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Robert Palmer

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Robert Palmer (Music)

Robert Palmer (19 January 1949 – 26 September 2003) was a British singer and songwriter from Yorkshire.

He started his career in 1964 and released his debut album in 1974. He joined the Funk Rock Supergroup The Power Station as the lead singer in 1984 alongside John Taylor and Andy Taylor from Duran Duran and Chic drummer Tony Thompson. When the group disbanded in 1985, he experienced a Breakup Breakout, releasing his biggest hit and Signature Song "Addicted to Love".

The most distinctive features of his music are his powerful, soulful voice and Genre Roulette tendencies. While mostly associated with radio and MTV-friendly rock hits like "Addicted to Love", "Bad Case of Loving You" and "Simply Irresistible", he has explored hard rock, soul, funk, jazz, blues, reggae and world music at different points in his career.

He died in 2003 from a heart attack, he was 54.


Discography:

  • Sneakin' Sally Through the Alley (1974)
  • Pressure Drop (1975)
  • Some People Can Do What They Like (1976)
  • Double Fun (1978)
  • Secrets (1979)
  • Clues (1980)
  • Maybe It's Live (1982)
  • Pride (1983)
  • Riptide (1985)
  • Heavy Nova (1988)
  • Don't Explain (1990)
  • Ridin' High (1992)
  • Honey (1994)
  • Rhythm & Blues (1999)
  • Drive (2003)

Might as well face it, you're addicted to tropes:

  • Audible Sharpness: Used fairly inexplicably in "Simply Irresistible" , at the beginning of each chorus.
  • Beauty Equals Goodness: Subverted by "Bad Case of Loving You":
    A pretty face don't make no pretty heart
    I learned that, buddy, from the start
  • Bowdlerization: The Animated Music Video for "Change His Ways" was edited, primarily to remove some nudity.
  • Cover Album: Most of the songs in Ridin' High are covers of traditional pop and jazz standards.
  • Genre Mashup: Heavy Nova combines Heavy Metal with bossa-nova rhythms.
  • Hospital Hottie: "Bad Case of Loving You (Doctor, Doctor)" (Doctor, doctor, gimme the news, I gotta bad case of loving you...)
  • Live Album: Zig-Zagged with Maybe It's Live, half of the songs are live albums but the other half are studio recordings.
  • Love Is a Drug: "Addicted to Love" is laden with this trope from top to bottom.
    You like to think that you're immune to the stuff, oh yeah
    It's closer to the truth to say you can't get enough
    You know you're gonna have to face it, you're addicted to love
  • Male Band, Female Singer: Inverted in music videos like "Addicted to Love" and "Simply Irresistible", which show Palmer singing with a "band" of female models miming playing instruments.
  • Meaningful Name: Robert Palmer recorded many hits with Caribbean-style sounds mixed in (the islands have palm trees).
  • New Sound Album: Many times:
    • His first four albums are all fusions of soul, funk, reggae and rock.
    • Secrets is straight hard rock.
    • Clues is more New Wave Music influenced than its predecessors.
    • Pride goes back to funk/soul.
    • Riptide is another rock album but with more danceable rhythms and new wave inflections, closely resembling the work of The Power Station.
    • Heavy Nova combines Heavy Metal and bossa nova.
    • Don't Explain and Honey more closely resemble his early albums.
    • Ridin' High is a Cover Album of jazz standards.
    • Rhythm & Blues and Drive are Blues albums.
  • Repurposed Pop Song: "Bad Case of Loving You (Doctor, Doctor)" almost seems like it was made to be used in Dr Pepper commercials, despite existing for years before they started using it for that purpose.
  • Title-Only Chorus: "Addicted to Love".
    Might as well face it, you're addicted to love
  • Uncanny Valley Makeup: His most famous music videos featured a group of models made up to look like emotionless mannequins. Reportedly Palmer did not find that look attractive, and was bemused at his female fans showing at concerts trying to look like the models in the videos.

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