For me, I don't have any specific song. I'm not too crazy about a lot of those really old, mellow ones. I'll listen to Bing Crosby's "White Christmas" because it's such a classic, but I usually don't like the ones along those lines.
Christmas Is A Time To Say "I Love You"; Rockin Around The Christmas Tree; H&O's Jingle Bell Rock; Run Rudolph Run; Have Yourself A Very Merry Christmas (Pretenders)
Best is a no brainer ... Fairytale of New York by the Pogues & Kirsty MacColl!!! And here on @UA-cam you can binge on live versions (including Pogues reunion in Dublin a week ago) and covers (e.g., Glen Hansard various performances including original Pogue, actor and first Mrs. Elvis Costello Cait O'Riordan at Shane & Sinead memorial concert, and Shane's funeral a year ago). Also "Live From Here" ending their 2017 Christmas show (Jeff Tweedy, Chris Thile & Punch Bros., Sarah Jarosz, etc.).
Dude! I have been waiting for this one. My dad was friends with Wally. Grew up together in Detroit. I met Wally and talk to him many times. He always comes to midnight mass in his green suit. I never appreciated this when I was younger. Wasn't until I was older that I understood my dad's excitement every time he talked to Wally! This episode was really close to me! Thanks for doing this one. Wally is one of the good guys out there!
You got it when you mentioned how when it came out and only reached 49, but in the decades since it has outlived almost all of the 48 songs that kept it originally at 49. "What I like About You" was loved through my entire high school. The New Wave kids, the rockers, punks, pop... it was a song that nobody turned away from. The Romantics scored huge with that song and it's timelessness is what will keep it a classic that is beloved for so many generations to come. I completely agree with that... ... and there you were, Adam, having a good conversation (not interview) conversation with the guys who put that song together and made is such a smash hit in the long run. That must feel awesome for you to be part of this. There are many interviews you do where we can see the "star" is a bit too cocky. Then there are interviews that turn into enjoyable conversations that come across as a few buddies talking about the good ole days. That's what I felt when you were talking to The Romantics here... just three guys reminiscing about grand ole times. Sure, you asked "interview" questions, but it felt like you were friends just talking about the music. I really liked this one, Adam.
Great band....I met the bassist in a bar in Detroit and bought him a beer and thanked him for the music. Problem with the Romantics was the 80s were just too crowded with great music. They have a lot of other great songs......Rock you up, when I look in your eyes, one in a million....timeless!!!
These are the guys I’ve never heard of, but spent my whole life dancing and living to! Many thanks for giving them the spotlight they deserve, humble dudes.
I listened to their cassette “The Romantics” in my 280Z so much that it eventually shredded itself and ruined my tape deck. Another great lesson from the Professor!! ❤
That's North Americans for ya! If it isn't a hit in the States then it's not considered a hit. Roy Orbison's 'Penny Arcade' was the biggest Australian hit of 1969 yet it doesn't appear on any of his Greatest Hits compilations because it didn't make the US top 100.
Merry Christmas Reader family! Best wishes from the Flavellinators (aka the Flaves!)... Thanks for the memory gift--- nothing got the frat party popping more than "What I Like About You" back in 1980!
As a club DJ when "What I Like About You" came out, i can remember how the club would erupt and the rush to the dance floor. It energized the atmosphere and the bartenders loved how thirsty it made the customers. LOL
Yes 👍 it was the first song played at my senior prom in 1985 everyone was bouncing up and down and going insane what a great energy that lasted the entire night what a great time we had
I was sound guy for cover band in early 89s. And when those chords came driving out of the PA every chair in the house was empty and the place erupted. Talking In Your sleep has such a GROOVE!
In 1983, I was a freshmen in college . Four of my college friends performed "What I Like About You" in an airband contest. I love that song and it brings back great memories of my college years. What a great song.
The Romantics had several excellent rock hits that were perfect for our pop/rock cover band in the 80’s! When you needed to jumpstart the dance floor, you played What I Like About You, or Talking In Your Sleep, or One In A Million, or When I Look In Your Eyes! Great dance songs, guaranteed dance floor fillers. Loved these guys, especially Wally-they were great in concert where we saw them play a couple times in Ventura CA.
I absolutely LOVED The Romantics, and yeah, it was quite surprising to me to find out What I Like About You wasn't a hit. Still my favorite song by them. And yeah, always sing along. Great show Prof. Keep 'em coming.
When these guys played, at the height of their popularity in the 80s, in my home town, they had trouble selling tickets for some reason. They were being offered at half price day of show. I paid full price earlier. A 1,000 seat theatre with only about 150 people in it. We had balcony seats. When they came on stage they invited everyone in attendance to come to the front of the stage for the show. It was like a packed dancefloor in a sweaty club but in a huge soft seat theatre. Was a great time for all in attendance as well as the band who also had fun. Never forget it. Regina, Saskatchewan.
