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FARRINGTON & MANN
Clive Farrington and Andrew Mann are the
original vocalists of When in Rome UK, ap-
pearing on the group’s 1987 debut record, which
spawned the number-11 hit “The Promise.” The
track received a resurgence of popularity when
it was used in the closing scene of the film
Na-
poleon Dynamite
, which was voted Best Picture
at the 2005 MTV Movie Awards. As Napoleon
finds some sort of resolution in his offbeat, pri-
vate, ’80s-throwback Idaho lifestyle, a haunting
synth chord from that electro-decade surges
to the soundtrack’s surface and a classic piano
phrase bridges into the end credits—that’s “The
Promise.” The track also sat atop the dance chart
for seven weeks during its first heyday, and
Farrington and Mann also scored success with
“Heaven Knows,” “Wide, Wide Sea,” and “Childs
Play” off 1987’s
When in Rome
.
NU SHOOZ
Nu Shooz was formed in 1979 in Portland, OR,
and gigged for seven years around the Pacific
Northwest before its single “I Can’t Wait” en-
tered the rotation of KKRZ radio host Gary Bry-
an. Listener reaction to the song was strong and
immediate, the kind of response known in radio
jargon as “instant phones.” By the end of 1985,
“I Can’t Wait” was a regional hit, but it reached
an even wider audience when it was remixed by
Dutch DJ Pieder Slaghuis. Nu Shooz was signed
by Atlantic Records in early 1986, and “I Can’t
Wait” soon hit number three on
Billboard
’s Hot
100, with the single “Point of No Return” follow-
ing as a number-one dance hit and “Should I Say
Yes” emerging in 1988 in the top 40. The group
was nominated for the Best New Artist Grammy
in 1987, and
Poolside
, its breakthrough album,
earned gold sales status. “I Can’t Wait” has since
been sampled by numerous artists, from Va-
nessa Williams (“Happiness”) to Mann and 50
Cent’s (“Buzzin’ ”). A collection of unreleased
studio recordings from the late ’80s and early
’90s appeared in 2012 as
Kung Pao Kitchen
, and
a new album,
Bagtown
, was released in 2016.
DRAMARAMA
Dramarama was formed in New Jersey in 1982,
quickly getting attention with the single “You
Drive Me” and the five-track EP
Comedy
, which
earned the band a cult following in France. Go-
ing to where the fans were, the band released its
first full album,
Cinéma Vérité
on the French la-
bel Red Rose. Its single “Anything, Anything (I’ll
Give You)” entered the rotation on LA’s KROQ
radio, becoming one of the most requested
songs at the station during 1986–87. After the
sophomore disc
Box Office Bomb
(1987), Dra-
marama followed up with
Stuck in Wondera-
maland
(1989), which featured the rock hit “Last
Cigarette.” After “Anything, Anything (I’ll Give
You)” was featured in
Nightmare on Elm Street
4
, the band began working with the Elektra la-
bel, which issued
Vinyl
in 1991. The new disc
featured a pair of top-10 rock hits, “Haven’t Got
a Clue” and “What Are We Gonna Do?”
Hi-Fi
Sci-Fi
followed in 1993 with the single “Work for
Food.” Founding members John Easdale (sing-
er/songwriter), Mark Englert, and Peter Wood
(both guitarists) are today joined by bassist
Mike Davis and drummer Tony Snow.
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