In 1972, the Stewart family (which consisted of his parents, Jermaine, his sisters Norma, Sondra, Leandra, and Leanna, and finally his brother Gene) moved to Chicago, Illinois. He took his first steps towards a career in entertainment there. Stints on both American Bandstand and later Soul Train as a dancer helped to fuel his ambition.
Soon, Jermaine became a backup singer and dancer for several artists such as The Chi-Lites, The Staple Singers and Shalamar while recording backup vocals for such artists as Culture Club. He was featured prominently on the group's 1983 album Colour by Numbers and as a result the group used their influence to help him land a solo recording deal with Arista Records.
The 1986 Frantic Romantic album with the hit single "We Don't Have To Take Our Clothes Off" quickly went on to become a million seller, and a second single, "Jody" was released, the inspiration of the song being Jody Watley of Shalamar. A modest success, "Jody" reached both the U.K. and U.S. top 50. Another U.K. only single "Don't Ever Leave Me" was released, reaching number 76 on the British charts. The song was a ballad, and indicative of Jermaine's versatility in any musical style.
Jermaine's third album was probably his most successful internationally. Entitled Say It Again, the production was handled largely by André Cymone who had previously worked with Prince and Jody Watley. The result was an almost flawless collection of pop and dance funk tracks, of which almost any song could have been a successful single.
Supported by international live dates with his band, "The Party", the title track became Jermaine's second U.S. top 40 Billboard hit and also reached the R&B top 10. In the U.K., it made it all the way to number 7, helping the album into the top 40.
The next three singles all received the remix treatment from the production company behind such hits as "You Spin Me Round" by Dead Or Alive and Rick Astley's "Never Gonna Give You Up." "Get Lucky," "Don't Talk Dirty To Me" and "Is It Really Love" found considerable European success, particularly Germany, where "Don't Talk Dirty To Me" was one of the biggest selling records of 1988, making the top 5.
At this point, Jermaine was highly focused on the mainstream pop market. His fourth and final album under his contract with Arista Records, What Becomes a Legend Most?, was filled with radio friendly catchy pop tunes. The first single "Tren De Amor" reached number 76 in the UK charts, while the follow-up, "Every Woman Wants To," didn't fared as well, only making it to number 95. Commercial success eluded this album, and a label change followed.
In 1992, Jermaine teamed up with Chicago producer Jesse Saunders for his last recorded work, an album for Reprise Records. Entitled Set Me Free, the album marked a return to the dance funk style of Say It Again. The title track was released as a single in the U.S., but found little success. The album remains unreleased.
He died in 1997 of liver cancer, caused by AIDS. Ironically, his hit "We Don't Have to Take Our Clothes Off" gained popularity as it was referring to the AIDS scare of the 1980s. In 2003, the song was placed by VH1 in its 100 Greatest One-Hit Wonders list.
In 2005, a compilation CD celebrating Jermaine's underrated contribution to '80s R&B which included several of his hits and a few previously unreleased tracks was released by BGF Records, an Ohio record label ran by Jermaine's brother.
We Don't Have to Take Our Clothes Off
Jermaine Stewart Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You just took for granted that I want to skinny dip
A quick hit, that's your game
But I'm not a piece of meat, stimulate my brain
Night is young, so are we
Let's get to know each other better, slow and easily
Take my hand, let's hit the floor
Maybe then you'll score
So come on baby, won't you show some class
Why you wanna move so fast
We don't have to take our clothes off
To have a good time
Oh no
We could dance and party all night
And drink some cherry wine
Uh huh
We don't have to take our clothes off (no no no)
To have a good time
Oh no
We could dance and party all night (all night)
And drink some cherry wine
Uh huh
(Na na na na na na na)
Just slow down if you want me
A man wants to be approached cool and romantically
I've got needs
Just like you
Give me conversation
Good vibrations through and through
So come on baby, won't you show some class
Why you wanna move so fast
We don't have to take our clothes off
To have a good time
Oh no
We could dance and party all night (all night)
And drink some cherry wine
Uh huh
We don't have to take our clothes off
To have a good time
Oh no
We could dance and party all night (all night)
And drink some cherry wine
Uh huh
(Na na na na na na na)
So come on baby, won't you show some class
Why you wanna move so fast
We don't have to take our clothes off
To have a good time
Oh no
We could dance and party all night
And drink some cherry wine
Uh huh
We don't have to take our clothes off (oh no)
To have a good time
Oh no (oh no)
We could dance and party all night
And drink some cherry wine (cherry wine)
Uh huh
(Na na na na na na na)
In the lyrics of Jermaine Stewart's song We Don't Have to Take Our Clothes Off, the singer is rejecting the advances of someone who thinks he wants to sleep with her without taking time to get to know her. She tells him that she's not just a piece of meat, but wants to be stimulated mentally as well. She encourages him to slow down and get to know her better, to enjoy a night of dancing and wine without taking their clothes off. She reminds him that men want to be approached cool and romantically, and that she has needs too, but conversation and good vibrations are just as important as physical attraction.