The Romantics were and still are one of my favorite bands of the 80's my high school years with Talking in Your Sleep, What I Like About You, One in a Million and Rock You Up which I heard on the radio all the time and of course on MTV and I saw them in Hit Parader, Creem and Circus magazines back in the 80's and i might watch some of their music videos here later as always Thanks for the classic rock music memories and the awesome interviews with the band members Thanks again Professor and Merry Christmas to You and your family.🎶🎶📻🎶🎶
My best friend and I had "What I Like About You" and "She's Got Everything" on a cassette. We would play these two songs over and over and over again. They were SO GOOD! And I believe their two best songs. Reminds me of dancing at Distillery East in Escondido and listening while cruising The Parkway in Escondido. I still love these two songs the same as I did back then! And still listen to them together, always together. Saw them on February 14, 1981 in Los Angeles, CA (and still have my ticket stub) and they played these two songs at the very end. SO GOOD! LOVE The Romantics!
Saw these guys in Rochester NY. Played on the 2nd floor of an old warehouse. When they played “What I like about you”, the crowd was all jumping up and down in unison. The floor was deflecting about 12 inches! I thought we were gonna crash through to the first floor! GREAT SHOW!!!!
"What I Like About You " was released when Top 40 radio was going through its early 80s "doldrums" period where they played mostly soft adult contemporary sounding songs and artists. Anything with an edge was at a disadvantage. So I would say timing was the main reason it wasn't the big hit it deserved to be. That being said it would have been fun to program a Top 40 station back then and play all the fun, hot songs like this while your competition was following the charts and playing all the soft rock. I think the fun station would have won the ratings battle. I say that as someone who also enjoys soft rock of that period, especially what is now called yacht rock.
I have peculiar recollections of changing out guitars on stage for 'The Romantics' as they required them between certain songs during a concert in 1984. I was in a West Texas fraternity and a few of my fellow brothers and I were asked if we would lend a hand at the college's auditorium. I have no idea who called on us, but I figured the small touring bands were on a tight budget then and needed all of the extra help they could muster. Anyway, the opening band was 'Wang Chung' which the young audience knew pretty well; I think mainly because their hit song 'Dance Hall Days' had heavy rotation on the newfangled MTV. Later, the crowd was especially energetic when The Romantics' finally sang 'What I Like about You' and 'Talking in your Sleep'. Fun concert! No pay, no surprise, but I came away with two guitar picks along with an iron-on Romantics' patch, which I still have somewhere. A vision that is embedded in my memory though, no doubt still surrounded by ancient molecules of cost-effective frat beer, was the extraordinary scene backstage of seeing four Romantics swaggering towards me down a long and narrow green-tiled arched corridor; no one else around. Side-by-side, four game-faced skinny dudes all decked-out in tight black shiny leather, with clomping echoes of high heeled boots, and hairdos teased-up at least six inches was an otherworldly sight for a young freshman raised on a cotton farm. While trying to figure out which way to jump, I vividly remember thinking,...What...on...Earth?
Saw them on a USO show package with The Outfield and Kansas on Ft. Bliss, TX in 1999. "One In A Million" will always bring back memories of the beginning of the summer of '84, one of the most memorable summers of my life!
In 1984, the romantics came to our little town of Burlington, Iowa. The opening act was a band I hadn’t heard of before, or since, called “black tie”. They were okay, nothing memorable. The romantics, however, were very memorable…or at least I had a memorable time. My sister is 2 years older than me. In ‘84, I was 13, she was 15. She wanted to go to the show, my parents said she could, if she took me along to “protect her”. General admission show, we’re crammed in close to the stage. They had 8 foot buffet tables on their sides to act as a barricade between fans and bands. My sister met up with some of her friends, and I was literally odd man out. The show starts, people start pushing in from behind me. I put my hand on one of the tables to steady myself. One of sisters friends gets pushed in between my hand and the rest of me. Crowd pushes in, I get jammed tight up against her. An older woman!!! I apologize, try to move away. She says no problem, starts dancing pushed up against me. It was AWESOME!!! I don’t remember much about that show, don’t know what her name was, but I’ll never forget either of them.
I remember them playing more or less locally here in Michigan. I was too young to go and didn't think much of it until I heard "Talking In Your Sleep" and "What I Like About You" on the radio. I bought the tape and wished I had been able to see them at the bar.
