Salt-N-Pepa

Released: December 8, 1986

Songwriter: Stephen Keitt Herby “Luvbug” Azor

Producer: Herby “Luvbug” Azor

Don't touch me! get away from me!
Homeboy, you better stop it, keep up you're gonna get it
Your mouth is gettin' sassy, don't make me have to hit it
'cause when I heard about you my teeth just gritted
You told me that you didn't, but I knew you were with it

[Chorus:]
Bet you got a chick on the side
Sure you got a chick
I know you got a chick on the side
(love bandit, love bandit)
(repeat)

Don't worry, boy, 'cause I won't complain, no need to explain
I seen everything through the window pane
You and your other lover, that's really insane
And another thing: please take off my gold ring
I got another finger I can put it on
You blew the deal so now I'm all gone
I was prepared for just in case you messed around
On the side you could be replaced
But you could have found a better way of lettin' me down
Instead of running around with every girl in town
I heard you on the phone the other day
Don't you say it's an old friend all the way from l.a
I finally caught onto your little game
Your lying and denying is a cryin' shame
You took me for granted, this is the end, dammit
You're playing the field like you're some (love bandit)

[Chorus]

Oooo my, oooo my so-called fiancee listen to what I say
Whatever game you play I play the same way
So if you wanna go mess around and cheat
And you wanna romance between another girl's sheets
Go ahead sweetheart, I expected that
'cause you're nothing but a cheap, little, stuck-up brat
Wherever you're at you want this and that
You dirty rat, I'm not a welcome mat
I got another lover, and I know he cares
So smile child, but keep your crocodile tears
Go ahead, go, go boy! I'm going steady
In loving arms this teddy is ready
He fixed the table for his and hers
And while the dinner simmers he served the hors'doevres
Then munch-out time, hit the wine, get mellow
Cleared off the table and his hello-jello
I can't express the feeling that I get
So I just lay back and light up a cigarette
And try to be cool, collected, and calm
He tells me my fortune and reads my palm
With a suave taste I cannot embrace
In a feeling of desire by the fireplace
Love bandit, I'm makin' it clear
See ya later, gator, I'm gettin' outta here, yeah

[Chorus]

You're at the window starin' at the sky
Birds fly by, you start to wonder why
You're not by my side sharing the dream
That one day you'll be my king, and I'll be your queen
I call you every day, ask to get into your home
I tell you I'm alone, but you hang up the phone
You're like a hot flame getting ready to burn
You say you're concerned, baby, you don't earn

Salt-N-Pepa is arguably the most successful female rap group of all time. The group began with Cheryl “Salt” James and Sandra “Pepa” Denton meeting while studying to be nurses. James got Denton a job at a Sears department store, where her boyfriend Hurby “Luv Bug” Azor also worked. Azor was studying music production and he asked them to help on a school project, an answer record to Doug E. Fresh’s “The Show” they named “The Showstopper” – recorded in 1985 under the name Supernature.

After the legendary Queens DJ Marley Marl played “The Showstopper” on his radio show, the group began getting booked for shows. One lyric in “The Showstopper” was ‘We the salt and pepper’, and people kept requesting ‘that salt and pepper song’, so they changed their name to Salt-N-Pepa. Deejay Deidra “Spinderella” Ropa was added soon after.

SNP’s debut album Hot, Cool, & Vicious originally spawned a minor hit in the UK with “My Mike Sounds Nice” in early 1987. But it was the re-release of a remix of “Push It”, originally a quickly-thrown together b-side for their fall ‘87 single “Tramp”, that shot the group into international stardom. The song reached the top 10 in eleven countries around the world in 1988.

more tracks from the album

Hot, Cool and Vicious

From the album

Hot, Cool and Vicious (1986)

Salt-N-Pepa popular songs

Chick On The SideSalt-N-Pepa

Salt-N-Pepa

Hot, Cool and Vicious