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The Thing I Like

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"The Thing I Like"
Single by Aaliyah
from the album Age Ain't Nothing but a Number
ReleasedAugust 28, 1995
Recorded1994
StudioChicago Recording Company (Chicago)
Length3:24
Label
Songwriter(s)R. Kelly
Producer(s)R. Kelly
Aaliyah singles chronology
"Down with the Clique"
(1995) 		"The Thing I Like"
(1995) 		"Are You Ready?"
(1996)

"The Thing I Like" is a song recorded by American singer Aaliyah for her debut studio album Age Ain't Nothing but a Number (1994). It was written and produced by R. Kelly. The song appeared on the soundtrack for the film A Low Down Dirty Shame (1994). It was released as the fifth and final single from Age Ain't Nothing but a Number exclusively in the United Kingdom on August 28, 1995, by Blackground Records and Jive Records.

A moderate commercial success, "The Thing I Like" peaked at number 33 on the UK Singles Chart, becoming her fifth consecutive top-40 single in the United Kingdom.

Composition and Reception

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In his biography Aaliyah (2021), author Tim Footman described "The Thing I Like", as a "breezy song of young love with a catchy synth riff".[1] Footman also said that it "juxtaposed Aaliyah's soft soul vocals with insistent rapping, like a grab bag of contemporary black music".[1]

In a review of the A Low Down Dirty Shame soundtrack, David Browne from Entertainment Weekly felt that "The Thing I Like", along with the other songs, was "more workmanlike than inspired".[2] James Masterton wrote in his weekly UK chart commentary, "A fifth smallish hit single for the most alphabetically pronounced act in chart history."[3] Masterson, also thought "her succession of small chart hits is showing remarkable consistency".[3] Ralph Tee from Music Week gave the song a 3 out of 5 rating, while also highlighting that "Aaliyah's latest single from her debut album comes in for broader styles" due to its remixes. He also felt that both the garage and house remixes takes her into "new waters."[4]

Commercial performance

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"The Thing I Like" was released as the fifth and final single from Age Ain't Nothing but a Number exclusively in the United Kingdom, being Aaliyah's second consecutive UK-only single. It debuted and peaked at number 33 on the UK Singles Chart dated September 9, 1995.[5] The same week, it debuted and peaked at number four on the UK R&B Singles Chart.[6] Additionally, it peaked at number 15 on the UK Dance Singles Chart the following week.[7]

Track listings and formats

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UK 12-inch vinyl[8]

  1. "The Thing I Like" (album version) – 3:21
  2. "The Thing I Like" (Paul Gotel's Classic Anthem Mix) – 6:48
  3. "The Thing I Like" (Paul Gotel's Deep & Dubby Mix) – 6:29
  4. "The Thing I Like" (PG Tips Satellite Mix) – 7:21

UK maxi CD single[9]

  1. "The Thing I Like" (album version) – 3:21
  2. "The Thing I Like" (Paul Gotel's Radio Mix) – 3:57
  3. "The Thing I Like" (Paul Gotel's Classic Anthem Mix) – 6:48
  4. "The Thing I Like" (PG Tips Satellite Mix) – 7:21
  5. "The Thing I Like" (Paul Gotel's Deep & Dubby Mix) – 6:29

Charts

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Weekly chart performance for "The Thing I Like"
Chart (1995) Peak
position
Scotland (OCC)[10] 86
UK Singles (OCC)[11] 33
UK Dance (OCC)[12] 15
UK Hip Hop/R&B (OCC)[13] 4

Release history

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Release dates and formats for "The Thing I Like"
Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United Kingdom August 28, 1995
Jive
[14]

References

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  1. ^ a b Footman 2021
  2. ^ Browne, David (December 16, 1994). "EW takes a look at 1994's movie soundtracks". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
  3. ^ a b Masterton, James (September 9, 1995). "Week Ending September 9th 1995". Chart Watch UK. Retrieved October 6, 2023.
  4. ^ Tee, Ralph (August 19, 1995). "Hot Vinyl" (PDF). Music Week. Retrieved September 2, 2023.
  5. ^ "Aaliyah". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
  6. ^ "Official R&B Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
  7. ^ "Official Dance Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
  8. ^ Aaliyah (1995). The Thing I Like (12-inch single). Jive Records.
  9. ^ Aaliyah (1995). The Thing I Like (CD single). Jive Records.
  10. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
  11. ^ "Aaliyah: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 29, 2017.
  12. ^ "Official Dance Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
  13. ^ "Official Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 25, 2017.
  14. ^ "New Releases: Singles – Releases for 28 Aug–3 Sep 1995" (PDF). Music Week. August 26, 1995. p. 43. Retrieved November 5, 2022 – via World Radio History.

Bibliography

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