A Bite of Robert Palmer 🍪
The introverted, wide-ranging, and underappreciated singer songwriter
Monday Bites are bite-sized musician spotlights & playlists by Grace Lilly.
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• 3 min read •
“Wonderfully strange”
Two words that perfectly sum up Robert Palmer’s music. He took inspiration from everywhere and became the ultimate master of combining genres to create something totally unique (and often deliciously bizarre).
A self-described introvert, he wasn’t interested in the rockstar life. When he performed, he opted for wearing a simple suit to keep the attention firmly on his music. Robert was suave and sophisticated, a real charmer.
But what I love about him the most is that he unabashedly embraced sentimentality.
“I’m not concerned that my stuff isn’t extreme. I don’t want to be heavy. I can’t think of another attitude to have toward an audience than a hopeful and a positive one. And if that includes such unfashionable things as sentimentality, well, I can afford it.”
He gravitated towards vulnerability, celebrated the softer things, and welcomed in the weird. What could be better?
Robert Palmer
The basics
🤝 English singer and songwriter
🤝 b. 1949 (Batley, England) - d. 2003 (Paris, France)
🤝 Combined soul, funk, jazz, rock, pop, reggae, and blues
Why you should know him: One of the great underappreciated singers of the rock era, his albums are packed with interesting material
If you like
✨ Talking Heads
✨ Rostam
✨ Fleetwood Mac
✨ Paul Simon
✨ Duran Duran
✨ David Bowie
Known for
🏆 His soulful, powerful, astonishing vocal range
🏆 His sophisticated sense of fashion & tailored suits, voted best-dressed rock star of 1990 by Rolling Stone
🏆 Frontman of the supergroup the Power Station with Duran Duran members John Taylor and Andy Taylor
🏆 2 Grammy Awards
🏆 His sexy and stylish music videos that made him a superstar on MTV
Bite-sized facts
🍪 His first music exposure was through pirate radio because he grew up in Malta where his father was stationed with Britain’s Royal Navy
🍪 Influenced by soul music and his hero Otis Redding, joined his first band at 15, The Mandrakes
🍪 Before going solo, was a member of 2 other bands — Dada, a 12-piece jazz rock fusion band, and Vinegar Joe, a soul rock band
🍪 Moved to Nassau, Bahamas directly across the street from Compass Point Studios and released his top 50 album Double Fun, a collection of Caribbean-influenced rock
🍪 Worked as a producer in the 1980s and contributed percussion to the Talking Heads landmark album, Remain in Light
🍪 Became friends with Duran Duran members Andy Taylor and John Taylor and created supergroup the Power Station along with former Chic drummer, Tony Thompson
🍪 Princess Diana was rumored to have had an affair with Palmer, inspiring his 1988 hit “Simply Irresistible” and his 1994 album Honey
Songs & dates
♫ 1978 “Every Kinda People” becomes his first top 40 hit in the U.S. and reaches No. 16 on the Billboard charts
♫ 1980 “Johnny and Mary” and “Looking for Clues” become hits on both sides of the Atlantic
♫ 1985 Releases hit singles “Some Like It Hot” and a cover of T. Rex’s “Get It On (Bang a Gong)” with band the Power Station
♫ 1986 “Addicted to Love” reaches No. 1 in the US and earns him a Grammy for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance, off his 8th studio album Riptide
♫ 1989 Wins a second Grammy for his No. 2 single “Simply Irresistible” off his album Heavy Nova
He said
⭐ “I believe that my music is just about feelings, and the style is just a side effect.”
⭐ “I joined a band because I didn’t like school, and there’s nothing else I’d rather have done. If I really wanted to make money, I’d be in real estate.”
⭐ “I loved the music, but the excesses of rock n’ roll never really appealed to me at all. I couldn’t see the point of getting up in front of a lot of people when you weren’t in control of your wits.”
My Robert Palmer Playlist
I gathered my fav Palmer songs, from me to you with love. Like & save on Spotify and listen all week 💗
Where to start
His vocal talents
Watch him perform his hit “Every Kinda People” live in 1978
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Talking Otis Redding and soul music
Robert discusses his influences, the joy of listening to new records, and more in this 1985 interview
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The much-imitated music video
Watch the Terence Donovan-directed music video for Robert’s No. 1 single “Addicted to Love” that he’s perhaps best-known for
Down the rabbit hole
If you wanna dive even deeper:
Rockpop in Concert (1983)
Enjoy 36 glorious minutes of Robert Palmer performing live in 1983. Watch on Youtube.
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So many great songs! The first one that turned me on to Palmer was Bad Case of Loving You in 1979. Solid rock track!