Music Metrics Vault

The Romantics

Data updated on 2025-07-08 15:30:39 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

683.5 million
Updated on 2025-07-08

Monthly listeners

2,761,939

Followers

454,157

Top Cities

  1. Australia
    42,123 listeners
  2. Australia
    35,332 listeners
  3. Australia
    36,371 listeners
  4. Chile
    36,154 listeners
  5. United States
    38,417 listeners

Most popular tracks

Track Plays Duration Release date
What I Like About You
What I Like About You
277,103,776 2:55 1968-01-01
Talking In Your Sleep
Talking In Your Sleep
191,222,800 3:57 1983-02-14
Talking in Your Sleep
Talking in Your Sleep
191,222,800 3:55 1990-01-01
One in a Million
One in a Million
4,205,382 3:42 1983-02-14
One In A Million
One In A Million
4,205,382 3:41 1990-01-01
Rock You Up
Rock You Up
2,421,131 3:37 1983-02-14
When I Look In Your Eyes
When I Look In Your Eyes
1,380,813 3:00 1980-01-01
Got Me Where You Want Me
Got Me Where You Want Me
646,635 3:05 1983-02-14
Mystified
Mystified
592,180 3:33 1985-01-01
Be My Everything
Be My Everything
579,485 3:53 1985-01-01
Shake A Tail Feather
Shake A Tail Feather
575,179 3:30 1990-01-01
Make It Last
Make It Last
490,735 3:41 1985-01-01
A Night Like This
A Night Like This
472,266 5:08 1980-02-14
Tell It to Carrie
Tell It to Carrie
408,175 3:23 1980-01-01
Tell It To Carrie
Tell It To Carrie
408,175 3:24 1990-01-01
She's Got Everything
She's Got Everything
407,734 2:35 1980-01-01
Love Me to the Max
Love Me to the Max
393,703 3:09 1983-02-14
Do Me Anyway You Wanna
Do Me Anyway You Wanna
383,546 3:23 1983-02-14
Better Make A Move
Better Make A Move
380,655 3:20 1985-01-01
Poison Ivy
Poison Ivy
361,374 2:57 1985-01-01
Test Of Time
Test Of Time
361,217 3:23 1985-01-01
Test of Time
Test of Time
361,217 3:23 1990-01-01
Let's Get Started
Let's Get Started
319,845 4:00 1985-01-01
Diggin' on You
Diggin' on You
311,869 3:01 1983-02-14
Open Up Your Door
Open Up Your Door
260,151 3:58 1990-01-01
Open Up Your Door
Open Up Your Door
231,891 3:60 1983-02-14
I Got It If You Want It
I Got It If You Want It
231,067 3:27 1985-01-01
Rhythm Romance
Rhythm Romance
220,339 3:48 1985-01-01
I'm Hip
I'm Hip
219,562 2:42 1983-02-14
Keep In Touch
Keep In Touch
191,665 3:42 1980-01-01
First In Line
First In Line
179,841 2:38 1980-01-01
Hung On You
Hung On You
178,037 3:25 1980-01-01
Shake a Tail Feather
Shake a Tail Feather
164,039 3:31 1983-02-14
Tomboy
Tomboy
160,975 2:31 1980-02-14
I Can't Tell You Anything
I Can't Tell You Anything
157,050 3:25 1980-02-14
Unchained Melody
Unchained Melody
153,972 3:42 2013-05-27
Girl Next Door
Girl Next Door
147,829 4:41 1980-01-01
Stone Pony
Stone Pony
146,069 2:37 1980-02-14
Take Me Out of the Rain
Take Me Out of the Rain
145,640 2:31 1980-02-14
Till I See You Again
Till I See You Again
136,597 3:53 1980-01-01
Gimme Me One More Chance
Gimme Me One More Chance
125,530 4:28 1980-01-01
Every Time You Go Away
Every Time You Go Away
120,960 4:03 2013-05-27
Little White Lies
Little White Lies
117,203 2:39 1980-01-01
21 and Over
21 and Over
98,209 4:08 1980-02-14
Forever Yours
Forever Yours
95,725 2:56 1980-02-14
Can't Get over You
Can't Get over You
81,762 3:10 1981-02-14
In the Nighttime
In the Nighttime
66,636 3:39 1981-02-14
No One Like You
No One Like You
65,298 3:09 1981-02-14
Never Thought It Would Be Like This
Never Thought It Would Be Like This
61,838 3:35 1985-01-01
National Breakout
National Breakout
57,278 2:34 1980-02-14
Bop
Bop
50,014 2:06 1981-02-14
Why'd You Leave Me
Why'd You Leave Me
47,857 3:25 1981-02-14
Don't You Put Me on Hold
Don't You Put Me on Hold
42,792 2:42 1981-02-14
Look at Her
Look at Her
42,578 2:51 1981-02-14
Friday at the Hideout
Friday at the Hideout
40,770 3:00 1980-02-14
New Cover Story
New Cover Story
39,831 3:03 1980-02-14
She's Hot
She's Hot
39,383 2:35 1981-02-14
Spend a Little Love on Me
Spend a Little Love on Me
36,449 2:41 1981-02-14
Poor Little Rich Girl
Poor Little Rich Girl
36,193 3:34 1980-02-14
All That I Want
All That I Want
30,674 3:34 1981-02-14
C'mon Girl (Work Out with Me)
C'mon Girl (Work Out with Me)
27,619 2:28 1981-02-14
Without You
Without You
17,074 3:11 2013-05-27
Talking In Your Sleep
Talking In Your Sleep
3,380 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]