A grown man’s plea set to mid-’80s shimmer—David Cassidy’s “Romance (Let Your Heart Go)” asks weary hearts to open again, and means it.
First, the anchors. Released in May 1985 on Arista (catalog ARIST620), “Romance (Let Your Heart Go)” was the second single from Romance, Cassidy’s comeback studio album with producer Alan Tarney. In the UK, the single entered the Top 100 on May 11, 1985 and peaked at No. 54 on June 8, 1985, staying seven weeks on the chart; in Germany it reached No. 41 and logged seven weeks. The parent album Romance climbed to No. 20 on the Official Albums Chart the following week (June 15, 1985). Vocals by the Polish singer Basia thread through the record—a sleek counter-melody that softens the edges.
The story behind the song is the story of a reinvention. Cassidy had spent almost a decade away from the UK hit parade; then came the Top 10 re-entry with “The Last Kiss” (featuring George Michael on harmonies), which set the stage for Romance—an album tracked in London and shaped by Alan Tarney, the writer-producer famed for sleek, melodic pop. The single “Romance (Let Your Heart Go)” carried that Tarney fingerprint: glassy keyboards, an easy, gliding pulse, and a chorus you can hum before the second verse arrives. Cassidy co-wrote it with Tarney; Basia’s voice (credited on releases) slips in like a confidant, repeating the invitation in the title.
What it felt like in 1985 is what makes the record endure now. Cassidy doesn’t chase youth; he steadies it. The lyric—“let your heart go”—isn’t the swagger of a teen idol; it’s the modest courage of a man who’s lived with caution and wants to lay it down. You hear that in the way he leans into vowels, in the breath at the end of a line, in the patient lift of the chorus. Tarney’s arrangement leaves space: the rhythm section cruises rather than shouts; synth lines glow instead of glitter. For many listeners who first met Cassidy in the early ’70s, this is the moment he turns the page gracefully—same soul, new light.
Release notes & formats add texture to the moment. The UK 7-inch paired “Romance (Let Your Heart Go)” with an instrumental B-side, while 12-inch editions offered an extended “Love Mix”; picture-disc variations and export versions rolled out across Europe, Australia and New Zealand as the single worked continental radio and clubs. These were the last great years of the bespoke single—sleeves that posed promises, mixes that stretched the dancefloor by a minute or two—fitting for a song that’s literally about letting go.
Why the charts matter—and why they don’t. The numbers tell a modest tale: UK No. 54, Germany No. 41—respectable, not headline-grabbing. But look at the larger arc. Romance itself was a proper UK album success at No. 20, made in London with a writer-producer who would steer other mid-’80s landmarks, and sung by an artist easing back into adult pop with a tone of tenderness rather than flash. Heard next to “The Last Kiss” (UK No. 6 earlier that spring), “Romance (Let Your Heart Go)” plays like the companion piece that deepens the thesis: the thrill of return, and the wisdom not to break what the years have mended.
Meaning, then—and memory. For older ears, the song lands as an invitation to remove the armor. It knows how life teaches you to tighten the heart, how responsibilities and disappointments calcify into habit. Cassidy sings into that hush with gentleness, not demand. The title phrase is more benediction than instruction: try again; risk a little softness; the world may be kinder than you remember. Basia’s answering lines make it a dialogue, not a sermon—two voices, two lives, both electing hope. If you play it now, you can feel the small bravery in it: the same bravery that carried so many of us through 1985, when synths were bright, the future uncertain, and the radio sometimes felt like a hand at the small of your back.
Key facts at a glance
• Song: “Romance (Let Your Heart Go)” (David Cassidy / Alan Tarney); vocals by Basia.
• Album: Romance (Arista, recorded 1985, RG Jones Studios, London), produced by Alan Tarney; UK Albums peak No. 20 (June 15, 1985).
• UK single: first charted May 11, 1985; peak No. 54 (June 8, 1985); 7 weeks on chart; label Arista, cat. ARIST620.
• Germany: peak No. 41, 7 weeks.
• Formats: 7″ with instrumental B-side; 12″ “Love Mix” and picture-disc issues in several markets.
In the end, “Romance (Let Your Heart Go)” isn’t just a title—it’s a posture. The track stands as proof that David Cassidy could step out of the poster-frame and into your grown-up living room, asking for nothing more than a little room to breathe—and offering, in return, a song that still opens windows.