"She Makes My Day" is a song by English singer-songwriter Robert Palmer, which was released in 1988 as the third single from his ninth studio album Heavy Nova.[2] The song was written and produced by Palmer.[3] "She Makes My Day" reached No. 6 in both the UK and Ireland.[4][5]

"She Makes My Day"
Single by Robert Palmer
from the album Heavy Nova
B-side"Disturbing Behaviour"
Released3 October 1988[1]
Recorded1987
Length4:21
LabelEMI
Songwriter(s)Robert Palmer
Producer(s)Robert Palmer
Robert Palmer singles chronology
"Early in the Morning"
(1988)
"She Makes My Day"
(1988)
"Tell Me I'm Not Dreamin'"
(1989)
Music video
"Robert Palmer – She Makes My Day (Official Video)" on YouTube

Composition

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In Michael Luckman's book Alien Rock: The Rock 'n' Roll Extraterrestrial Connection, Palmer said of writing the track, "I didn't give much thought to it at all. It was like automatic writing."[6]

Release

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"She Makes My Day" was released by EMI on 7" vinyl in the UK, Europe, Australia and the US. A 12" vinyl version was released in the UK and Spain, while a CD edition was also issued in the UK and Japan.[7] All editions featured the B-side "Disturbing Behaviour", except the US and Japanese releases. The US release featured "Casting a Spell" as the B-side, and "Change His Ways" for the Japanese release. All three B-sides appeared on Heavy Nova.[2]

Promotion

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A music video was filmed to promote the single. It received medium rotation on MTV.[8]

Critical reception

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Upon release, Billboard listed the song as a recommended single under the "Pop" category and described it as a "lilting, easy-paced rock ballad".[9] James Masterton, in his 2015 book The Top 40 Annual 1988, described the song as a "smouldering Sinatra-esque slow jazz single".[10] In a retrospective review of Heavy Nova, Terry Staunton of Record Collector believed the song was an "intricately layered ballad" and "arguably the sweetest few minutes in his entire catalogue".[11]

Track listing

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7" single
  1. "She Makes My Day" – 4:21
  2. "Disturbing Behaviour" – 3:43
7" single (US release)
  1. "She Makes My Day" – 4:21
  2. "Casting a Spell" – 3:55
7" single (US promo)
  1. "She Makes My Day" – 4:21
  2. "She Makes My Day" – 4:21
12" single
  1. "She Makes My Day" – 4:21
  2. "Disturbing Behaviour" – 3:43
  3. "Simply Irresistible (E.T. Remix)" – 6:33
CD single (UK release)
  1. "She Makes My Day" – 4:23
  2. "Disturbing Behaviour" – 3:45
  3. "Simply Irresistible (E.T. Remix)" – 6:33
CD single (Japan release)
  1. "She Makes My Day" – 4:23
  2. "Change His Ways" – 2:56

Personnel

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  • Robert Palmer – vocals, producer
  • Eric "E.T." Thorngren – mixing
  • David Harper – executive producer
  • The Artful Dodgers Ltd – sleeve design
  • Neil Matthews – photography

Charts

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Chart (1988–89) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[12] 9
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[13] 57
Ireland (IRMA)[14] 6
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[15] 47
UK Singles (OCC)[16] 6

References

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  1. ^ Hung, Steffen. "Robert Palmer – She Makes My Day". Hitparade.ch.
  2. ^ a b Robert Palmer. "Heavy Nova – Robert Palmer | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2018-03-23.
  3. ^ "Robert Palmer – She Makes My Day / Disturbing Behaviour – EMI – UK – EM 65". 45cat.com. 2015-10-15. Retrieved 2018-03-23.
  4. ^ "ROBERT PALMER | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". Officialcharts.com. Retrieved 2018-03-23.
  5. ^ Jaclyn Ward – Fireball Media Group. "The Irish Charts – All there is to know". Irishcharts.ie. Retrieved 2018-03-23.
  6. ^ Luckman, Michael (2010-06-15). Alien Rock: The Rock 'n' Roll Extraterrestrial Connection – Michael Luckman – Google Books. ISBN 9781451604320. Retrieved 2018-03-23.
  7. ^ "Robert Palmer – She Makes My Day at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2018-03-23.
  8. ^ Billboard magazine – The Clip List – March 11, 1989 – page 67
  9. ^ Billboard magazine – Single reviews – February 11, 1989 – page 71
  10. ^ Masterton, James (1988-10-15). "The Top 40 Annual 1988 – James Masterton – Google Books". Retrieved 2018-03-23.
  11. ^ "Heavy Nova/Don't Explain – Record Collector Magazine". Recordcollectormag.com. 2011-05-26. Retrieved 2018-03-23.
  12. ^ "Robert Palmer – She Makes My Day". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
  13. ^ "Robert Palmer – She Makes My Day" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
  14. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – She Makes My Day". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
  15. ^ "Robert Palmer – She Makes My Day". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
  16. ^ "Robert Palmer: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 24 March 2023.