Song: What I Like About You
Artist: The Romantics
Album: The Romantics (1980)
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The Romantics are an American rock band formed in 1977 in Detroit. The band is often put under the banner of power pop and new wave. They were influenced by 1950s American rock and roll, Detroit’s MC5, the Stooges, early Bob Seger, Motown R&B, 1960s North American garage rock as well as the British Invasion rockers.
They are most famous for their song “What I Like About You”, and when it was released it 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, being most successful in Australia (peaking at #2).
In the late 1980s, the Romantics discovered that their managers had been misappropriating the profits earned by the band from its records and live performances. Additionally, one of their releases (the aforementioned “What I Like About You”) had been licensed for use in television commercials without the band’s knowledge or approval. Consequently, the Romantics filed a lawsuit against their management in 1987, and the legalities involved prevented the band from recording new music until the mid-1990s. By this time they were just playing obscure performances in small venues, largely forgotten and out of the public spotlight.