That's What I Like (Bruno Mars song)
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"That's What I Like" is a song by American singer-songwriter Bruno Mars from his third studio album, '' 24K Magic'' (2016). The song was written by Mars, Philip Lawrence, Christopher Brody Brown, James Fauntleroy, Johnathan Yip, Ray Romulus, Jeremy Reeves, and Ray McCullough II. The former three produced the song under the name of Shampoo Press & Curl with the latter four, as
the Stereotypes The Stereotypes are a production team created in 2003, comprising Jonathan Yip, Ray Romulus, Jeremy Reeves and Ray Charles McCullough II. In June 2010, they were listed among the "Top 10 Songwriters and Producers to Watch" in ''Billboard'' magazi ...
, co-producing it.
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released the song to Hot AC radio in the United States on January 30, 2017, as the second single from the album. The song is a hip hop soul,
new jack swing New jack swing, new jack, or swingbeat is a fusion genre of the rhythms and production techniques of hip hop and dance-pop, and the urban contemporary sound of R&B. Spearheaded by producers Teddy Riley and Bernard Belle, new jack swing was mos ...
, R&B and
funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the m ...
track. ''
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'' Craig Jenkins wrote that the production resembles that of "
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" (2006) by
Beyoncé Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Beyoncé's boundary-pushing artistry and vocals have made her the most influential female musician of the 21st century, according to ...
. The song's lyrics address extravagance, a luxurious lifestyle, and love. "That's What I Like" received mixed reviews from music critics, some of whom considered the song to be one of the best on ''24K Magic'', while others criticized its lyrical content. The song was a commercial success in the US, where it peaked at number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100; it reached number three in Canada and number four in New Zealand. It has been certified
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by the
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(RIAA) and seven-times platinum by
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(MC). The song also reached the top ten in Australia—where it was certified four-times platinum—Belgium, and Portugal. It stands as the highest-charting single in the US from the album. The song was the world's fourth-best-selling digital single of 2017, with 9.7 million units, ranking among the best-selling singles worldwide. The accompanying music video, which was directed by Jonathan Lia and Mars, depicts the latter reciting the song's lyrics and combines choreography with black-and-white animation. Mars performed the song on awards shows such as the
2017 Grammy Awards The 59th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony was held on February 12, 2017. The CBS network broadcast the show live from the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The ceremony recognized the best recordings, compositions, and artists of the eligibility year, ...
and the
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, and included it on his
24K Magic World Tour The 24K Magic World Tour was the fourth concert tour of American singer-songwriter Bruno Mars that was performed in support of his third studio album '' 24K Magic'' (2016) from March 2017 to December 2018. Anderson .Paak was the opening act f ...
(2017–2018). It received several nominations and awards, winning
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at the
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, as well as
Song of the Year Song of the Year may refer to: * Country Music Association Award for Song of the Year * Dove Award for Song of the Year * Golden Melody Award for Song of the Year * Grammis Song of the Year * Grammy Award for Song of the Year * Latin Grammy Awa ...
, Best R&B Song, and Best R&B Performance at the
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. The song has been covered by Kurt Hugo Schneider along with Mario Jose, among others.