In high school in OC, CA back in the early 80s there were only two songs that would get EVERYONE on the dance floor to go NUTS at our dances: Rock Lobster by the B52s, and What I like About You by the Romantics! IMO, WILAY is THE Best “Go Crazy” Dance Song of the 80s!! Such an awesome song with so many great memories associated with it!! Thanks a million guys! 👍🏼😎🙏🏼❤️
Loved "what I like about you" and hearing it in the clubs, especially Roxy's in Houston, dance floor was always packed.Saw them live as well in a rock club, great show and remember "talking in your sleep" on the big screen at Ferrari's nightclub.❤
I'm surprised to hear What i Like About You only got to #49 on the Hot 100. It shows that chart positions and awards are not always an accurate measure of a high quality song or artist.
Breakfast in America is one of my favorite album covers of all time. That came out when I was only 3.5 years old. But, I was so mesmerized by it. Having a handful of Boomer siblings exposed me to so much music.
I remember Talking In Your Sleep being played on every rotation on MTV when it came out, turning on the tv, changing the channel, and it was always played.
What I Like About You was my favorite from this band. Great guitar riff, harmonica solo and hand clapping. What is not to like. I cannot understand the 49 chart position. Talking in your sleep is a great song as well. Thanks for solving the mystery on why they disappeared. What could have been. I hope they got back some of the back earnings as well as future earnings.
It drives me crazy when my son recognizes my favorite eighties songs from commercials only. The music of my youth! I can't believe " What I Like About You" wasn't a bigger hit. It was played so much. That is my favorite of theirs.
1981 I loved What I Like About You the first time I heard it on MTV and still do. My freinds and I loved Talking in Your Sleep. The Romantics ruled MTV during my pre & early teen years. When MTV came out. Then like you said they disappeared. Now I know why
This terrible time for them had a silver lining for me. I got to see the band in their prime in a small venue. True talent. Sound as great live as in the studio. Thank you, POR. PS. Please cover the top selling albums of 2024. ☕️☕️🎶🎵🎶
Merry Christmas Brother Adam, The Professor of Rock! I'm hoping you and your family enjoy this Wonderful and Blessed Christmas Day! May the gift of Rock & Metal, good health, prosperity, peace and love be with you and your family! Be safe and enjoy this day, God Bless! Thank you for posting today!!! Looking forward to your content for the 2025 New Year! ~George from New Jersey
That performance was seared into my 13 year old brain. Was epic. The great Don Cornelius talkin bout: "...ain't this the funkiest group of children you've ever seen".
04:15 ... oh, I miss those razor-thin ties of 80s fashion! I still have a few from when I was wearing them in high school back in 1982-1986. With New Wave and British SKA, those ties were top fashion along with the various caps and hats (which the teachers made us remove while in the classroom). Yep, teachers had "No hats" policies, and don't you dare try to wear sunglasses during class! The one exception is IF they were prescription sunglasses you could just tell your teacher "I lost my regular glasses and don't have contacts". I made one teacher so mad when I showed him the note from my eye doctor explaining "John's new pair will take 3-5 weeks. Please excuse John from your policy against sunglasses as these Rx sunglasses were his only backup pair". That teacher was malicious in grading my essays, marking me down for not dotting an "i" and anything else he could hunt down to ding me with. My new glasses arrived in 2 weeks, but I was holding out for the full 5 weeks before showing up with my new glasses: auto darkening tint. When he'd open the window shades fully open, the tint would turn almost sunglass dark. He HATED me! But I was looking totally radical to the max!... and all the students knew I was under his skin and there wasn't much he could do besides ding me on my papers. (It was a creative writing class - I was an honors student, so my papers had very few actual mistakes. Unlike today, with computer printers, our papers had to be handwritten in ink, in cursive with zero white-out corrections*. So if my lower-case letters didn't fully capture the proper loop, he'd mark me down for that as well. When brought up to the principal, he had to reverse my grades giving me full credit and I swear he was about to punch my lights out. Corporal punishment was still allowed back then, so swatting my butt with a paddle or whacking my knuckles with a ruler was all he could ever do from then on out). *If you were at the last word of the page (on a 3-5 or 12-page essay), and you made a mistake, you had to rewrite the entire page over again. He did not allow erasable ink to be used, either. He was a tough teacher, but because of his push for perfection, I got a scholarship based on my senior year portfolio of creative writing papers. It worked out in the end.
The Romantics was one of several artists who had a big hit, with a BETTER song that flopped. The biggest one that comes to mind is Scandal. "The Warrior" was the hit, but we all know "Goodbye To You" (the flop) was much better. That's not even up for debate. 😎
@@TerrickTerran Yeah, The Warrior is still a good song. I remember singing the chorus randomly one time in class in middle school. 😁I also think "Talking In Your Sleep" is great. I especially love the guitar riff in the background during the chorus. Pretty neat!
Nick Gilder from Sweeney Todd co-wrote "The Warrior". Patty has a ridiculously powerful voice. My wife and I always say we're going to dress up as the male and female lead roles from the video for Halloween one of these years.
