Geoffrey Deane and David Jaymes formed Modern Romance in 1980, having previously been the mainstays of the punk parody band the Leyton Buzzards which they formed in 1977.
The band split up in 1980 though Deane and Jaymes continued working together, embracing the burgeoning electronic style of dance music that was becoming popular in London clubs at the time. They found a new manager and created a limited company called Business Art Productions, and signed to WEA. In 1980, their first release, eponymously titled "Modern Romance", was unsuccessful. After a second unsuccessful single, "Tonight", the band then opted to lessen the predominantly electronic sound in favour of a Latin-American dance style with emphasis on bass, percussion and brass. They recruited trumpet player John Du Prez into their new line-up. The band released a new single, "Everybody Salsa" in summer 1981, which reached the UK Top 20. However, prior to the release, they recruited a new drummer, Andy Kyriacou, who began promoting the single with the band, and set up their first personal appearance in a club.
They followed this later in the year with similarly themed "Ay Ay Ay Ay Moosey", which reached the UK Top 10. Despite these two hits, the band's debut album, Adventures in Clubland, was not a success. However, in the US they scored a number 2 hit on the Billboard Dance chart with "Can You Move", a mostly rap variation of "Everybody Salsa". After further UK Top 40 hits with "Queen of the Rapping Scene" and a cover of the 1955 hit "Cherry Pink And Apple Blossom White", Deane departed the band in 1982 to pursue solo projects.
Michael J. Mullins took over the mantle of lead vocalist, and their next release saw the band reach their highest UK chart position with "Best Years of Our Lives" in late 1982. Further hits followed in 1983: "High Life" (UK No. 8), "Don't Stop That Crazy Rhythm" (UK No. 14), and the ballad "Walking in the Rain" (UK No. 7). Both "Best Years of Our Lives" and "Walking in the Rain" earned Silver discs. Despite being regularly featured in teen pin-up magazines, the band's commercial hot streak waned and further singles were less successful. The band released a compilation album for the Christmas 1983 market entitled Party Tonight. Though it only peaked at No. 45 in the UK, it became their most successful album and was certified gold for sales in excess of 100,000 copies within six weeks of release.
John Du Prez then left the band, and after disagreements with their record company, WEA, the band signed with RCA in 1984. This brought about a change of image – from bright coloured suits and wedge hairstyles to long hair and leather jackets. The band released a new single, a cover of The Temptations' 1971 hit "Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me)", but the single was not a success. Modern Romance released a final album, Burn It!, in 1985. The album was received poorly and the band called it quits after releasing the stand-alone single "Tarzan Boy" – a cover of the Baltimora hit from earlier that year – and an anthology mix of their biggest selling songs titled "Best Mix of Our Lives" (also 1985).
After leaving Modern Romance, former lead vocalist Geoff Deane reappeared in 1983 as 'Geoff Deane & The Valley Girls' to release the single "Navy Lark", then again for the solo "What About Romance", and he also wrote "You Think You're A Man" for Divine. Deane later became a scriptwriter and television producer, scripting for television programmes such as Birds of a Feather, Babes in the Wood, Friday Night with Jonathan Ross, Chef!, Last Man Standing, and A Many-Splintered Thing. In 2005, he wrote the film Kinky Boots starring Chiwetel Ejiofor, and a year later It's a Boy Girl Thing for Elton John's Rocket Pictures.
David Jaymes has since moved into the management and consultancy side of the music industry. He worked as the music supervisor on the film Fascination (2004) starring Jacqueline Bisset and James Naughton. He has also worked again with John Du Prez, composing music for commercials and feature films. Jaymes has managed artists such as Sinéad O'Connor, Justin Adams, Miles Hunt of The Wonder Stuff, Republica and Drum Club. He has also worked as consultant for Harry Nilsson, Jimmy Webb, George Fenton, and Chuck Mangione. In 2010, he worked with a host of musicians on the Haiti earthquake disaster single (a cover version of "I Put a Spell on You"), including Shane MacGowan, Nick Cave, Chrissie Hynde and Johnny Depp.
In 1999, Andy Kyriacou reformed Modern Romance with a new line-up, joining the burgeoning British 1980s revival scene. The new line-up features no original band members (Kyriacou himself had first appeared on the Modern Romance single, "Ay Ay Ay Ay Moosey", although he had remained their drummer until the band split in 1985). In 2002, the new line-up released the album Back on Track, which consisted mostly of re-recorded Modern Romance hits. Back on Track was also released as Moves 2 Fast, with a slightly different track listing. Kyriacou's Modern Romance continues to play the 1980s festival circuit and appeared as the opening act at the 2010 Rewind Festival in Henley-on-Thames, which also included Boy George, Rick Astley, Level 42, T'Pau, Kajagoogoo and Heaven 17.
