut Butter", and "Peek-a-Boo".
Peanut Butter
Gwen Guthrie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Want you to love me too
Want you to be my man
Baby, understand
I'll never let you down
Always wear your crown
Spread yourself over me like peanut butter
Spread yourself over me like peanut butter
Come on spread yourself over me like peanut butter
You are my heart's desire
You set my soul on fire
You know this love is for real
The one that you can feel
I always think of you
I'll never make you blue
Come on spread yourself over me like peanut butter
Spread yourself over me like peanut butter
Spread yourself over me like peanut butter
Spread yourself over me like peanut butter
Oh I'm in love with you
Want you to love me too
Want you to be my man
Baby, understand
I'll never let you down
Always wear your crown
Come on spread yourself over me like peanut butter
Spread yourself over me like peanut butter
Spread yourself over me like peanut butter
Spread yourself over me like peanut butter
The lyrics of Gwen Guthrie's "Peanut Butter" express the singer's deep passion for her lover. She professes her love for him and pleads with him to reciprocate her feelings. She wants him to be her man and promises that she will never let him down. The reference to the crown in the lyrics signifies the high regard in which she holds her lover and her desire to treat him like royalty.
The repeated phrase "spread yourself over me like peanut butter" is a playful and suggestive reference to physical intimacy. She wants her man to physically envelop her like a layer of peanut butter. The comparison to peanut butter has a sensual connotation, as peanut butter is smooth and creamy, and the act of spreading it can be seen as a metaphor for the physical act of love.
The lyrics of "Peanut Butter" are a celebration of love and desire, and the playful way in which the lyrics incorporate food and physical intimacy makes the song both fun and sexy.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm in love with you
The singer is expressing their love for someone
Want you to love me too
The singer desires reciprocation of their love from the addressee
Want you to be my man
The singer desires a romantic relationship with the addressee where the addressee is the singer's romantic partner
Baby, understand
The artist is expressing the importance of the addressee understanding their feelings and intentions
I'll never let you down
The artist is assuring the addressee that they will always be reliable and consistent
Always wear your crown
The singer will always treat the addressee with respect and admiration
Come on spread yourself over me like peanut butter
The singer wants the addressee to physically and emotionally express their love for the singer
You are my heart's desire
The addressee is someone the artist deeply desires and longs for
You set my soul on fire
The addressee invokes strong and intense emotions in the artist
You know this love is for real
The artist asserts the sincerity and authenticity of their love for the addressee
The one that you can feel
The love the singer feels is tangible and perceptible
I always think of you
The artist continuously contemplates and considers the addressee
I'll never make you blue
The singer will never intentionally cause the addressee sadness or distress
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Sly Dunbar
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@darrylmathews7783
I forgot about this one! Paradise Garage Forever!
@ronemac1
Back on the 80's when this song came out, I called a radio station to request this song & was told that it was too explicit and after I hung up, they played "Let Me Lick You Up & Down" !
@primitivo4604
I like you, nice anecdote.
@paulnandra527
ronemac1 🤣
@MsCharlieBrown78
lol
@joejohnson6321
Just heard this on SAT radio, I had forgotten this song. It’s still grooving.
@michelleobi9046
Produced by the masters Sly and Robbie! Thanks and praises!
@gostrum1
Wow 🤩
It’s like Chaka Khan meets Grace Jones
@anthonymeans7439
👍
@tabou1
Sly (drums) & Robbie (bass) at the control. True masters of rhythm and supreme producers.