Al Corley – “Square Rooms”:
Model Moves, Cold Synths, and Euro-Pop Cool
Released in September 1984 as the lead single from his debut album Square Rooms, Al Corley’s “Square Rooms” marked a cinematic pivot from American primetime to European clubland. Known at the time as Steven Carrington from Dynasty, Corley traded drama scripts for synth lines — and unexpectedly landed a massive Euro-pop hit.
What could’ve been a vanity side project turned out to be a chilly, emotionally distant, and oddly magnetic slice of 1980s synth-pop.
From Actor to Icon in Shades of Chrome
While Corley had no formal musical background, he had the looks and the presence — and teamed up with Harold Faltermeyer, the German keyboard mastermind behind Axel F and the Top Gun theme. Faltermeyer wrote and produced “Square Rooms,” crafting a glassy, minimal soundscape that suited Corley’s deep, disaffected vocals. The track wasn’t about virtuosity — it was about vibe. Cool, detached, and just a bit wounded.
Lyrics of Disconnection and Monotone Despair
Beneath the infectious synth riffs and robotic rhythm lies lyrical bleakness. “Square Rooms” paints a portrait of someone hemmed in by emotional walls. Lines like: “Square rooms / They don’t listen, they don’t care / If a man is in despair” reflect a psychological coldness at odds with the song’s danceable structure. Corley’s understated, almost monotone delivery enhances the sense of alienation — it’s synth-pop that stares out the window instead of into your soul.
A Music Video Cut from the Euro Runway
The video for “Square Rooms” was a moody, fashion-forward showcase — shot in minimal light and urban textures, with Corley staring into middle distance, framed by sleek geometry and stark design. It had no plot, no excess, just style — tailor-made for European music television and late-night club projection walls. It helped cement Corley as an icon of icy allure, if only briefly.
Chart Performance: A European Smash, U.S. Curiosity
“Square Rooms” became a runaway hit in France, holding the No. 1 spot for five nonconsecutive weeks in early 1985. It also cracked the Top 10 in Switzerland (No. 6) and charted impressively in Austria (No. 15), Germany (No. 13), and Italy (No. 16). In the U.S., the single had modest success — peaking at No. 80 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 26 on the Dance Club Songs chart.
Despite his American origins, Corley became a cult favorite mostly outside the U.S., riding the wave of Continental synth-pop and fashion-forward sensibility.
Frozen in Time, Perfectly Preserved
Al Corley never replicated the success of “Square Rooms,” but its impact lives on in retro playlists, nightclub deep cuts, and 1980s moodboards. It stands alongside records by Visage and early Ultravox — synth-pop less concerned with emotion and more with aesthetic. A song not about opening up, but about sounding cool while shutting down.
In a decade obsessed with flash and feeling, “Square Rooms” remains a chrome-drenched freeze frame — an anthem for anyone who’s ever danced with distance.