We Don’t Have To Take Our Clothes Off – Jermaine Stewart | Top 40 Chart Performance, Story and Song Meaning
Chart Performance: Pop (#5) & R&B (#64); 1986
Story Behind The Song By Ed Osborne
In a year when Eddie Money urged his honey to “take me home tonight” and Rod Stewart claimed his love touch was “the best you ever had,” Jermaine Stewart came across as a throwback to another century in We Don’t Have To Take Our Clothes Off.
Here it’s Jermaine – the man! – who’s urging restraint in the face of a woman’s too-fast advances. Just where did this guy come from anyway? Well, Jermaine hailed from Columbus, Ohio and danced as a teen on Soul Train.
He then parlayed his dancing fame into singing on sessions for the likes of Shalamar, Tavares, and Culture Club. Eventually, Jermaine snagged a solo deal of his own and in 1985 he reached #17 on the R&B chart with The Word Is Out. More than a year passed before We Don’t Have To Take Our Clothes Off took off.
Although it was a monster track with mainstream pop fans, apparently the R&B crowd wasn’t buying Jermaine’s out-of-sync dating style, stopping the spread of its subversive sentiment at #64.
This content and all Song Meaning articles were created and written by Top 40 Contributing Editor Ed Osborne. © 2024 Ed Osborne. All Rights Reserved. In addition to these song meaning articles, Ed has written our “Year in Music 1960s-1990s” articles.
Produced by:
- Narada Michael Walden
Lyrics Written by:
- Narada Michael Walden
- Preston Glass
Ed Osborne
Hi. I got my first record at age two and never looked back, spending a decades-long career in radio and the music business. Even after years of reading about and listening to all types of music, I am still fascinated by it. Apart from that, I’m endlessly intrigued by art, nature, and the inner lives of people (and dogs).