Sometimes, a one-hit wonder will blow up in popularity and inspire other musicians and creatives for years to come. That was the case for “We Don’t Have To Take Our Clothes Off” by Jermaine Stewart, a dance-pop delight with a funky edge from 1986 that made waves. 

In fact, this addictive little tune peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 back in the day. Stewart, sadly, would never reach the Top 20 on that particular chart again. Though, his 1987 track “Say It Again” did decently well and peaked at No. 27.

So, what is it about this song that’s so inspirational? On the surface, one might think this song was an artist’s attempt at being subversive and doing something totally different from what everyone else was doing at the time. This song is about not getting freaky. And just about every charting hit that year involved or celebrated getting freaky in some form. However, there’s so much more to this song. And it’s a little devastating, to be honest.

The One-Hit Wonder “We Don’t Have To Take Our Clothes Off” by Jermaine Stewart Ended up Inspiring Filmmakers and Bands Alike

“We Don’t Have To Take Our Clothes Off” inspired quite a few creatives, and not just musicians. Kevin Smith used the song in the 2008 comedy Zack And Miri Make A Porno, decades after the song was released. The tune has also appeared in a ton of other media, including the television series Scrubs and television commercials. Just as well, plenty of musicians have covered it, from Lil’ Chris to Ella Eyre to Clea, among others. Gym Class Heroes even interpolated the hook of “We Don’t Have To Take Our Clothes Off” in their 2007 song “Clothes Off!”

Jermaine Stewart’s one-hit wonder about not having sex wasn’t an attempt to just stand out from the crowd. Rather, it reflected on the AIDs epidemic that was sweeping through the country and claiming thousands of lives.

“I think it made a lot of people’s minds open up a little bit,” Stewart said in 1988 of his hit song. “We didn’t only want to just talk about clothes, we wanted to extend that. We wanted to use the song as a theme to be able to say you don’t have to do all the negative things that society forces on you. You don’t have to drink and drive. You don’t have to take drugs early. The girls don’t have to get pregnant early. So the clothes bit of it was to get people’s attention. Which it did and I’m glad it was a positive message.”

The connection to the AIDS pandemic was personal for Stewart. Like many other young gay men in the 1980s and 1990s, he would pass away from AIDS-related cancer in 1997, at the age of only 39.

While Stewart’s death was a tragedy, his legacy with the one-hit wonder “We Don’t Have To Take Our Clothes Off” still lives on. The tune still inspires countless musicians and filmmakers around the world. Few might know the deeper meaning and inspiration behind the catchy tune. But it’ll probably still be loved for decades regardless.

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