So why is The Romantics on this best 1,000 albums ever thing?
Let’s call this section What I Like About “What I Like About You.”
If I was to ever publish a 1,000 Best Songs Ever list (and don’t let me go too far down the rabbit hole on this, please, when I’m still in the middle of this years-long and counting best 1,000 albums ever project!), “What I Like About You” would be way up there. Top 200 easily, I would think*.
* I can say from experience that once you’re in the trenches with a ludicrously challenging project such as this, things can look quite different than you might expect from the outset, but that almost never stops me from engaging in freeform speculation!
There’s something wonderfully timeless about “What I Like About You,” while at the same time it’s a perfect new wave song representing the 1970s cresting into the ‘80s. And meanwhile it’s also a perfect power pop song. In short, I can sum it up with the clinical assertion of man, it’s great.
If The Romantics’ self-titled album merely contained this singular gem, that would be one thing, but the rest of the album is really strong as well. “She’s Got Everything” proves that the band has a true knack for pop hooks, and the vocals are just great. The Romantics produce “simple” songs that are deceptively nuanced and expertly executed.
“When I Look In Your Eyes” keeps the train rolling with a great new wave feel and a power pop-meets-slightly punk feel that makes it punchy and exciting. And then the vocals have a nice early Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers vibe.
Personal stuff that has something to do with The Romantics
I enjoy curating all kinds of different playlists on Spotify that can suit different moods or different activities (eating brunch, working out, walking Jack the dog, and so forth). “What I Like About You” is the kind of song that can be included (or I can make a solid argument to be included) in almost all of them. And I just never seem to get tired of it.
Some stats & info about The Romantics
- What kind of musical stylings does this album represent? Rock Music, Power Pop, New Wave
- Rolling Stone’s greatest 500 albums ranking – not ranked!
- All Music’s rating – 4 out of 5 stars
- When was The Romantics released? 1979
- My ranking, the one you’re reading right now – #594 out of 1,000
The Romantics on Spotify
A lyrical snippet from The Romantics that’s evocative of THE album in some way, maybe
What I like about you, you hold me tight. Tell me I’m the only one wanna come over tonight, yeah.
What does the “best 1,000 albums ever” mean and why are you doing this?
Yeah, I know it’s audacious, a little crazy (okay, maybe a lot cray cray), bordering on criminal nerdery.
But here’s what it’s NOT: a definitive list of the Greatest Albums of All-Time. This is 100% my own personal super biased, incredibly subjective review of what my top 1,000 albums are, ranked in painstaking order over the course of doing research for nearly a year, Rob from High Fidelity style. Find out more about why I embarked on a best 1,000 albums ever project.