Loved thats song.. first saw video on mtv(back when it had music).. was working at Ruby Tuesday, i stopped cold and stood at the bar watching til it was over.. and yes, that lead in was amazing
The song "One In A Million" was also released as a 45 REMIX single in early 1984 BUT it is not on their reissues on CD!! Also the highlights from their debut "When I Look In Your Eyes" & "She's Got Everything"!! Got all of their albums on CD!!!
Poll: I FORGOT! I have to do a Christmas poll! Your pick for best and worst Christmas song by any artist from the rock era?
For me, I don't have any specific song. I'm not too crazy about a lot of those really old, mellow ones. I'll listen to Bing Crosby's "White Christmas" because it's such a classic, but I usually don't like the ones along those lines.
Christmas Is A Time To Say "I Love You"; Rockin Around The Christmas Tree; H&O's Jingle Bell Rock; Run Rudolph Run; Have Yourself A Very Merry Christmas (Pretenders)
Rock Era The Night Santa Went Crazy Weird Al. I don't have a worst.
Best is a no brainer ... Fairytale of New York by the Pogues & Kirsty MacColl!!!
And here on @UA-cam you can binge on live versions (including Pogues reunion in Dublin a week ago) and covers (e.g., Glen Hansard various performances including original Pogue, actor and first Mrs. Elvis Costello Cait O'Riordan at Shane & Sinead memorial concert, and Shane's funeral a year ago). Also "Live From Here" ending their 2017 Christmas show (Jeff Tweedy, Chris Thile & Punch Bros., Sarah Jarosz, etc.).
@@BillGraper Great pick!
Dude! I have been waiting for this one. My dad was friends with Wally. Grew up together in Detroit. I met Wally and talk to him many times. He always comes to midnight mass in his green suit. I never appreciated this when I was younger. Wasn't until I was older that I understood my dad's excitement every time he talked to Wally! This episode was really close to me! Thanks for doing this one. Wally is one of the good guys out there!
Making effort to see the Christ child upon the altar has my respect....
You got it when you mentioned how when it came out and only reached 49, but in the decades since it has outlived almost all of the 48 songs that kept it originally at 49. "What I like About You" was loved through my entire high school. The New Wave kids, the rockers, punks, pop... it was a song that nobody turned away from. The Romantics scored huge with that song and it's timelessness is what will keep it a classic that is beloved for so many generations to come. I completely agree with that...
... and there you were, Adam, having a good conversation (not interview) conversation with the guys who put that song together and made is such a smash hit in the long run. That must feel awesome for you to be part of this.
There are many interviews you do where we can see the "star" is a bit too cocky. Then there are interviews that turn into enjoyable conversations that come across as a few buddies talking about the good ole days. That's what I felt when you were talking to The Romantics here... just three guys reminiscing about grand ole times. Sure, you asked "interview" questions, but it felt like you were friends just talking about the music.
I really liked this one, Adam.
Great band....I met the bassist in a bar in Detroit and bought him a beer and thanked him for the music. Problem with the Romantics was the 80s were just too crowded with great music. They have a lot of other great songs......Rock you up, when I look in your eyes, one in a million....timeless!!!
Agreed! Thanks for sharing!
It's true - the eighties would have been a tough time for anyone getting into music.
I’ve heard One in a Million but not the other two….
@@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980 All those songs were big in the Detroit area where they were from. Give them a listen!
Thumbs up for the SINGING DRUMMER. That's extremely hard to pull off even for one song.
The talented Jimmy Marinos.
These are the guys I’ve never heard of, but spent my whole life dancing and living to! Many thanks for giving them the spotlight they deserve, humble dudes.
I love the bass in " Talking In Your Sleep " and the main riff.
And the chorus.
I listened to their cassette “The Romantics” in my 280Z so much that it eventually shredded itself and ruined my tape deck. Another great lesson from the Professor!! ❤
"What I Like About You" was a big hit in Australia, spending 2 weeks at #2. It was my introduction to the band, and I have been a fan ever since.
That's North Americans for ya! If it isn't a hit in the States then it's not considered a hit. Roy Orbison's 'Penny Arcade' was the biggest Australian hit of 1969 yet it doesn't appear on any of his Greatest Hits compilations because it didn't make the US top 100.
Merry Christmas Reader family! Best wishes from the Flavellinators (aka the Flaves!)... Thanks for the memory gift--- nothing got the frat party popping more than "What I Like About You" back in 1980!
Flave! You are the best. Wish your family a MERRY CHRISTMAS from the Readers!
Merry Christmas Mr. and Mrs. Flave!