Background and development

In September 2014, Bruno Mars tweeted, "Now it's time to start writing chapter 3", hinting he was working on new music. Following the release of the successful
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's single, " Uptown Funk" (2014) featuring Mars, the latter headed to the studio to record more songs. Mars affirmed he had no plans to release a new album "until it's done". It was due in March 2016, but Mars's appearance at the Super Bowl half-time show postponed it for several months. At the time, seven songs were already recorded.
The Stereotypes The Stereotypes are a production team created in 2003, comprising Jonathan Yip, Ray Romulus, Jeremy Reeves and Ray Charles McCullough II. In June 2010, they were listed among the "Top 10 Songwriters and Producers to Watch" in ''Billboard'' magazi ...
had known Mars and worked with him since 2007, but after he signed a deal with
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they did not collaborate very often. In 2015, Jonathan Yip talked with Mars about working together. Mars was already recording ''24K Magic'' and asked for "some beats", which Yip sent. Mars later asked for more beats and the Stereotypes sent them, but they never heard from him; "nothing came of it". In June 2016, Yip contacted Mars, who asked Yip if they would like to help him finish a song for his album; he needed another song with a certain tempo and key. Yip sent Mars an idea that caught his attention; he asked the Stereotypes to go to the studio. After they helped Mars finish " 24K Magic", Mars challenged the team to help him with two more songs. At this point, Mars had already shown the Stereotypes two songs, including a fully written and produced demo of "That's What I Like" that sounded like a ballad, according to Ray Romulus. Mars, however, told the Stereotypes he wanted the song to make him move in a certain way and that it was missing a certain "bounce". He wanted them to focus on the "groove, shifting and fine-tuning" until they found the "precise ingredient of danceable joy" that he wanted. The team started to change the rhythms and the drums of the song, and Mars danced along to it and stopped when he could not move to a chord or drum. Once the programming of the drums was finished, the song had a different feeling; despite its slow tempo it had a "danceable double-time". This is due to the trap beats, which modernized the track and gave it "bounce". Then, the Stereotypes tore everything else apart, giving the track new chords and a new pre-hook, B section, and bridge. In November 2017, Mars was a guest on the ''
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''. He said the album was intended to make people feel fabulous: "I'm talking about eating shrimp scampi and lobster tails and drinking strawberry champagne". Romulus said the lyrical concept came from Mars, adding, "All that about the Cadillacs and champagne ... that's how Bruno is. He's giving you a day in the life". During a phone interview with CBS Mars said that he second guessed the song, having to listen to it "for over a year to make sure it's all right." It was the first song that Mars asked James Fauntleroy to help him write.


Production and release

"That's What I Like" was written by Mars, Philip Lawrence, Christopher Brody Brown, Fauntleroy, Yip, Romulus, Jeremy Reeves, and Ray McCullough II. It was produced by Mars, Lawrence and Brown under the alias Shampoo Press & Curl; and co-produced by Yip, McCullough, Romulus, and Reeves as the Stereotypes. Eric "E-Panda" Hernandez played the live drums while Mars, Fauntleroy, and Lawrence performed background vocals. At Glenwood Place Studios in
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,
Charles Moniz Charles Moniz is a Canadian recording engineer who worked on Bruno Mars's studio albums ''Unorthodox Jukebox'' and ''24K Magic (album), 24k Magic''. Alternatively, he recorded "All I Ask (Adele song), All I Ask" for Adele's 2015 studio album ''25 ( ...
recorded and engineered the track with assistance from Jacob Dennis. It was mixed at MixStar Studios in
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by Serban Ghenea, with John Hanes serving as mixing engineer. The track was mastered by Tom Coyne at Sterling Sound, NYC. "
Versace on the Floor "Versace on the Floor" is a song by American singer Bruno Mars from his third studio album, '' 24K Magic'' (2016). Atlantic Records released the song as the only promotional single and the third official single from the album to Hot AC radio i ...
" was scheduled to be the second single released from Mars's third studio album ''24K Magic'' (2016). In early January 2017, however, AllAccess reported that "That's What I Like" was being sent to Top 40 radio stations as the second single instead. Atlantic Records released the track on January 30, 2017, to
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,
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and modern adult contemporary radio stations in the United States and to American
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and
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stations on the next day.
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began adding the song onto their playlists on February 24, 2017. In Italy, the song was sent for radio airplay on March 3, 2017, through Warner. On April 21, 2017, a remix package with four versions of the song was released for digital download in various countries.


