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Romeo Void — Never Say Never
Album: Warm, In Your Coat
Avg rating:
6

Your rating:
Total ratings: 882









Released: 1982
Length: 5:46
Plays (last 30 days): 0
If time itself was his demeanor
There'd be no sunlight or a glimmer
Of sunlight landing on the street
Sunsuit girls must be discreet

Sunsuit girls must be discreet
Nursing their fathers locked inside
They masqueraded as his bride

I might like you better if we slept together
I might like you better if we slept together
I might like you better if we slept together
But there's something in your eyes that says maybe
That's never
Never say never

Slumped by the courthouse with windburned skin
That man could give a f**k about the grin
On your face as you walk by, randy as a goat
He's sleeping on papers, but he'd be warm in your coat

I might like you better if we slept together
I might like you better if we slept together
I might like you better if we slept together
But there's something in your eyes that says maybe
That's never
Never say never

There's no easy way to lose your sight
On the street, on the stairs, who's on your flight
Old couple walks by, as ugly as sin
But he's got her, she's got him

I might like you better if we slept together
I might like you better if we slept together
I might like you better if we slept together
But there's something in your eyes that says maybe
That's never
Never say never

Sunsuit girls must be discreet
Nursing their fathers locked inside
They masqueraded as his bride

Never say never
Never say never
Never say never, never, never

Sun seems to move across the sky so slow
It's us who's turning with nowhere to go
Sun seems to move across the sky so slow
Us who's turning with nowhere to go

Never say never
Never say never
Never say never, say never, say never
Never, never, never say never

I might like you better if we slept together
I might like you better if we slept together
I might like you better if we slept together
I might like you better if we slept together
I might like you better if we slept together
But there's something in your eyes that says maybe
That's never
Never say never
Comments (172)add comment
 birdman42 wrote:
This is one of those songs that takes me right back to WHFS. What a great station in the day. It was my first exposure to "eclectic" programming--jazz, new wave, folk, punk, post-punk, cowpunk all swirled together in a tasty stew.
 

Yeah! I loved WHFS!  Damien, Weasel, Nieci... Such great DJs, such great music!
Loving this, serious post-industrial angsty blues.

Vapid and emotionally violent. Me likee mucho!

Opening with an easy 7 from south of the Willy B.
 hanssachs wrote:
Boy, this really goes on and on and on ... it's not getting any better ....
 
More, more, more. Love this band and song. Thanks Bill!
Boy, this really goes on and on and on ... it's not getting any better ....
This is one of those songs that takes me right back to WHFS. What a great station in the day. It was my first exposure to "eclectic" programming--jazz, new wave, folk, punk, post-punk, cowpunk all swirled together in a tasty stew.
At 3 mins the song is OK.  At 6, it's torture.
Realy annoying.
Good morning and thank you for playing this! Brings back such great memories. Like the time I heard this on the radio and I asked my mom what "slept together" meant. Heee. 
Reminds me the argentine band called "Sumo"
I purchased this new in 1983 (vinyl of course), the 4 track EP, and there's a clever sound engineering trick with the vocals = on my pressing the line is actually ".....warm in your c..t.....", quite distinctively!  Of course in the context of the song, that word works much better. (thanks RP).
Gives me a headache in my eye......
Ahhh, the memories!  Although some of them are missing.
CACAPHONY 
"Never say never" translated (in '83) to copious amounts of cheap alcohol. 
Just fun!
There's something about the grinding guitar/percussion that puts me in mind of Bowie's Space Oddity. Or is it from that response song by…?

Distracted… thinking of Molly Ringwald. For some reason.
I think, if you weren't there at the time, you might not get it.
BTW, I'm not fond of the edit in this version. It doesn't seem to be RP to me.
 adib wrote:
Frickin' awful 
 
Well... you might like it better if we... never mind.
 capooti wrote:
thought is PJ Harvey
 
Thought it was L7
Make it stop!