Wow! Seeing Wally and Mike again! Loved The Romantics! That hair! That sound! Fabulous! Hope you are having a great Christmas Adam 🎄
Merry Christmas Cheryl!
Their hair looks AMAZING!
Merry Christmas Professor and audience
Merry Christmas my friend!
Merry Christmas and thanks for another great post.
Merry Christmas!
What a great episode and 2 great guy's. Love the Romantics. Keep the 80s coming Professor!!
Thanks! More 80s coming!
Another fabulous episode! The Romantics were and are a phenomenal group! Thanks again, Professor, and Merry Christmas!! 🎄🎁 ❤
Same to you!
As a club DJ when "What I Like About You" came out, i can remember how the club would erupt and the rush to the dance floor. It energized the atmosphere and the bartenders loved how thirsty it made the customers. LOL
Cool!
Yes 👍 it was the first song played at my senior prom in 1985 everyone was bouncing up and down and going insane what a great energy that lasted the entire night what a great time we had
I was sound guy for cover band in early 89s. And when those chords came driving out of the PA every chair in the house was empty and the place erupted.
Talking In Your sleep has such a GROOVE!
Early 80s
Haha!
Happy Christmas, Professor! The Romantics were one of my favourite 80's bands, I had no idea that they went on hiatus for almost a decade.
Merry Christmas Adam and family! 🎄
Merry Christmas to you and yours!
Merry Christmas!
@@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980 Merry Christmas! 🎄
In 1983, I was a freshmen in college . Four of my college friends performed "What I Like About You" in an airband contest. I love that song and it brings back great memories of my college years. What a great song.
Happy Christmas from your followers in the UK.
Merry Christmas Mark!
Talking In Your Sleep is the epitome of 80’s music!
Such a fantastic story and while they may not be the best known band, they've made fantastic music for us to enjoy.
2 huge hits!
@@ProfessorofRock I mean who hasn't heard What I Like About You?
The Romantics had several excellent rock hits that were perfect for our pop/rock cover band in the 80’s! When you needed to jumpstart the dance floor, you played What I Like About You, or Talking In Your Sleep, or One In A Million, or When I Look In Your Eyes! Great dance songs, guaranteed dance floor fillers.
Loved these guys, especially Wally-they were great in concert where we saw them play a couple times in Ventura CA.
They sure were!
One in a Million is just a great song! always loved that song.
For sure!
I need to listen to it.
Criminally underrated imo.
I absolutely LOVED The Romantics, and yeah, it was quite surprising to me to find out What I Like About You wasn't a hit. Still my favorite song by them. And yeah, always sing along. Great show Prof. Keep 'em coming.
Will do!
When these guys played, at the height of their popularity in the 80s, in my home town, they had trouble selling tickets for some reason. They were being offered at half price day of show. I paid full price earlier. A 1,000 seat theatre with only about 150 people in it. We had balcony seats. When they came on stage they invited everyone in attendance to come to the front of the stage for the show. It was like a packed dancefloor in a sweaty club but in a huge soft seat theatre. Was a great time for all in attendance as well as the band who also had fun. Never forget it. Regina, Saskatchewan.
Thanks for the memory!
Beautiful!
The Romantics were and still are one of my favorite bands of the 80's
my high school years with Talking in Your Sleep, What I Like About You,
One in a Million and Rock You Up which I heard on the radio all the time
and of course on MTV and I saw them in Hit Parader, Creem and Circus
magazines back in the 80's and i might watch some of their music videos
here later as always Thanks for the classic rock music memories and the
awesome interviews with the band members Thanks again Professor and
Merry Christmas to You and your family.🎶🎶📻🎶🎶
Merry Christmas Roger!
My best friend and I had "What I Like About You" and "She's Got Everything" on a cassette. We would play these two songs over and over and over again. They were SO GOOD! And I believe their two best songs. Reminds me of dancing at Distillery East in Escondido and listening while cruising The Parkway in Escondido. I still love these two songs the same as I did back then! And still listen to them together, always together. Saw them on February 14, 1981 in Los Angeles, CA (and still have my ticket stub) and they played these two songs at the very end. SO GOOD! LOVE The Romantics!
Saw these guys in Rochester NY.
Played on the 2nd floor of an old warehouse.
When they played “What I like about you”, the crowd was all jumping up and down in unison.
The floor was deflecting about 12 inches! I thought we were gonna crash through to the first floor!
GREAT SHOW!!!!
One In A Million stuck in my teenage brain circa 1983. Had it on a 45 single, played it on my suitcase turntable. Loved the band 💞
OMG what I like about you is one of the most iconic songs of the 80’s
Cannot believe it only hit #49
I will say it was a top club song in NY forever
"What I Like About You " was released when Top 40 radio was going through its early 80s "doldrums" period where they played mostly soft adult contemporary sounding songs and artists. Anything with an edge was at a disadvantage. So I would say timing was the main reason it wasn't the big hit it deserved to be.
