Michael Floreale - When In Rome
When and where were you born? What was your childhood like? When were you first introduced to music and what initially fascinated you about it? Did you grow up in a creative and musical family during those early days? Do you have any siblings?
I was a child of the 50’s, by a hairs breadth, brought into this world at the end of November 1959. I always used to smile when I heard “Born In The 50’s” by The Police, as I thought that I only just made it. I was born in a small town called Northwich, in the county of Cheshire in England. I have an older brother and younger sister and we had, what I would consider to be, a pretty normal upbringing. In those days, Cheshire was a very rural county full of rolling hills, sleepy villages and dairy farms. I spent my childhood living opposite a farm and the only musical influence in my family was my brother, who thankfully, had a wide and varied taste in music, which filtered down to me. He would play vinyl, yes, vinyl albums, and I was introduced to all kinds of music from Waylon Jennings to Pink Floyd. The only other extended family member who had any musical ability was a cousin who played the organ for his local church, and although I never heard him play, was told he was very good. I was constantly reminded about this connection from my aunts and uncles after I became a Virgin recording artist.
What would you and your friends do for fun back in the day? Who were among some of your favorite groups that left a heavy impression on you? Where would you go to see bands perform and when did it dawn on you that music was something that you wanted to pursue with a passion and make this your life’s journey?
During my school years I attended the local grammar school and it was very much a part of the old, traditional establishment. Old school indeed. We had to wear caps and blazers, lots of yes sir, no sir and cap and gown teachers. Cricket, rugby, rowing and hockey were compulsory and I reluctantly participated in them all. Everybody’s pet hate was the annual 5 mile, cross country run in the middle of winter. We had a once a week music class which focused purely on orchestral music and it bored me to tears. The first time I recall being exposed to electronic music was by the band Tangerine Dream. I played their album Ricochet relentlessly, and I’m sure this is where my electronic musical influences first began. Kraftwerk were the next band that really grabbed my attention and I believe they have influenced a generation of bands and continue to do so to this day. School life in a small town was uneventful and it wasn’t until I started to venture into Manchester, the closest city to me, when my real passion for music came alive. My friends and I would attend concerts and we really got into the live music scene, which was particularly vibrant at that time. Local Manchester bands. The Buzzcocks and Magazine were amongst my favorites and we were regular attendees at the Manchester Free trade Hall, Apollo, Manchester University and later the International and Hacienda.
Did you participate in any groups prior to When In Rome? How did you initially meet your bandmates Andrew Mann, Clive Farrington and Rob Juarez? What were first impressions of everyone and what initially led to the decision to form the band? What was the overall vision for the group and how did the name come about?
My personal beginning with performing music started with a school friend inviting me to buy a bass guitar and join him in forming a band. I bought the bass and was hooked. I started rehearsing amongst school friends and we played cover songs badly. However, this was a blessing in disguise as it did inspire me to want to create something new. Learning other peoples music was okay, but I wanted to write my own material and so formed my first band. We were called The Tonics, and played punk and mod rock, we played local pubs, church halls and school dances playing a combination of new songs and covers. It was at this point I knew I was fully committed. Music was definitely in my blood, but as with so many musicians, the only way to improve and move forward was to play with better and like minded musicians. And so I continued writing songs and worked to improve in the next band I was in. It was at this time that the 80’s wave of English bands started to break through, which was another huge influence. OMD, Howard Jones, New Order, Nick Kershaw, ABC, Spandau Ballet and many others were all on the radio and electronic music finally went mainstream. And it was around this time that I joined forces with Clive Farrington, later to become the singer with When In Rome. He invited me and the singer in my band to join his band. And this is where my lifelong love affair with keyboards began. Clive also played bass, so we decided I should play keyboards and electronic drums and the seeds of When In Rome were sown. Clive’s old singer had left and taken his songs with him so we performed my songs and I also started writing new material with Clive. Eventually, this version of the band broke up, but Clive and I continued to write and I persuaded Clive to take on the role of singer for the songs.
We really had no set plans at the time but to write and try to find a new singer. Andrew Mann was a beat poet and Clive had seen him perform and suggested we ask him to join as our singer. When In Rome was formed. The name would come later, but prior to that we continued writing songs and sending the ideas down to Andrew who had moved to London to further his career. Clive had a small studio set up behind his parents house and we would spend hours writing and recording songs with a drum machine and keyboards. I had an old piano at my home and would work out chord progressions and ideas there and then finish them in the studio. It was at the studio where the song The Promise was conceived. I was playing around with a chord progression and melody idea whilst Clive had stepped out for what I remember was a long phone call with his girlfriend, which I believe was rather heated. When he returned to the studio, he heard my playing and picked up the microphone and sang along. The song was basically written in a few minutes and I’m sure the emotion after that phone conversation helped! In those days, ideas and melodies came easy to us and it was during this time that we began to stockpile a whole library of songs. We’d put together a song demo, send it to Andrew and he’d send back lyrical ideas. As Andrew was in London, he began to talk to record company A&R people about us and our songs and so we decided to record a three track demo including The Promise, to take to the record companies. The demos were recorded in Uxbridge, near London and opened the door for us with the record companies. Offers came in but we still hadn’t decided on the bands name. ‘When In Rome” was an expression I often used after a horror vacation in Spain, where things never went to plan, and it was an expression we continued to use whilst we were working in London, so it just seemed the perfect name for the band.
