Known for their melodic songwriting as well as their deliberately 'nerdy' public image, the Rubinoos made their public recording debut in 1975with the song "Gorilla" on the 'Beserkley Chartbusters' LP. By 1977, the boys had finished recording their first full album, an LP titled simply 'The Rubinoos'. Gene Sculatti of the New York Rocker called it "the best pop album of the decade." The band took influence from both contemporary rock music as well as from the bubblegum pop music of the past twenty-five years.
The first single was "I Think Were Alone Now", a cover of the Tommy James classic pop track, and it reached the top 40 nationwide as well as the top 10 in many major U.S. cities. Appearances on 'Dick Clarks American Bandstand', 'The Rolling Stone 10th Anniversary TV Special', and in numerous teen magazines of the era helped put the Rubinoos into the pop consciousness. At the same time, the group was receiving a lot of attention overseas: critical acclaim and airplay in Europe came alongside top tens in Japan and Australia.
In 1978, they left for their first European tour. The first show was an appearance on German TV's 'Rockpalast'. The rest of the tour took them through northern Europe performing concert dates and appearing on assorted TV shows such as 'Top Pop (The Netherlands)', 'Old Grey Whistle Test', and 'Rock Goes to College'. As there was no photo on the first LP, the British press sometimes assumed the group was a mere studio contrivance (similar to The Archies or The Banana Splits), but they were startled to find that the Rubinoos were the real thing.
During that summer the seminal power pop song "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend" was recorded and released as a single in England, ending up as number 4 in terms of the highest airplay song chart of that year. It was also chosen as Music Week magazine's "Record of the Year". The Rubinoos finished recording their second LP, Back to the Drawing Board, in late 1978 for release in early 1979. Because of their success in the UK, the Rubinoos were chosen to open the U.S. portion of Elvis Costello's 'Armed Forces Tour', playing fifty-six sold out shows to screaming encores and rave reviews. Meanwhile, Back to the Drawing Board was a breakout hit all over U.S. radio, selling over 100,000 copies and making a run for the gold which was unfortunately cut short by the bankruptcy of its distributor GRT/Janus, a harbinger to come of the band's difficulties maintaining commercial success from the late 70s onward.
In 1983, the Rubinoos were signed by the label of Warner Brothers and made the mini LP Party of Two. produced by fellow power pop musicians Todd Rundgren and his mega-band Utopia (their first production project as a group). The video for the single "If I Had You Back" achieved heavy rotation on the then fledgling MTV. Still, by 1985 the band members had decided to pursue other interests apart, leaving behind a reputation as one of the best pop groups of that era.
By the mid-90s, rekindled interest in power pop combined with The Rubinoos stature in the field earned the group major releases of two compilations containing previously unavailable material: Basement Tapes and Garage Sale. In 1995, Basement Tapes was picked by Billboard magazine as one of the years ten best CDs. In addition, "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend", a contendor for being the band's 'signature song', has been included on many recent multi-artist pop compilation albums.
In the fall of 1999, the Rubinoos reformed to play at the I.P.O. (International Pop Overthrow) festival in Los Angeles. Their appearance was a major hit of the event. Along with the rare live performance, Rubinoos fans were treated to the debut of material from the May 2000 release Paleophonic. This stellar collection was produced by the late, great Kevin Gilbert.
The next couple of years were spent playing occasional pop festivals in the US and working on their individual musical projects. In 2002, the band, getting a little nervous and not wanting to spoil their streak of one CD every 10 years or so, headed back into the studio to record a new CD with a brand new idea, featuring only covers of bands that the Rubinoos have taken influence from. Titled Crimes Against Music, the group explored tracks by such diverse artists as Eurythmics, The Beach Boys, and the Raspberries, among others.
After finishing recording, they hit the road for two smash tours of Japan and Spain. The group has spent the past decade of so sporadically playing live, experiencing success in 2007 with their massive retrospective album titled Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About The Rubinoos. That 'best of' collection received rave reviews from the All Music Guide, praising it as "exhaustive" while giving it a rating of four and a half stars out of five. A legal run-in with pop punker Avril Lavigne of all people, accused of plagiarizing the Rubinoos, ended in a confidential settlement and also brought the group some sudden publicity. Fans hope for a new album as of 2013.
I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend
The Rubinoos Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
So far we're just friends, but I'm wondering whether
I, am I just imagining
You, or do you really have a thing for me
Like I think I see when I see you smile
And the smile's for me, I wanna tell you...
