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Song · The Romantics

“What I Like About You” by The Romantics

“What I Like About You” by The Romantics appears on 92 radio countdowns from 39 stations between 1980 and 2026. Its best result is #10 on the WFPK Top 100 Party Songs. In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #18 alternative song of 1980, #442 alternative song of all time and #109 of the '80s.

92countdowns
39stations
#10best position
0#1 finishes
1top 10 finishes
1980–2026years charted

Watch

5 Seconds of Summer - What I Like About You: Live At The Forum

Video from YouTube (5SOSVEVO). Pressing play loads YouTube's player. Watch on YouTube

"What I Like About You" was the lead single from the Romantics' self-titled debut album of 1980, and it arrived with Peter Solley producing and Nemperor Records putting it out. Three of the Romantics wrote it together, Wally Palmar, Mike Skill and Jimmy Marinos, and here's the curveball: the voice out front belongs to Marinos, the band's drummer.

It's a sprint of a record, all pent-up energy and a big grin, and the title tells you everything it's after. The band shot a video for it, and MTV kept it in heavy rotation through the early 1980s. Rock radio has never really let it go either: its countdown life now spans more than four decades.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.

RockLists rankings

Alternative & Modern Rock

Indie & Adult Alternative

Classic Rock

Hard Rock & Metal

All Rock Formats

Year-end countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
1980 18 KROQ Los Angeles, CA KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 1980 106
1983 35 91X San Diego, CA / Tijuana 91X Top 91 Songs of 1983 91

