Initially Farrington and Mann were in the locally active, Manchester, England-based group Beau Leisure. Farrington and Mann then went on to form When in Rome at the same time that Mann re-located to London from his Manchester home. Mann tirelessly traded the group's demo of "The Promise", an emotional love song mixing smooth pop with electronic music, along with other tracks around the entire A&R Departments of all the major labels. Eventually, A&R man Simon Potts of Electra signed them to an undisclosed deal. Simply Red were signed to Electra at around the same time, oddly enough. However, internal corporate politics caused Electra to close their London offices. Unable to deal with the time difference between the U.K. and the U.S. when dealing with Electra then, When in Rome decided to change labels, and the group were signed almost instantly to Virgin U.K. subsidiary 10 Records by A&R guru Mick Clark.
Producer Ben Rogan (who had worked with Sade) and Richard Burgess (associated with Five Star and Living In a Box) took special interest in the trio's "The Promise," issued first as a 12" dance disk. When the song became popular hitting the top of Billboard's Dance Club Play chart, Virgin ordered an album. "The Promise," remixed, was the first single from their self-titled debut album. It was an instant success, barely missing the Top Ten in the United States and peaking at #11. Months later, the trio reached Billboard's pop chart's lower reaches with "Heaven Knows", a 1990 single that hit #95 and garnered some underground fame.
Finding themselves dogged with the 'one-hit-wonder' tag (although the success of their eponymous debut as a whole made them more of a 'one-album-wonder'), the group faced internal tension and soon broke up. Michael Floreale in particular tried his hand at making material such as commercial jingles. Floreale, taking in musicians Rob Juarez and John Ceravolo, has written and performed as When in Rome since 2005; his outfit has performed alongside artists such as Devo and The Psychedelic Furs in the U.S. Although having spent much time out of the music business, Clive Farrington and Andrew Mann went back to writing and performing as When In Rome since 2008. A reunion of the original line-up has been ruled out by Floreale, and the division between the two outfits has caused legal issues, with them sometimes labeled as 'When In Rome US' versus 'When In Rome UK'.
If Only
When In Rome Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In a real life tragedy, yeah yeah
You mess with insanity
No reason for vanity, no no
You falling from a tree as life
Its not so hard when you hit the floor
You just bounce back up again they say
So brush yourself off and say 'ok'
And brush yourself off and say 'yeah yeah'
I'm never gonna fall that way again
My feet never touched the ground
I'm never gonna sit & count to ten
I'll always remember
Some people would've called this heaven sent
If only they'd known better
I took all those memories
But I'll never hold you again, no no
It might be my imagination playin' those tricks again
So brush yourself off and say ok
Then start yourself off and say which way
Brush yourself off and say yeah yeah
I'm never gonna fall that way again
My feet never touched the ground
I'm never gonna sit & count to ten
I'll always remember
Some people would've called this heaven sent
If only they'd known better
So brush yourself off and say ok
Then start yourself off and say which way
Brush yourself off and say yeah yeah
I'm never gonna fall that way again
My legs buckle under
I'm never gonna sit & count to ten
I'll always remember
Some people would've called this common sense
If only I'd known better
If only I'd known better
The song "If Only" performed by When In Rome is a ballad about a past relationship that did not work out due to the pain and tragedy that the couple experienced. The song reflects on how falling in love can sometimes lead to unintended consequences and heartbreak. The lyrics describe how the singer is remembering their past lover and the memories they shared, but they know they will never be able to hold them again. The pain caused by the relationship is causing the singer to question their sanity and vanity, but they are reminded that when life throws you down, you need to brush yourself off and keep moving forward.
The chorus of the song emphasizes the singer's determination to not repeat past mistakes. They vow to never fall and lose themselves in love in the same way again. They will always remember the pain and lessons learned from their past relationship. The song ends with the realization that things could have turned out differently if only they had known better.
Overall, the song "If Only" is a hauntingly beautiful reflection on lost love and self-reflection. The lyrics and melody come together to create a powerful emotion that leaves a lasting impact.
Line by Line Meaning
Thinking 'bout you and me
Reflecting on the past relationship and the events that led to the breakup
In a real life tragedy, yeah yeah
The sadness and pain felt after the breakup
You mess with insanity
The emotional turmoil caused by the breakup
No reason for vanity, no no
There is no need to feel superior or inferior in the relationship
You falling from a tree as life
Life is unpredictable and can cause unexpected falls
Its not so hard when you hit the floor
It's easier to accept and deal with the situation
You just bounce back up again they say
There is hope for recovery after a fall.
So brush yourself off and say 'ok'
Accepting the situation and moving on
And start yourself and say 'which way'
Making a decision on which direction to go
And brush yourself off and say 'yeah yeah'
Affirming the decision to move on and be positive
I'm never gonna fall that way again
Not making the same mistake or repeating the same pattern
My feet never touched the ground
Taking control of one's life and actions
I'm never gonna sit & count to ten
Not letting oneself be overwhelmed by emotions
I'll always remember
Holding onto the lessons learned from past experiences
Some people would've called this heaven sent
Others may view the breakup as a fortunate event
If only they'd known better
If they had the full picture, they would understand it was not ideal
I took all those memories
Retrieving the memories from the relationship
But I'll never hold you again, no no
Accepting that things will never be the same again
It might be my imagination playin' those tricks again
Thinking about the past relationship can conjure up unrealistic fantasies
So brush yourself off and say ok
Reaffirmation of moving on and not holding onto the past
Then start yourself off and say which way
Evaluating and deciding on the next steps in life
I'm never gonna fall that way again
Not letting oneself be vulnerable in the same way again
My legs buckle under
Feeling weak and overwhelmed by the breakup
Some people would've called this common sense
People may view the decision to move on as predictable
If only I'd known better
Self-reflecting on personal mistakes or wrong choices
I'm never gonna sit & count to ten
Not letting negative emotions take over
I'll always remember
Holding onto the positive lessons learned
Contributed by Caleb T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@thestick52
What a lovely song... Love & light from Brazil 🇧🇷
@milotorres6894
Over 30 yrs still wish what might have been the best thing in my life.
@timothysalazar8264
Please never let this group be forgotten.
@pitmaningat
Now and then I do THE PROMISE at pub karaoke, unfortunately I think that was the only one on the listings, will try to check this one and cover it.
@TurfSurf
To me, this was the best song on the cd.
@cikosspasmodiceye7121
It's October 2022, and this song still has a way of sneaking into your memory, making you search it out and listen to those amazing melodies. Also, the lyrics mean a LOT more than they did when infirst listened to the album in 1989. That first album is still outstanding.
@aconsideredmoment
Timeless harmony. Thanks.
@audreylusher5449
I love the whole album..thanks for sharing this!
@timothysalazar8264
Yep
@mattbukovy
This entire album has some of the most beautiful two-part harmonies ever recorded. Just ... goosebumps, man.