"I Know What Boys Like" is a song by the Waitresses, written by guitarist Chris Butler in 1978, while he was still a member of the rock band Tin Huey. 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, with Patty Donahue as lead vocalist, the band recorded the song for its debut album, '' Wasn't Tomorrow Wonderful?'', released by

Polydor Records Polydor Limited, also known as Polydor Records, is a 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 ...

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''. The song was used for the opening of the episode entitled "Monster" (S1 E10) that was the season and series finale of '' Lucy, the Daughter of the Devil''.

VH1 VH1 (originally an initialism for Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network that launched on January 1, 1985, and is currently owned by the MTV Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global's networks division based in New Y ...

named the song the 82nd greatest

one-hit wonder A one-hit wonder 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 performers with ...

of all-time in 2002 as well as the 34th greatest one-hit wonder of the 1980s in 2009. The Waitresses' version of the song appeared on the soundtrack of the films '' The Last American Virgin'' (1982) and

Thanksgiving Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on various dates in October and November in the United States, Canada, Saint Lucia, Liberia, and unofficially in countries like Brazil and Germany. It is also observed in the Australian territory ...

(2023). In the ''

Family Guy ''Family Guy'' is an American animated sitcom created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series premiered on January 31, 1999, following Super Bowl XXXIII, with the rest of the first season airing from April 11, 1999. Th ...

'' episode " Boys Do Cry", Herbert sings this song while auditioning to be the new church organist, the lyrics doubling as a reference to him being a pedophile.

Cover versions

The Party covered the song for their EP, '' In The Meantime, In Between Time''. A version by British female pop duo

Shampoo Shampoo () is a hair care product, typically in the form of a viscous liquid, that is formulated to be used for cleaning (scalp) hair. Less commonly, it is available in solid bar format. (" Dry shampoo" is a separate product.) Shampoo is use ...

reached No. 42 on the UK Singles Chart 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