By the point Robert Palmer coated Todd Rundgren, because the Nineteen Seventies got here to an in depth, the latter pioneering Pennsylvanian was some of the in-demand and revered artist-producers within the enterprise.
A string of massively acclaimed albums by Rundgren in his personal title had been accompanied by manufacturing credit for such names as Badfinger, Grand Funk Railroad and Daryl Corridor & John Oates. He was now much more famend as the person who oversaw the unimaginable multi-million-selling sensation that was Meat Loaf’s Bat Out Of Hell.
Within the spring of 1978, Rundgren had launched his eighth solo album Hermit Of Mink Hole, from which the primary single was a gloriously and quintessentially Rundgrenesque piece of melodic pop. “Can We Still Be Friends” deserved excess of its No.29 peak on the Sizzling 100, however Palmer — charting on the time along with his Double Enjoyable album — was listening.
The Englishman was about to begin work on his personal subsequent LP at Compass Level Studios within the Bahamas, and the Rundgren track fitted his blue-eyed soul sensibilities completely. The album, Secrets and techniques, had been launched in the summertime of 1979 by one other well-chosen cowl, of Moon Martin’s “Bad Case Of Loving You (Doctor, Doctor),” which grew to become Robert’s second US Prime 20 hit, after “Every Kinda People,” at No.14.
Hearken to the perfect of Robert Palmer on Apple Music and Spotify.
Island launched his model of “Can We Still Be Friends” because the follow-up, and it entered the Sizzling 100 on December 22, 1979. It solely reached No.52, in a nine-week run, however the single nonetheless helped gas the success of Secrets and techniques, Palmer’s first US Prime 20 album. Additional covers of the Rundgren track quickly arrived: others in the identical 12 months as Palmer’s included one by English vocalist Colin Blunstone, and Rod Stewart lower his for the 1984 album Camouflage.
Purchase or stream “Can We Still Be Friends” on Secrets and techniques.
