Artist · chart history
When in Rome
Band Manchester United Kingdom Formed 1987
When in Rome formed in 1987 in Manchester, United Kingdom. When in Rome has 25 chart appearances on 25 radio countdowns from 9 stations on RockLists, spanning 1987–2026. The most successful song on radio countdowns is “The Promise”, which appears on 24 lists with a best position of #11. The station that charted When in Rome most often is Live 105 (San Francisco, CA), with 8 appearances. The artist’s biggest year on year-end countdowns was 1988.
When in Rome came together in Manchester in 1987, a synth-pop trio built on a pair of voices and a keyboard rig: Clive Farrington and Andrew Mann singing, Michael Floreale behind the synthesizers. Virgin put out their self-titled album in 1988, and one song on it did all the heavy lifting.
"The Promise" is pure late-'80s longing, a sleek, pulsing electronic track with a big-hearted vocal that sounds like it's pleading through a rain-streaked window. In America it cracked the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100, the one time they ever did, and it's the reason anybody still says the band's name.
The original lineup fell apart in 1990. The name didn't: by 2012 there were 2 separate bands going around as When in Rome.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
Songs by When in Rome on radio countdowns
| # | Song | Strength | Lists | Best | #1s | Peak year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Promise | 24 | #11 | – | 1988 | |
| 2 | This Promise | 1 | #72 | – | – |
Albums with charting songs
Where each song was first released, from MusicBrainz.
Year-end chart timeline
Combined year-end countdown points per year. Taller bars mean more songs placing higher across more stations.
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