Never mind.  I made it stop.
Wore the grooves out of Romeo Void's albums.   Deborah Iyall has an incredibly rich voice and range.  I read that producers thought that her weight precluded a marketable contract and tour, but felt that type of thinking was unfair, mistaken and sad.  She should have a room full of Grammys, in my humble opinion. 
Wow, This is a HOT song! 
I remember this band!

A nice post punk band and the lead singer has nice snotty sounding voice.  
 Sam_Hill wrote:
Been a long time since I heard it, but I recognised it immediately.

And it's the "fuck" version.
 
Nope.  It's the "kcuf" version.
wow! Ive never heard this here before. What a flashback!
Been a long time since I heard it, but I recognised it immediately.

And it's the "fuck" version.
 Cruzan wrote:
Love Romeo Void! saw them live in the early 80's The other album is actually better. Check out "girl in trouble", "Billy's birthday", and "going to neon". Going to neon has the sexiest sax playing in it that I have ever heard. Very few notes but sooo damn dramatic.
 I saw them a couple of times back then, and they rocked for sure. Totally agree about the other album.

Awesome flashback moment!!
This is a remix - longer version. The orig is more to the point.  
Frickin' awful 
WHFS flashback to Fridays with Weasel on the boards. This was a trailblazer in the day. Thanks, RP
Love their 80s 'at the gym' photo there on wiki!
Thanks for the flashback. Played this a lot when on KQAK in San Fransciso in the early 80's. They were quite the local band! Thanks Bill and Rebecca. Belle
Ruined a good morning {#Grumpy}
OMG! Also hadn't heard this since circa 1983. Don't remember it sounding so great as this version/recording though. Gonna make it Song Du Jour. Thanks, Mr. B/Ms. R! 
1983.
Changed the station (KJET in Seattle) when this played.
Now it's PSD !
Garbage.

{#Crown}
Hands down my favorite band in the 80's. I always felt their talent was mostly overlooked. Killed it live, too. 
Queens of the stone age cover this...
thought is PJ Harvey
OMG...haven't hear this in...forever.  Thanks Bill.
Haven't heard this in many years - thanks for the reminder of general excellence and the inclusion of some of the lesser-known New Wave acts.
 MJMJ wrote:
I once was singing this to myself (1985?) when a girl I was hot for (and she knew it) walked in the room, blushed crimson and said "I'm sure that's true."
 

