I Didn't Mean to Turn You On

Last updated
"I Didn't Mean to Turn You On"
I Didn't Mean to Turn You On.jpg
Single by Cherrelle
from the album Fragile
B-side "I Didn't Mean to Turn You On (Instrumental)"
ReleasedApril 1984
Recorded1983–84
Genre
Length7:03 (album version)
6:21 (12" version)
3:58 (single edit)
Label Tabu
Songwriter(s)
  • James Harris III
  • Terry Lewis
Producer(s) Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis
Cherrelle singles chronology
"I Didn't Mean to Turn You On"
(1984)
"Fragile… Handle with Care"
(1984)

"I Didn't Mean to Turn You On" is the debut single written by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis and originally performed by American singer Cherrelle in 1984. In 1986, "I Didn't Mean to Turn You On" was covered by English singer Robert Palmer. Palmer's cover fared better on the pop chart while Cherrelle's version was a hit on the R&B chart.

Contents

Original Cherrelle version

The song was released as Cherrelle's debut single and was her first hit, peaking at number 8 on the soul chart and number 79 on the Hot 100. [3] On the US dance chart, "I Didn't Mean to Turn You On" went to number 6. [4] A slightly altered version of the song is featured in the 2015 N.W.A biopic Straight Outta Compton . [5]

Chart positions

Chart (1984-1985)Peak
position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 [6] 79
U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play 6
U.S. Billboard Hot Black Singles 8

Robert Palmer version

"I Didn't Mean to Turn You On"
It Didn't Mean to Turn You On by Robert Palmer.jpg
UK vinyl single
Single by Robert Palmer
from the album Riptide
B-side "Get It Through Your Heart"
Released7 July 1986 [7]
Recorded1985; Compass Point Studios
(The Bahamas)
Genre
Length3:43
Label Island
Songwriter(s)
  • James Harris III
  • Terry Lewis
Producer(s) Bernard Edwards
Robert Palmer singles chronology
"Hyperactive"
(1986)
"I Didn't Mean to Turn You On"
(1986)
"Discipline of Love (Reissue)"
(1986)
Music video
"Robert Palmer - I Didn't Mean To Turn You On (Official Video)" on YouTube

English rock singer Robert Palmer recorded a cover version one year later and it was released as the fifth single from his eighth studio album Riptide (1985). The single hit No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1986, behind "Amanda" by Boston. The music video, which was a take on the making of a music video, featured women like the ones featured in "Addicted to Love"; it hit No. 1 on MTV on October 17, 1986. [8]

Chart positions

Weekly charts

Chart (1986)Peak
position
UK Singles (Official Charts Company) [9] 9
US Billboard Hot 100 [10] 2
US Billboard Dance Club Songs (Remix) [11] 26
US Cash Box [12] 4

Year end charts

Chart (1986)Peak
position
US Billboard Hot 100 [13] 46

Other cover versions

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Palmer</span> English musician (1949–2003)

Robert Allen Palmer was an English singer and songwriter. He was known for his powerful, soulful voice, and sartorial elegance, and his stylistic explorations, combining soul, funk, jazz, rock, pop, reggae, and blues. Over his four-decade career, Palmer is perhaps best known for the song "Addicted to Love" and its accompanying video, which came to "epitomise the glamour and excesses of the 1980s".

<i>Riptide</i> (album) 1985 studio album by Robert Palmer

Riptide is the eighth studio album by English singer Robert Palmer, released in November 1985 by Island Records. The album was recorded over a period of three months in 1985 at Compass Point Studios in Nassau, Bahamas. The album peaked at No. 5 on the UK Albums Chart and at No. 8 on the US Billboard 200. It was certified double Platinum in the US by the RIAA in March 1996 and certified Gold in the UK by BPI in August 1986. It features the songs "Addicted to Love", "I Didn't Mean to Turn You On", "Hyperactive", "Discipline of Love", and "Riptide" which were all released as singles. The single "Addicted to Love" was accompanied by an iconic and much-imitated music video, directed by Terence Donovan, in which Palmer is surrounded by a bevy of near-identically clad, heavily made-up female "musicians," either mimicking or mocking the painting style of Patrick Nagel. In September 1986, Palmer performed "Addicted to Love" at the 1986 MTV Video Music Awards in Los Angeles, California. In 1987, he won the Grammy Award for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance for "Addicted to Love". At the 1987 Brit Awards, Palmer received his first nomination for Best British Male.

