I Like It — DeBarge
El DeBarge’s melody, a family’s harmonies and a No. 2 R&B hit in 1982, then a house cover by Jomanda and samples from Nelly to Beyoncé: the life of “I Like It”.
- Released in August 1982 on Motown’s Gordy label, the second single from DeBarge’s All This Love.
- Music by El DeBarge; produced by El DeBarge and Iris Gordy. No. 2 R&B, No. 31 on the Hot 100.
- Covered in 1993 by the New Jersey house trio Jomanda; sampled by Nelly, LL Cool J, Warren G and Beyoncé.
“I Like It” by DeBarge is a mid-tempo R&B song, not a club record. But its melody and harmonies have travelled a long way since 1982: into a house cover by Jomanda in 1993 and a long list of hip-hop and R&B samples.
A family band from Grand Rapids
DeBarge came from Grand Rapids, Michigan. The siblings were mentored by members of the Motown group Switch, among them their brothers Tommy and Bobby DeBarge, and Berry Gordy signed them to Motown in 1980. Their first album, The DeBarges (1981), was poorly received. For the next one they added younger brother James and shortened the name to DeBarge.
Making “I Like It”
El DeBarge wrote the music and arranged the unison vocal harmonies. Randy, El and Bunny DeBarge wrote the lyrics, with Bunny responsible for the bridge that El sings. El produced the track with Iris Gordy, with Berry Gordy as executive producer. Randy and El share the lead vocal; Ollie Brown played drums, Randy played bass, and Russell Ferrante and Raymond A. Crossley played keyboards.
Gordy released it in August 1982 as the second single from All This Love, after “Stop! Don’t Tease Me”, with “Hesitated” on the B-side. It reached No. 2 on the R&B chart and No. 31 on the Billboard Hot 100, and helped All This Love go gold.
The house cover: Jomanda, 1993
The song’s clearest link to house music came eleven years later. Jomanda, a vocal trio from New Jersey signed to Big Beat/Atlantic, had already reached No. 1 on the US dance chart with “Got a Love for You” in 1991. Their cover of “I Like It” in 1993 reached No. 29 on the US dance chart and No. 83 on the Hot 100, and in Britain No. 14 on the Dance Chart and No. 67 on the singles chart.
Sampled and interpolated
Hip-hop and R&B came back to the song again and again. Nelly sampled it on “My Place” and interpolated it on “Ride wit Me”; LL Cool J, Grand Puba, Wreckx-n-Effect, Warren G and Beyoncé have also sampled it, and Rihanna’s “Rude Boy” interpolates it. Jesse Powell covered it in 2003, and Chico DeBarge sang it at the 2009 Soul Train Music Awards.
For another 1980s hit that found a second life in house, read about “Push It” by Salt-N-Pepa; for early-1990s US vocal house, start with “Gypsy Woman” by Crystal Waters.
FAQ
Who wrote I Like It by DeBarge?
El DeBarge wrote the music; the lyrics are by Randy, El and Bunny DeBarge. El DeBarge and Iris Gordy produced it.
When was I Like It released?
In August 1982, on Motown’s Gordy label, as the second single from the album All This Love.
Is there a house version of I Like It?
Jomanda, a New Jersey house trio on Big Beat/Atlantic, covered it in 1993. Their version reached No. 29 on the US dance chart and No. 14 on the UK Dance Chart.