What did you do in reply?
I remember when this song came out and had a lot of air play. That punk-ish new wave tune sure made a lot of people horny.
Love Romeo Void! saw them live in the early 80's The other album is actually better. Check out "girl in trouble", "Billy's birthday", and "going to neon". Going to neon has the sexiest sax playing in it that I have ever heard. Very few notes but sooo damn dramatic.
The singer's a fattie but she delivers on this excellent 80s tune.
nice
Infectiously annoying
Where did you dig this up? I won tickets to see them in Denver in 1985....very strange concert. The lead singer is, um, well, very round......
I hate it. Really unpleasant.
DaWiz wrote:
How'd that go for ya?
Yeah...how'd it go?
nice period nugget...
Very clever putting this back to back with Cold War Kids, Bill. I like them both. "A couple walks by, as ugly as sin, but he's got her and she's got him." Loved Deborah's sense of humor in her songs.
awful. just awful IMHO
Awesome
MJMJ wrote:
I once was singing this to myself (1985?) when a girl I was hot for (and she knew it) walked in the room, blushed crimson and said "I'm sure that's true."
How'd that go for ya?
Bill - the compression on your microphone synth is making you sound like you're in a garbage can. Just in case you're browsing comments.
algrif wrote:
This is just G A R B A G E
Actually Garbage has a song with lyrics like this called Sleep Together: Chorus: If we sleep together Will you like me better If we come together We'll go down forever If we sleep together Will I like you better If we come together Prove it now or never
I once was singing this to myself (1985?) when a girl I was hot for (and she knew it) walked in the room, blushed crimson and said "I'm sure that's true."
Holy crap! I haven't heard this in forever!
wow, scary lyrics
Thanks for this Bill. More Romeo songs would not be amiss! Please!
ekalvi wrote:
I might like this song better, if it was played again never.
I'm with you. My boss walked in while this song was playing and made a "?" face at me... and all I wanted to do was agree.
I might like this song better, if it was played again never.
What was that other late 70s/early 80s SF band that was pretty good...started with a 'T'...hmm... Got it: Translator.....sure I'll forget it another few days....
Ironic --- from an album called "Warm in Your Coat", the iciest, coldest lyrics I've ever heard.
i love the lyrics. imagine saying that to someone!
betsy wrote:
The lyrics - ALL of the lyrics - are what made it so compelling. "I might like you better..." is not an original thought or statement, but "Never say never" in conjunction with the rude, the ugly, the terrifying and the unglamorous is not something we hear too much in this fake hollywoodie world where everyone is supposed to fall in love and get a bunch of flowers. If the world is your oyster, you've got to be prepared for what you find in there before you decide to cut it open. It may be rotten, after all, and then what do you do? Correct, you pull up your college girl panties and face it.
I agree with in general that it's good for radio to play the shocking and unglamorous because it reflects the unpleasantness that life often throws at us. Who wants saccharine safe pop all the time? But this song isn't very good. It has some great lines and a driving beat, but that line "I might like you better if we slept together" is beaten to death. The song repeats itself a lot in other places. It's like the someone wrote 1/3 of a song and the producer figured a way to pad it into SIX minutes. Gag. Half that time would have been sufficient. I got so tired of this song when it came out that I'd immediately change the station as soon as it started. Hearing it for the first time in at least 10 years did not bring back fond or compelling memories.
This is way too vigorous.
Love it!!! Huge flashbacks to college days, dancing in clubs until all hours of the night. Can't do that any more, but it sure was fun! /now get off my lawn!
Too long...Lets VOID this tune
i'm convinced that this song would have been a hit if the singer was hot... the then new mtv kept THAT from happening.
THE most underrated band of the 80's. The sax on their records is phenomenal. They've finally released vinyl to CD if you're interested.
I'm back at the Cosmic Aeroplane in Salt Lake City, it's 1982 and I have a mohawk. Life was much simpler...
NEVER AGAIN - PLEEEEAASE
Classic.
This song blew me away when I was 11, and it blows me away now!
Time to switch off. Byeeeeeee
I might like this song better if I slept with her, but as it stands now, this song sucks.
OOOOps! Just saw it was played just before this piece!!! Nevermind!
Now I really wanna hear Iggy's Lust for Life!!!!
I might.....
Love her sassy attitude. So rockin'.
skindy wrote:
First reaction: Yes! I'm right there with ya, girlfriend. Second reaction: Hmm, read the following from AMG and now I'm re-thinking my knee-jerk "anthem of sexual liberation" stance of all these years: " 'I might like you better if we slept together' ... the unforgettable chorus of their best-known song, 1981's 'Never Say Never' ... the phrase on its own makes the song sound like some kind of shock-value novelty, and indeed, that's probably how many people remember it. Yet a careful listen to the verses, with their intimations of incest, murder, homelessness, and other dark subjects, makes plain that singer/lyricist Debora Iyall has more on her mind than simple salaciousness." YIKES!
