I Like It Like That (Pete Rodriguez song)

"I Like It Like That"
Original version by Pete Rodriguez
Song by Pete Rodriguez from the album I Like It Like That (A Mi Me Gusta Asi)
Released	1967
Recorded	1967
Genre	Boogaloo
Length	4:26
Label	Alegre
Writer	Tony Pabon, Manny Rodriguez
Producer	Pancho Cristal
I Like It Like That (A Mi Me Gusta Asi) track listing
"I Like It Like That" (1) "El Hueso" (2)

"I Like It Like That" is a song written by Tony Pabon and Manny Rodriguez. It was initially a hit for boogaloo musician Pete Rodriguez in 1967, and was one of the most influential boogaloo songs of the era.^[1][2] Rodriguez released an album in 1967 with the same title.

Background

Tony Pabon and Manny Rodriguez originally wrote "I Like It Like That" in 1967. The recording was Engineered by Fred Weinberg at National Recording Studios in New York City, and Produced by Roulette records producer Pancho Cristal ( Real name -Morrie Pelsman ) For Roulette Records. Part of the recording used many of the musician's kids chanting "Ahh Bibi!" which seemed to add to the excitement of the song. At the request of Pancho Cristal, Weinberg delivered a copy to Roulette Records' owner, Morris Levy According to Weinberg, "Levy wanted the kids that were singing on the song removed as they sounded out of tune" , however, by that time a copy of the song was also delivered to a Disk Jockey named "Symphony Sid" at WEVD a New York Radio Station.Symphony Sid's Show had a huge diverse audience .The record had hit the airwaves at WEVD and requests by listeners poured in. At the suggestion of Weinberg, Morris Levy left the kids singing in the recording, which was a huge crossover hit reaching number 25 on the Billboard Hot 100 Charts.

The Blackout All-Stars version

"I Like It"
Single by The Blackout All-Stars
from the album I Like It Like That, Volume I
Released	October, 1994
Format	12", CD single, cassette single
Recorded	1994
Genre	Latin, pop
Length	3:49 (Album version)
Label	Columbia
Writer(s)	Tony Pabon, Manny Rodriguez
Producer(s)	Sergio George

The song was famously covered by Latin supergroup The Blackout All-Stars, under the title "I Like It", from volume 1 of the soundtrack to the 1994 film I Like It Like That.

The song was the group's only recording, as well as their only release to chart, peaking at #25 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the United States.^[3]

Background

The Blackout All-Stars was a one-off musical supergroup, consisting of various Latin music artists: Ray Barretto, Sheila E., Tito Puente, Tito Nieves, Paquito D'Rivera, Dave Valentin and Grover Washington, Jr. The group was originally formed in 1994 to record the song "I Like It", the title song for the film I Like It Like That. Lead vocals were done by Nieves, while the rest of the group provided instrumentals or background vocals to the song. The song was later placed in volume 1 of the soundtrack to the film, and released as a single to promote the soundtrack. 12" and CD maxi singles were released, but the song failed to gain any popularity.

Resurgence in popularity

In 1996, roughly two years after the song's original release, Burger King used the song in a commercial promoting their "Have it your way" slogan. Following its inclusion in these commercials, a remixed version of the song started to pick up radio airplay.^[4] The song then started to climb the U.S. Billboard charts, peaking at #25 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song's accompanying music video started to gain rotation on music video networks such as MTV and VH1. CD singles were also released. In 1997, Tito Nieves, the lead singer of the song, re-recorded the song on his album, I Like It Like That.

Aftermath of the group

The Blackout All-Stars remained one-off, despite the song's renewed popularity. Grover Washington, Jr. died on December 17, 1999 of a heart attack. Tito Puente died of heart failure on May 31, 2000, as did Ray Barretto on February 17, 2006.

Critical reception

Jeremy Helligar of Entertainment Weekly gave the song a B, saying it was a "swinging number" and that "only a hopeless couch potato could possibly not like it."^[5]

Formats and track listings

Charts

Year-end charts

References