A Funky Drummer, a Wayward Singer, and Two Durans on Holiday: How The Power Station Crafted Their Biggest Hit

With its thudding, grunting sound, “Some Like It Hot” sounded like nothing else on the radio when it appeared in 1985. What made that especially notable was that it came from a band comprised of four men who had all established themselves on the musical scene with separate acts.

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We’re talking about The Power Station, the supergroup that flared up suddenly and disappeared just as quickly. “Some Like it Hot” remains the most potent original song by the group.

Power Players

In late 1983, Duran Duran released the album Seven And The Ragged Tiger, which precipitated a worldwide tour. The band had soared to its commercial pinnacle. But they were also exhausted and, quite frankly, a little bit sick of each other after their whirlwind success.

The band decided that they’d split up for a couple of years before reuniting after they’d embarked on side projects. Guitarist Andy Taylor and bassist John Taylor (not related) decided they wanted a more aggressive sound and less production fussiness than what their day-job band did. They hired Tony Thompson, notable for his work with Chic, as the new outfit’s drummer.

Their original plan was to create a bunch of tracks and then have a revolving door of singers join them. But when Robert Palmer, a long-established solo star, knocked out a stunning cover version of the T. Rex classic “Get It On (Bang A Gong)”, he was hired for the entire album. The quartet named themselves The Power Station after the studio in New York where the album was recorded. It was also a good approximation of their thunderous sound.

“Hot” Stuff

While the band knew they had something special with “Get It On (Bang A Gong)”, they wanted an original track to introduce themselves to the world. John and Andy Taylor wrote the musical bed of “Some Like It Hot” for the sole purpose of shining the spotlight on Thompson’s drums.

Palmer helped fill out the lyrics to “Some Like It Hot”. The song went to No. 6 in the US upon its release in 1985. It would be their biggest ever hit, in part because they couldn’t stick together long enough to follow up on their initial album until a one-off reunion eleven years later.

Behind the Lyrics of “Some Like It Hot”

“Some Like It Hot” puts the listener on the spot, proposing a series of scenarios and then asking directly, “Are you gonna do it?” Palmer insists that pressure is going to build up without decisiveness. “Feel the heat pushing you to decide,” he sings. “Feel the heat burning you up, ready or not.”

The chorus succinctly spells out the dichotomy. “Some like it hot and some sweat when the heat is on,” Palmer shrugs. “Some feel the heat and decide that they can’t go on.” Later in the refrain, he suggests that some people go overboard when seeking out the action: “Some like it hot, so let’s turn up the heat ‘til we fry.”

Robert Palmer decided to prioritize his solo career and left The Power Station before they began their tour in 1985. That career exploded when he borrowed the band’s sound (and Tony Thompson’s drums) on the No. 1 hit “Addicted To Love”. The Taylors headed back to Duran Duran as planned. As such, The Power Station had largely run their course. But they certainly turned up the temperature in a hurry with “Some Like it Hot”.

Photo by Clayton Call/Redferns