Artist · chart history · #152 in alternative artist polls
Book of Love
Band Philadelphia United States Formed 1983
Book of Love formed in 1983 in Philadelphia, United States. Book of Love has 20 chart appearances on 17 radio countdowns from 7 stations on RockLists, spanning 1988–2003. The most successful song on radio countdowns is “I Touch Roses”, which appears on 7 lists with a best position of #158. The station that charted Book of Love most often is Live 105 (San Francisco, CA), with 8 appearances. The artist’s biggest year on year-end countdowns was 1988.
Book of Love formed in 1983 and made synth-pop that was sleek to the touch but never cold, with Susan Ottaviano's deadpan vocals set against a bank of keyboards played by Ted Ottaviano, Lauren Roselli and Jade Lee. Their first real exposure came opening for Depeche Mode on 2 tours, in 1985 and 1986, a bill that suited them down to the ground.
Their self-titled debut came out on Sire in 1986, carrying "Boy", "I Touch Roses" and a song called "Book of Love": spare, chiming electronic pop with a dreamy, almost childlike sweetness to the melodies. Lullaby followed in 1988 with "Pretty Boys and Pretty Girls" and "Tubular Bells".
What set them apart was what the songs were about. Their lyrics took on sexual orientation and gender roles, and they have since been praised as forward-thinking for it.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
Songs by Book of Love on radio countdowns
| # | Song | Strength | Lists | Best | #1s | Peak year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | I Touch Roses | 7 | #158 | – | – | |
| 2 | Boy | 3 | #100 | – | – | |
| 3 | Pretty Boys and Pretty Girls | 3 | #91 | – | 1988 | |
| 4 | Book of Love | 2 | #289 | – | – | |
| 5 | Tubular Bells | 2 | #52 | – | 1988 | |
| 6 | You Make Me Feel | 1 | #499 | – | – |
Albums with charting songs
Where each song was first released, from MusicBrainz.
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