Influenced by 60s British Invasion music (such as the songs of The Kinks, The Who, The Beatles, The Hollies, and The Rolling Stones), 70s Detroit garage rock and hard rock (as represented by such performers as Iggy Pop, The Stooges, and the MC5), and the classic punk of Ramones, the Romantics play a hook-based form of rock known as power pop. The band is also commonly classified into the category of "new wave" (probably due more to the band's image and era than the sound of its music) by pop music historians.
The Romantics' original lineup consisted of rhythm guitarist/harmonica player/singer Wally Palmar, lead guitarist Mike Skill, bassist Rich Cole, and drummer/singer Jimmy Marinos. All four band members made songwriting contributions to the group, but Palmar and Skill were considered the band's primary tunesmiths. After a few years of playing local and regional gigs in Detroit and the Midwest, this lineup of the Romantics recorded the band's self-titled debut album for Nemperor Records in 1980. The album yielded the hit "What I Like About You," which reached #48 in the US, and #12 in the Netherlands, where the band was especially popular. "What I Like About You" would become much better known later in the 1980s, when its placement in television commercials and other high profile media made it an evergreen power pop anthem. The band became as well known (if not better known) for its flashy and audacious fashion sense as it did for its exciting music. The Romantics' signature look featured bouffant hairdos and skin-tight red leather suits, as worn by the band members on the cover photo of their debut album.
Mike Skill left the band after the release of its second album, National Breakout, in 1981. He was replaced by lead guitarist Coz Canler. This lineup of the band recorded the album Strictly Personal in 1982 before Rich Cole left the band that year and was replaced by a returning Mike Skill, who then became the band's bassist.
The Romantics achieved their greatest commercial success in 1983/84 with the release of the album In Heat. The first single taken from In Heat, "Talking In Your Sleep", rose to Number Three on the Billboard charts, and was also a substantial international hit. A second single, "One In A Million", charted as high as Number Thirty-Seven during the following year. The Romantics' music videos were frequently shown on the cable television network MTV during this period, solidifying the band's popularity. Also during 1983, the Romantics played well received U.S. and international concert tours in support of In Heat, and appeared on such pop music-themed television shows as Solid Gold, American Bandstand, and Soul Train.
In 1984, drummer Jimmy Marinos, dissatisfied with the artistic direction of the band (which was quickly abandoning its power pop roots in favor of more generic mainstream pop rock) and convinced that he could find success as a solo act, left the Romantics. He was replaced by David Petratos, who would serve as the band's drummer until 1990. This lineup recorded one album, Rhythm Romance, in 1985. On Rhythm Romance, the Romantics eschewed much of the energetic electric guitar- and drums-based modern rock 'n roll sound that had come to define the band's music in favor of the synthesizer pop that had won commercial success for such contemporary bands as Duran Duran, Depeche Mode, Culture Club, and other similar New Wave bands during the early 1980s. By 1985, however, synthesizer pop was beginning to fall out of popular favor. Moreover, the style was not the Romantics' strength. As a result, Rhythm Romance was not a commercial success and was also regarded as an artistic nadir by the band's fans.
In the late 1980s, the Romantics discovered that their managers had been misappropriating the profits earned by the band from its hit records and live performances. Additionally, the Romantics' best known song (the aforementioned "What I Like About You") had been licensed for use in television commercials without the band's knowledge or approval. Consequently, the Romantics filed a lawsuit against their management in 1987, and the legalities involved prevented the band from recording new music until the mid-1990s.
Former Blondie drummer Clement (Clem) Burke replaced David Petratos as the Romantics' drummer in 1990. For much of the 1990s, the Romantics played obscure performances in small venues, largely forgotten and out of the public spotlight.
The Romantics' fortunes began to rise again in the middle of the 1990s, as the band's success in its lawsuit against its former management freed the band to record again (and ensured that future earnings from the licensing of Romantics songs would go to the band). The first fruit of the band's new recording activity was the 1993 EP Made In Detroit. Several Romantics greatest hits packages were issued during the 1990s, as was the live album The King Biscuit Flower Hour Presents: The Romantics Live In Concert, a 1996 release of an October, 1983 recording of a Romantics concert in San Antonio, Texas at the height of the band's popularity.
Jimmy Marinos, the Romantics' original drummer, temporarily returned to the band for a series of performances in 1996-1997 (with Clem Burke returning to the Romantics' drumstool after Marinos departed again), and late 1990s nostalgia for 1980s pop culture caused a minor resurgence of interest in the band. In 2003, twenty years after the release of their most commercially successful album, In Heat, the Romantics released 61/49 - a more roots rock and blues-oriented record than the band's previous efforts. The album was not a great commercial success, but won the Romantics a newfound critical respect that they had not enjoyed during their popular and commercial heyday in the early 1980s. 61/49 also offered proof that despite the band's years out of the public spotlight, the Romantics remain a potent musical unit.
