“Romeo's Tune” by Steve Forbert

"Romeo's Tune" was the lead single from Jackrabbit Slim, Steve Forbert's 1979 album, and it caught fire as the decade turned over, becoming an international hit through the winter of 1980. Forbert wrote it alone, and it's a love song about drifting clean out of the world's sight with the one you love. Neat trick: the title never shows up anywhere in the lyrics.

The song's distinctive piano lick belongs to Bobby Ogdin, a Nashville session man who'd once played piano for Elvis Presley. Onstage, Forbert covers the part himself on a harmonica strapped around his neck. Canada took to it hardest, sending it into the top ten, and it remains his only major chart single. Movies keep digging it up, too, from Knockaround Guys in 2001 to Everybody Wants Some!! in 2016.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.