Steve Forbert – Romeo’s Tune

I won this single at the county fair. From the title, I didn’t know what it was until  I played it. It was a hit single at the time. It’s a well-constructed song that never gets old to me. The song peaked at #11 in the Billboard 100 and #8 in Canada. It came off the great Jackrabbit Slim album.

Steve has had a nice career but I really thought he would have been more successful. He was one of the many who got stuck with the “New Bob Dylan” tag. He is a nice guy…he sat behind me at a Rolling Stone concert in Vanderbilt Stadium.

John Simon produced this song/album. His credits include The Band’s Music from Big Pink and Janis Joplin’s Cheap Thrills.

From Songfacts.

According to the Jackrabbit Slim album sleeve, the song was dedicated to the memory of the late Supreme, Florence Ballard, who died in 1976. However, Forbert actually wrote the song about a girl from his hometown of Meridian, Mississippi, rather than the Supremes singer. The reference to Ballard was because, as Forbert explained, “that seemed like such bad news to me and such sad news. She wasn’t really taken care of by the music business, which is not a new story.”

When The Supremes started, Ballard was the strongest vocalist and their de facto leader. When Diana Ross became the focal point of the group, Ballard became frustrated and was eventually replaced by Cindy Birdsong. Plagued by addiction and bad relationships, her health deteriorated and she died in 1976 at age 32.

Romeo’s Tune

Meet me in the middle of the day
Let me hear you say everything’s okay
Bring me southern kisses from your room
Meet me in the middle of the night
Let me hear you say everything’s alright
Let me smell the moon in your perfume

Oh, Gods and years will rise and fall
And there’s always something more
It’s lost in talk, I waste my time
And it’s all been said before
While further down behind the masquerade the tears are there
I don’t ask for all that much I just want someone to care
That’s right now

Meet me in the middle of the day
Let me hear you say everything’s okay
Come on out beneath the shining sun

Meet me in the middle of the night
Let me hear you say everything’s alright
Sneak on out beneath the stars and run 

Oh yeah, oh yeah yeah, oh yeah

It’s king and queen and we must go down now beyond the chandelier
Where I won’t have to speak my mind and you won’t have to hear
Shreds of news and afterthoughts and complicated scenes
We’ll huddle down behind the light and fade like magazines

Meet me in the middle of the day
Let me hear you say everything’s okay
Bring me southern kisses from your room

Hey hey, meet me in the middle of the night
Let me hear you say everything’s alright
Let me smell the moon in your perfume

Oh now, meet me in the middle of the day
Let me hear you say everything’s okay
Let me see you smiling back at me

Hey, meet me in the middle of the night
Let me hear you say everything’s alright
Hold me tight and love and loving’s free

Whoa yeah