"I Didn't Mean to Turn You On" is the debut single originally performed by the 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. Cherrelle's single was a hit on the US R&B chart.
In 1986, "I Didn't Mean to Turn You On" was covered more successfully by the English singer Robert Palmer who had a Top 10 hit in the US and the UK.
Original Cherrelle version 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. On the US dance chart, "I Didn't Mean to Turn You On" went to number 6. A slightly altered version of the song is featured in the 2015 N.W.A biopic Straight Outta Compton.
The music video pays homage to King Kong, featuring characters Cherrelle (as the protagonist) and the beast (presumably King Kong) in various scenes. 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.
Charts Chart (1984–1985) Peakposition US Billboard Hot 100 79 US Dance/Disco Top 80 (Billboard) 6 US Hot Black Singles (Billboard) 8
Robert Palmer version
English rock singer Robert Palmer recorded a cover version of "I Didn't Mean to Turn You On" one year later, and it was released as the fifth single from his eighth studio album, Riptide (1985). The single reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1986. Palmer loved the song musically, but he found the lyrics distasteful and sexist because he thought they were written by older men to be sung by a young woman. 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. 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 reached No. 1 on MTV on October 17, 1986.Strong, Martin C. (2000). The Great Rock Discography (5th ed.). Edinburgh: Mojo Books. pp. 2–3. .
Charts Weekly charts Chart (1986) Peakposition Australia (Kent Music Report) 26 Europe (European Hot 100 Singles) 48 US Cash Box Top 100 Cash Box magazine 4
Year end charts Chart (1986) Position Canada Top Singles (RPM) 75 US Billboard Hot 100 46
Other cover versions Queen Latifah sampled Cherrelle's version on her song "Turn You On" from her 1998 album Order in the Court. Mariah Carey covered the song in 2001 for the soundtrack to the film Glitter. Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis also produced Carey's cover and she sang over the original instrumental. In 2026, she later remixed the song along with Rochelle Jordan for Glitter's 25th anniversary. DJ Colette covered the song in 2005 for the album Hypnotized. Bonnie McKee used an interpolation of the track, created by producer Switch, for her 2024 single "Jenny's Got a Boyfriend".
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