That being said it would have been fun to program a Top 40 station back then and play all the fun, hot songs like this while your competition was following the charts and playing all the soft rock. I think the fun station would have won the ratings battle. I say that as someone who also enjoys soft rock of that period, especially what is now called yacht rock.
Good observation!
I have peculiar recollections of changing out guitars on stage for 'The Romantics' as they required them between certain songs during a concert in 1984. I was in a West Texas fraternity and a few of my fellow brothers and I were asked if we would lend a hand at the college's auditorium. I have no idea who called on us, but I figured the small touring bands were on a tight budget then and needed all of the extra help they could muster. Anyway, the opening band was 'Wang Chung' which the young audience knew pretty well; I think mainly because their hit song 'Dance Hall Days' had heavy rotation on the newfangled MTV. Later, the crowd was especially energetic when The Romantics' finally sang 'What I Like about You' and 'Talking in your Sleep'.
Fun concert! No pay, no surprise, but I came away with two guitar picks along with an iron-on Romantics' patch, which I still have somewhere. A vision that is embedded in my memory though, no doubt still surrounded by ancient molecules of cost-effective frat beer, was the extraordinary scene backstage of seeing four Romantics swaggering towards me down a long and narrow green-tiled arched corridor; no one else around. Side-by-side, four game-faced skinny dudes all decked-out in tight black shiny leather, with clomping echoes of high heeled boots, and hairdos teased-up at least six inches was an otherworldly sight for a young freshman raised on a cotton farm. While trying to figure out which way to jump, I vividly remember thinking,...What...on...Earth?
Merry Christmas, Professor Adam! Thank you for all you do. You are a true YT Gem!
Ah! Thanks so much!
Always loved the crunchy, trebly guitar tone of this band, they rocked hard.
Saw them on a USO show package with The Outfield and Kansas on Ft. Bliss, TX in 1999. "One In A Million" will always bring back memories of the beginning of the summer of '84, one of the most memorable summers of my life!
Very cool! Thanks my friend!
The last band I was in we played What I Like and our drummer could sing it. It wasn`t perfect but the crowd always liked hearing it. Haaa
Thanks for sharing!
In 1984, the romantics came to our little town of Burlington, Iowa. The opening act was a band I hadn’t heard of before, or since, called “black tie”. They were okay, nothing memorable. The romantics, however, were very memorable…or at least I had a memorable time.
My sister is 2 years older than me. In ‘84, I was 13, she was 15. She wanted to go to the show, my parents said she could, if she took me along to “protect her”. General admission show, we’re crammed in close to the stage. They had 8 foot buffet tables on their sides to act as a barricade between fans and bands. My sister met up with some of her friends, and I was literally odd man out.
The show starts, people start pushing in from behind me. I put my hand on one of the tables to steady myself. One of sisters friends gets pushed in between my hand and the rest of me. Crowd pushes in, I get jammed tight up against her. An older woman!!! I apologize, try to move away. She says no problem, starts dancing pushed up against me. It was AWESOME!!!
I don’t remember much about that show, don’t know what her name was, but I’ll never forget either of them.
I remember them playing more or less locally here in Michigan. I was too young to go and didn't think much of it until I heard "Talking In Your Sleep" and "What I Like About You" on the radio. I bought the tape and wished I had been able to see them at the bar.
Merry Christmas Professor!
Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas Adam
Merry Christmas my friend!
One in a million is such a great tune!!! It just rocks...
In high school in OC, CA back in the early 80s there were only two songs that would get EVERYONE on the dance floor to go NUTS at our dances: Rock Lobster by the B52s, and What I like About You by the Romantics! IMO, WILAY is THE Best “Go Crazy” Dance Song of the 80s!! Such an awesome song with so many great memories associated with it!! Thanks a million guys! 👍🏼😎🙏🏼❤️
Loved "what I like about you" and hearing it in the clubs, especially Roxy's in Houston, dance floor was always packed.Saw them live as well in a rock club, great show and remember "talking in your sleep" on the big screen at Ferrari's nightclub.❤
Merry Christmas Professor Of Rock and Everyone else out there!! Cindy S.
Merry Christmas Cindy!
Merry Christmas Cindy!
I would go to youth group dances at a local synagogue & this song was guaranteed to get everyone on the dance floor! 🕺💃
I don't doubt it!
Merry Christmas 🎁 Professor of Rock
Merry Christmas Joseph!
They were my new favorite group when I was 13.
Merry Christmas everyone!!🎄🤘🔥
Merry Christmas Brent!
Merry Christmas to The Professor and all.
Merry Christmas William!
Merry Christmas to you and all Music Junkies!