Cheryl Anne Norton, better known by her stage name Cherrelle, is an American R&B singer and songwriter who gained fame in the mid-1980s. Her signature hits include "I Didn't Mean to Turn You On", "Where Do I Run To", "Everything I Miss at Home", and duets with R&B singer Alexander O'Neal such as "Saturday Love" and "Never Knew Love Like This", as well as "Always" with her cousin Pebbles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Addicted to Love (song)</span> 1986 single by Robert Palmer

"Addicted to Love" is a song by English rock singer Robert Palmer released in 1986. It is the third song on Palmer's eighth studio album Riptide (1985) and was released as its second single. The single version is a shorter edit of the full-length album version.

"Love Letters" is a 1945 popular song with lyrics by Edward Heyman and music by Victor Young. The song appeared, without lyrics, in the film of the same name released in October 1945. A vocal version by Dick Haymes, arranged and conducted by Young, was recorded in March 1945 and peaked in popularity in September. "Love Letters" was subsequently nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1945, but lost to "It Might as Well Be Spring" from State Fair.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Honey (Bobby Goldsboro song)</span> Song by Bobby Goldsboro

"Honey", also known as "Honey (I Miss You)", is a song written by Bobby Russell. He first produced it with former Kingston Trio member Bob Shane, who was the first to release the song. It was then given to American singer Bobby Goldsboro, who recorded it for his 1968 album of the same name, originally titled Pledge of Love. Goldsboro's version was a hit, reaching No. 1 in several countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Walk On By</span> 1964 single by Dionne Warwick

"Walk On By" is a song written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David for singer Dionne Warwick in 1963. Warwick's recording of the song peaked at number 6 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number 1 on the Cash Box Rhythm and Blues Chart In June 1964 and was nominated for a 1965 Grammy Award for the Best Rhythm and Blues Recording.

"Let's Get Together", also known as "Get Together" and "Everybody Get Together", is a song written in the mid-1960s by the American singer-songwriter Chet Powers, from the psychedelic rock band Quicksilver Messenger Service. A hit version by the Youngbloods, included on their 1967 debut album The Youngbloods, peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1969.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The End of the World (Skeeter Davis song)</span> 1962 song recorded by Skeeter Davis

"The End of the World" is a pop song written by composer Arthur Kent and lyricist Sylvia Dee, who often worked as a team. They wrote the song for American singer Skeeter Davis, and her recording of it was highly successful in the early 1960s, reaching the top five on four different charts, including No. 2 on the main Billboard Hot 100. It spawned many cover versions.

"You're Nobody till Somebody Loves You" is a popular song written by Russ Morgan, Larry Stock, and James Cavanaugh and published in 1944. The song was first recorded by Morgan and was a hit for him in 1946, reaching the No. 14 spot in the charts. The best known version was Dean Martin's, which was released in 1960 and reissued in 1964.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">It Only Takes a Minute</span> 1975 single by Tavares

"It Only Takes a Minute" is a 1975 song by American soul/R&B group Tavares, released as the first single from their third album, In the City (1975). The song was the group's only top-10 pop hit in the United States, peaking at number 10, and their second number one song on the American soul charts. On the US Disco chart, "It Only Takes a Minute" spent five weeks at number two and was the first of four entries on the chart. The song was subsequently covered by Jonathan King performing as 100 Ton and a Feather in 1976 and by boy band Take That in 1992.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Straight Outta Compton (song)</span> 1988 single by N.W.A.

"Straight Outta Compton" is a song by American hip hop group N.W.A. It was released on July 10, 1988 as the lead single from their debut album of the same name. It also appears on N.W.A's Greatest Hits with an extended mix and The Best of N.W.A: The Strength of Street Knowledge. The song samples "Funky Drummer" by James Brown, "You'll Like It Too" by Funkadelic, "West Coast Poplock" by Ronnie Hudson and the Street People, "Get Me Back on Time, Engine No. 9" by Wilson Pickett, "Amen, Brother" by The Winstons, and "One for the Treble" by Davy DMX. It was voted number 19 on About.com's Top 100 Rap Songs, and is ranked number 6 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Best of My Love (The Emotions song)</span> 1977 single by The Emotions

"Best of My Love" is a song by American band the Emotions from their fourth studio album Rejoice (1977). It was composed by Maurice White and Al McKay of Earth, Wind & Fire, and produced by White and Clarence McDonald.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bad Case of Loving You (Doctor, Doctor)</span> 1979 single by Robert Palmer

