"Know by Now" is a song by English singer-songwriter

Robert Palmer Robert Allen Palmer (19 January 1949 – 26 September 2003) was an English singer and songwriter. He was known for his powerful and soulful voice, sartorial elegance and stylistic explorations, combining soul, funk, jazz, rock, pop, regga ...

, released in August 1994 by

EMI Records EMI Records (formerly EMI Records Ltd.) is a British multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was originally founded as a British flagship label by the music company EMI in 1972, and launched in January 1973 as the succes ...

as the second single from the singer's twelfth studio album, ''

Honey Honey is a sweet and viscous substance made by several species of bees, the best-known of which are honey bees. Honey is made and stored to nourish bee colonies. Bees produce honey by gathering and then refining the sugary secretions of pl ...

'' (1994). The song was written by Palmer and co-produced by Palmer alongside

Stephen Hague Stephen Hague (born 1960) is an American record producer most active with various British acts since the 1980s. Early life Hague was born in Portland, Maine, in 1960. Early career Hague started his musical career in the mid-1970s as a session ...

. "Know by Now" reached number 25 in the UK Singles Chart and remained in the top 100 for five weeks. The accompanying music video was directed by Russell Young and shot in

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

, Spain.

Background

Speaking to

The Canadian Press The Canadian Press (CP; , ) is a Canadian national news agency headquartered in Toronto, Ontario. Established in 1917 as a vehicle for Canadian newspapers to exchange news and information, The Canadian Press has been a privately-held company, pr ...

in 1994, Palmer said of the song, "I happen to think that it is probably the best song I've written for many reasons – first of all, it's three songs in one, in that each piece of it was a separate inspiration at a different time, not merely a reason to get from A to C."

Critical reception

Upon its release as a single, Andrew Hirst of the ''

Huddersfield Daily Examiner The ''Huddersfield Daily Examiner'' is an English local daily evening newspaper covering news and sport from Huddersfield, England, and its surrounding areas. History The first edition was published as a weekly, starting on 6 September 1851 ...

'' named it the "single of the week" and wrote, "Every now and then Palmer releases a single of quality and distinction. This is another one." In the US,

Larry Flick Larry Flick is an American journalist, former dance music columnist, single reviewer, and Senior Talent Editor for ''Billboard'' magazine, where he worked for 14 years. Now he produces and hosts Sirius XM radio shows. Flick started in the musi ...

of ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' magazine described the song as "a breezy pop/rocker" and added, "His distinctive delivery glides with friendly ease and warmth over an arrangement of plucky guitar lines and a steady, synth-coated beat. He brings colors and tones to this track that haven't turned up on one of his records in years – what a pleasure. A toe-tapper that sticks to the brain after one spin." Pan-European magazine ''

Music & Media ''Music & Media'' was a pan-European magazine for radio, music and entertainment. It was published for the first time in 1984 as ''Eurotipsheet'', but in 1986 it changed name to ''Music & Media''. It was originally based in Amsterdam, but later m ...

'' wrote, "Still sweaty from the two-minute rocker '

Girl U Want "Girl U Want" is a 1980 single by American new wave band Devo. It was the first single released from their third studio album, ''Freedom of Choice'' (1980). Composition "Girl U Want" was allegedly inspired by the song " My Sharona" by the Knack ...

', Palmer has adapted his gentleman pose again with an elegant ballad to match his position. May radio be his servile butler." In the review for the album ''Honey'', Leslie Mathew of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

commented: "Highlights include 'Know by Now', a tasty mid-paced rocker." ''

CD Review ''CD Review'' (formerly known as ''Digital Audio'' and ''Digital Audio and Compact Disc Review'') is a discontinued American monthly magazine that specialized in reviewing albums and audio electronics, especially compact discs. The magazine was ...

'' said: "In a classier vein 'Know by Now' reworks that percolating 'Every Breath You Take' groove one more time." In the 1997 book ''The Virgin Encyclopedia of Seventies Music'', Colin Larkin commented: "''Honey'' was another credible release with notable tracks such as 'Know by Now' and the title song."

Music video

The music video for "Know by Now" was directed by Russell Young and filmed on location in

, Spain. Joe Dyer directed photography and Joseph Uliano produced the video.

Track listings

* 7-inch single # "Know by Now" (radio edit) – 4:01 # " Mercy, Mercy Me" / " I Want You" – 5:58 * CD single (UK CD1) # "Know by Now" (radio edit) – 4:01 # "In the Stars" – 4:51 # "Simply Irresistible" – 4:14 # "Mercy, Mercy Me" / "I Want You" – 5:58 * CD single (Europe; UK CD2) # "Know by Now" (radio edit) – 4:01 # "In the Stars" – 4:51 # "Know by Now" (Pinaxa mix) – 5:26 # " She Makes My Day" – 4:15 * CD single (Australia) # "Know by Now" (radio edit) – 4:01 # "In the Stars" – 4:51 # "Know by Now" (Pinaxa mix) – 5:26 # "She Makes My Day" – 4:15 # "Girl U Want" – 2:24

Personnel

Production * Robert Palmer – producer, arranger * Stephen Hague – producer * Pino "Pinaxa" Pischetola – mixing, remixer of "Pinaxa Mix"

Charts

References

{{Authority control 1994 singles 1994 songs EMI Records singles Music videos directed by Russell Young Music videos shot in Spain Robert Palmer (singer) songs Song recordings produced by Stephen Hague Songs written by Robert Palmer (singer)