Cardi B “I Like It” hit #1

I Like It Cardi B with Bad Bunny & J. Balvin

Writer(s): Belcalis Almanzar, Benito Ocasio, José Osorio, Tony Pabón, Marcos Masis, Jesus Nieves, Manny Rodriguez, Jorden Thorpe, Anthony White, Vincent Watson, Edgar Machuca, Xavier Vargas, Edgar Vargas, Benny Bonnilla (see lyrics here) Released: May 25, 2018 First Charted: April 21, 2018 Peak: 11 BB, 12 BA, 11 DG, 34 A40, 11 RB, 8 UK, 2 CN, 14 AU (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 11.0 US, 1.2 UK, 14.46 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 1768.01 video, 1598.42 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: “I Like It” was the fourth single from American rapper and singer Cardi B’s 2018 Invasion of Privacy album. It was her second trip to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 – her first time was with her debut single “Bodak Yellow.” It made her the first female rapper with two chart-topping hits. SF “I Like It” also featured Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny and Colombian singer J. Balvin performing in Spanish and English. It was the first #1 for either of them. The song has been described as “a blend of trap and salsa.” WK It is considered the first Latin trap song to top the Hot 100. WK Billboard called it “the ultimate Latin crossover track.” BB Stereogum staff said the song “continued to firm up a lane for Spanish language in the American pop mainstream.” WK The song was built on samples from the 1967 hit “I Like It Like That” by Pete Rodriguez, nicknamed “The King of Boogaloo.” It gained attention again in 1994 when the Blackout All Stars covered the song for the movie I Like It Like That and it reached #25 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was revived again in 2011 by Tito Nieves. Cardi B’s song actually sampled from “I Like It Like That” and a song from Tito Nieves called “Yeah, I Like It!” BB Rodriguez didn’t even know his song had been sampled until his grandkids told him. SF Rolling Stone’s Brittany Spanos said it “sounds like it was chemically concocted in a mad scientist’s lab to be 2018’s reigning song of the summer.” WK In ranking it as one of the best songs of the decade, Rolling Stone staff called it “a multicultural, worldwide block party.” WK The song was the first from a female rapper to surpass a billion streams on Spotify. WK It was nominated for a Grammy for Record of the Year. Resources: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Cardi B BB Billboard.com (6/1/2018). “From Pete Rodriguez to Tito Nieves to Cardi B, the Definitive History of ‘I Like It’” by Leila Cobo SF Songfacts WK Wikipedia First posted 3/31/2024; last updated 4/14/2024.

This Month in Music (1917): "Old MacDonald Had a Farm" published in Tommy's Tunes

Old MacDonald Had a Farm Thomas d’Urfey (music), Frederick Thomas Nettleingham (words)

Writer(s): Thomas d’Urfey (m), Frederick Thomas Nettleingham (w) (see lyrics here) First Published: 1706 First Charted: September 1, 1958 (The Chargers) Peak: 25 BB, 32 CB, 22 HR, 11 UK (Sinatra) (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 7073.96 (combined versions) video, 105.06 streaming (combined versions)

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: AmericanSongwriter.com’s Jacob Uitti says the children’s tune “Old MacDonald Had a Farm” (also known as “Old MacDonald”) “might very well be the most famous song of all time.” AS Each verse celebrates another farm animal, inviting the singer to make the appropriate animal noises. As Uitti says, the song has universal appeal because “Every country has farms. Every country has animals,” AS “not to mention the joy children have in making barnyard animal noises.” AS The earliest version of the song dates to 1706. WK The writer and composer Thomas d’Urfey wrote the song “In the Fields in Frost and Snow” for an opera, either The Kingdom of the Birds or Wonders of the Sun. TA It is unclear if he based his work on a traditional song that already existed. The music, specifically in the chorus, was a precursor to “Old MacDonald.” LA d’Urfey’s version also introduced the idea of animals making noises within the song. LA It became a popular folk song in the United Kingdom and America AS resulting in various version including “The Farmyard Song” (1880s), “Father’s Wood I O” (1906), and “The Farmyard” (1908). In October 1917, Frederick Thomas Nettleingham published the book Tommy’s Tunes which included a variation of the song called “Ohio” which features a farmer named “Old Macdougal” and includes animal noises from horses, dogs, chickens, and more. WK The earliest recorded version of “Old MacDonald Had a Farm” is by Sam Patterson’s Trio in 1925. WK Gid Tanner & His Skillet Lickers recorded the song in 1927. WK The Chargers had the first charted version of the song in 1958, reaching #95 on the Billboard Hot 100. Two years later, Frank Sinatra had the most successful version of the song, peaking at #25. In the 21st century, versions of the song by CoCoMelon and Bounce Patrol have logged more than two billion YouTube viewing each. Combined version of the song rack up more than seven billion views, behind only Pinkfong’s “Baby Shark” and Luis Fonsi’s “Despacito” as the most watched songs on YouTube. Resources: AS AmericanSongwriter.com (1/19/2024). “The Meaning Behind the Classic Nursery Rhyme ‘Old MacDonald Had a Farm’” by Jacob Uitti TA Tunearch.org (4/27/2022). “In the Fields in Frost and Snow” WK Wikipedia Related Links: First posted 2/7/2025.