"Bad Case of Loving You " is a 1978 song, written and originally recorded by Moon Martin and sung a year later by Robert Palmer. The song became one of Palmer's definitive hits.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saturday Love</span> 1985 single by Cherrelle

"Saturday Love" is a song performed by American R&B singers Cherrelle and Alexander O'Neal. The song was written and produced by Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis and was released in October 1985. It peaked at No. 2 on the US R&B chart and became a moderate pop hit peaking at No. 26 on the US Hot 100 in the spring of 1986. It reached No. 6 on the UK Singles Chart, and No. 7 on the Irish Singles Chart. The song appeared on Cherrelle's gold album, High Priority on Tabu Records and included an extended spoken dialogue introduction skit set in a bar.

"Some Guys Have All the Luck" is a song written by Jeff Fortgang. It has been a Top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 twice, as the original by The Persuaders in 1973 reaching No. 39, then as the cover by Rod Stewart in 1984 where it hit No. 10 in the U.S. and No. 32 on the Adult Contemporary chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">What You Won't Do for Love (song)</span> 1978 single by Bobby Caldwell

"What You Won't Do for Love" is a song by American singer-songwriter Bobby Caldwell. It was released in September 1978 as the lead single from his eponymous debut album (1978). It was written by Caldwell and Alfons Kettner, and produced by Ann Holloway. The song has been covered and sampled numerous times, including by Tupac Shakur in the posthumous 1998 hit "Do for Love".

"Funny How Time Slips Away" is a song written by Willie Nelson and first recorded by country singer Billy Walker. Walker's version was issued as a single by Columbia Records in June 1961 and peaked at number 23 on the Hot C&W Sides chart. The song has been featured in several live action films and television shows, such as in the first episode of the second season of AMC’s Better Call Saul and in the 2020 Netflix drama The Devil All the Time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer (song)</span> 1949 Christmas song by Johnny Marks

"Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer" is a song by songwriter Johnny Marks based on the 1939 story Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer published by the Montgomery Ward Company. Gene Autry's recording hit No. 1 on the U.S. charts the week of Christmas 1949.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Never Ending Song of Love</span> 1971 single by Delaney & Bonnie

"Never Ending Song of Love" is a song written by Delaney Bramlett, and, according to some sources, by his wife Bonnie Bramlett. It was originally recorded with their band, Delaney & Bonnie & Friends, in 1971 on the album Motel Shot. Released as a single by Atco Records the same year, "Never Ending Song of Love" became Delaney & Bonnie's greatest hit on the pop charts, reaching a peak of No. 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 8 on Easy Listening. It reached No. 16 in Australia.

References

  1. 1 2 Leight, Elias; Johnston, Maura (April 22, 2016). "18 Awesome Prince Rip-Offs". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on February 4, 2017. Retrieved February 4, 2017.
  2. DeMain, Bill (September 30, 2004). In Their Own Words: Songwriters Talk About the Creative Process. Greenwood Publishing Group. pp. 131–132. ISBN   978-0275984021.
  3. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 115.
  4. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Hot Dance/Disco: 1974-2003. Record Research. p. 56.
  5. Roberts, Randall (August 13, 2015). "'Straight Outta Compton's' music tracks sample culture's infancy". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 4, 2017.
  6. "Music: Top 100 Songs". Billboard. August 4, 1984. Retrieved February 24, 2017.
  7. "Music Week" (PDF). p. 12.
  8. Strong, Martin C. (2000). The Great Rock Discography (5th ed.). Edinburgh: Mojo Books. pp. 2–3. ISBN   1-84195-017-3.
  9. "Official Charts". Official Charts . July 19, 1986. Retrieved February 4, 2017.
  10. "Robert Palmer - Chart history". Billboard.com. November 8, 1986. Retrieved February 4, 2017.
  11. "Robert Palmer". Billboard.com. November 22, 1986. Retrieved February 4, 2017.
  12. "CASH BOX Top 100 Singles – Week ending November 1, 1986". February 4, 2017. Cash Box magazine
  13. Top Pop Singles. Billboard. December 27, 1986. p. Y-21.
  14. "Brandy matures; Queen Latifah full of filler". Newspapers.com. June 26, 1998. Retrieved February 24, 2017.
  15. Mason, Kerri (August 11, 2007). "Dance-Pop Divas". Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved February 24, 2017.
  16. "X". X.com.