Romeo's Tune - Steve Forbert (1979) 5/24/22

Steve Forbert had one heck of a time trying to perfect today's "Great Song of 1979!"

The first time he recorded "Romeo's Tune," the results were underwhelming at best. So he went out on tour and tinkered with it at every performance. Audience reaction was promising, and then Steve's manager suggested that he should add another verse--so he did.

By all accounts, it was now a much better song, so Steve went to Nashville to record the new version. This time, it didn't sound quite right, so he went to New York and recorded it for a THIRD time.

The record company thought version #3 had hit potential, but still needed work, so Steve went BACK to Nashville and recorded it yet AGAIN!

After listening to take #3 of the second Nashville session, Steve knew he FINALLY had a hit on his hands.

It had taken an entire year and 4 different recording sessions for "Romeo's Tune" to actually see the light of day...and when the single was released (from the album "Jackrabbit Slim") in 1979, it climbed up the charts to #8 in Canada and #11 Billboard's Hot 100.

Trivia: The title "Romeo's Tune" does not appear in the lyrics!

More Trivia: Steve wrote the song with a specific woman in mind. Her name has been kept a secret all these years, but Steve has said she knows who she is, and they keep in touch.

Even MORE Trivia: The song was dedicated to Florence Ballard, the original lead singer of the Supremes--until Berry Gordy replaced her with Diana Ross. That little move sent Florence on a downward spiral that led to her death due to drugs and alcohol at age 32. Steve was appalled at the way she had been treated, and felt Florence should be remembered for her talent and not her addictions.

Unfortunately, "Romeo's Tune" made Steve Forbert a one-hit wonder, but on the other hand, it's also a "Great Song of 1979," thanks to Steve's dedication to getting "sound" just right!