Music Metrics Vault

The Romantics

Data updated on 2025-03-31 09:39:39 UTC
Such power pop founders as the Raspberries and Big Star may have been woefully underappreciated during their initial run in the early '70s, but by the end of the decade, several of their offspring had taken the style to the upper reaches of the charts -- including Cheap Trick, the Knack, and the Romantics. But what set the group apart from their similarly styled peers was their inheritance of the high-energy attack of their Detroit forefathers, as well as their affinity for bouffant hairstyles and matching retro outfits. Formed on the east side of Detroit during 1977, the Romantics' original lineup consisted of singer/guitarist Wally Palmar, singer/drummer Jimmy Marinos, guitarist Mike Skill, and bassist Richie Cole.

Building a local following with their live show, the Romantics issued a single on their own (via Spider Records) -- "Little White Lies" b/w "I Can't Tell You Anything" -- while a spirited performance in Toronto led to a brief union with the renowned punk/power pop indie label Bomp!, which issued another single shortly thereafter with "Tell It to Carrie" b/w "First in Line." Both singles helped bring the quartet to the attention of several other labels and the Romantics inked a deal with the Nemperor/Epic label in 1979. The band's self-titled full-length debut surfaced a year later (recorded in just three weeks) and is often considered to be the quartet's best due to the inclusion of such gems as "When I Look in Your Eyes," a cover of Ray Davies' "She's Got Everything," and one of the Romantics' best-known tracks: the power pop gem "That's What I Like About You." Although the latter track peaked at only number 49 when originally released as a single, it later became an early MTV favorite and classic rock radio standard and in the '90s, was used in several commercials.

A sophomore effort was issued the same year, National Breakout, which saw the band expand their sound to include such other styles as surf and classic Motown and was supported by an extensive world tour (including the Romantics' inaugural visits to both Europe and Australia). Also issued around this time via the Quark label (a subsidiary of Bomp!) was a compilation credited to Romantics & Friends, entitled Midwest Pop Explosion!, which featured several early tracks. Strictly Personal in 1981 signaled the Romantics' first lineup change with Coz Canler replacing Skill, and while the group's audience continued to grow, the album failed to break the band commercially, something that would be corrected on their next release.

In Heat (1983) would become the Romantics' best-selling album (going gold shortly after its release) on the strength of such Top Ten hit singles as "Talking in Your Sleep" and "One in a Million" and the quartet shed its early raw energy in favor of more streamlined songwriting. Although they had finally obtained breakthrough success, problems between the band and their management became an issue, leading to Marinos' departure. The Romantics decided to soldier on with a new drummer, Dave Petratos, resulting in 1985's Rhythm Romance, an album that saw the group move even further away from their power pop roots and embrace more mainstream rock (both musically and, judging from the album's cover, visually). Rhythm Romance would also prove to be the Romantics' last studio album issued via Nemperor/Epic as a complete falling out between the band and its management led to a lawsuit that prevented the group from touring or recording on a regular basis, leading many to assume that the group had split up. During this period of downtime, a ten-track best-of set was issued, 1990's What I Like About You (& Other Romantic Hits).

By 1990, the Romantics welcomed former Blondie drummer Clem Burke into the fold and the lineup was featured on a five-track EP three years later, Made in Detroit, which featured originals mixed with a few classic Funkadelic covers (additionally, the group played at the memorial service for the MC5's late singer Rob Tyner). In 1995, the Romantics finally settled their lawsuit against their former management and were granted control of both their publishing rights and music catalog once more. A year later, Marinos briefly rejoined the group, but by 1997, their original drummer was out once more and Burke was back in. During the late '90s, several additional best-of collections were issued (1996's Breakout and 1998's Super Hits), as well as several in-concert sets (1996's King Biscuit Flower Hour and 2000's Live, the latter of which was reissued a year later as Hits You Remember: Live). Despite not having issued a full-length studio album in two decades, the Romantics continue to tour. ~ Greg Prato, Rovi

Genres

: power pop

Total plays

656.1 million
Updated on 2025-03-31

Monthly listeners

2,564,381

Followers

447,590

Top Cities

  1. Australia
    43,815 listeners
  2. Australia
    38,781 listeners
  3. Australia
    33,621 listeners
  4. Chile
    44,119 listeners
  5. Mexico
    30,144 listeners

