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I Didn't Mean to Turn You On

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"I Didn't Mean to Turn You On"
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)
LabelTabu
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 originally performed by American singer Cherrelle and written by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis in 1984. In the song, the singer is attempting to rebuff unwanted sexual advances following a date, including pressure to have a one-night stand.[3] 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.

Original Cherrelle version

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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.[4] On the US dance chart, "I Didn't Mean to Turn You On" went to number 6.[5] A slightly altered version of the song is featured in the 2015 N.W.A biopic Straight Outta Compton.[6]

The music video pays homage to King Kong, featuring characters Cherrelle (as the protagonist) and the beast (presumably King Kong) in various scenes.[7][8] In the end, the whole video turns out to be the singer's dream as she wakes up with a King Kong comic book around her arm.

Chart positions

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Chart (1984-1985) Peak
position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100[9] 79
U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play 6
U.S. Billboard Hot Black Singles 8

Robert Palmer version

[edit]
"I Didn't Mean to Turn You On"
UK vinyl single
Single by Robert Palmer
from the album Riptide
B-side"Get It Through Your Heart"
Released7 July 1986[10]
Recorded1985; Compass Point Studios
(The Bahamas)
Genre
Length3:43
LabelIsland
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" (re-issue)
(1986)
Music video
"I Didn't Mean To Turn You On" 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. Palmer loved the song musically, but he found the lyrics distasteful and sexist because they were written by older men to be sung by a young woman.[11] Palmer recorded it in part as a joke, thinking it would be an ironic role reversal to have the lyrics coming from a nearly 40-year-old man.[12][13] The music video which was directed by Terence Donovan and storyboarded by concept developer Andrew Trovaioli, featured women like the ones featured in "Addicted to Love"; it hit No. 1 on MTV on October 17, 1986.[14]

Chart positions

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Weekly charts

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Chart (1986) Peak
position
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[15] 9
US Billboard Hot 100[16] 2
US Billboard Dance Club Songs (Remix)[17] 26
US Cash Box[18] 4

Year end charts

[edit]
Chart (1986) Peak
position
US Billboard Hot 100[19] 46

Other cover versions

[edit]

References

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  1. ^ a b 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. ^ Cherrelle – I Didn't Mean to Turn You On, retrieved 2024-10-06
  4. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 115.
  5. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Hot Dance/Disco: 1974-2003. Record Research. p. 56.
  6. ^ Roberts, Randall (August 13, 2015). "'Straight Outta Compton's' music tracks sample culture's infancy". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 4, 2017.
  7. ^ "The Evolution of Cherrelle". BET. Retrieved 2025-04-15.
  8. ^ "Cherrelle in Concert: Guild Theater". St. Hope. Retrieved 2025-04-15.
  9. ^ "Music: Top 100 Songs". Billboard. August 4, 1984. Retrieved February 24, 2017.
  10. ^ "Music Week" (PDF). p. 12.
  11. ^ olivier (2012-05-23). "Questionnaires". ROBERT PALMER : Music & Style (in French). Retrieved 2024-10-06.
  12. ^ olivier (2006-01-09). "I Didn't Mean To Turn You On". ROBERT PALMER : Music & Style (in French). Retrieved 2024-10-06.
  13. ^ "Robert Palmer - I Didn't Mean To Turn You On Lyrics & Meanings". SongMeanings. 2015-01-08. Retrieved 2024-10-06.
  14. ^ Strong, Martin C. (2000). The Great Rock Discography (5th ed.). Edinburgh: Mojo Books. pp. 2–3. ISBN 1-84195-017-3.
  15. ^ "Official Charts". Official Charts. July 19, 1986. Retrieved February 4, 2017.
  16. ^ "Robert Palmer - Chart history". Billboard.com. November 8, 1986. Retrieved February 4, 2017.
  17. ^ "Robert Palmer". Billboard.com. November 22, 1986. Retrieved February 4, 2017.
  18. ^ "CASH BOX Top 100 Singles – Week ending November 1, 1986". February 4, 2017. Cash Box magazine
  19. ^ Top Pop Singles. Billboard. December 27, 1986. p. Y-21.
  20. ^ "Brandy matures; Queen Latifah full of filler". Newspapers.com. June 26, 1998. Retrieved February 24, 2017.
  21. ^ Mason, Kerri (August 11, 2007). "Dance-Pop Divas". Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved February 24, 2017.
  22. ^ "X". X.com.
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