"Hyperactive" by Robert Palmer

Song#:  2751
Date:  06/07/1986
Debut:  80
Peak:  33
Weeks:  12
Genre:  Rock



Pop Bits:  Palmer's eighth studio album, Riptide, got off to a shaky start when its first single, "Discipline of Love" tanked at a low #82. Luckly, things turned around when the second single, "Addicted to Love" topped both the Pop and Rock charts. That set him up well for this follow-up, but it just didn't have the same appeal as "Addicted" and the best that it could do was #21 at Rock while cracking the Pop Top 40. The results were a bit of a letdown, but like before, Palmer would come zooming back with a far better follow-up.

ReduxReview:  I don't know who chose the order of singles for this album, but they were idiots. "Addicted" should have been the lead single followed by the soon-to-be hit "I Didn't Mean to Turn You On." But instead of at least making the latter song the third single, we got this track. It's not a bad song, but it's really an album track. Of course there could be reasons behind making this the follow-up to "Addicted," but whatever those were, it was the wrong call. And they all got lucky for a second time with "I Didn't Mean." Based on the first single barely even charting, this album should have been doomed. Luckily, the two hits were so strong that it didn't matter. That's usually not the case. This song was probably the logical choice for a third single, but it still wouldn't have done any better. It's just not strong enough for hit contention.

ReduxRating:  5/10

Trivia:  Not long after it reached the charts, this song would be selected for use in the 1987 film The Bedroom Window. The psychological thriller starred Steve Guttenberg and Elizabeth McGovern. Guttenberg was more know for being a comedic actor thanks to previous hits like Police Academy, Diner, and Cocoon, and the thriller offered him a chance to go against type. McGovern was a young star who had received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the 1981 film Ragtime. The film came out to mixed reviews and was not a hit at the box office. It barely made more than its budget. Guttenberg would go back to comedies like Three Men and a Baby. McGovern would continuously work in films, but was never able to secure a major hit. However, her career got a major boost when she co-starred in the BBC series Downton Abbey, which earned hear Golden Globe and Emmy nominations for Best Leading Actress in a Miniseries or TV Movie. The director of The Bedroom Window was Curtis Hanson. Hanson would have bigger hits later with The River Wild, 8 Mile, and The Hand That Rocks the Cradle. Hanson's best-known work would be the noir thriller L.A. Confidential. The film garnered nine Oscar nods including Best Picture and Best Director for Hanson. Hanson would win the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay and Kim Basinger would win for Best Supporting Actress. Unfortunately, it lost in all other categories thanks to a teeny, tiny movie that hogged all the Oscars that year - Titanic.

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