2012 saw the band play Let's Rock the Moor!, a boutique festival in Cookham, Berkshire, with other 1980s acts including Go West, Toyah, Nick Heyward and Billy Ocean. During their set they aired one of their new songs, "Rhythm Is My Lover", from the forthcoming album The 7th Day (penned by Kyriacou and guitarist Peter J Pinto).
Just My Imagination
Modern Romance Lyrics
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I say to myself you're such a lucky guy,
To have a girl like her is truly a dream come true
out of all the fellows in the world she belongs to me.
But it was Just my imagination,
once again runnin' away with me.
It was just my imagination runnin' away with me. Oo
A cozy little home out in the country with two children maybe three.
I tell you I can visualize it all
this couldn't be a dream for too real it all seems;
But it was Just my imagination once again runnin' way with me.
Tell you it was just my imagination runnin' away with me.
Ev'ry night on my knees I pray Dear Lord, Hear my plea;
Don't ever let another take her love from me or I would surely die.
Her love is heavenly, when her arms enfold me,
I hear a tender rhapsody; but in reality she doesn't even know me.
Just my imagination once again runnin' way with me.
Tell you it was just my imagination runnin' away with me.
no, no, no, no, no, no, no, can't forget her
Just my imagination once again runnin' way with me.
Tell you it was just my imagination runnin' away with me.
The lyrics of Modern Romance's "Just My Imagination" tell the story of a man who is infatuated with a woman he watches pass by his window every day. He feels lucky to have her as his own and imagines a future with her, including marriage and children. He believes that her love for him is heavenly, and he prays each night that she will never love another. However, despite his hopes and dreams, he knows that it is all just his imagination running away with him.
The song explores the theme of unrequited love, conveying the pain and longing that often accompany such a situation. The singer's vivid imagination serves as both a source of comfort and a source of frustration, as he is constantly drawn back to reality and the realization that the woman he loves may never feel the same way. The upbeat tempo and catchy melody of the song provide a stark contrast to its melancholic lyrics, highlighting the irony of the singer's predicament.
Line by Line Meaning
Each day through my window I watch her as she passes by
Every day, I watch her pass by my window.
I say to myself you're such a lucky guy,
I feel lucky to have her in my life.
To have a girl like her is truly a dream come true
Having her in my life is like a dream come true.
out of all the fellows in the world she belongs to me.
Out of all the men in the world, I feel like she is meant to be mine.
But it was Just my imagination,
But all of these thoughts are just in my mind.
once again runnin' away with me.
Once again, my imagination is getting the best of me.
It was just my imagination runnin' away with me. Oo
It was just my imagination running wild.
Soon we'll be married and raise a family (Oh yeah)
I imagine us getting married and having children.
A cozy little home out in the country with two children maybe three.
I see us living in a cozy home in the countryside with a couple of kids.
I tell you I can visualize it all
I can see our future together so clearly.
this couldn't be a dream for too real it all seems;
It feels so real that it can't possibly be just a dream.
But it was Just my imagination once again runnin' way with me.
But it's just my mind playing tricks on me again.
Tell you it was just my imagination runnin' away with me.
I know it's just my imagination running wild.
Ev'ry night on my knees I pray Dear Lord, Hear my plea;
Every night, I pray to God to keep her love for me.
Don't ever let another take her love from me or I would surely die.
I don't want to lose her love, it would devastate me.
Her love is heavenly, when her arms enfold me,
Being wrapped in her embrace feels like heaven to me.
I hear a tender rhapsody; but in reality she doesn't even know me.
In my mind, I hear her love songs, but in reality, she doesn't even know I exist.
no, no, no, no, no, no, no, can't forget her
I can't forget about her, she means too much to me.
Just my imagination once again runnin' way with me.
But I know it's all just my imagination playing tricks on me again.
Tell you it was just my imagination runnin' away with me.
It's just my mind running away with me once again.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: BARRETT STRONG, NORMAN WHITFIELD, NORMAN J. WHITFIELD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
gtmobayer
An excellent, well sung cover!!!
04opocin
Released as a single in the UK in April 1984.
Dj Randy B The Classics Master
Modern Romance
Post Geoffrey Deane
after Can you move/Everybody Salsa Paradise Garage days ...