POPULARITY
Hear this story based on real events at J.C. Penney. A discussion with contributor Jill Avery and editor Andy O'Connell follows.
Steve Cooper talks with musician Clive Farrington. Clive is the vocalist who founded the popular 80' band When in Rome. Michael Floreale and Andy O'Connell were recruited by him to replace departed members of his Manchester-based group Beau Leisure. Floreale and him began to write songs together. Later, Farrington and Floreale saw Andrew Mann, a beat poet, and had him join their performances. The group was signed by Virgin UK and when their song The Promise became popular, hitting the top of Billboard's Dance Club Play chart, Virgin ordered an album. A remixed version of The Promise was the first single from their self-titled debut album. It was an instant success, barely missing the Top Ten in the United States, peaking at No. 11. After the band broke up The Promise was heard in the movie Napoleon Dynamite and found a brand new audience. Clive recently moved to the US and is playing with his version of When in Rome and also collaborating with other artists.
Andy O'Connell and Scott Berinato, editors of the Idea Watch section of HBR and The Daily Stat.
Scott Berinato and Andy O'Connell, editors of the Idea Watch section of Harvard Business Review.