All-time and decade countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
– 16 WLIR / WDRE WLIR Top 200 Songs of the 1980s 200
1988 27 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1988) 496
1988 102 Live 105 Live 105 Top 500 Songs of All-Time (Memorial Day 1988) 501
1988 70 WLIR / WDRE WLIR Top 200 Songs of All-Time (1988) 200
1989 92 91X 91X Top 191 Songs of the 1980s (1989) 191
1990 54 Live 105 Live 105 Top 300 Songs of All-Time (Memorial Day 1990) 299
1991 85 Live 105 Live 105 Top 300 Songs of All-Time (Memorial Day 1991) 302
1991 269 CFNY 102.1 The Edge CFNY Top 1002 Songs of All-Time (1991 Edition) 1002
1991 239 WNEW-FM WNEW Firecracker 500 (1991) 500
1992 132 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1992) 500
1992 79 Live 105 Live 105 Top 300 Songs of All-Time (Memorial Day 1992) 299
1994 500 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1994) 497
1994 46 Live 105 Live 105 Revolutionary 500 (July 1994) 500
1994 607 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1994) 1000
1995 137 Live 105 Live 105 Revolutionary 300 (July 1995) 300
1995 612 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1995) 1000
1996 110 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1996) 500
1996 583 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1996) 1000
1997 122 104.5 KZEP KZEP Memorial Weekend Top 500 (1997) 500
1997 640 102.3 WBAB WBAB Top 1,023 Rock and Roll Songs of All Time (1997) 1023
1997 299 100.7 WZLX WZLX Memorial 500 (1997) 499
1998 243 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1998) 488
1998 579 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1998) 1000
1999 401 91X 91X Fat 500 Songs of All-Time (July 1999) 500
1999 116 WLIR / WDRE WLIR Top 300 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 300
1999 453 107.7 The End The End Top 1077 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 1077
1999 751 CD101 CD101 Top 2000 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 2000
1999 226 CFNY 102.1 The Edge CFNY Top 1002 Songs of All-Time (November 1999) 1002
1999 480 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1999) 998
2000 802 CD101 CD101 Top 2001 Songs of All-Time (December 2000) 2001
2001 804 CD101 CD101 Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (December 2001) 2002
2001 101 WBRU WBRU Modern Rock Top 500 (2001) 500
2002 804 CD101 CD101 Top 2003 Songs of All-Time (December 2002) 2003
2002 353 100.7 WZLX WZLX Memorial 500 (2002) 500
2002 531 92.3 KGON KGON Top 923 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2002) 923
2002 169 Fred (XM 44) Fred XM Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (July 2002) 2002
2003 804 CD101 CD101 Top 2004 Songs of All-Time (December 2003) 2004
2003 100 Fred (XM 44) Fred XM Top 2044 Songs of All-Time (July 2003) 2044
2004 146 Q101 Q101 Top 300 Party Songs of All-Time (July 2004) 300
2004 804 CD101 CD101 Top 2005 Songs of All-Time (December 2004) 2005
2004 546 92.3 KGON KGON Top 923 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2004) 923
2005 805 CD101 CD101 Top 2006 Songs of All-Time (December 2005) 1994
2005 10 WFPK WFPK Top 100 Party Songs 100
2007 673 WTMD WTMD Top 897 Songs of All Time 897
2011 268 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1100 Countdown (2011) 1100
2012 386 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2012) 500
2012 803 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1200 Countdown (2012) 1200
2012 718 WXPN WXPN 885 Greatest Rock Songs (2012) 885
2013 81 Big 100 BIG 500 Labor Day Countdown (2013) 500
2013 150 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2013) 500
2014 487 Big 100 BIG 1000 New Year's Countdown (2014) 1000
2015 327 I-95 I-95 Memorial Day Weekend Top 500 (2015) 500
2015 184 102.9 The Whale 102.9 The Whale Hartford 500 (2015) 500
2016 470 102.9 The Whale 102.9 The Whale Hartford 500 (2016) 500
2016 211 103.5 The Fox The Fox Memorial Day 500 (2016) 299
2016 162 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2016) 500
2017 337 97.9 The Loop 97.9 The Loop Top 540 Countdown (2017) 540
2017 172 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2017) 500
2018 364 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2018) 500
2018 171 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2018) 500
2019 460 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2019) 500
2019 347 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR Big 500 (2019) 499
2019 470 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2019) 500
2020 827 WXPN WXPN 2020 Greatest Songs of All Time 2020
2020 199 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ 500 (2020) 500
2020 401 Q105.7 Q105.7 Memorial Day 500 (2020) 499
2020 249 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2020) 500
2021 332 90.9 The Bridge 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '80s 909
2021 358 WCSX WCSX Rock & Roll 500 (2021) 499
2021 326 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2021) 500
2021 207 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ 500 (2021) 500
2021 942 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2021) 1043
2021 253 100.7 KSLX KSLX Arizona 500 (2021) 499
2022 668 102.5 KZOK KZOK Classic Rock Top 1025 (2022) 1025
2022 145 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2022) 500
2022 114 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR Big 500 (2022) 500
2022 296 94.1 KRNA KRNA Memorial Day 500 (2022) 500
2022 215 97.1 The River River 500 (2022) 500
2023 524 The Colorado Sound The Colorado Sound Top 850 Songs of the 1980s 850
2023 431 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2023) 500
2023 486 WYEP WYEP Countdown to Fall 2023 1229
2023 296 101.5 WPDH WPDH Top 1015 (2023) 1015
2023 252 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2023) 500
2024 377 KQRS KQRS KQ 500 (2024) 499
2024 231 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2024) 500
2025 653 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2025) 1043
2025 208 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2025) 500
2025 456 The Colorado Sound The Colorado Sound Top 800 Mood Booster Songs 800
2026 353 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2026) 500
2026 373 100.7 KSLX KSLX Arizona 500 (2026) 500

Also listed as: What 1 Like About You; What I like About You.

Charting alongside it in 1980

Best songs of 1980 →
  1. 1And the Cradle Will RockVan Halen
  2. 2Another One Bites the DustQueen
  3. 3Whip ItDevo
  4. 4Don't Stand So Close to MeThe Police
  5. 5Once in a LifetimeTalking Heads
  6. 6You Shook Me All Night LongAC/DC

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