"You Blow Me Away" is a song by English vocalist Robert Palmer, which was released in 1994 as the third and final single from his twelfth studio album Honey. The song was written solely by Palmer, and produced by Stephen Hague and Palmer.
Background Released as the third and final single from the Honey album, "You Blow Me Away" was a moderate commercial success in the UK, but not as successful as the previous single "Know by Now". It peaked at No. 38 and remained in the charts for four weeks. It would be Palmer's last Top 40 entry in the charts.
Release The single was released on 7" vinyl, cassette and CD in the UK only. The B-side was Palmer's 1988 hit "Simply Irresistible".
Two CD versions were released in the UK as part of a 2-part set. The first CD of the set featured the non-album track "No Control", a "Karaoke Mix" of "You Blow Me Away" and a remixed version of "Know by Now". The second CD featured a "Remix Edit" and "Alge Mix" of "You Blow Me Away", along with the track "Change His Ways" from Palmer's 1988 album Heavy Nova. The remixes were handled by either Pino "Pinaxa" Pischetola or Chris Lord Alge. A promotional CD single was also released in the UK, featuring "You Blow Me Away" as the only track.
Promotion Two music videos were recorded to promote the single, as Palmer wasn't happy with the first one. Palmer also performed the song at the 1994 German RSH-Gold ceremony, which was broadcast on RTL 2.
Critical reception In a 1994 review of Honey by CD Review, the writer commented: "...the epic ballad "You Blow Me Away" epitomizes excess and works beautifully, with Palmer abandoning his reserve for a delightfully corny ode to romance." Cash Box described the song as "scaled-down soul".Cash Box newspaper - 1 October 1994 - Album Reviews: Honey - page 9 In a retrospective review of Honey, Super Deluxe Edition said: "Singles "Know By Now" and especially "You Blow Me Away" are both strong but feel slightly let down by the production, which for the time comes across as a little cheesy and bombastic in places."
Track listing 7" Single
CD Single (UK #1)
CD Single (UK #2)
CD Single (Promotional release)
Personnel Robert Palmer – vocals, producer, arranger Stephen Hague – producer on "You Blow Me Away", remixing of "Know By Now" Teo Macero – additional producer on "Know By Now" Mike "Spike" Drake – remixing of "Know By Now" David Harper – executive producer Eric "E.T." Thorngren – remixing on "Change His Ways" Pino "Pinaxa" Pischetola – mixing on "No Control", remixer of "You Blow Me Away (Remix Edit)", constructor, recorder, mixer of "Know by Now" Chris Lord Alge – remixer of "You Blow Me Away (Alge Mix)
Charts Chart (1994)PeakpositionUK Singles Chart 38 UK Airplay (Music Week) 31
References