The song is notable for its empowering and sex-positive message, which was somewhat ahead of its time when it was released in 1986. Rather than succumbing to societal pressure to engage in casual sex, the singer asserts her right to determine the terms of her own relationships and experiences. The song also stands out for its catchy melody and upbeat rhythm, which make it a popular dance hit.
Line by Line Meaning
Not a word, from your lips
You aren't saying anything, but you assume that I want to have sex with you.
You just took for granted that I want to skinny dip
You are assuming that I am interested in a quick, physical relationship.
A quick hit, that's your game
You are only interested in a brief, physical encounter.
But I'm not a piece of meat, stimulate my brain
I am not an object for your physical pleasure, I want a connection on an emotional and intellectual level.
Night is young, so are we
It's early in the evening, we have plenty of time.
Let's get to know each other better, slow and easily
Let's take our time and get to know each other better.
Take my hand, let's hit the floor
Let's dance together.
Shake our bodies to the music
Let's dance together and have a good time.
Maybe then you'll score
If we have a good time together, there may be potential for a deeper connection.
So come on baby, won't you show some class
Don't be so forward, show some respect and restraint.
Why you wanna move so fast
Why do you feel the need to rush things?
We don't have to take our clothes off
We don't have to engage in a physical relationship to have a good time.
To have a good time
We can enjoy each other's company without engaging in a physical relationship.
Oh no
We could dance and party all night
We could dance and have a great time all night long.
And drink some cherry wine
We could enjoy some delicious cherry wine together.
Just slow down if you want me
If you want to build a connection with me, you need to slow down and take your time.
A man wants to be approached cool and romantically
A man wants to be romanced and approached in a calm, respectful way.
I've got needs
I have emotional and intellectual needs that I want fulfilled.
Just like you
I am just like you in that I want a deeper connection.
Give me conversation
Let's talk and get to know each other better.
Good vibrations through and through
I want to feel a positive, emotional connection with you.
We could dance and party all night (all night)
We could dance and have a great time together all night.
So come on baby, won't you show some class
Once again, please show some respect and restraint.
We don't have to take our clothes off
We don't need to engage in a physical relationship to have a good time.
To have a good time
We can enjoy each other's company without any physical intimacy.
We could dance and party all night (all night)
We could enjoy dancing together and having a fun night.
And drink some cherry wine (cherry wine)
We could share a delicious glass of cherry wine together.
Lyrics © Royalty Network, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Narada Michael Walden, Preston W. Glass
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@mauriciosandoval5250
Who is still listening in 2024 ?
@victoriaeloiseperes3673
Not sure but ya..why
@claudiapayet
@@victoriaeloiseperes3673 MEEEE and dancing to it
@efrainsantiago5225
I am!!
@TyeArtisik
I am
@fyoutube9410
Youtube is great, when this song came out, we would have to record it from radio to tape decks and now we can just type to hear just about any song.
@kuttaloveless1701
Who still listening in 2024???
@wisdomukpebor6514
Me
@VedawatiAlbert-mi1tb
Meee 🎉❤
@MorganSykesTube
🙋🏻♀️😊