Song · Robert Palmer
“Looking For Clues” by Robert Palmer
From the album Clues (1980)
“Looking For Clues” by Robert Palmer appears on 2 radio countdowns from 2 stations between 1999 and 2021. It was first released in 1980 on the album Clues. Its best result is #690 on the CFNY Top 1002 Songs of All-Time (November 1999). In the combined RockLists rankings it is #6,040 alternative song of all time.
"Looking for Clues" was the second single Robert Palmer pulled off Clues, his sixth studio album, in 1980, and it catches the English singer changing gears yet again. He wrote it, produced it and played guitar on it next to Kenny Mazur, with Chris Frantz on bass drum and Alex Sadkin engineering and mixing. What comes out is a wiry little electronic strut, a pop song with funk in its hips, Palmer's voice sung high and multi-tracked, and then a solo on mallet percussion comes tumbling out of nowhere.
It made number 33 on the UK singles chart, and the video earned a footnote in history as one of the clips MTV aired on its very first day, August 1, 1981. Ultimate Classic Rock later counted it among Palmer's 10 best songs.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Alternative & Modern Rock
Indie & Adult Alternative
All Rock Formats
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 690 | CFNY 102.1 The Edge | CFNY Top 1002 Songs of All-Time (November 1999) | 1002 |
| 2021 | 703 | 90.9 The Bridge | 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '80s | 909 |
Also listed as: Looking for Clues.
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