I Like It (DeBarge song)
Encyclopedia
"I Like It" is a late 1982 hit single composed by Randy
, Bunny
and El DeBarge
and released as a single by the family singing quintet, DeBarge
, for Motown
's Gordy imprint. It was the second single from their second studio album All This Love
.
, which included the group's eldest brothers Bobby
and Tommy, and for whom had now left the group after scoring hit singles such as "I Call Your Name" and "There'll Never Be". The younger brothers and sister Bunny were influenced by Bobby vocally, especially El DeBarge.
After releasing their first album, which was handled by outside writers and producers including Jermaine Jackson
, DeBarge members started to write their own songs. El, Bunny and Randy then co-wrote the song, which they recorded for their follow-up album, All This Love
. Released in late 1982, the song featured Randy singing the lead verses with El singing the bridge and the final chorus ending the song in his trademark falsetto.
" (led by El) peaked at number forty-six on the Billboard R&B chart, "I Like It" was the group's first big hit reaching number 31 on the Billboard Hot 100
and peaking at number 2 on the Billboard Hot R&B singles chart
. Very popular immediately with their R&B fan base, the song would be an influential and covered single as several R&B groups covered El's verse, "I like the way you comb your hair/and I like the stylish clothes you wear/it's just the little things you do/that show how much you really care", and also interpolated the group's harmony chant created during El's repeat of the bridge. "I Like It" in turn also became one of the most sampled songs in R&B and today is regarded as a classic song. R&B trio Jomanda
covered the song on their second album Nubia Soul (1993). Nelly
's "My Place
" featuring Jaheim
sampled the song on Suit
. The song was also sampled for Warren G
's hit song, "I Want It All", as well as "I like it (I wanna be where you are)" on Grand Puba
's album "2000" and "Make It Hot" on LL Cool J's 1995 album "Mr. Smith". El's brother, Chico DeBarge
has been covered at the 2009 Soul Train Awards.
Randy DeBarge
William Randall "Randy" DeBarge is an American R&B/soul singer and bass guitarist, best known for being one of the original members of the popular Motown singing family group DeBarge...
, Bunny
Bunny Debarge
Etterlene "Bunny" DeBarge is an American soul singer-songwriter, best known as the lone female sibling of the Motown family group DeBarge...
and El DeBarge
El DeBarge
Eldra Patrick "El" DeBarge is an American R&B/pop falsetto singer and was the focal point and lead singer of the family group DeBarge throughout the early to mid-1980s....
and released as a single by the family singing quintet, DeBarge
DeBarge
DeBarge was a sibling music group of American origin whose repertoire included R&B, soul, funk, and later gospel. Active as a professional recording group from 1979 and 1989, the group was one of the few recording acts to bring success to the Motown label during the 1980s.-Background:Hailing from...
, for Motown
Motown Records
Motown is a record label originally founded by Berry Gordy, Jr. and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation in Detroit, Michigan, United States, on April 14, 1960. The name, a portmanteau of motor and town, is also a nickname for Detroit...
's Gordy imprint. It was the second single from their second studio album All This Love
All This Love (album)
All This Love is the second studio album released by family singing group DeBarge on the Gordy records. The album was released on July of 1982.-Reception:...
.
History
By 1982, DeBarge was struggling to find a hit. Brought on as the splinter group of a fellow Motown group, SwitchSwitch (band)
Switch was an R&B/funk band that found fame recording for the Gordy label in the late 1970s releasing hit songs such as "There'll Never Be", "I Call Your Name" and "The Best Beat in Town" and influenced bands such as DeBarge, which featured members Bobby and Tommy's siblings.-Early years:Formed in...
, which included the group's eldest brothers Bobby
Bobby DeBarge
Robert Louis "Bobby" DeBarge Jr. was an American musician and the lead singer of the 1970s Motown R&B group Switch. He was also the mentor behind his younger siblings who formed the musical group DeBarge and was the biggest influence among its members, most prominently El DeBarge...
and Tommy, and for whom had now left the group after scoring hit singles such as "I Call Your Name" and "There'll Never Be". The younger brothers and sister Bunny were influenced by Bobby vocally, especially El DeBarge.
After releasing their first album, which was handled by outside writers and producers including Jermaine Jackson
Jermaine Jackson
Jermaine La Jaune Jackson is an American singer, bassist, composer, a member of The Jackson 5, older brother of American pop stars Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson and occasional film director...
, DeBarge members started to write their own songs. El, Bunny and Randy then co-wrote the song, which they recorded for their follow-up album, All This Love
All This Love (album)
All This Love is the second studio album released by family singing group DeBarge on the Gordy records. The album was released on July of 1982.-Reception:...
. Released in late 1982, the song featured Randy singing the lead verses with El singing the bridge and the final chorus ending the song in his trademark falsetto.
