Addicted to the Groove: How Robert Palmer Fell in Love with Dance Music (and Made You Dance Too)

The Twelve Inch 161 : I Didn't Mean To Turn You On (Robert Palmer)

Remember Robert Palmer? With his razor-sharp suits, effortless style, and a voice that could shift from velvet-smooth to gritty and raw, Palmer was the rare artist who could sing anything: funk, rock, reggae, new wave, jazz, R&B, you name it. Over a 35-year career, he explored nearly every genre, often leaving critics puzzled and fans playing catch-up.

But that genre-hopping is exactly what made him special. Robert Palmer never played it safe. He wasn’t interested in staying inside tidy musical boxes, he chased sound, groove, and feel wherever it took him.

Now, Robert Palmer may not be the first name that comes to mind when you think of dance music. You might even have raised an eyebrow seeing him as the focus of this week’s edition. But here’s the thing: he made some incredible dance tracks. And not just once or during a passing phase, Palmer infused dance music into his work across his entire career.