''Don't Explain'' is the tenth solo studio album by English singer Robert Palmer, released in 1990. During the course of its 18 tracks, Palmer displays rock, R&B, jazz and Bahamian influences. Several classic songs are covered, as well. The album peaked at number 9 in the UK and number 88 in the US. In the UK the album was certified Gold by the BPI in November 1990.

Track listing

#"Your Mother Should Have Told You" ( Robert Palmer, Guy Pratt) - 3:41 #"Light-Years" (

Divinyls Divinyls () were an Australian rock band that were formed in Sydney in 1980. The band primarily consisted of vocalist Chrissy Amphlett and guitarist Mark McEntee. Amphlett garnered widespread attention for performing on stage in a school uni ...

, Robert Palmer) - 4:27 #"You Can't Get Enough of a Good Thing" (Robert Palmer) - 4:08 #"Dreams to Remember" (

Otis Redding Otis Ray Redding Jr. (September 9, 1941 – December 10, 1967) was an American singer and songwriter. He is considered one of the greatest singers in the history of American popular music and a seminal artist in soul music and rhythm and blues. ...

, Zelda Reading,

Joe Rock Joe Rock (born Joseph Simberg, December 25, 1893 – December 5, 1984) was an American film producer, director, actor,Obituary '' Variety'', December 12, 1984, page 63. and screenwriter. He produced a series of 12 two reel short subject comedies ...

) - 4:25 #"

You're Amazing "You're Amazing" is a song by English vocalist Robert Palmer, which was released in 1990 as the second single from his tenth studio album '' Don't Explain''. It was written by Steven Fellows, Alan Mansfield, Palmer, Guy Pratt and Steve Stevens, a ...

" (

Stephen Fellows Stephen Fellows is an English singer, songwriter and musician. From 1978 to 1995, he was frontman for the band The Comsat Angels. He also managed the band Gomez and helped guide the band the Little Glitches Little Glitches are a folktronic ...

, Alan Mansfield, Robert Palmer, Guy Pratt,

Steve Stevens Steve Stevens (born Steven Bruce Schneider; May 5, 1959) is an American guitarist. He is best known as Billy Idol's guitarist and songwriting collaborator, and for his lead guitar work on the theme to ''Top Gun'' – " Top Gun Anthem" – for ...

) - 3:49 #"Mess Around" (

, Robert Palmer) - 4:50 #"

Happiness Happiness, in the context of mental or emotional states, is positive or pleasant emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy. Other forms include life satisfaction, well-being, subjective well-being, flourishing and eudaimonia. ...

" (Robert Palmer) - 2:52 #"History" (Robert Palmer) - 4:32 #"

I'll Be Your Baby Tonight "I'll Be Your Baby Tonight" is a 1967 song by Bob Dylan first released on ''John Wesley Harding''. It features Pete Drake on pedal steel guitar, and two other Nashville musicians, Charlie McCoy on bass guitar and Kenneth Buttrey on drums, both o ...

"; with

UB40 UB40 are an English reggae and pop band, formed in December 1978 in Birmingham, England. The band has had more than 50 singles in the UK Singles Chart, and has also achieved considerable international success. They have been nominated for the ...

(

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

) - 3:26 #"Housework" (

, Robert Palmer) - 3:12 #"

Mercy Mercy Me "Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)" is the second single from Marvin Gaye's 1971 album, '' What's Going On''. Following the breakthrough of the title track's success, the song, written solely by Gaye, became regarded as one of popular music's most po ...

" ( Marvin Gaye) / " I Want You" ( Arthur "T-Boy" Ross,

Leon Ware Leon Ware (February 16, 1940 – February 23, 2017) was an American songwriter, producer, composer, and singer. Besides a solo career as a performer, Ware was best known for producing hits for other artists including Michael Jackson, Quincy ...

) - 5:59 #" Don't Explain" ( Arthur Herzog, Jr.,

Billie Holiday Billie Holiday (born Eleanora Fagan; April 7, 1915 – July 17, 1959) was an American jazz and swing music singer. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and music partner, Lester Young, Holiday had an innovative influence on jazz music and pop s ...

) - 2:28 #"Aeroplane" (Robert Palmer) - 3:04 #"

People Will Say We're in Love "People Will Say We're In Love" is a show tune from the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, '' Oklahoma!'' (1943). In the original Broadway production, the song was introduced by Alfred Drake and Joan Roberts. Plot context The other characters ...

" ( Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein) - 2:20 #"Not a Word" (Robert Palmer, Guy Pratt,

Colin Vearncombe Colin Vearncombe (26 May 1962 – 26 January 2016), known by his stage name Black, was an English singer-songwriter. He emerged from the punk rock music scene and achieved mainstream pop success in the late 1980s, most notably with the 1986 sin ...