Composition

"That's What I Like" is a hip hop soul,
new jack swing New jack swing, new jack, or swingbeat is a fusion genre of the rhythms and production techniques of hip hop and dance-pop, and the urban contemporary sound of R&B. Spearheaded by producers Teddy Riley and Bernard Belle, new jack swing was mos ...
, R&B, and
funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the m ...
song. It was composed in the key of
B minor B minor is a minor scale based on B, consisting of the pitches B, C, D, E, F, G, and A. Its key signature has two sharps. Its relative major is D major and its parallel major is B major. The B natural minor scale is: : Changes neede ...
at a tempo of 134 beats per minute. Mars's vocal range spans from G4 to C5. The song features Mars in the center of the track, supported by enthusiastic backing vocals,
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-style finger-snaps, a "silky pre-chorus", and "punctuating ad libs". Bill Lamb of
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described the single as an "R&B groove, giving a nod to the new jack swing music of the late 1980s and early 1990s". ''
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'' Andrew Unterberger said the song is reminiscent of the R&B from the early 1990s, infused with New Jack Swing and a little hip-hop, comparing it to the "harmonies and Uptown production of early Jodeci". Christopher R. Weingarten of ''
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'' wrote that the track "brings the silky vibes" of
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's ''
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'' (1993) "into the boom of modern trap". Chris Molanphy from ''
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'' defined "That's What I Like" as a mix of the "80s-into-90s styles like New Edition pop-and-B and New Jack Swing" infused with "the skittering, thumping 808 drums of a modern trap" song. Molanphy compared Mars's vocals to those of Bobby Brown, especially in his "high-register vocal". Katherine St. Asaph of '' Pitchfork'' compared its sound to that of ''
The 20/20 Experience ''The 20/20 Experience'' is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter Justin Timberlake. It was released on March 15, 2013, by RCA Records, as the follow-up to his second studio album ''FutureSex/LoveSounds'' (2006). It is considered ...
'' (2013) by
Justin Timberlake Justin Randall Timberlake (born January 31, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He is one of the world's best-selling music artists, with sales of over 88 million records. Timberlake is the recipient of numerous awards and ac ...
. ''
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'' Craig Jenkins noted a resemblance between the composition of "That's What I Like" and
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' production of "
Kitty Kat Katharina Löwel (born 22 January 1982), better known under her stage name Kitty Kat or Kitten Ket, is a German rapper and singer. She became famous as an Aggro Berlin member, where she was signed from 2006 to 2009. Biography Katharina Löwel ...
" (2006) by
Beyoncé Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Beyoncé's boundary-pushing artistry and vocals have made her the most influential female musician of the 21st century, according to ...
. The lyrics of the song have been described as "playful" and "opulent"; they were written from the point of view of someone "who loves himself" and luxury ("strawberry champagne and ice bucket") as much as his lover, with her being promised everything she wants, being allowed to "dictate the pace of the night". Mars references "Julio" from "Uptown Funk". On February 26, 2019, West Java's Indonesian Broadcasting Commission placed a daytime ban on the radio broadcast of several songs, including "That's What I Like", due to their adult, offensive and obscene lyrics.


Critical reception

"That's What I Like" received mixed reviews from music critics. Andrew Unterberger, writing for ''Billboard'', and Rob Arcand of ''
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'' found the single to be one of the best on ''24K Magic''. ''Vulture'' Jenkins said the track is one of the best on the album and sonically one of the "most modern" songs due to "a killer vocal and tasteful trap drums". Peter Helman of ''
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'' said the recording is one of the "catchiest" tracks on ''24K Magic''. Caroline Sullivan from ''
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'' praised the song for paying homage to R Kelly, calling it a "resurrection". Karen Gwee from '' Consequence of Sound'' commended Mars's vocals and said the singer takes his vocals to the limit. Gwee dubbed the track "giddy". ''
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'' Kitty Empire praised the lyrics, saying Mars is able to give "conspicuous consumption with more charm than boorishness". In a mixed review Nick Levine, writing for ''
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'', said he did not enjoy the track's lyrics, despite finding them playful. Jonathan Wroble of ''
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'' criticized the song's lyrics, saying they appear to be "written with a dollar store's rhyming dictionary". Wroble choose the rhymes between "beach house in Miami" and "Julio, serve that scampi" as an example. ''
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'' Andy Gill and Patrick Ryan from ''
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'' both found the lyrics on "That's What I Like" to exhibit a list of "unimaginative" and "obnoxious" hedonism. "That's What I Like" was listed as the second best song of 2017 according to
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's Mesfin Fekadu. She said, "Bruno Mars is perfect. That is all." It was the 34th among Billboard's 100 Best Songs of 2017: Critics' Picks list; Ross Scarano wrote that Mars "is a pop star of total hospitality" showing several clichés of a luxurious life, such as "sex in front of the fireplace and champagne with strawberries", "waking up inside clean sheets without any clothes on", and "the private chef, Julio, preparing shrimp scampi for dinner". In late 2017, Bill Lamb of
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considered the single the fourth-best song by Mars. Minou Clark from ''
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'' called the single "the ultimate cuffing season anthem" due to its "sexy smooth melody".


