I’ve never been shy to point out some good 80s music, and that goes double when it comes to the acoustic 80s crew. These guys have come up with a bunch of unique arrangements to some 80s classics, but I thought these two really stood out, so here are their versions of:
We Don’t Have to Take Our Clothes Off by Jermaine Stewart
and Caribbean Queen by Billy Ocean
And so, with this single, the title track from 1980s pop star Jermaine Stewart’s debut album, we complete the trinity of his catchy tracks that seem to be thematically centered around his not wanting to be treated like a piece of meat.
As with the songs that followed, We Don’t Have to Take Our Clothes Off (to have a good time) and Get Lucky (in finding real love), Stewart seems to be suggesting a little bit of prudence people, as he criticizes someone for letting that cat out of the bag that they’ve been getting it on.
The 1984 breakthrough album launched a fairly brief but impactful career that helped shape the dance and pop scene in the 1980s and exerts some continued influence today, even after Stewart’s untimely death in 1997 at the age of 39.
With a persona that seemed to bridge the gap between Michael Jackson and Prince, Stewart did leave his mark on the music scene, with songs that are regularly sampled, covered and remixed to this day.
And here is the extended remix.
Finally, here is a live performance of the song from 1986 in Toronto, Canada.
In this continuing survey of the work of the late 1980s pop star Jermaine Stewart (1957-1997), we have this follow-up entry to his signature single, We Don’t Have to Take Our Clothes Off.
In this instance, the song title Get Lucky seems be somewhat antithetical to his earlier career theme of a man wanting to take things slow and searching for true love. But make no mistake, he’s singing about getting lucky with real love, not “getting lucky” so he remained consistent to the prudent image he was espousing with his lyrical themes.
The video features the typical catchy beats associated with Jermaine Stewart’s music, as well as choreographed dancing with Stewart’s ten-year-old Mini-me, a choice that makes the video fit well with the visuals of 1980s music superstars such as Madonna and Michael Jackson. Indeed, there is some Michael Jackson evident in a bit of his rhythm and footwork.
Athough Jermaine Stewart unfortunately passed away from AIDS-related complications in the late 1990s, he did leave behind a strong body of work that has lent itself to much sampling, remixing and continued use in its original form.
It is one of everybody’s favorite 1980s songs, it seems, almost without exception.
Often mistaken for the lovechild of Michael Jackson and Prince, pop star Jermaine Stewart enjoyed a flashy and popular rise to prominence with his catchy dance tracks, quintessentially 80s wardrobe and high production values (and voice).
From the 1986 album The Word is Out came his signature single, the instantly recognizable We Don’t Have to Take Our Clothes Off. Though he followed it up with several lesser hits, including The Word is Out, Get Lucky and Say it Again, the one hit was so definitive as to characterize his career.
Enjoy the video below, one of the finer pop productions of the 1980s…
Sadly, Jermaine Stewart passed away in 1997 of complications due to AIDS. He did, however, leave behind a body of catchy, popular and highly sampled and remixed work that remains relevant to this day.
We Don’t Have to Take Our Clothes Off has enjoyed enduring success and airplay since Jermaine Stewart’s day. It was sampled and semi-rewritten by the Gym Class Heroes as Clothes Off! which was one of the standout songs from their debut album.
As well, the song commences and plays during the end credits of Zack and Miri Make a Porno, one of director Kevin Smith’s more endearing romantic comedies. The movie, written and filmed in the tradition of Chasing Amy and Jersey Girl, stars Seth Rogen and various members of the Clerks cast.
In an interesting footnote, Stewart recorded an album in 1992 called Set Me Free, which remains unreleased to this day.
In the video below, we also get to hear the Ultimate Dance Remix version of We Don’t Have to Take Our Clothes Off, one of the many quality reworkings of the classic song.
As a postscript to Jermaine Stewart’s career, and to see the direction in which some subsequent artists are taking his material, below is the audio track for Clothes Off! by the Gym Class Heroes, from the album As Cruel as School Children. At the end of the song, keep an ear open for the band’s references to (imitation of) Morris Day and the Time, some other 1980s stars that have fallen into slight obscurity in the intervening years, but made a strong mark with their music and appearance in Purple Rain as the antagonists to Prince and the Revolution.