Hey, You, I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend
Hey, You, I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend
Gonna make you love me before I'm done
Late at night when I, when I can't sleep
Picture in my mind, I see you and me
I, I'm telling you what I wanna be
You, you're saying you're in love with me
And oh, it feels so good in a dream
That I know in life it's just got to be
I wanna tell you......
(Chorus)
Bridge:
Gonna make you love me, yeah I'm
Gonna make you love me, yeah I'm
Gonna make you love me, before I'm done
(Solo)
I, am I just imagining
You, or do you really have a thing for me
Like I think I see when I see you smile
And the smile's for me, I wanna tell you...
Hey, You, I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend
Trying to say I wanna be your number one
Hey, You, I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend
Gonna make you love me, yeah I'm
Gonna make you love me, yeah I'm
Gonna make you love me before I'm done
The Rubinoos's song, I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend, expresses the desire of a person to transition from friendship to a romantic relationship. The song depicts how the singer is struggling with his feelings towards his friend and questioning if their connection is just a mere figment of his imagination. The singer's thoughts are consumed by their interactions and he cannot help but wonder if his friend reciprocates his romantic interest. He is trying to determine if their smiles, laughter, and conversations mean something more significant or if he is reading too much into their interactions.
The chorus of the song, "Hey you, I wanna be your boyfriend, trying to say I wanna be your number one, gonna make you love me before I'm done," reveals the singer's bold ambitions and intentions. He is trying to communicate his desire to have a romantic relationship with his friend and commit to being their number one. The bridge, "gonna make you love me, yeah I'm gonna make you love me, yeah I'm gonna make you love me before I'm done," reinforces his persistence in pursuing his love interest.
Overall, The Rubinoos's song, I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend, is a classic example of a person's inner turmoil about confessing their feelings for their friend and hoping for a mutual emotional connection.
Line by Line Meaning
Sitting here so close, together
We are physically close to each other right now.
So far we're just friends, but I'm wondering whether
Although we're only friends right now, I'm starting to question if there is something more between us.
I, am I just imagining
I'm unsure if my feelings towards you are real or just in my head.
You, or do you really have a thing for me
I'm curious if you have the same romantic feelings towards me.
Like I think I see when I see you smile
When you smile, I feel like it's directed towards me and it makes me feel hopeful.
And the smile's for me, I wanna tell you...
If your smile is truly meant for me, I want to tell you how I feel.
Hey, You, I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend
I want to upgrade our relationship from friends to romantic partners.
Trying to say I wanna be your number one
I want to be the most important person in your life.
Gonna make you love me before I'm done
I am determined to make you fall in love with me.
Late at night when I, when I can't sleep
When I can't sleep at night, you are often on my mind.
Picture in my mind, I see you and me
I often imagine a future where you and I are together.
You, you're saying you're in love with me
In my dreams, you reciprocate my feelings and express love towards me.
And oh, it feels so good in a dream
The idea of us being together in my dreams brings me joy and happiness.
That I know in life it's just got to be
I believe that our dream of being together can become a reality in real life.
Gonna make you love me, yeah I'm
I am determined and confident that I can make you fall in love with me.
Gonna make you love me before I'm done
I won't stop until you love me back.
Lyrics Š BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: JAMES GANGWER, TOMMY DUNBAR
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Bernie Briffa
The Rubinoos were an American power pop band and 'I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend' has such a real boyish sweetness and innocence to it that almost 45 years later, I'm still scratching my head as to how this wasn't huge.
Rubinoos you woz robbed!
Katexx
Eu amo essa mĂşsica. â¤
Bob Lewis
Never heard of this band, but like the sound!! Rock On!
Antoinette Vambe
I loved this as a 16yr old and still do â¨ď¸đźđđđľâď¸
Stephanie Thesing
So, I was 14 in 1978 and this is exactly the kind of music I loved at the time - how is it I never heard of The Rubinoos until lately? Weâre they a regional group?
David Herz
no, quite famous, I remember their vinyls, not regional to my knowledge
rundoetx
The Rubinoos are the BEST power pop band period!!
Brish Dimler
weezer
Kurisupi Kurimu
The Nerves are pretty awesome, one of the greatest bands ever
rundoetx
@Kurisupi Kurimu i'll give em a listen. Thanks tor the tip. Peace and Love