Most popular tracks

Track Plays Duration Release date
What I Like About You
What I Like About You
269,300,096 2:55 1968-01-01
Talking In Your Sleep
Talking In Your Sleep
181,747,433 3:57 1983-02-14
Talking in Your Sleep
Talking in Your Sleep
181,747,433 3:55 1990-01-01
One in a Million
One in a Million
4,074,523 3:42 1983-02-14
One In A Million
One In A Million
4,074,523 3:41 1990-01-01
Rock You Up
Rock You Up
2,346,434 3:37 1983-02-14
When I Look In Your Eyes
When I Look In Your Eyes
1,339,156 3:00 1980-01-01
Got Me Where You Want Me
Got Me Where You Want Me
623,944 3:05 1983-02-14
Mystified
Mystified
575,873 3:33 1985-01-01
Be My Everything
Be My Everything
574,793 3:53 1985-01-01
Shake A Tail Feather
Shake A Tail Feather
566,524 3:30 1990-01-01
Make It Last
Make It Last
487,316 3:41 1985-01-01
A Night Like This
A Night Like This
451,549 5:08 1980-02-14
Tell It to Carrie
Tell It to Carrie
399,494 3:23 1980-01-01
Tell It To Carrie
Tell It To Carrie
399,494 3:24 1990-01-01
She's Got Everything
She's Got Everything
392,560 2:35 1980-01-01
Love Me to the Max
Love Me to the Max
379,214 3:09 1983-02-14
Better Make A Move
Better Make A Move
378,341 3:20 1985-01-01
Do Me Anyway You Wanna
Do Me Anyway You Wanna
372,390 3:23 1983-02-14
Test Of Time
Test Of Time
357,010 3:23 1985-01-01
Test of Time
Test of Time
357,010 3:23 1990-01-01
Poison Ivy
Poison Ivy
354,974 2:57 1985-01-01
Let's Get Started
Let's Get Started
316,560 4:00 1985-01-01
Diggin' on You
Diggin' on You
304,961 3:01 1983-02-14
Open Up Your Door
Open Up Your Door
257,191 3:58 1990-01-01
I Got It If You Want It
I Got It If You Want It
229,705 3:27 1985-01-01
Open Up Your Door
Open Up Your Door
224,479 3:60 1983-02-14
Rhythm Romance
Rhythm Romance
217,816 3:48 1985-01-01
I'm Hip
I'm Hip
215,078 2:42 1983-02-14
Keep In Touch
Keep In Touch
186,078 3:42 1980-01-01
First In Line
First In Line
176,014 2:38 1980-01-01
Hung On You
Hung On You
175,470 3:25 1980-01-01
Shake a Tail Feather
Shake a Tail Feather
158,126 3:31 1983-02-14
I Can't Tell You Anything
I Can't Tell You Anything
156,348 3:25 1980-02-14
Tomboy
Tomboy
155,642 2:31 1980-02-14
Unchained Melody
Unchained Melody
150,767 3:42 2013-05-27
Take Me Out of the Rain
Take Me Out of the Rain
144,508 2:31 1980-02-14
Stone Pony
Stone Pony
143,334 2:37 1980-02-14
Girl Next Door
Girl Next Door
143,018 4:41 1980-01-01
Till I See You Again
Till I See You Again
133,800 3:53 1980-01-01
Gimme Me One More Chance
Gimme Me One More Chance
122,824 4:28 1980-01-01
Every Time You Go Away
Every Time You Go Away
118,934 4:03 2013-05-27
Little White Lies
Little White Lies
114,742 2:39 1980-01-01
21 and Over
21 and Over
96,074 4:08 1980-02-14
Forever Yours
Forever Yours
92,262 2:56 1980-02-14
Can't Get over You
Can't Get over You
79,044 3:10 1981-02-14
In the Nighttime
In the Nighttime
64,686 3:39 1981-02-14
No One Like You
No One Like You
63,221 3:09 1981-02-14
Never Thought It Would Be Like This
Never Thought It Would Be Like This
61,041 3:35 1985-01-01
National Breakout
National Breakout
55,049 2:34 1980-02-14
Bop
Bop
48,747 2:06 1981-02-14
Why'd You Leave Me
Why'd You Leave Me
46,762 3:25 1981-02-14
Look at Her
Look at Her
41,801 2:51 1981-02-14
Don't You Put Me on Hold
Don't You Put Me on Hold
41,156 2:42 1981-02-14
New Cover Story
New Cover Story
39,221 3:03 1980-02-14
Friday at the Hideout
Friday at the Hideout
39,187 3:00 1980-02-14
She's Hot
She's Hot
38,560 2:35 1981-02-14
Spend a Little Love on Me
Spend a Little Love on Me
35,791 2:41 1981-02-14
Poor Little Rich Girl
Poor Little Rich Girl
35,233 3:34 1980-02-14
All That I Want
All That I Want
30,179 3:34 1981-02-14
C'mon Girl (Work Out with Me)
C'mon Girl (Work Out with Me)
27,145 2:28 1981-02-14
Without You
Without You
16,882 3:11 2013-05-27
Talking In Your Sleep
Talking In Your Sleep
3,044 3:13 2018-07-25

New releases

What I Like About You (Digital 45)
What I Like About You (Digital 45)
2009-07-07
[Epic/Legacy]
Super Hits
Super Hits
1998-02-09
[Epic/Associated/Legacy]
Super Hits
Super Hits
1998-01-01
[Epic/Associated/Legacy]
What I Like About You (And Other Romantic Hits)
What I Like About You (And Other Romantic Hits)
1990-01-01
[Epic]
Rhythm Romance
Rhythm Romance
1985-01-01
[Epic]
In Heat (2023 Remaster)
In Heat (2023 Remaster)
1983-02-14
[Legacy Recordings]
Strictly Personal
Strictly Personal
1981-02-14
[Legacy Recordings]
National Breakout
National Breakout
1980-02-14
[Legacy Recordings]
The Romantics
The Romantics
1980-01-01
[Epic]