"Life in Detail" is a song by the
English vocalist
Robert Palmer, which was released in 1990 as a promotional single from the soundtrack of the American romantic comedy film ''
Pretty Woman
''Pretty Woman'' is a 1990 American romantic comedy film directed by Garry Marshall, from a screenplay by J. F. Lawton. The film stars Julia Roberts and Richard Gere, and features Héctor Elizondo, Ralph Bellamy (in his final performance), La ...
''. The song was written by Palmer and Allen Powell, and produced by Palmer. It reached No. 7 on the US ''Billboard'' Album Rock Tracks,
and No. 34 on the Canadian ''
RPM
Revolutions per minute (abbreviated rpm, RPM, rev/min, r/min, or with the notation min−1) is a unit of rotational speed or rotational frequency for rotating machines.
Standards
ISO 80000-3:2019 defines a unit of rotation as the dimensionl ...
'' Top Singles Chart.
"Life in Detail" had been written exclusively for the film.
[Nanaimo Daily News - April 27, 1990 - page 36] Powell had previously been the drummer in
Vinegar Joe, which Palmer fronted, in the early 1970s. Following the band's split, Palmer and Powell continued their friendship and would write a number of songs together which Palmer recorded. According to ''
Manchester Evening News'', "Life in Detail" allowed him to buy a 40-foot sail boat to live on, which he had moored at
Sausalito, California.
Critical reception
Upon release, the ''
Nanaimo Daily News
The ''Nanaimo Daily News'' was a Canadian daily newspaper published weekdays in Nanaimo, on Vancouver Island in British Columbia for 141 years until ceasing publication in January 2016.
The paper's final owner was Black Press, which also publishes ...
'' described the song as a "thumping jumper".
''
The Clarion-Ledger'' noted: "The driving "Life in Detail" is only slightly less irresistible than Palmer's previous chartbusters". Paul Sinclair of ''Super Deluxe Edition'' described the song as a "relative obscurity from the soundtrack of the film ''Pretty Woman''".
Track listing
CD single (promo only)
#"Life in Detail" - 4:07
Chart performance
Personnel
*
Robert Palmer - vocals, producer
*
Humberto Gatica - mixing
References
{{authority control
1990 songs
1990 singles
Robert Palmer (singer) songs
Songs written by Robert Palmer (singer)
EMI Records singles