Accolades

In 2017, "That's What I Like" was nominated for Choice Song: Male Artist, Choice Music: Summer Song and Choice Music: R&B/Hip-Hop Song at the
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. That same year, the song was also nominated for Song of the Year at the Telehit Awards. The single received the awards for Favorite Soul/R&B Song at the
2017 American Music Awards The 45th Annual American Music Awards took place on November 19, 2017, at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, California. It was broadcast on ABC and was hosted by Tracee Ellis Ross. Performances Notes * Broadcast live from Capital One Aren ...
and for
Song of the Year Song of the Year may refer to: * Country Music Association Award for Song of the Year * Dove Award for Song of the Year * Golden Melody Award for Song of the Year * Grammis Song of the Year * Grammy Award for Song of the Year * Latin Grammy Awa ...
at the Soul Train Music Awards. In 2018, "That's What I Like" won
Song of the Year Song of the Year may refer to: * Country Music Association Award for Song of the Year * Dove Award for Song of the Year * Golden Melody Award for Song of the Year * Grammis Song of the Year * Grammy Award for Song of the Year * Latin Grammy Awa ...
, Best R&B Performance and Best R&B Song at the
2018 Grammy Awards The 60th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony was held on January 28, 2018. The CBS network broadcast the show live from Madison Square Garden in New York City. The show was moved to January to avoid coinciding with the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongch ...
. The track received a nomination for Favorite Song at the
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and won R&B Song of the Year, whilst being nominated for Song of the Year at the
2018 iHeartRadio Music Awards The 2018 iHeartRadio Music Awards were held on March 11, 2018 at The Forum in Inglewood, California. The list of nominations was announced on January 10, 2018. DJ Khaled and Hailey Baldwin hosted the ceremony. TBS, TNT, and truTV broadcast th ...
. It also received a Titanium Award from iHeartRadio for reaching a threshold of 1 billion total audience spins. It was nominated for Top Hot 100 Song, Top Streaming Song (Video), Top Radio Song and Top R&B Song at the ''Billboard'' Music Awards, winning in the latter category. The song was one of the Top 10 Gold International Gold Songs at the RTHK International Pop Poll Awards. That same year, the track received the first issued accolade for Outstanding Song, Traditional category at the 2018 NAACP Image Awards. "That's What I Like" received two awards from
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, one from the Pop Music Awards as one of the Most Performed Songs, and another from the Rhythm & Soul Music Awards as Top R&B/Hip-Hop Song. In the following year, at the same award ceremonies, it won, again, Most Performed Songs and it was one of the winners of Winning R&B/Hip-Hop Song.


