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.
Shake A Tail Feather
The Romantics Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Heard about the fella you been layin' with
All over your neighborhood
So why did you ask me baby
Or didn't you think I could
I know you've been runnin' round all over town
Shakin' it up in the night
And if that was you and me now baby
CHORUS
Roll down
Shake it shake it shake it shake it baby
Here we go loop-de-loop
Shake it up baby
Here we go loop-de-lai
I'll bet you'll never see you shake a tail feather
I'll bet you'll never see you shake a tail feather
I'll bet you'll never see me shake a tail feather
CHORUS
Shake it up
Shake down now
I'm a man
Up and down
So come on
Come on baby
So come on
Come on baby
Come on
Come on baby
Come on
Come on baby
Shake, shake it, shake
Shake shake shake......
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Eric Wincentsen
267@ef.gc.maricopa.edu
Glendale Community College,
Glendale, Arizona
"Give me ten wheels for Jesus!"
-Elvis Hitler
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The Romantics' Shake A Tail Feather is a flirtatious song in which the singer addresses a woman who has been involved with other men in the neighborhood. He questions her motives for seeking him out, suggesting that she may not have believed he had the ability to satisfy her. He asserts his own prowess as a lover and dancer, claiming that if they were together, he could show her "how to do it right." The chorus is an invitation to dance, urging the woman to "shake it" and "loop-de-loop" with him. The song concludes with a repetition of the invitation to dance, emphasizing the infectious, lively energy of the track.
The lyrics of the song are playful, but also somewhat confrontational, as the singer clearly has some level of frustration with the woman's actions. At the same time, he is clearly quite confident in himself and his abilities, both as a dancer and a lover. The song emphasizes the joy of dancing and the power of music to bring people together, with the loop-de-loop and other dance commands inviting listeners to get up and move to the beat. Overall, Shake A Tail Feather is a lively and upbeat song that celebrates the joy of dancing and the thrill of romantic potential.
Line by Line Meaning
Heard about the fella you been layin' with
I heard a rumor that you have been having sex with someone
All over your neighborhood
This rumor has spread throughout the neighborhood
So why did you ask me baby
Why did you ask me, if you have been with someone else?
Or didn't you think I could
Am I not capable of satisfying you?
I know you've been runnin' round all over town
I am aware that you have been going out and having fun
Shakin' it up in the night
Dancing and partying at night
And if that was you and me now baby
If we were together right now
I would show you how to do it right
I would teach you how to have a good time and dance properly
CHORUS
Refrain
Roll down
Lower the window
Shake it shake it shake it shake it baby
Dance and move your body, baby
Here we go loop-de-loop
Let's dance around in circles
Shake it up baby
Move your body in a lively way
Here we go loop-de-lai
Let's continue to dance in circles
I'll bet you'll never see you shake a tail feather
I don't think you have ever let go and danced freely before
I'll bet you'll never see me shake a tail feather
I don't often dance, either
CHORUS
Refrain
Shake it up
Dance lively and energetically
Shake down now
Dance wildly and with abandon
I'm a man
I am a full grown adult male
Up and down
Jumping and dancing energetically
So come on
Join me and let's dance
Come on baby
Come on, my sweetie
Shake, shake it, shake
Keep dancing and moving!
Shake shake shake......
Dance even more!
Lyrics © Spirit Music Group
Written by: Verlie Rice, Andre Williams, Otis Hayes
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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.