Music of the Day, 28 February 2024

'cause it's true

I woke up sometime in the wee hours of the morning with one of my favorite earworms looping in my mind. I have no idea what started it. The downside is that it’s such an upbeat, infectious song that I wasn’t able to get back to sleep. I don’t mind that at the moment, but I’m sure I will later today.

I’m not sure when I first heard “What I Like About You.” It may have been on the radio in 1980, as The Romantics’ eponymous debut album was released early that year. What I do remember is seeing this video often at my friend TEB’s apartment; she had cable and was my only access to MTV at the time. We both adored the song and would dance to it every time it came on.

Back then, the fact that all four band members were singers went over my head. I do remember that subsequent songs featured lead guitarist/harmonica player Wally Palmar on lead vocals, which was a bit of a disappointment to me. His voice is fine,¹ but a little too smooth compared to drummer Jimmy Marinos’ raw energy for my taste. Palmar’s mugging for the camera while playing the harmonica solo never fails to amuse me, and may have contributed to him taking lead vocals most often.

Everything about “What I Like About You” hits hard for me, which is probably why I can still listen to it on repeat without tiring of it. Thus, I was surprised to discover that when it was first released, it only reached #49 on the Billboard Hot 100. I can’t even be mad at it for causing me to lose about two hours of sleep; I’ll take that kind of awakening over many others any day.

1. Palmar reminds me of my favorite uncle—my only paternal uncle—so my comments shouldn’t be taken as any kind of diss on him