Commercial performance


North America

Upon the album's release, "That's What I Like" debuted at number 79 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart for the issue week of December 10, 2016. In February 2017, Mars's performance at the
2017 Grammy Awards The 59th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony was held on February 12, 2017. The CBS network broadcast the show live from the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The ceremony recognized the best recordings, compositions, and artists of the eligibility year, ...
helped the song to enter the top 10 of the Hot 100, where it remained for two months. The single rose to number two on the chart, spending four weeks there behind Ed Sheeran's "
Shape of You "Shape of You" is a song by English singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran. It was released on 6 January 2017 as one of the double lead singles from his third studio album '' ÷'' (2017), along with "Castle on the Hill". The dancehall and R&B-infused ...
" (2017). After the release of several remixes, featuring artists such as
Gucci Mane Radric Delantic Davis (born February 12, 1980), known professionally as Gucci Mane, is an American rapper and record executive. He helped pioneer the hip hop subgenre of trap music alongside fellow Atlanta-based rappers T.I. and Young Jeezy, ...
and PartyNextDoor, "That's What I Like" climbed to number one in its fifteenth week on the chart, replacing Kendrick Lamar's " Humble" (2017). Both songs spent one week on the top of the chart and the former became Mars's seventh number one single on the Hot 100. The track spent 24 weeks in the top five of the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, becoming one of five singles to spend at least 24 weeks in the top five and 28 weeks in the top ten. As of 2018, Mars, Sheeran, and Jewel are the only artists with two songs to spend at least half a year in the top 10 of the Hot 100. The song spent a total of 52 weeks on the chart and ranked at number three on the Year-End ''Billboard'' Hot 100. On the Radio Songs chart, "That's What I Like" peaked at number one and spent nine weeks there, becoming Mars's longest run at the top as a solo artist. It surpassed his previous seven-week number-one runs for " Just the Way You Are" (2010) and " Locked Out of Heaven" (2013). On the
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chart, the single peaked at number one, tying Mars with
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for the highest total among solo males of number one songs on the chart, with eight each one. For the week of July 22, 2017, the song returned to the top of the Hot
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chart, spending 20 weeks at number one. It tied with The Weeknd's " Starboy" (2016) and
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's " One Dance" (2016), featuring
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and
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, for the most weeks spent at number one. In August 2020, the achievement was broken by The Weeknd's "
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" (2019). "That's What I Like" peaked at number one on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Chart and topped the Year-End Chart in the format. The track reached the top spot on the Rhythmic chart. The single was certified diamond by the
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(RIAA). It became the fourth best-selling song of 2017 in the US, with 1,673,000 downloads and 835,856,000 streams. On the
Canadian Hot 100 The Canadian Hot 100 is a music industry record chart in Canada for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. The Canadian Hot 100 was launched on the issue dated March 31, 2007, and is currently the standard record chart in Canada; a n ...
, the song peaked at number three on April 17, 2017, spending 38 weeks on the chart, and it was certified seven-times Platinum by the
Music Canada Music Canada (formerly Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA)) is a non-profit trade organization that was founded 9 April 1963 to represent the interests of companies that record, manufacture, produce, and distribute music in Canada. It a ...
(MC). The song ended 2017 at number seven on the Year-End Charts in Canada.


International

"That's What I Like" peaked at number 12 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 ...
and was certified double platinum by the
British Phonographic Industry British Phonographic Industry (BPI) is the British recorded music industry's Trade association. It runs the BRIT Awards, the Classic BRIT Awards, National Album Day, is home to the Mercury Prize, and co-owns the Official Charts Company with th ...
(BPI), denoting sales and streams equivalent to 1,200,000 copies. On the Belgian charts, the single debuted at number 34 on February 25, 2017, on the Ultratop 50 in Flanders, peaking at number three for two consecutive weeks in April. On the Ultratop 50 in Wallonia, the song debuted at number 34 on March 25, 2017, and went on to peak at number eight in May. It was certified platinum by the
Belgian Entertainment Association The Belgian Entertainment Association (BEA) is the organization that represents the interests of the music, video and video game industries in Belgium. It was founded in February 2008, when three organizations merged, namely IFPI Belgium, the loc ...
(BEA). The track peaked at number seven on the Portuguese Single Charts. It earned a platinum plaque from the Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa (AFP), for its sales and streams equivalent to 20,000. "That's What I Like" entered the
Official New Zealand Music Chart The Official New Zealand Music Chart ( mi, Te Papa Tātai Waiata Matua o Aotearoa) is the weekly New Zealand top 40 singles and albums charts, issued weekly by Recorded Music NZ (formerly Recording Industry Association of New Zealand). The Musi ...
at number 26 on February 20, 2017. In its sixth week, the track peaked at number four, where it remained for two weeks. The song ranked at the fifth spot on the 2017 Year-End List and received a double-platinum certification from the
Recording Industry Association of New Zealand Recorded Music NZ (formerly the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ)) is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell recorded music in New Zealand. Membership of Recorded Mus ...
(RMNZ), denoting sales and streams equivalent to 60,000 copies. In Australia, the single debuted at number 47 on the
ARIA Singles Chart The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offici ...
for the week of March 5, 2017. In its sixth week on the chart, the song peaked at number five, becoming Mars's twelfth top-ten single in Australia. It was certified four-times platinum by the
Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) is a trade association representing the Australian recording industry which was established in the 1970s by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing th ...
(ARIA) for exceeding 70,000 units. The song reached the top 20 in several other countries, including Denmark, Ireland, and Scotland. The song was the fourth-best-selling digital single of 2017, with 9.7 million units.


