I Like It – The Blackout Allstars | Top 40 Chart Performance, Story and Song Meaning
Chart Performance: Pop (#25); 1997
Story Behind The Song By Ed Osborne
The Blackout Allstars was, in fact, a true all-star collection of talent. There was Grover Washington, Jr., best known to Top 40 fans for his collaboration with Bill Withers on 1981’s Grammy award winning Just The Two Of Us.
Ray Barretto and Tito Puente were two of Latin music’s premier artists, the former responsible for 1963’s El Watusi and the latter famous as the “King of the Mambo,” whose Oye Como Va was covered by Santana.. Sheila E., as in “Escovedo,” first came to pop prominence as part of Prince’s troupe, then made her own mark with The Glamorous Life and A Love Bizarre.
Dave Valentin studied flute with the great Hubert Laws, before recording a series of fine smooth jazz albums. Tito Nieves sang salsa music in English; a unique approach that regularly landed him on the Latin chart.
And, lastly, Grammy-winning alto saxophonist Paquito D’Rivera composed and conducted classical music plus played true Latin jazz. As the Blackout Allstars, they recorded the theme for the 1994 film I Like It Like That, which took off on its own in 1997 after its use in a Burger King commercial.
This content and all Song Meaning articles were created and written by Top 40 Contributing Editor Ed Osborne. © 2024 Ed Osborne. All Rights Reserved. In addition to these song meaning articles, Ed has written our “Year in Music 1960s-1990s” articles.
Produced by:
- Sergio George
Lyrics Written by:
- Tony Pabo
- Manny Rodriguez
Ed Osborne
Hi. I got my first record at age two and never looked back, spending a decades-long career in radio and the music business. Even after years of reading about and listening to all types of music, I am still fascinated by it. Apart from that, I’m endlessly intrigued by art, nature, and the inner lives of people (and dogs).