What Are Loverboy’s 5 Biggest US Hits?

The Canadian quintet Loverboy did quite a lot of damage on US charts throughout the 80s. They showed the resilience and savvy to follow trends when necessary, all while keeping their musical identity intact.

Videos by American Songwriter

Overall, the band landed nine songs in the American Top 40 throughout their career. These five Loverboy songs did the best of all.

5. “When It’s Over” – No. 26 in 1982

Loverboy didn’t waste any time in making an impact in America. “Turn Me Loose”, their very first single, did very well on rock radio and squeezed into the pop Top 40 in 1980. Their second album, Get Lucky, even went to the Top 10 stateside. The churning “Working For The Weekend” did well as the first single. “When It’s Over”, the follow-up single, did even better when released in 1982. The song offers solid rock crunch, melodic potency, and an urgent lead vocal from singer Mike Reno, who wrote it with guitarist Paul Dean.

4. “Heaven In Your Eyes” – No. 12 in 1986

Like most arena rock bands in the 80s, Loverboy helped sustain their popularity with their adeptness on slow songs. Mike Reno possessed the kind of voice, tender when it needed to be and anguished when emoting, that helped out immensely in this department. Reno even stepped out from the Loverboy umbrella to score in 1984 with “Almost Paradise”, a duet with Ann Wilson of Heart that hit bigger than any Loverboy song. “Heaven In Your Eyes” fit well with the other bold tracks peppering the Top Gun soundtrack.

3. “Hot Girls In Love” – No. 11 in 1983

Bruce Fairbairn became one of the biggest producers on the planet in the late 80s thanks to his work with Bon Jovi and Aerosmith. His work with Loverboy, which began when he was still a member of the group Prism, opened those doors for him. Fairbairn produced the band on their first three albums. On Keep It Up, the band’s 1983 album, he even did some writing. He earned a co-writing credit on “Hot Girls In Love” with guitarist Paul Dean. Even amidst the rapid pace, the band and Fairbairn ensure that the hooks are clear and potent.

2. “This Could Be The Night” – No. 10 in 1986

It was all hands on deck when it came to writing this power ballad, one of Loverboy’s first such songs to be released as a single. Mike Dean and Paul Reno received writing credits for it. So did Bill Wray, who had written a few songs for Diana Ross. And Jonathan Cain, the keyboardist for Loverboy’s arena rock peers Journey, pitched in as well. “This Could Be The Night” gets the formula just right. Musically, it holds back until the skyrocketing chorus. Lyrically, it slow-builds to a long-promised evening of passion.

1. “Lovin’ Every Minute Of It” – No. 9 in 1985

We do a lot of these “biggest hits” articles here. And, when we do them on 80s-based bands, chances are the name Mutt Lange is going to pop up somewhere. In the case of Loverboy, Lange had no association with the band prior to “Lovin’ Every Minute Of It”. He was called at the last second to come up with a hit the band felt their upcoming album was lacking. Lange delivered with his typical bevy of sledgehammer hooks and a cappella harmonies in a matter of days. Just like that, Loverboy had recorded their biggest single ever in America.

Photo by Bill McCay/Getty Images for SiriusXM