Tell me about writing as well as recording the band’s legendary self/titled debut album. When and where did recording begin and about how long did it take to lay those tracks down? How did the deal with 10 Records come about? Would you mind walking me through the backstory to some of the songs that are featured on the album including the beautiful single “The Promise”?
Based on our three track demo we signed our first record deal with Electra Records, who had opened a London office, and we joined the band Simply Red, also from Manchester, as one of the first bands on the UK label. The next order of business was to find a producer for our first album and it was a very exciting and interesting time. We met some of the top producers and heard their vision for our songs but before we could start recording the “When In Rome” syndrome kicked in. Electra Records was owned by Warner Electra Atlantic (WEA)records based in the USA and they had decided to close down the London office less than a year after its opening. So we were transferred to WEA records with a new A & R man based in New York, and were back to square one, looking for a producer. We felt this was not the right move for us and so elected to void the record deal and find a label we wanted to work with. We eventually signed to Virgin 10 records and the first album could now be recorded. It took about 4 months to record the album at Powerplant studios in Willesden, London. Powerplant was owned by Robin Millar, who had just successfully produced Sades first two albums. Our producer was Ben Rogan, who had worked on these albums with Robin Millar. We recorded 12 songs and I was thrilled when we recorded a 20 piece orchestra on three of the songs. The Promise was recorded with that orchestra but we ultimately used the demo version on the album.
We used some of the finest musicians in London on the album and they all added a little magic to the songs. My favorite memory was when members of Sade’s band came in to play percussion and sax on the song Childsplay. You just stood back in awe, knowing such great musicians were part of the album. When the album was complete, the record company began promotion and released our first single, ‘Everything” together with our first video, which was obligatory in MTV world. The single did not do well. ‘The Promise” followed and also did not fare well. These singles were initially only released in Europe and found their way to the USA on import. And here is where the “When In Rome” syndrome rears it’s head again. A San Francisco radio DJ discovered the The Promise” in an import bin at his local record store and it became the most requested song on his station So, Virgin in the US released the song and it became a dance floor smash hit, making it to number 1 on the Billboard Dance chart. It was then released as a single and became a major radio hit. Our world changed overnight and we spent the months after the songs success touring around the USA. During this time we recorded three more songs in LA and these were included on the albums release. Over the following months more singles were released and we continued to promote them. All in all, not a bad outcome for the first album.
The band would go on to write and record a few more singles throughout the rest of the 80’s. What eventually happened to the band after ‘88? When you reflect back on those early days of WIR, what are some of your fondest memories? What are you most proud of when it comes to the group’s incredible legacy?
With the touring over, it was time to think about the next album and I believed we had already accumulated quite a few contenders. Clive and I started working on new songs as well but something had changed, I think the overnight success and touring had an effect on all of us and we should probably have taken time off. The music scene itself was changing at this time. It was the beginning of the 90’s and a new wave of artists were taking over. Soul To Soul and Cameo were popular and there was a difference of opinion between us as to what When In Rome’s musical direction should be. As I wrote the music, I had felt we had built up a fan base that wanted to hear another album in the same musical direction as the first, and I was not comfortable about a drastic change of direction at such an early stage in the bands development. So we parted ways. After the option on my record deal was not taken up, I continued to write songs and worked with various singers with Virgins publishing company. Clive and Andrew were also released after the record company declined the demos they submitted for their vision of the new When In Rome sound.
On reflection, it was a sad end to the band as there was a huge fan base in the US that was denied the opportunity to hear another When In Rome album. Post When In Rome, Clive and Andrew drifted apart and eventually took up other careers. They have reunited in recent years and perform under the name Farrington and Mann, as I own the trademark on the When In Rome name here in the USA. I left England in 1992 and decided to pursue a career in music in the USA, and I’ve been here ever since. I started writing music for TV, films and commercials and turned my back on my first love, songwriting, for a few years. But, as I said, music is in my blood and the lure of writing and performing eventually returned. After the success of the movie Napoleon Dynamite, when The Promise was included in the closing scene, I was approached by a West coast booking agent who had discovered I was alive and kicking. He offered me shows and a tour with Devo and The Psychedelic Furs, so I reformed When In Rome. I recruited a new singer and have been performing shows ever since. I even recorded a new When In Rome album, “When In Rome II”. My unfinished business.
You mentioned in our correspondence that you recently moved here to Tennessee. Are you still writing and recording music? What's it like for you after all these years, to have a whole new generation of listeners dig the band?
Home these days is Nashville, Tennessee. I still record songs in my studio and perform live with other 80’s bands. Remember OMD from my earlier comments ? I’ll be performing a festival in Europe with them in the summer, that’s something I will look forward to. I’m often asked when will I retire, the answer will always be never. The very cool thing is that there is a new generation of fans discovering The Promise thanks to TikTok and the many other licensing opportunities that are offered. The song has been covered by many artists including Sturgill Simpson and Kelly Clarkson. It’s been featured on Amazon, Netflix and other major movies.
Is there anything else you would like to further share with the readers?
When I look back, I am grateful for the opportunities afforded to me by the success of the one big hit LOL. It has provided me with many great memories but the most important thing that I take away is the fans. I have heard so many stories of how the music has affected them and how it impacted their lives.