Music video


Background and concept

On March 1, 2017, Mars announced on his Twitter account that he had been filming the accompanying music video for "That's What I Like"; he said, "Just finished shootin it! I'm gonna edit it, take a bubble bath & then we party. Gimme 2 hours! Let the count down begin #TWIL". The visual was directed by Mars and Jonathan Lia. The choreography was done by the singer and Phil Tayag prior to the shooting, allowing Lia and Mars to produce animations before filming the video. Some animations were added in post-production by GenPop. The music video was filmed against a grey background in Los Angeles using a stationary camera throughout the entire shot. Several hand-drawn animations "relating to the lyrics" appeared and vanished off-frame; to create this effect, Lia filmed Mars while the song was played at half-speed. Lia then doubled the speed of the footage, making the "synced playback" have a "surreal feel to it", with a single, eight-minute take. Mars and Lia had a different concept for the music video, but the result was not what they expected when the two carried out a test shoot, and they decided to use a single light. When Mars started to dance, him and Lia they knew "that was the video". The video was released on March 1, 2017, via
YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
.


Synopsis

The visual begins with Mars wearing a black, white, and gold-striped silk shirt, black track pants, white sneakers and sunglasses. During the video, Mars dances alone against a white background with several animations, which move with him during his choreography, enacting the lyrics and music. The black-and-white animations include a mirror, Manhattan condominium, sipping strawberry champagne glasses, driving a Cadillac and its wheels, traveling to Paris, and dancing partners that appear as Mars dances across the screen. The cartoon sketches, related to the lyrics, were drawn to show the flexibility of the singer's dance moves. According to Rania Aniftos, Mars exudes charm throughout the music video.


Reception

Critics including Althea Legaspi from ''Rolling Stone'' and Minou Clark of ''HuffPost'' complimented Mars's dancing skills and choreography. Mike Wass, writing for Idolator, and ''
Vulture A vulture is a bird of prey that scavenges on carrion. There are 23 extant species of vulture (including Condors). Old World vultures include 16 living species native to Europe, Africa, and Asia; New World vultures are restricted to North and ...
''s Karen Brill compared the video to Drake's "
Hotline Bling "Hotline Bling" is a song recorded by Canadian rapper Drake, which serves as the lead single from his fourth studio album ''Views'' (2016). The song is credited as a bonus track on the album. It was made available for digital download on July 31 ...
" (2015) due to its simplicity and "unadulterated feeling-yourself-ness". Wass and the staff of ''
Rap-Up ''Rap-Up'' is a magazine launched in 2001 by founder Devin Lazerine. The publication was originally a website devoted to hip hop, until Lazerine decided to pitch the possibility of a magazine to several publishers. The magazine is focused on the ...
'' called Mars's footwork "fancy", while Brill said the visual is "wondrous" but that it should include "the ubiquitous music video cube". '' Vibe'' J'na Jefferson shared a similar perspective, saying "the magic of this video is in the simplicity" because of Mars's performance skills, visual effects, and editing. Alex Young of ''Consequence of Sound'' praised the combination of the choreographed dance and the animation. ''Billboard'' Rania Aniftos praised the music video, saying it will make viewers smile and hit "the replay button". In 2017, it won Best Male Video at the MTV Video Music Awards Japan and was nominated for Best International Video at the
LOS40 Music Awards 2017 The LOS40 Music Awards 2017 were the twelfth edition of the LOS40 Music Awards, the annual awards organized by Spanish radio station Los 40. It was held on November 10, 2017 in the WiZink Center in Madrid, Spain. Performances Awards and nominati ...
, a category decided by a Jury. The video received the award for Video of the Year at the 2017 American Music Awards. In 2018, it won the award for Outstanding Music Video at the NAACP Image Awards and earned a nomination for Best Music Video at the iHeartRadio Music Awards. The video effects were available on Facebook for users to try; it was the first time the platform made a based camera effect around music. As of March 2021, the music video has reached over 1.8 billion views.


