Paranoia about a romantic partner possibly stepping out makes for solid fodder in pop songs. On their 1983 hit single “Talking In Your Sleep”, The Romantics took that to the extreme, with the narrator trying to catch his girl in a lie as she slumbered.
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The song represented a new sound for The Romantics, one that was abetted by one of their members briefly leaving before coming back in the fold. And it ended up being the biggest hit of their career.
Skill Position
The Romantics first came together in Detroit, Michigan, in 1977. After a couple of non-album singles, they released their self-titled debut album in 1979. And the first single from that album, “What I Like About You”, nearly landed them in the Top 40.
We now know “What I Like About You” as an iconic track. But it only really gained that kind of exposure through its appearances in television commercials years after the fact. Meanwhile, the band released a pair of 1981 albums that didn’t gain any commercial traction.
In the middle of all that, Mike Skill, who co-founded the band with singer Wally Palmar and also played lead guitar, briefly left the group. He then returned to the fold, this time playing bass. While he was away, Skill had been listening to what was popular in pop music, specifically the British New Romantic movement. When he came back to the band, he pushed them a bit more in that direction.
“Sleep” Patterns
The Romantics very nearly missed out on recording “Talking In Your Sleep”. They thought they had their 1983 album in the can. But they then realized that there was enough room for one more track.
Skill had a bass line on which he’d been working, and he was encouraged to try and develop that a bit more. Eventually, the rest of the band (Palmar, guitarist Coz Canlar, and drummer Jimmy Marinos) pitched in to help out with the songwriting. So did producer Peter Solley.
“Talking In Your Sleep” went from being an afterthought to being chosen as the first single released off the album In Heat. And a good selection it was. The song shot to No. 3 on the pop charts while also topping the dance charts in the US as well.
“Talking In Your Sleep” immediately drops us into an intimate scenario, as a narrator tells the tale while lying next to his lover in bed. “I can hear the things that you’re dreaming about,” he insists. “When you open up your heart and let the truth come out.”
“Don’t you know you’re sleeping in the spotlight?” he asks her, suggesting that she’s at her most vulnerable for revealing herself at that moment. “You’re telling me the secrets that you just can’t hide,” he explains. Even as she’s stealthy all day long, her unconscious gives her away.
“Talking In Your Sleep” was a crucial hit for The Romantics when they needed it most. And it gave them the boost they needed to forge a long, successful career. That’s a pretty good result for an emergency last resort of a track.
Photo by Paul Natkin/Getty Images
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