Reception
Released as the second single from All This Love - their first single, the dance single "Stop! Don't Tease MeStop! Don't Tease Me
"Stop! Don't Tease Me" was a single recorded by DeBarge on the Gordy Records label. This song was recorded and released as the first single off their second album, All This Love....
" (led by El) peaked at number forty-six on the Billboard R&B chart, "I Like It" was the group's first big hit reaching number 31 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
and peaking at number 2 on the Billboard Hot R&B singles chart
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...
. Very popular immediately with their R&B fan base, the song would be an influential and covered single as several R&B groups covered El's verse, "I like the way you comb your hair/and I like the stylish clothes you wear/it's just the little things you do/that show how much you really care", and also interpolated the group's harmony chant created during El's repeat of the bridge. "I Like It" in turn also became one of the most sampled songs in R&B and today is regarded as a classic song. R&B trio Jomanda
Jomanda (group)
Jomanda was an American female R&B/house vocal trio from New Jersey. Members included Joanne Thomas, Cheri Williams and Renee Washington. They had several hits on the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart during the first half of the 1990s, including "Got a Love for You," which reached #1 in 1991...
covered the song on their second album Nubia Soul (1993). Nelly
Nelly
Cornell Iral Haynes, Jr. , better known by his stage name Nelly, is an Grammy Award winning American rapper and actor. He has performed with the rap group St. Lunatics since 1993 and signed to Universal Records in 1999. Under Universal, Nelly began his solo career in 2000 with his debut album...
's "My Place
My Place
"My Place" is the first single by the rapper Nelly from his album Suit. It features Jaheim. It was released as a double A-side with "Flap Your Wings" in the UK and New Zealand. The song is about inviting a girl over to Nelly's house. It reached #4 both on the U.S...
" featuring Jaheim
Jaheim
Jaheim Hoagland is an American R&B singer and formerly a rapper performing under the mononymous name of Jaheim. He was signed by Naughty by Nature's Kaygee to Divine Mill Records in 2000, and released his debut album Ghetto Love in 2001. His second effort, Still Ghetto, was released a year later,...
sampled the song on Suit
Suit (album)
- Personnel :Credits for Suit adapted from Allmusic.*Nelly - Executive Producer, Composer*Ahm - Producer*Beat Bullies - Producer*Big Boi - Producer*Matt Brauss - Bass*Jayson "Koko" Bridges - Percussion, Drums, Keyboards, Producer, Composer...
. The song was also sampled for Warren G
Warren G
Warren G , is an American West Coast rapper and hip hop producer. He is also Dr. Dre's half-brother.His biggest hit is the song "Regulate" with Nate Dogg released in 1994...
's hit song, "I Want It All", as well as "I like it (I wanna be where you are)" on Grand Puba
Grand Puba
Maxwell Dixon is an emcee best known as a member of the group Brand Nubian.-Biography:He made his debut with the group Masters of Ceremony. Its album Dynamite was hailed by critics, but probably due to lack of sales, the group soon disbanded, and Puba emerged as the lead emcee of Brand Nubian...
's album "2000" and "Make It Hot" on LL Cool J's 1995 album "Mr. Smith". El's brother, Chico DeBarge
Chico DeBarge
Jonathan Arthur "Chico" DeBarge is an American R&B singer and a younger brother of the members of the Motown family act DeBarge...
has been covered at the 2009 Soul Train Awards.
Charts
| Chart (1982) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
31 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,... |
2 |
Personnel
- Lead vocals by Randy DeBargeRandy DeBargeWilliam Randall "Randy" DeBarge is an American R&B/soul singer and bass guitarist, best known for being one of the original members of the popular Motown singing family group DeBarge...
and El DeBargeEl DeBargeEldra Patrick "El" DeBarge is an American R&B/pop falsetto singer and was the focal point and lead singer of the family group DeBarge throughout the early to mid-1980s.... - Background vocals by DeBarge (Bunny DeBargeBunny DebargeEtterlene "Bunny" DeBarge is an American soul singer-songwriter, best known as the lone female sibling of the Motown family group DeBarge...
, El DeBarge, Randy DeBarge, Mark DeBargeMark DeBargeMark "Marty" DeBarge is an American R&B/soul singer-songwriter, trumpeter and flugelhorn player best known for his work as member of 1980s Motown singing family group DeBarge...
and James DeBargeJames DeBargeJames Curtis DeBarge is an American R&B and soul singer. He was one of the members of the singing family group DeBarge, who became stars with their 1980s songs "All This Love", "In a Special Way", "Rhythm of the Night", and "Who's Holding Donna Now?".DeBarge is also known for his 1984 marriage to...
) - Instrumentation by assorted musicians and DeBarge:
- El DeBarge: piano/keyboards
- Randy DeBarge: bass guitar
- Mark DeBarge: trumpet
- Produced by El DeBarge and Iris Gordy