"I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe)" was the first charting single by the rock band Genesis. Its original b-side was the non-album track, "Twilight Alehouse." The single was first released in the UK in August of 1973, but did not become a hit until April 1974.
"I Know What I Like" is also the second track on the Selling England by the Pound album. A lighthearted pop song, it provides a moment of relief after the opening number, "Dancing With The Moonlit Knight." The Selling England album cover, which was famous in its own right, provided inspiration for the song.
The song's lyrics, like much of Peter Gabriel's in his Genesis days, tell a story. It portrays a young man who pushes a lawn mower for a living and shares his philosophy on life that he does not want to grow up and do great things, being perfectly happy where he is.
The song has a somewhat Eastern sound, full of hand percussion rhythms and an electric sitar riff from Mike Rutherford (played in concert by Steve Hackett), and it foreshadows the world music that Gabriel would later experiment with in his solo career. Rutherford's bass playing is also highly prominent, and guitarist Steve Hackett uses a unique effect during the intro and ending to imitate the sound of a lawn mower.
Live versions of this song (such as the one on Seconds Out) feature an extended instrumental section which includes snippets of various other Genesis songs – such as "Visions of Angels," "Dancing With the Moonlit Knight" and "Stagnation" – and even songs by other artists, such as the Animals' "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood." During the Turn It On Again tour in 2007, images from the band's history cycled by in the background.
"I Know What I Like" was the band's only pop hit of their early years, at a time when progressive rock bands largely avoided the singles market. Its success would not be topped until And Then There Were Three's "Follow You Follow Me," some four years later, and it remains the band's biggest hit without Phil Collins as frontman.
In 1993, Marillion's ex-frontman Fish did a cover version of this song on his Songs from the Mirror album.
Personnel
Peter Gabriel: Vocals and Flute
Steve Hackett: Electric Guitar
Mike Rutherford: Bass and Electric Sitar
Tony Banks: Hammond Organ and ARP Pro-Soloist
Phil Collins: Drums, Backing Vocals and Percussion