) - 4:18 #"Top 40" (

Mose Allison Mose John Allison Jr. (November 11, 1927 – November 15, 2016) was an American jazz and blues pianist, singer, and songwriter. He became notable for playing a unique mix of blues and modern jazz, both singing and playing piano. After moving to N ...

) - 2:40 #"You're So Desirable" (

Ray Noble Raymond Stanley Noble (17 December 1903 – 2 April 1978) was an English jazz and big band musician, who was a bandleader, composer and arranger, as well as a radio host, television and film comedian and actor; he also performed in the United ...

) - 2:24 #" You're My Thrill" (

Sidney Clare Sidney Clare (August 15, 1892 – August 29, 1972) was an American comedian, dancer and composer. His best-known songs include "On the Good Ship Lollipop" (introduced by Shirley Temple), " You're My Thrill" (recorded by Billie Holiday), and "Ple ...

Jay Gorney Jay Gorney (December 12, 1896– June 14, 1990) was an American theater and film song writer. Life and career Gorney was born Abraham Jacob Gornetzsky on December 12, 1896, in Białystok, Russia (now part of Poland), the son of Frieda (Perlst ...

) - 3:58 * N.B. The liner notes for the 1st US pressing (EMI/Capitol – CDP-7-93935-2) attribute the final song to Ned Washington & Burton Lane. While they co-wrote a song by that name, the one on Palmer's album is the Clare & Gorney composition made popular by Billie Holiday.

Personnel

* Robert Palmer – lead and backing vocals, guitars, drums *

Brent Bourgeois Brent Thomas Bourgeois (born June 16, 1958) is an American rock musician, songwriter, and producer. He was co-leader of the band Bourgeois Tagg with Larry Tagg, and has released several solo albums. His later work has been classified in the gen ...

– keyboards, backing vocals (2, 3) * Alan Mansfield – keyboards, drums * William Bryant – acoustic piano, bass *

Dennis Budimir Dennis Matthew Budimir (June 20, 1938 – January 2023) was an American jazz and rock guitarist. He was considered to be a member of The Wrecking Crew. Biography Budimir learned to play piano and guitar in his youth and first played professio ...

– guitars * Alan Darby – guitars * Eddie Martinez – guitars * Saverio Porciello – guitars *

– guitars *

Sneaky Pete Kleinow Peter E. "Sneaky Pete" Kleinow (August 20, 1934 – January 6, 2007) was an American country-rock musician. He is best known as a member of the band The Flying Burrito Brothers and as a session musician playing pedal steel guitar for such ar ...

– pedal steel guitar * Frank Blair – bass * Guy Pratt – bass * Dony Wynn – drums, percussion *

Cyro Baptista Cyro Baptista (born December 23, 1950) is a Brazilian percussionist in jazz and world music. He creates many of the percussion instruments he plays. Career Born in São Paulo, Brazil, Baptista arrived in the U.S. in 1980 with a scholarship to C ...

– percussion * Pino Pischetola – percussion * Claudio Pascoli – saxophones * Chuck Findley – flugelhorn, trumpet * Demo Morselli – trumpet * Luka Belak – violin *

Clare Fischer Douglas Clare Fischer (October 22, 1928 – January 26, 2012) was an American keyboardist, composer, arranger, and bandleader. After graduating from Michigan State University (from which, five decades later, he would receive an honorary doctorat ...

– clarinet, string and horn arrangements, conductor * Gerald Vinci – concertmaster * B.J. Nelson – backing vocals (2, 3, 4) * Pamela Starks – backing vocals (9) *

– backing vocals (9)

Production

* David Harper – executive producer * Robert Palmer – producer (1–6, 9, 10, 17), co-producer (7, 8, 11, 13) *

Teo Macero Attilio Joseph "Teo" Macero (October 30, 1925 – February 19, 2008) was an American jazz saxophonist, composer, and record producer. He was a producer at Columbia Records for twenty years. Macero produced Miles Davis' '' Bitches Brew'', and ...

– producer (7, 8, 11–16, 18) * Arne Frager – engineer * Pino Pischetola – engineer * Mike Fraser – mixing (1, 5) * Eric "ET" Thorngren – mixing (2, 3, 4, 6–18) * Richard Cobble – production coordination * Henry Marquez – art direction, design * Timothy Greenfield-Sanders – photography * David King – stylist

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{Authority control Robert Palmer (singer) albums 1990 albums Albums produced by Robert Palmer (singer) Albums produced by Teo Macero EMI Records albums