A fourth drummer, Brad Elvis, replaced Clem Burke as the Romantics' regular drummer in 2004 after Burke returned full time to a reactivated Blondie. The Romantics continue to play live concerts today (with occasional guest performances by previous members Jimmy Marinos, Rich Cole, and David Petratos). The band is said to currently be working on a follow up to 61/49.
Girl Next Door
The Romantics Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There's not one thing in the whole wide world
I wouldn't do for the girl next door
She's not too pretty, you know she's sweet
[Incomprehensible] knocks me off my feet
And I know she's just the girl next door
(Oh, the girl next door)
Please tell me how it feels inside
(Oh, the girl next door)
Just let yourself go and you'll realize
It's all for real, can you tell me how?
So remember how it used to be
And now you're there holding it back on me
And I know that you're the girl next door
I told you I'd be back one day
We all grow different, you're still the same
And I know that you're still the girl next door
Why do you try so hard to hide your feelings?
(Oh, the girl next door)
Please tell me how it feels inside
(Oh, the girl next door)
Just let yourself go and you'll realize
It's all for real, tell me how to [Incomprehensible]
So, why won't you hold me?
Just for a little while
Why won't you kiss me?
I think I know how she'd feel, yeah
So remember how it used to be
And now that you're there holding it back on me
And I know that you're the girl next door
I told you I'd be back one day
We all grow different, you're still the same
And I know that you're still the girl next door
Why do you try so hard to hide your feelings?
(Oh, the girl next door)
Please tell me how it feels inside
(Oh, the girl next door)
Just let yourself go and you'll realize
It's all for real, can you tell me how it feels?
She's the girl next door
Talking about the girl next door
She's just the girl next door
The girl next door
The girl next door
She's just the girl next door
I want the girl next door
I need the girl next door
I love the girl next door
[Incomprehensible]
The Romantics' song "Girl Next Door" is a love ballad that tells the story of a man who is in love with the girl next door. He confesses that he would do anything for her and that he finds her sweet, even if she's not conventionally pretty. He also tries to coax her out of her shell, asking her to let go and reveal her true feelings to him. Despite the distance that has grown between them, he still sees her as the same charming girl he has known for years. The chorus repeats the phrase "Why do you try so hard to hide your feelings?" as the singer pleads with her to open up to him.
The song's lyrics capture the nostalgic feeling of a long-lost high school crush or a childhood friend who has remained out of reach. The singer pines for a connection that he once had with the girl next door, but he is not sure how to bridge the gap that has formed between them. The song has a wistful quality to it, as if the singer knows that he may never have a chance to be with her, but still cannot help but hold onto hope.
Line by Line Meaning
Going about my mind for one girl
I can't stop thinking about this one girl
There's not one thing in the whole wide world
I wouldn't do for the girl next door
I am willing to do anything for this girl next door
She's not too pretty, you know she's sweet
[Incomprehensible] knocks me off my feet
And I know she's just the girl next door
She's not the most beautiful one, but her charm makes me swoon and I know she's just a regular girl next door
Why do you try so hard to hide your feelings?
(Oh, the girl next door)
Please tell me how it feels inside
(Oh, the girl next door)
Just let yourself go and you'll realize
It's all for real, can you tell me how?
Why do you conceal your emotions? Can you tell me how you feel? Let yourself go and you'll comprehend that it's all for real
So remember how it used to be
And now you're there holding it back on me
And I know that you're the girl next door
Remember how things used to be, but now you're holding back, and I know you're that girl next door
I told you I'd be back one day
We all grow different, you're still the same
And I know that you're still the girl next door
I promised that I would return and we have both changed, but you remain the same girl next door
So, why won't you hold me?
Just for a little while
Why won't you kiss me?
I think I know how she'd feel, yeah
Why won't you embrace me for a little while and give me a kiss? I think I know how that girl next door would feel
She's the girl next door
Talking about the girl next door
She's just the girl next door
The girl next door
The girl next door
She's just the girl next door
I want the girl next door
I need the girl next door
I love the girl next door
[Incomprehensible]
She is that girl next door, and I want her, I need her, I love her
Contributed by Leah S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Robert Cochran
on What I Like About You
Winter of '84, 4 feet of snow drops on Harrisburg, PA the night the Romantics are to play the local club The Metro, Called to find out the band were there. Took the girlfriend to a venue of a dozen people and the band. They played that song at least 6 times, once me sing it on stage. Best concert I was ever at.