Radio Romance (song)

"Radio Romance"
International cover
Single by Tiffany
from the album Hold an Old Friend's Hand
B-side	"I'll Be The Girl" "Gotta Be Love" "Can't Stop A Heartbeat"
Released	October 31, 1988 (1988-10-31)[1]
Genre	Teen pop bubblegum pop hi-NRG disco[2]
Length	4:04
Label	MCA Records
Songwriter(s)	John Duarte Mark Paul
Producer(s)	George Tobin
Tiffany singles chronology
"All This Time" (1988) "Radio Romance" (1988) "Hold an Old Friend's Hand" (1989)
Alternative cover
US commercial cassette single

"Radio Romance" is a song by American recording artist Tiffany, recorded for her second studio album Hold an Old Friend's Hand (1988). The track was written by John Duarte and Mark Paul and produced by her manager George Tobin. A teen pop song, it was first released on October 31, 1988 in the United Kingdom as the lead single from the album. In the United States, the song was released to radio in February 1989 as the second single from the album following "All This Time".[3]

The track became a decent hit for Tiffany, hitting number 13 on the UK Singles Chart and number 35 on the US Billboard Hot 100, where it is to date her last single to chart. In Peru's premier radio station Radio Panamericana, "Radio Romance" was on the top 100 year end chart at number 11.^[citation needed] To promote the track in America, Tiffany performed it on the Mickey Mouse Club and The Arsenio Hall Show.

Critical reception

Pan-European magazine Music & Media said the song resembled Spector's "Be My Baby".[4] Billboard gave the song a negative review saying, "Inexcusably boring and one-dimensional hi-NRG from an artist who should be utilizing her popularity by trying material a bit more challenging. One sugar too many."[5] While reviewing the album, RPM said the song would please disco listeners.[6]

Music video

The music video for "Radio Romance" shows Tiffany as a waitress in a diner who calls the radio request line often to request a song for her secret crush. The problem is that he is holding hands with her best friend. Later in the video, Tiffany dances with others in what looks like a dream sequence. As the video progresses, a child appears with a magic wand.

Track listings and formats

European and Australian 7-inch single

1. "Radio Romance" – 4:01
2. "Can't Stop a Heartbeat" – 4:45

Japanese 7-inch and mini-CD single

1. "Radio Romance" – 4:03
2. "Gotta Be Love" – 4:19

UK and German mini-CD single

1. "Radio Romance" (7" Version) – 4:01
2. "Can't Stop a Heartbeat" – 4:45
3. "Radio Romance" (Dance Mix/12" Version) – 6:56

US and Canadian 7-inch and cassette single

1. "Radio Romance" – 4:04
2. "I'll Be the Girl" – 4:26

Personnel

Taken from the Hold an Old Friend's Hand booklet.[7]

• John Duarte – keyboards, drum programming, arrangement
• Richard Elliot – sax and solo
• Julia Waters and Maxine Waters – background vocals

Charts

Weekly charts Weekly chart performance for "Radio Romance" Chart (1988–1989) Peak position Australia (ARIA)[8] 62 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[9] 19 Europe (European Hot 100 Singles)[10] 43 Europe (European Airplay Top 50)[11] 37 Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[12] 14 France (SNEP)[13] 18 Ireland (IRMA)[14] 18 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[15] 13 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[16] 53 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[17] 16 South Africa (Springbok Radio)[18] 3 Sweden (Tracklisten)[19] 8 UK Singles (OCC)[20] 13 US Billboard Hot 100[21] 35 US Top 100 Pop Singles (Cashbox)[22] 45

Year-end charts 1989 year-end chart performance for "Radio Romance" Chart (1989) Position South Africa (Springbok Radio)[23] 17

References

1. "New Singles". Music Week. October 29, 1988. p. 36. ISSN 0265-1548.
2. "Rock Music". The Tribune. February 7, 1989. p. 15. Retrieved October 29, 2023.
3. "CHR National Airplay: Significant Action". Radio & Records. No. 776. February 17, 1989. p. 94.
4. "Previews: Albums". Music & Media. Vol. 5, no. 50. December 10, 1988. p. 21.
5. "Single Reviews: Pop". Billboard. Vol. 101, no. 8. Nielsen Business Media. February 25, 1989. p. 71. ISSN 0006-2510.
6. "Albums". RPM. Vol. 49, no. 12. January 21, 1989. p. 16.
7. Hold an Old Friend's Hand (CD booklet). Tiffany. MCA Records. 1988. MCAD-6267.
8. "The ARIA Australian Top 100 Singles Chart Week Ending 08 Jan 1989". ARIA. Retrieved 3 February 2016.
9. "Tiffany – Radio Romance" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
10. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles". Music & Media. Vol. 5, no. 50. December 10, 1988. p. 22.
11. "European Airplay Top 50". Music & Media. Vol. 6, no. 52/1. January 1, 1989. p. 35.
12. Pennanen, Timo (2021). "Tiffany". Sisältää hitin - 2. laitos Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla 1.1.1960–30.6.2021 (PDF) (in Finnish). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 259. Retrieved 2022-07-08.
13. "Tiffany – Radio Romance" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved January 7, 2017.
14. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Radio Romance". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved January 7, 2017.
15. "Nederlandse Top 40 – Tiffany" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved January 7, 2017.
16. "Tiffany – Radio Romance" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved January 7, 2017.
17. "Tiffany – Radio Romance". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved January 7, 2017.
18. "SA Charts 1969 - 1989 - Acts M". Springbok Radio. January 28, 1989. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
19. Sweden Archives - 7 January 1989
20. "Tiffany: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 7, 2017.
21. "Tiffany Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
22. "Cash Box Charts: Top 100 Singles". Cashbox. Vol. LII, no. 38. April 1, 1989. p. 21.
23. "South African Rock Lists Website - Hits 1989". Springbok Radio. September 2000. Retrieved December 2, 2024.