What I Like About You (song)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"What I Like About You" is the title of a well-known power pop song by the American rock 'n roll band The Romantics. The song, written by Romantics members Wally Palmar, Mike Skill, Rich Cole, and Jimmy Marinos, is featured on the band's self-titled 1980 debut album, and was also released as a single. 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.
When first released, "What I Like About You" was already a popular song on the Romantics' concert playlist. In terms of record sales and radio airplay, however, the song was only a moderate success at the time of its release, reaching only Number 48 on the Billboard charts. 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.
"What I Like About You" has become a staple of modern rock, appearing on numerous compilation albums of 1980s pop and rock music hits and heard in frequent rotation on modern rock and classic rock radio. The song is also often played at sporting events, parties, and at bars and clubs. In addition to Budweiser, the song has also been heard promoting products, services, and institutions including the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team, Barbie toy dolls, and T.G.I. Friday's restaurants. The song is also featured in commercials for Hampton Inn and Esurance.
The song was also included in the 2004 animated film Shrek 2. In 2003, the alternative rock band Lillix recorded a cover version of "What I Like About You", which was featured on the soundtrack of the Disney teen comedy film Freaky Friday. Lillix's recording of the song is also the theme tune for WB Network's television series of the same name. A cover of the Romantics' original is featured as a playable track in the video game Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s, although The Romantics are currently sueing Activision for their cover of the song. Channel Ten Australia and Southern Cross Ten used the song to advertise their television channel in 2005-2006. They used three different versions of the song, all performed by Green Dragon. The first was from February - December 2005 was "What I Like About You (Rock Mix). The second, used from December 2005 - February 2006 was "What I Like About You (Dance Mix). The third, used from February - December 2006 was "What I Like About You (R&B) Mix, and this song was again used from December 2006-February 2007 in Ten's summer promos. In 2007 american rock band Poison released "What I Like About You" as their first single from the covers album Poison'd! The song has also been used in promos to promote The Simpsons Movie.
In November 2007, The Romantics filed a federal lawsuit against Activision Inc., the maker of Guitar Hero, saying that the popular video game infringes on the band's rights by featuring a soundalike recording of "What I Like About You."[1]