Live performances and use in other media

Mars's first live performance of "That's What I Like" occurred at the
59th Annual Grammy Awards The 59th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony was held on February 12, 2017. The CBS network broadcast the show live from the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The ceremony recognized the best recordings, compositions, and artists of the eligibility year, ...
on February 12, 2017. Mars danced in synchronization with his backup singers, and towards the end of the song he made a "doo-wop harmonizing" breakdown while interacting with women in the crowd and using his falsetto vocals. The performance was well received by critics. Joe Lynch of ''Billboard'' rated Mars's performance 11 out of 20, saying, "Bruno Mars is one of pop's finest showmen" who "can make an unextraordinary song such as 'That's What I Like' sound like a bona fide hit ... he sang the hell out of it". Billy Nilles of '' E! News'' wrote that Mars showed his "smooth dance moves and silky vocals", and that "every lady in the crowd looked as they were putty in Bruno's hand". ''Rolling Stone''s Elias Leight described the singer as being on "seduction mode", using his vocals to demonstrate it. Mars's voice reminded Leigh of the "firepower" of New Edition's Johnny Gill. Mars later performed the song live at the
2017 Brit Awards Brit Awards 2017 was held on 22 February 2017 and was the 37th edition of the British Phonographic Industry's annual pop music awards. The awards ceremony were held at The O2 Arena in London. Emma Willis hosted ''The Brits Are Coming'', the laun ...
on February 21; he was "dressed in a vintage-inspired 1990s color-block collared top with navy slacks" and along with his band, performed a routine choreography. Halfway through the track, Mars serenaded the audience. At the 2017 iHeartRadio Music Awards, he performed the song as part of a medley with the single "
Treasure Treasure (from la, thesaurus from Greek language ''thēsauros'', "treasure store") is a concentration of wealth — often originating from ancient history — that is considered lost and/or forgotten until rediscovered. Some jurisdictions leg ...
", a track on Mars's second studio album '' Unorthodox Jukebox'' (2012). Andrew Unterberger, writing for ''Billboard'', found the performance to be the best of the night because Mars made the medley work "seamlessly". An acoustic version of the single was performed on the ''
Charlie Rose Show ''Charlie Rose'' (also known as ''The Charlie Rose Show'') is an American television interview and talk show, with Charlie Rose as executive producer, executive editor, and host. The show was syndicated on PBS from 1991 until 2017 and is owned b ...
''; it featured Mars and some of his bandmates sitting at a table and using it as a soft drum set. Mars performed the single at the
Apollo Theater The Apollo Theater is a music hall at 253 West 125th Street between Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard (Seventh Avenue) and Frederick Douglass Boulevard (Eighth Avenue) in the Harlem neighborhood of Upper Manhattan in New York City. It is a not ...
alongside the majority of the ''24K Magic'' album for his CBS prime time special titled '' Bruno Mars: 24K Magic Live at the Apollo'', which aired on November 29, 2017. "That's What I Like" was also sung during the Mars's third tour,
24K Magic World Tour The 24K Magic World Tour was the fourth concert tour of American singer-songwriter Bruno Mars that was performed in support of his third studio album '' 24K Magic'' (2016) from March 2017 to December 2018. Anderson .Paak was the opening act f ...
(2017–18) and it was part of the setlist of An Evening With Silk Sonic at Park MGM (2022), a concert residency performed by Mars with
Anderson .Paak Brandon Paak Anderson (born February 8, 1986), better known by his stage name Anderson .Paak (), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and drummer. He released his debut mixtape, ''O.B.E. Vol. 1,'' in 2012 and went on to rel ...
, as Silk Sonic. Kurt Hugo Schneider and Mario Jose covered "That's What I Like", releasing their version for download on July 13, 2017.
Macy Kate ''Rising Star'' was a short-lived American reality television singing competition which began airing on ABC on June 22, 2014. It was based on the international franchise series '' Rising Star'' itself based on the Israeli singing competition ''H ...
recorded a cover of the single, which is now only available on YouTube. The song was also used in
Jersey Shore Family Vacation ''Jersey Shore: Family Vacation'' is an American reality television series that premiered globally on April 5, 2018, on MTV. The series is a revival, sequel, and reunion series of the reality television series ''Jersey Shore'', which ran fro ...
in season 1, 2, and 3


