I Didn't Mean to Turn You On

"I Didn't Mean to Turn You On" is the debut single written by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis and originally performed by American singer Cherrelle in 1984. In 1986, "I Didn't Mean to Turn You On" was covered by English singer Robert Palmer. Palmer's cover fared better on the pop chart while Cherrelle's version was a hit on the R&B chart.

Original Cherrelle version
The song was released as Cherrelle's debut single and was her first hit, peaking at number 8 on the soul chart and number 79 on the Hot 100. On the US dance chart, "I Didn't Mean to Turn You On" went to number 6. A slightly altered version of the song is featured in the 2015 N.W.A biopic Straight Outta Compton.

Robert Palmer version
English rock singer Robert Palmer recorded a cover version one year later and it was released as the fifth single from his eighth studio album Riptide (1985). The single hit No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1986, behind "Amanda" by Boston. The music video, which was a take on the making of a music video, featured women like the ones featured in "Addicted to Love"; it hit No. 1 on MTV on October 17, 1986.

Other cover versions

 * Queen Latifah sampled Cherrelle's version on her song "Turn You On" from her 1998 album Order in the Court.
 * Mariah Carey covered the song in 2001 for the soundtrack to the film, Glitter. Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis also produced Carey's cover and she sang over the original instrumental.
 * DJ Colette covered the song in 2005 for the album Hypnotized.
 * Bonnie McKee used an interpolation of the track, created by producer Switch, for her 2024 single "Jenny's Got a Boyfriend".