Songoftheday 4/21/16 - If you need a friend don't look to a stranger, you know in the end I'll always be there...

"The Promise" - When In Rome
from the album When In Rome (1988)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #11 (two weeks)
Weeks in the Top-40: 13

Today's song of the day comes from the British dance/sophisti-pop band When In Rome, who came together in the mid-80's when singer Clive Farrington hired on keyboard man Michael Floreale and vocalist Andrew Mann in Manchester, England. The trio released their self-titled debut (and what would be their only full-length effort) in the spring of 1988, with the first single "The Promise" taking a long journey to the top of the charts. A synth-driven slice of ethereal sonnet, the song gave some class to the dancefloor, even though the lead singer looks like the stripper version of Michael Hutchence of INXS. It went to #1 in June, then slowly but surely pop radio caught on by the end of the year...

"The Promise" became When In Rome's sole top-40 pop hit in the U.S., barely missing the top ten in December of 1988. The song also slipped on to the Adult Contemporary (or "easy listening") radio chart at #45. Internationally, the single was a minor hit in their home country, reaching #58 in the UK.

A follow-up single, "Heaven Knows", went to #14 on the Dance chart, and popped on to the Hot 100 at #95. A third release, "Sight Of Your Tears", made it to #40 on the Dance Club chart. They never made it to album number two, splitting into two factions who tour separately on the 80s "oldies" circuit.

(Click below to see the rest of the post)


Here's the 12" "Coliseum Mix" (sic) done by Freddy Bastone that topped the club chart in the summer of 1988...

Up tomorrow: A hitmaking duo exists urbanely.