The System - "You Are in My System"

(Debuted March 5, 1983, Peaked #64, 8 Weeks on the Chart)

Since beginning this blog, I've featured two songs by Robert Palmer, but none of the songs he covered. Today, I'll make amends for that, by tossing out a song that actually outperformed Palmer's version on the charts.

The System was the interracial duo of singer Mic Murphy and keyboardist David Frank. Their marriage of electronic music with soulful lyrics was dubbed "emotio-electro" by critics, but the duo was just happy to let the music speak for itself. Though "You Are in My System" topped out at #64, it was a Top 10 R&B hit and charted on the Dance chart as well. Palmer's version of the song came out the next year and brought it some new exposure, but only reached #78 in its own chart run.

By the way, I had one of those "Kiss This Guy" moments years ago. One night, I heard this song while scanning the radio dial and came across a Saturday night dance-oriented show out of Syracuse, New York. I didn't know the song then, but the words hit my ear as "you are in my sister." That certainly seemed odd to me until I found out the real title. That said, I'll never forget that alternate title as long as I hear the song.