Track listings


Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of ''24K Magic''. * Bruno Mars – lead vocals, songwriting, background vocals * Philip Lawrence – songwriting, background vocals * Christopher Brody Brown – songwriting * James Fauntleroy – songwriting, background vocals * Johnathan Yip – songwriting * Ray Romulus – songwriting * Jeremy Reeves – songwriting * Ray McCullough II – songwriting * Eric "E-Panda" Hernandez – live drums * Shampoo Press & Curl –
production Production may refer to: Economics and business * Production (economics) * Production, the act of manufacturing goods * Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services) * Production as a stati ...
*
The Stereotypes The Stereotypes are a production team created in 2003, comprising Jonathan Yip, Ray Romulus, Jeremy Reeves and Ray Charles McCullough II. In June 2010, they were listed among the "Top 10 Songwriters and Producers to Watch" in ''Billboard'' magazi ...
 – co–production *
Charles Moniz Charles Moniz is a Canadian recording engineer who worked on Bruno Mars's studio albums ''Unorthodox Jukebox'' and ''24K Magic (album), 24k Magic''. Alternatively, he recorded "All I Ask (Adele song), All I Ask" for Adele's 2015 studio album ''25 ( ...
 – recording,
engineering Engineering is the use of scientific method, scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad rang ...
* Jacob Dennis – engineering assistance * Serban Ghenea – mixing * John Hanes – mix engineering * Tom Coyne – mastering


Charts


Weekly charts


Year-end charts


Decade-end charts


All-time charts


Certifications


Release history


See also

* List of ''Billboard'' Hot 100 number-one singles of 2017 *
List of Billboard Mainstream Top 40 number-one songs of 2017 This is a list of songs which reached number one on the ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' Mainstream Top 40 (or Pop Songs) chart in 2017. During 2017, a total of 18 singles hit number-one on the charts. Chart history See also *2017 in Ameri ...
*
List of Billboard Rhythmic number-one songs of the 2010s The Rhythmic chart (concurrently referred to as Rhythmic Songs since June 2009) debuted in ''Billboard'' Magazine in the issue dated October 3, 1992, as the Top 40/Rhythm-Crossover chart. Weekly rankings are "compiled from a national sample of air ...
* List of number-one R&B/hip-hop songs of 2017 (U.S.)


References


External links

* {{Authority control 2016 songs 2017 singles Bruno Mars songs Songs written by Bruno Mars Songs written by Philip Lawrence (songwriter) Songs written by James Fauntleroy Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles Hip hop soul songs New jack swing songs Song recordings produced by the Stereotypes Grammy Award for Song of the Year Songs written by Christopher Brody Brown Songs written by Jonathan Yip Songs written by Ray Romulus Songs written by Jeremy Reeves Songs written by Ray Charles McCullough II Atlantic Records singles Songs about Florida Songs about Puerto Rico