Merry Christmas! 🎄 ✝️ 🕊️
Merry Christmas
I'm surprised to hear What i Like About You only got to #49 on the Hot 100. It shows that chart positions and awards are not always an accurate measure of a high quality song or artist.
Breakfast in America is one of my favorite album covers of all time. That came out when I was only 3.5 years old. But, I was so mesmerized by it. Having a handful of Boomer siblings exposed me to so much music.
Same!
The lady on the cover’s name was Kate Murtagh!
Great interview and great guys and great band. Grew up on the romantics! Thx prof
I saw these guys in Fort Wayne with Cheap Trick, the Motels, and the Smithereens. A great night and they all sounded great.
I remember playing Talking in Your Sleep in one of the first cover bands I ever played in when I was 19. It was a fun song to play. 🎹🎹🎹🎹
Another band that got screwed was with their song bittersweet symphony for years
The Verve .
Merry Christmas and a safe and Happy New Year PoF.. Listening to Twisted Sister's Christmas CD right now.
Awesome!
Merry Christmas, Professor!
Merry Christmas Mourn!
I remember Talking In Your Sleep being played on every rotation on MTV when it came out, turning on the tv, changing the channel, and it was always played.
Cool1
Thank you for this lovely Christmas gift, Adam. Happy Holidays 🎄 🎅 🎁
Same to you!
What I Like About You was my favorite from this band. Great guitar riff, harmonica solo and hand clapping. What is not to like. I cannot understand the 49 chart position. Talking in your sleep is a great song as well. Thanks for solving the mystery on why they disappeared. What could have been. I hope they got back some of the back earnings as well as future earnings.
Great band! Speaking of which, has Adam ever featured XTC? They're criminally under-rated, and Andy has hundreds of stories!
Merry Christmas
I’ve loved the Romantix since the 80’s!! Great band who sang great songs!!
Had my UA-cam music summary for the year. Talking in your sleep, was my fifth played song.
Very cool!
It drives me crazy when my son recognizes my favorite eighties songs from commercials only. The music of my youth! I can't believe " What I Like About You" wasn't a bigger hit. It was played so much. That is my favorite of theirs.
No kidding!
I recognize just about every 80s song from commercials.
That's what I like about you @ProfessorofRock you know all the cool stories behind the songs.
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️. Merry Christmas Adam and family!! ⛄❄️🌲🎄🎅🏻. Great show! Thank you! "What I Like About You" is one of my fave songs! 😊
Merry Christmas Dann!
Howdy Ho HO HO Professor !!!!
Howdy to you friend!
1981 I loved What I Like About You the first time I heard it on MTV and still do. My freinds and I loved Talking in Your Sleep. The Romantics ruled MTV during my pre & early teen years. When MTV came out. Then like you said they disappeared. Now I know why
I did a studio session in Ferndale, MI with these guys back in 1989 - Wally Palmar might be THE nicest guy in the industry. We had a blast.
This terrible time for them had a silver lining for me. I got to see the band in their prime in a small venue. True talent. Sound as great live as in the studio. Thank you, POR.
PS. Please cover the top selling albums of 2024.
☕️☕️🎶🎵🎶
I love those small venue shows!
@ProfessorofRock Something about a smaller crowd and standing a few feet from the band is fantastic!
☕️☕️🎶🎵🎶
Good vid!!! Gotta’ get up & dance to ‘What I Like About You’…….great tune.
Thanks!
Good group. Merry Christmas Adam and have a great day.
Thanks Wayne. You have a Merry Christmas my friend!
Merry Christmas Wayne.
Would love to know how much hairspray they used in the "Talking in Your Sleep" video - that's some big, beautiful 80s hair The Romantics had.
I know, right?!
And their hair STILL looks great.
Merry Christmas Brother Adam, The Professor of Rock! I'm hoping you and your family enjoy this Wonderful and Blessed Christmas Day!
May the gift of Rock & Metal, good health, prosperity, peace and love be with you and your family!
Be safe and enjoy this day, God Bless!
Thank you for posting today!!!
Looking forward to your content for the 2025 New Year!
~George from New Jersey
I remember them performing it on Soul Train
That performance was seared into my 13 year old brain. Was epic. The great Don Cornelius talkin bout: "...ain't this the funkiest group of children you've ever seen".
I remember when the romantics performed on soul train!
Very cool!
they got a lot of play on mtv in the best days. they were very fun.
Indeed!
I saw the Romantics open up for Cheap Trick around '92 and wow they were so good live. I was a fan but they blew me away.
Ive seen the Romantics several times. These guys Rock!! they are extremely tight!
There's no crook like a music crook. They tell all other crooks "Hold my beer"
No kidding!
Yup!
