I Like to Rock (song)

"I Like to Rock" is a song by Canadian rock band April Wine written by primary lead singer and songwriter Myles Goodwyn. The song appears on the band's eight studio album Harder ... Faster (1979) as the second single. The song features Myles Goodwyn's rough-and-ready vocals over the band's well known combination of hard rock and blues rock.

"I Like to Rock"
Single by April Wine
from the album Harder ... Faster
B-side"Ladies Man"
Released1980
RecordedLe Manoir Studios
GenreHard rock, heavy metal
Length4:23
LabelAquarius, Capitol
Songwriter(s)Myles Goodwyn
Producer(s)Myles Goodwyn, Mike Stone, Brian Greenway
April Wine singles chronology
"Say Hello"
(1980)		 "I Like to Rock"
(1980)		 "Just Between You and Me"
(1981)
Music video
"I Like to Rock" on YouTube

The song was a moderate success when released in 1980, reaching #75 on the Canadian Hot 100,[1] #86 on the Billboard Hot 100, and #41 on the UK Singles Chart, their highest peak in the UK. It has gained substantial popularity internationally since the 1980s, becoming a mainstay of April Wine's setlist. The song is arguably the band's signature song, and has become a staple of classic rock and album-oriented rock radio stations in both the US and Canada[2][3]

Content

Song

Like many of the group's other songs, "I Like to Rock" is sung by Myles Goodwyn, accompanied by blues rock electric guitar and hard rock sounds. The final verse of the song includes the main guitar riffs to the Beatles' "Day Tripper" and the Rolling Stones' "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" played simultaneously, in homage to these bands.

Lyrics

The lyrics of "I Like to Rock" have Myles Goodwyn (lead singer) sing about his love of rock music, while the chorus says "I like to rock, some like it hot, baby". The lyrics also refer to partying late at night and singing in front of large crowds at concerts.

Music video

The music video for "I Like to Rock" was directed by Brian Greenway, the band's main guitarist (who also directed the music videos for "Just Between You and Me" and "Enough Is Enough"), and features the band playing the song inside a recording studio located in the woods. The same location, Le Studio, would be used in the video for the song "Tom Sawyer" by fellow Canadian rock band Rush,[4] in 1981.

Charts
Chart (1981) Peak
position
US Billboard Hot 100 86
UK Singles Chart 41
Canada RPM Top Singles 75

Accolades
  • CKKQ-FM "the Q" ranked the song #65 on their list of the "150 Best Canadian Songs of All Time".
  • Rock Klassics ranked it the 94th greatest Canadian rock song.
  • The song was placed at #226 on the 500 Greatest Classic Rock Songs compiled by WXKR.
  • It was ranked #33 on CBC's list of the "50 Greatest Canadian Songs", in 2009.
  • VH1 ranked the song #93 on their list of the "100 Greatest Rock Songs".

"I Like to Rock" was used in the films Flower & Garnet, Gutterballs, High Life, and Drive Angry, as well as S1 E6 of Being Erica titled "Something Wrong With...", as well as the 2010 comedy television special Kids in the Hall: Death Comes to Town.

References
  1. "RPM Top 100 Singles - April 19, 1980" (PDF).
  2. "April Wine singles at the CHUM Chart (Toronto, Canada) archives". 1050CHUM.com. Retrieved 2008-03-25.
  3. "Canadian Top-30 Music Chart #1262 for Saturday, March 21, 1981". WebFitz.com. Retrieved 2008-03-25.
  4. "Remembering Le Studio". Rush.com. 11 August 2017. Retrieved 5 October 2018.
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