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"What I Like About You"
Single by the Romantics
from the album The Romantics
B-side	"First in Line"
Released	December 1979
Recorded	September 1979
Studio	Coconuts Recording (Miami Beach)
Genre	Power pop new wave
Length	2:55 2:49 (music video)
Label	Nemperor Epic
Songwriter(s)	Wally Palmar Mike Skill Jimmy Marinos
Producer(s)	Pete Solley
The Romantics singles chronology
"Tell It to Carrie" (1978) "What I Like About You" (1979) "When I Look in Your Eyes" (1980)

"What I Like About You" is a song by American rock band the Romantics, released in December 1979 as the lead single from their 1980 self-titled debut album. The song was written by band members Wally Palmar, Mike Skill and Jimmy Marinos. Marinos, the band's drummer, is the lead vocalist on the song. The band filmed a music video for the song that appeared frequently on MTV during the early 1980s.

Covers of the song include versions by Michael Morales in 1989, by Lillix in 2003 on the Freaky Friday soundtrack as well as in The WB comedy series What I Like About You, and by 5 Seconds of Summer for their 2014 self-titled debut album.

Writing and original version

"What I Like About You" was written by Palmar, Marinos and Skill around a guitar part by Skill. The song's "Hey, uh-huh-huh" refrain was influenced by the Yardbirds' "Over Under Sideways Down" and Chuck Berry's "Back in the U.S.A." The song's riff is slightly similar to "It's a Cry'n Shame" by the Gentlemen, Neil Diamond's "Cherry, Cherry", the Standells' 1966 hit "Sometimes Good Guys Don't Wear White", and Joe Jackson's 1979 single "I'm the Man". The Romantics recorded the song and the accompanying album at Coconuts Recording Studio in Miami Beach, Florida.

When first released, "What I Like About You" was already a popular song on the Romantics' concert playlist. However, in terms of record sales and radio airplay, the song was only a moderate success at the time of its release, reaching number 49 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song was most successful in Australia, where it reached number two on the Australian Singles Chart (Kent Music Report) for two weeks and became the 13th most successful single for 1980. It was only towards the end of the 1980s, after the song had been licensed for use in television commercials for Budweiser beer, that "What I Like About You" grew to become one of the most popular rock anthems of all time. The video that was played on MTV was shot at the University of Michigan Dearborn's recreational center.

Guitar Hero legal case

In November 2007, the Romantics filed a federal lawsuit against Activision, the publisher of Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s, claiming that the video game manufacturer had infringed on the band's rights by featuring a soundalike recording of "What I Like About You" in the game. The Romantics lost their case in December 2007, with the judge stating that Activision had taken all the necessary steps in developing its product.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications and sales

Cover versions

Michael Morales version

Michael Morales released a version of "What I Like About You" in 1989, as the follow-up to his hit "Who Do You Give Your Love To". His version reached number 28 on the Billboard Hot 100, eclipsing the position of the original version.

Poison version

"What I Like About You" was covered by American rock band Poison as the lead single from their cover album Poison'd! (2007). The band released a music video for the single.

5 Seconds of Summer version

The song was covered by Australian pop rock band 5 Seconds of Summer for their 2014 She Looks So Perfect EP, reaching number 137 on the UK Singles Chart. The studio mix of the song is included on the group's 2014 live album LiveSOS, and was serviced to American mainstream radio on December 2, 2014, as its lead single. It received strong airplay for the week ending December 28, 2014 and debuted on the Billboard Pop Songs chart, where it has since peaked at number 30.

The band performed the song live at the 2014 American Music Awards on November 23, 2014, ahead of its release. They also performed the song live on Good Morning America on August 21, 2015, in promotion of their new single She's Kinda Hot.

Music video

A lyric video for the live version was uploaded to 5 Seconds of Summer's Vevo account November 23, 2014, the same day as their AMA performance. The official music video was directed by Tom van Schelven and premiered on December 5, 2014. It uses the live audio rather than the studio mix and features concert footage from the group's performance at The Forum near Los Angeles, as well behind-the-scenes clips and shots of the audience.

Charts

References

1. Prato, Greg. "The Romantics – Artist Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved May 22, 2014.
2. Sendra, Tim. "Rockin' 80's [Sony] - Various Artists | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
3. Kiss, Tony (August 16, 2016). "The Romantics keep 80s sound alive". Asheville Citizen-Times. Retrieved December 30, 2016.
4. Eskow, Gary (December 1, 2006). "Classic Tracks: The Romantics' 'What I Like About You'". MixOnline.com. Retrieved November 20, 2010.
5. "Forum – ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts – Top 100 Singles 1980". Australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved July 30, 2019.
6. "80's Band The Romantics Sue 'Guitar Hero,' Claim Infringement". Associated Press via FoxNews.com. November 22, 2007. Retrieved April 30, 2010.
7. Kuchera, Ben (December 21, 2007). "The Romantics lose suit over Guitar Hero song". Ars Technica. Retrieved November 19, 2010.
8. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 257. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
9. "The Romantics Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 10 March 2015.
10. "Cash Box Top 100 3/29/80". cashboxmagazine.com. Retrieved May 7, 2016.
11. "Chart Search". Billboard Rock Digital Songs for the Romantics. Retrieved March 10, 2015.
12. "National Top 100 Singles for 1980". Kent Music Report. January 5, 1981. Retrieved January 17, 2022 – via Imgur.
13. "International Certifications" (PDF). Cash Box. October 25, 1980. p. 43. Retrieved December 3, 2021 – via World Radio History.
14. Whitson, Joel (2000). Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles: 1955–99. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research. p. 868. ISBN 0-89820-139-X.
15. ^ "Top 40/M Future Releases". All Access Media Group. Archived from the original on November 30, 2014. Retrieved November 30, 2014.
16. Cantor, Brian (December 29, 2014). "5 Seconds of Summer's "What I Like About You" is One of Pop's 40 Most-Played". Headline Planet. Cantortainment Inc. Retrieved January 28, 2015.
17. ^ "5 Seconds of Summer Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard.
18. Strecker, Erin (November 23, 2014). "5 Seconds of Summer Rock Out During 'What I Like About You' at the 2014 AMAs: Watch". Billboard. Retrieved January 28, 2015.
19. "WATCH: 5 Seconds Of Summer Perform Their HUGE New Song 'She's Kinda Hot' On GMA". Capital. Retrieved December 4, 2022.
20. 5SOSVEVO (November 23, 2014). "5 Seconds Of Summer - What I Like About You (Lyric Video)". YouTube. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved January 28, 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
21. 5SOSVEVO (December 5, 2014). "5 Seconds Of Summer - What I Like About You: Live At The Forum". YouTube. Retrieved January 28, 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
22. Scott, Jason (December 5, 2014). "5 Seconds Of Summer Drop Live 'What I Like About You' Video—Watch Now!". Pop Dust. Retrieved January 28, 2015.
23. "5 Seconds Of Summer – What I Like About You" (in Dutch). Ultratip.
24. "CHART: CLUK Update 5.04.2014 (wk13)". Zobbel.de/. Official Charts Company.

External links

• Song review, includes an introduction on the Romantics
• Documentary on the Guitar Hero legal dispute

• 1979 songs
• 1979 singles
• 2007 singles
• 2014 singles
• The Romantics songs
• Lillix songs
• Poison (American band) songs
• 5 Seconds of Summer songs
• Epic Records singles
• Capitol Records singles
• Song recordings produced by John Feldmann