Poll: What is your pick for the Coolest Music Video from the MTV YEARS?
Radio Ga Ga!
Thriller. There's been many great ones but it's still my fave.
Shot in the dark OZZY
It’s not love Dokken thought them being on a flat bed semi trailer playing was cool.
I'll nominate ... "Walk the Dinosaur" by Was (Not Was).
Duran Duran "Hungry Like The Wolf"
04:15 ... oh, I miss those razor-thin ties of 80s fashion! I still have a few from when I was wearing them in high school back in 1982-1986. With New Wave and British SKA, those ties were top fashion along with the various caps and hats (which the teachers made us remove while in the classroom).
Yep, teachers had "No hats" policies, and don't you dare try to wear sunglasses during class! The one exception is IF they were prescription sunglasses you could just tell your teacher "I lost my regular glasses and don't have contacts". I made one teacher so mad when I showed him the note from my eye doctor explaining "John's new pair will take 3-5 weeks. Please excuse John from your policy against sunglasses as these Rx sunglasses were his only backup pair".
That teacher was malicious in grading my essays, marking me down for not dotting an "i" and anything else he could hunt down to ding me with. My new glasses arrived in 2 weeks, but I was holding out for the full 5 weeks before showing up with my new glasses: auto darkening tint. When he'd open the window shades fully open, the tint would turn almost sunglass dark.
He HATED me! But I was looking totally radical to the max!... and all the students knew I was under his skin and there wasn't much he could do besides ding me on my papers.
(It was a creative writing class - I was an honors student, so my papers had very few actual mistakes. Unlike today, with computer printers, our papers had to be handwritten in ink, in cursive with zero white-out corrections*. So if my lower-case letters didn't fully capture the proper loop, he'd mark me down for that as well. When brought up to the principal, he had to reverse my grades giving me full credit and I swear he was about to punch my lights out. Corporal punishment was still allowed back then, so swatting my butt with a paddle or whacking my knuckles with a ruler was all he could ever do from then on out).
*If you were at the last word of the page (on a 3-5 or 12-page essay), and you made a mistake, you had to rewrite the entire page over again. He did not allow erasable ink to be used, either. He was a tough teacher, but because of his push for perfection, I got a scholarship based on my senior year portfolio of creative writing papers. It worked out in the end.
The Romantics was one of several artists who had a big hit, with a BETTER song that flopped. The biggest one that comes to mind is Scandal. "The Warrior" was the hit, but we all know "Goodbye To You" (the flop) was much better. That's not even up for debate. 😎
I'll take up that challenge. 😁
@@TerrickTerran 😀
@@BillGraper Well I still like The Warrior but I do agree that Goodbye To You is a better song and doesn't force Patty to have such a silly look.
@@TerrickTerran Yeah, The Warrior is still a good song. I remember singing the chorus randomly one time in class in middle school. 😁I also think "Talking In Your Sleep" is great. I especially love the guitar riff in the background during the chorus. Pretty neat!
Nick Gilder from Sweeney Todd co-wrote "The Warrior". Patty has a ridiculously powerful voice. My wife and I always say we're going to dress up as the male and female lead roles from the video for Halloween one of these years.
Another one of their great songs is "On a night like this". Sadly you never hear it anywhere, atleast in my area.
True!
Merry Christmas with a Jingle Bell Rock Professor and community🎄✝️🎁. Truly - It's What I Like About You!
Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas with a few silver bells and some mistletoe and holly.
@@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980- thank you Lilly! Hope you had a great Christmas day 😊.
MC5, Stooges, Doug Fieger, Romantics, Sponge....Detroit has cranked out some great ones. The Romantics on Soul Train in 1984 was epic.
Merry CHRISTmas. hope your family has a great day.
Same to you!
That harmonica solo is killer on What I Like About You. Great song to do the Pee Wee Herman dance!
Loved thats song.. first saw video on mtv(back when it had music).. was working at Ruby Tuesday, i stopped cold and stood at the bar watching til it was over.. and yes, that lead in was amazing
Thanks for sharing!
First!...
Merry christmas 2024!
Happy Xmas, jpapss!
I saw The Romantics twice in the 80's. 🎸🎸🎶🎵
Merry Christmas!
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!
Merry Christmas SHARK!
Merry Christmas Shark!
merry Christmas adam.
The song "One In A Million" was also released as a 45 REMIX single in early 1984 BUT it is not on their reissues on CD!! Also the highlights from their debut "When I Look In Your Eyes" & "She's Got Everything"!! Got all of their albums on CD!!!
Merry Christmas Adam. Wishing you and yours the most wonderful and joyous time of the year🎄🎁🤗🙏
Same to you!
I may have missed it, just wondering how many STREAMS this classic and brilliant song has. It has to be way up there!