"I Know What Boys Like" is a song written by guitarist Chris Butler in 1978, while he was still a member of the rock band

Tin Huey Tin Huey is an American experimental rock and new wave band from Akron, Ohio, United States, that formed in 1972 and disbanded in 1982. History Original lineups Initially named Rags, the band started with Mark Price (then known as Wesley the Sta ...

. It was recorded by Butler and released as a single in 1980, but beyond some club success, it did not appear on any charts. When he formed the band

The Waitresses The Waitresses were an American new wave band from Akron, Ohio, best known for their singles " I Know What Boys Like" and " Christmas Wrapping." They released two albums, ''Wasn't Tomorrow Wonderful?'' and '' Bruiseology'', and two EPs, '' I Co ...

, with

Patty Donahue Patricia Jean Donahue (March 29, 1956 – December 9, 1996) was the lead singer of the 1980s new wave group the Waitresses. She is best known for the band’s singles " I Know What Boys Like" and " Christmas Wrapping". Early life Patricia Jea ...

as lead vocalist, the band recorded the song for its debut album, ''

Wasn't Tomorrow Wonderful? ''Wasn't Tomorrow Wonderful?'' is the debut album of new wave band the Waitresses, originally released in 1982 by Polydor, licensed from ZE Records. The album peaked at No. 41 in the ''Billboard'' 200 chart and included the earlier single " I K ...

'', released by

Polydor Records Polydor Records Ltd. is a German-British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in the United States. ...

in 1982.

Charts

"I Know What Boys Like" was released as a single from the album and peaked at number 62 the week of May 29, 1982 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100.

Appearances in pop culture

*The Waitresses' version of the song appeared on the soundtrack of the 1987 film ''

I Was a Teenage Zombie ''I Was a Teenage Zombie'' is a 1987 American comedy-horror film.''Variety'' film review; 8 July 1987 Plot The film begins like a 1980s comedy with teens looking to purchase some marijuana but turns into comedy/horror genre when a drug dealer ...

''. *The song was also used in an episode of ''

Lucy, the Daughter of the Devil ''Lucy, the Daughter of the Devil'' is an American adult computer-animated television series that aired on Cartoon Network's late-night programming block Adult Swim. It was created and directed by Loren Bouchard (who later made the Fox show ' ...

''. * VH1 named the song the 82nd greatest

one-hit wonder A one-hit wonder or viral hit is any entity that achieves mainstream popularity, often for only one piece of work, and becomes known among the general public solely for that momentary success. The term is most commonly used in regard to music p ...

of all-time in 2002 as well as the 34th greatest one-hit wonder of the 1980s in 2009.

Cover versions

A version by English female pop duo

Shampoo Shampoo () is a hair care product, typically in the form of a viscous liquid, that is used for cleaning hair. Less commonly, shampoo is available in solid bar format. Shampoo is used by applying it to wet hair, massaging the product into the ...

reached No. 42 on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

in September 1996.

References

{{authority control 1980 songs 1980 singles 1982 singles 1996 singles The Waitresses songs Shampoo (duo) songs Polydor Records singles ZE Records singles