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Rating: In 1980, Robert Palmer is an established music artist whose career already boasts numerous adventures. Very young, he debuted in the jazz-rock-fusion big band Dada, then continued in a sort of dilution of the group, the Vinegar Joe, with whom he recorded three highly appreciated blues works with various contaminations. Since '74, he embarked on a solo career rich in experimentation that saw him as a protagonist of the "blue-eyed soul" movement, with albums like "Pressure Drop" ('75), "Double Fun"('78) and "Secrets" ('79) leading him to well-deserved success with both the public and critics.
The '80s open with this "Clues." A very famous record thanks to the very famous synthetic ballad "Johnny And Mary", a summarizing manifesto of the work’s spirit and Palmer’s new season. The sound is close to New Wave, with collaborations from Gary Numan and Chris Frantz of the Talking Heads. "Clues" is characterized by a well-balanced selection of tracks between electronics and more traditional sounds, with the common denominator being a search for simplicity and immediacy that makes the album a pleasant listening experience. Palmer revives an old Beatles song, "Not A Second Time"; a curious cover with arrangements from the period that, however, does not lose the joyful spirit of the Lennon-McCartney original, placing it alongside the rock surge of "Sulky Girl" and the claustrophobic electronics of "I Dream Of Wires". The opening track, "Looking For Clues", features the participation of Talking Heads drummer Chris Frantz, for a dynamic, radio-friendly song that contributed to the album's success.
With his next work, "Pride" from '83, Palmer would partially recover the white soul-reggae spirit of the '70s by combining it with contemporary sounds. In '85 with "Addicted To Love," contained in the album "Riptide," he would find himself in MTV's heavy rotation circuits, becoming known to a younger audience who might not have otherwise discovered him.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
01 Looking for Clues (04:53)
It’s crazy but I’m frightened by the sound of the telephone, oh yeah
I’m worried that the caller might have awful news, oh my
Who knows these days where on earth the money goes, oh yeah
No doubt we could put it to a better use, oh my
You keep insisting that nobody showed you how to keep relationships, oh yeah
Your daddy made a real good try, oh my
You said you knew all along we could work it out, oh yeah
Do you have to make a fuss everytime we fly
Ooh I’m looking for clues
I'll have to make an effort now just to be serious, oh yeah
Nobody’s gonna give you the benefit of the doubt, oh my
Everytime I pick a paper up it’s harder to believe the news, oh yeah
I’m gonna have to shake it up and twist and shout, oh my
You can’t do nothing that you don’t put your mind to, oh yeah
I suspected all along you were a dream come true, oh my
I’m never in the dark 'cause my heart keeps me well informed, oh yeah
I’m convinced that there’s a way of getting through to you
Ooh I’m looking for clues
It’s crazy but I’m frightened by the sound of relationships, oh yeah
I swear we could put it to a better use, oh my
Do hurry baby you’ve forgotten how to catch a night groove, oh yeah
You told all the callers you were not amused
Ooh I’m looking for clues
You keep insisting that nobody showed you how to use a telephone, oh yeah
Nobody’s gonna give you a second chance, oh my
I don’t have to make an effort now to find out where the money goes, oh yeah
Do you have to make a fuss everytime we dance
Ooh I’m looking for clues
Do ya do ya do ya do ya
Ooh I’m looking for clues
Ooh I’m looking for clues
Ooh I’m looking for clues
03 Johnny & Mary (03:59)
Johnny’s always running around
Trying to find certainty
He needs all the world to confirm
That he ain’t lonely
Mary counts the walls
Knows he tires easily
Johnny thinks the world would be right
If it could buy truth from him
Mary says he changes his mind more than a woman
But she made her bed
Even when the chance was slim
Johnny says he’s willing to learn
When he decides he’s a fool
Johnny says he’ll live anywhere
When he earns to time
Mary combs her hair
Says she should be used to it
Mary always hedges her bets
She never knows what to think
She says that he still acts
Like he is being discovered
Scared that he’ll be caught
Without a second thought
Running around
Johnny feels he’s wasting his breath
Trying to talk sense to her
Mary says he’s lacking a real
Sense of proportion
So she combs her hair
Knows he tires easily
Johnny’s always running around
Trying to find certainty
He needs all the world to confirm
That he ain’t lonely
Mary counts the walls
Says she should be used to it
Johnny’s always running around
Running around
06 Woke Up Laughing (03:34)
I was waiting for you
I was sat in the sun
I could picture your face on the tip of my tongue
I woke up laughing
I broke into a sweat
I broke into a run
You were hot in my heels so I hired a gun
I woke up laughing
I was flat on my back
I was taking a plunge
It was making a stand but my plan was undone
I woke up laughing
Well I planned an escape for the middle of june
But I drug too fast and I fire too soon
I woke up laughing
Woke up laughing
You make yourself a fortune, out in hong kong
You sit at home and wonder whether you were wrong
You take a small vacation just to keep sane
You find on your return your home has blown away
You meditate, you make haste
You run a risk, you come late,
You pay a bill, you lose face
You’re not fully unaware
Your star or your fate
If you fall do you break
You go to war, you make love
You sign out in a box
Repeat whole song
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