| That's the Way (I Like It) | |
| Cover: | ThatsTheWayILikeIt.jpg |
| Caption: | German CD maxi single (1989 remix) |
| Type: | single |
| Artist: | KC and the Sunshine Band |
| Album: | KC and the Sunshine Band |
| B-Side: | What Makes You Happy |
| Genre: | |
| Label: | TK |
| Producer: |
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| Prev Title: | Shotgun Shuffle |
| Prev Year: | 1975 |
| Next Title: | I'm So Crazy ('Bout You) |
| Next Year: | 1975 |
"That's the Way (I Like It)" is a song by American disco and funk band KC and the Sunshine Band from their self-titled second studio album (1975). The single became the band's second No. 1 hit in the Billboard Hot 100, and it is one of the few chart-toppers in history to hit No. 1 on more than one occasion during a one-month period, as it did between November and December 1975. It topped the American pop chart for one week, and then was replaced by another disco song, "Fly, Robin, Fly" by Silver Convention. "That's the Way (I Like It)" returned to No. 1 for one more week after "Fly, Robin, Fly" completed three weeks at the top. "That's the Way (I Like It)" also spent one week at No. 1 in the soul singles chart.[3] The song is in natural minor.[4]
The song was also an international chart hit, reaching No. 1 in Canada and the Netherlands and charting in Australia (No. 5), Belgium (No. 2), Ireland (No. 17), New Zealand (No. 12), Norway (No. 5), the United Kingdom (No. 4) and West Germany (No. 20).
Record World said that "A spirited, uplifting sound is based around a theme which should be reverberating across the country in no time!"[5]
For release as a single and radio airplay, the song was toned down from the original recording, which would have jeopardized it receiving getting radio airplay at the time. However the sexual overtones may have improved the record's reception at discos, increasing its overall popularity in the charts.[6]
"That's the Way (I Like It)" was referenced by English comedian Joe Lycett on his 2016 live stand-up special That's the Way, A-Ha A-Ha, Joe Lycett.
| Chart (1975–1976) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[7] | 5 |
| Ireland (IRMA)[8] | 17 |
| South Africa (Springbok Radio)[9] | 6 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[10] | 1 |
| US Hot Dance Club Play (Billboard) | 18 |
| US Hot R&B Singles (Billboard) | 1 |
| US Cash Box Top 100[11] | 1 |
| West Germany (Media Control)[12] | 20 |
| Chart (1975) | Rank | |
|---|---|---|
| Canada (RPM)[13] | 14 | |
| Netherlands (Single Top 100)[14] | 9 | |
| UK Singles (OCC)[15] | 49 | |
| US Cash Box Top 100[16] | 49 |
| Chart (1976) | Rank | |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[17] | 51 | |
| US Billboard Hot 100[18] | 45 |
| That's the Way (I Like It) | |
| Cover: | That'sTheWayILikeIt.jpg |
| Type: | single |
| Artist: | Dead or Alive |
| Album: | Sophisticated Boom Boom |
| B-Side: | Keep That Body Strong (That's The Way) |
| Recorded: | 1983 |
| Length: | 3:38 |
| Label: | Epic |
| Producer: |
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| Prev Title: | I'd Do Anything |
| Prev Year: | 1984 |
| Next Title: | You Spin Me Round (Like a Record) |
| Next Year: | 1984 |
In 1979, singer Pete Burns used the chorus in the song "Black Leather", composed and recorded in the early stages of Dead or Alive (then Nightmares in Wax). In 1984, the group covered the song for their debut studio album, Sophisticated Boom Boom (1984), creating their first UK Top 40 single.
| Chart (1984) | Peak position | |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report) | 45 | |
| Ireland (IRMA) | 23 | |
| UK Singles (OCC)[19] | 22 | |
| US Hot Dance Club Play (Billboard)[20] | 28 |
| That's the Way (I Like It) | |
| Cover: | Clock-That's_the_Way_(I_Like_It).jpg |
| Type: | single |
| Artist: | Clock |
| Album: | Boogie Sound |
| Released: | 1997 |
| Genre: | Eurodance |
| Length: | 3:45 |
| Label: |
|
| Prev Title: | U Sexy Thing |
| Prev Year: | 1997 |
| Next Title: | Rock Your Body |
| Next Year: | 1998 |
In 1997, British pop/dance act Clock released a cover of the song, which appears on their Japan-only album release Boogie Sound. It was a moderate hit in early 1998, peaking at No. 17 in Ireland,[21] No. 11 in the United Kingdom[22] and No. 66 in France.[23]
A reviewer from Music Week rated Clock's version two out of five, adding, "But with Clock's established grip on the Top 20, no doubt it will sell."[24] The magazine's Alan Jones wrote, "Clock get short shrift from critics, though record buyers can't get enough of them. They will certainly tick up another hit with That's The Way (I Like It), an obvious cover of the old KC & The Sunshine Band track currently doing service as a TV commercial soundtrack. It stays close to the original, and will provide one of the first big hits of 1998."[25]
| Chart (1998) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Ireland (IRMA) | 17 |
| France (SNEP) | 66 |
| UK Singles (OCC) | 11 |