The lyrics - ALL of the lyrics - are what made it so compelling. "I might like you better..." is not an original thought or statement, but "Never say never" in conjunction with the rude, the ugly, the terrifying and the unglamorous is not something we hear too much in this fake hollywoodie world where everyone is supposed to fall in love and get a bunch of flowers. If the world is your oyster, you've got to be prepared for what you find in there before you decide to cut it open. It may be rotten, after all, and then what do you do? Correct, you pull up your college girl panties and face it.
Aardvark wrote:
I hadn't heard this song in a long time (although I always thought it was cute), and what struck me the most after hearing it again is how much the guitar sounds just like Joy Division.
I agree, and always wondered why no one ever says "Joy Division sounds like these guys..." :P
Wow. I never even knew this was in the RP library. WOO HOO!!!!
veegez wrote:
You know what? Uh, I'm willing to put a small wager down that he still doesn't care. Oh. No. I. Dih. In't. ;)
Damn. I keep missing this one.
BruceN wrote:
What to play next... Glad that's not my responsibility!
way to go RP! Tracy B, I was born without you. nice.
Just a fun song from a fun time....for me anyway.
OK, a 2, because I'm in a generous mood today.
iMacomania wrote:
sounds like Elastica
Given the time span between Romeo Void and Elastica, I'd say the more accurate statement would be that Elastica sounds like these guys...
BruceN wrote:
What to play next... Glad that's not my responsibility!
ploafmaster wrote:
Wow, what a sore comment you have there... Was I talking to anyone individually? I believe I was doing EXACTLY what these boards are for - sharing my opinion of what I heard. I don't expect you to care. That would be extremely presumptious.
You know what? Uh, I'm willing to put a small wager down that he still doesn't care. Oh. No. I. Dih. In't. ;)
TobalMoreno wrote:
but for the lyrics, this song is seriously weak.
Probably true for a lot of songs. Which begs the question, what is a catchbasin?
::hurkBLARGH::
"I might like you better if we slept together" I like that line. Reminds me about how a female coworker recently told me to sleep with a chick I was starting to date, and that if I did, I'd probably like her better... wtf? In other news, this song would have been fine if it were about 2:30 long.
Nice flashback.
sounds like Elastica
skindy wrote:
You know what? I don't care.
Wow, what a sore comment you have there... Was I talking to anyone individually? I believe I was doing EXACTLY what these boards are for - sharing my opinion of what I heard. I don't expect you to care. That would be extremely presumptious.
ploafmaster wrote:
You know what? I just lowered this from a 4 to a 1. This really sucks.
You know what? I don't care. betsy wrote:
Major Thumbs Up. Amazingly empowering to a college girl circa 1984.
First reaction: Yes! I'm right there with ya, girlfriend. Second reaction: Hmm, read the following from AMG and now I'm re-thinking my knee-jerk "anthem of sexual liberation" stance of all these years: " 'I might like you better if we slept together' ... the unforgettable chorus of their best-known song, 1981's 'Never Say Never' ... the phrase on its own makes the song sound like some kind of shock-value novelty, and indeed, that's probably how many people remember it. Yet a careful listen to the verses, with their intimations of incest, murder, homelessness, and other dark subjects, makes plain that singer/lyricist Debora Iyall has more on her mind than simple salaciousness." YIKES!
Dammit, I missed it. Love this song!
Major Thumbs Up. Amazingly empowering to a college girl circa 1984.
Wow. The loooooong version; never heard it before.
Is this on the Repo Man Soundtrack?
What to play next... Glad that's not my responsibility!
macasaurus wrote:
Saw them at the long defunct Wax Museum venue in DC many years ago; they worked themselves and the audience into a sweaty frenzy (my one experience slam dancing). Awesome sax playing put them in a league of their own...great memories!
I was probably there as well.
You know what? I just lowered this from a 4 to a 1. This really sucks.
Yay crappy 80s classic. No, it ain't Beethoven, but it's catchy, and not at all sleepy. Makes me wanna do illicit stuff in bathroom stalls. 8.
My day has been made! I haven't heard this in so long! Thank you, thank you, thank you! Now is the part on RP when I dance....
dancin' feet
Still a catchy tune.. too bad about the visuals... I prefer to conjure up my own.
I still fail to understand what this rubbish is doing on RP. I thought it was a music station. This is not music. Not poetry. Not...not anything really. Just plain noisy rubbish.
Saw them at the long defunct Wax Museum venue in DC many years ago; they worked themselves and the audience into a sweaty frenzy (my one experience slam dancing). Awesome sax playing put them in a league of their own...great memories!
deanofox wrote:
... and believe me I really wouldnt like her better after sleeping with her.
Debora Iyall

Yes, but she might like you better.



I hadn't heard this song in a long time (although I always thought it was cute), and what struck me the most after hearing it again is how much the guitar sounds just like Joy Division.
I think the operative word here is the second one...void. Irritating dreck.
Hurray For New Wave! Refreshing, beats Jethro Tull!