Girls Like You

Album

Red Pill Blues

Label

222 records

Genre

Pop rock

Media Type

CD

Composer(s)

Adam LevineHenry WalterBelcalis AlmanzarBrittany Talia HazzardJason EviganGian Stone

Entered Chart

Jun 9, 2018

Peak Date

Sep 29, 2018

Released

UnknownMay 31, 2018

Recorded

2018

Catalog #

222

"Girls Like You" is an upbeat love song in which Adam Levine shows his appreciation for his girl after overcoming a difficult time in their relationship. Cause girls like you run 'round with guys like me 'Til sun down when I come through I need a girl like you, yeah yeah Girls like you love fun, and yeah, me too Adam Levine acknowledges that he and his girl need each other in their lives. Maroon 5 debuted "Girls Like You" on May 30, 2018 during their Red Pill Blues Tour gig in Tacoma, Washington. Originally the ninth track on Maroon 5's sixth studio album, Red Pill Blues, a remix featuring American rapper Cardi B, was released as a single on May 30, 2018. The revamped version leaves the original vocals and production intact before Cardi B slides in with her verse in the latter half of the song. Maroon 5 have a history of collaborating with rappers. Past hook-ups include ones with Wiz Khalifa ("Payphone"), Kendrick Lamar ("Don't Wanna Know") and A$AP Rocky ("Whiskey"). The music video was filmed by American movie director David Dobkin, whose resumé includes the films Shanghai Knights, Wedding Crashers, and The Judge. He previously worked with Maroon 5 on their visuals for "Sugar" and "Don't Wanna Know." The clip begins with Adam Levine performing the song in the center of a room, before the camera pans around to reveal singer Camila Cabello dancing behind him. She's followed by a succession of women making moves and lip-syncing around him, including Cardi B. The ladies in order of appearance are Phoebe Robinson, Aly Raisman, Sarah Silverman, Gal Gadot, Lilly Singh, Amani Al-Khatahtbeh, Trace Lysette, Tiffany Haddish, Angy Rivera, Franchesca Ramsey, Millie Bobby Brown, Ellen DeGeneres, Jennifer Lopez, Chloe Kim, Alex Morgan, Mary J. Blige, Beanie Feldstein, Jackie Fielder, Danica Patrick, Ilhan Omar, Elizabeth Banks, Ashley Graham, and Rita Ora. At the end we see Adam Levine's wife Behati Prinsloo, who is holding the couple's baby girl, Dusty Rose. It took nearly five months to make the video. Ellen DeGeneres was the first one they asked to appear, and then according to Dobkin they kept extending the schedule so more people would be available. He told Entertainment Weekly: "After Ellen, we wrote personal letters to each and every one of these individual women, and we very carefully curated the group. This is the list of people that we were inspired by, who said yes and actually were able to make it. I used the word 'curated' just in the sense of having a list of people and who were available and wanting to represent many different races and religions and backgrounds and orientations. Adam… wrote the letters. Some people he called. I know he called Tiffany Haddish directly." Dobkin added that some of the women came without getting the okay from their teams, including Cardi B. "Cardi flew out and shot the video without anybody approving," he revealed. "She was awesome." Dobkin admitted there was one famous actress he was unable to land for a cameo. "The one regret I had was Helen Mirren," he said, "She was going to be in it, and we could not work out the schedule." Adam Levine told The Independent that he put more work into making this song's video with David Dobkin than pretty much any other one they've made. He recalled: "We sat and listened to the song, like, 150 times and tried to work out what it was for – how to enhance the song's meaning. Because 'Girls Like You' is this cute, quite simple song, but when you add the video it gives it a whole other level." "The world is so heavy right now, and there's so much going on, so I kind of love the fact that the song and the video are a bit lighter," Levine continued. "I've grown up, I've been through a lot, done everything wrong, but the main mission behind the video is helping people to realize that we have to have each other's backs. People definitely make mistakes, there's no human on this planet that hasn't done that, but if we don't support one another, we're f---ed." Adam Levine wrote the song with Starrah and Jason Evigan. The same trio also penned Maroon 5's "What Lovers Do"; guitarist James Valentine considers "Girls Like You" to be a continuation in the same vein. "To me it's just a really straight ahead, very classic pop song with another really, really ear worm sorta chorus," he told ABC Radio. The song was Maroon 5's fourth Hot 100 #1 hit following "Makes Me Wonder," "Moves Like Jagger" and "One More Night." It was Cardi B's third Hot 100 chart-topper after "Bodak Yellow" and "I Like It." The song's ascension to the summit on the chart dated September 29, 2018 ended a record 34-week streak of nothing but rap songs (mainly Drake) at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. The previous pop tune to reach the summit was back in January 2018, when Camila Cabello's "Havana" was at the peak position. "Girls Like You" topped Vevo's list of the most-watched music videos worldwide in 2018. The clip had a total of 1.3 billion views on the platform through to November 30, 2018. Maroon 5 was also the most-viewed artist globally in 2018 with 1.6 billion views worldwide on the video hosting service. Maroon 5 played this during their performance at the 2019 Super Bowl halftime show, where they were joined on the song by a gospel choir and a drumline. Aided by Maroon 5's Super Bowl LIII halftime show performance, "Girls Like You" tied a longevity record on the Billboard Hot 100 dated February 16, 2019. The song held at #10 listing the week after the event, logging a 33rd week in the top 10. This matched the record of Ed Sheeran's "Shape Of You" for the longest top 10 run in the chart's 60-year history. Post Malone and Swae Lee's "Sunflower" later matched the other two songs when it spent its 33rd week in the top 10 on the chart dated September 21, 2019. The song broke the record for the longest run atop Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart when it spent 36 weeks at #1 in 2018-2019. It overtook Dobie Gray and Uncle Kracker's "Drift Away," which spent 28 weeks atop the listing in 2003 and 2004. "Girls Like You" held the record until Miley Cyrus' "Flowers" ruled for a 37th week on the listing dated January 20, 2024. A classical version features in the opening episode of Netflix's television period drama series Bridgerton. It plays during a scene where the eldest Bridgerton daughter, Daphne, and the other ladies meet their pretender.

[Adam Levine:]
Spent 24 hours, I need more hours with you
You spent the weekend getting even, ooh
We spent the late nights making things right between us

But now it's all good, babe
Roll that backwood, babe
And play me close

'Cause girls like you run 'round with guys like me
'Til sundown when I come through
I need a girl like you, yeah yeah
Girls like you love fun, and yeah, me too
What I want when I come through
I need a girl like you, yeah yeah

Yeah yeah yeah, yeah yeah yeah
I need a girl like you, yeah yeah
Yeah yeah yeah, yeah yeah yeah
I need a girl like you

I spent last night on the last flight to you
Took a whole day up tryna get way up, ooh
We spent the daylight tryna make things right between us

And now it's all good, babe
Roll that backwood, babe
And play me close

'Cause girls like you run 'round with guys like me
'Til sundown when I come through
I need a girl like you, yeah yeah
Girls like you love fun, and yeah, me too
What I want when I come through
I need a girl like you, yeah yeah

Yeah yeah yeah, yeah yeah yeah
I need a girl like you, yeah yeah
Yeah yeah yeah, yeah yeah yeah
I need a girl like you, yeah yeah
I need a girl like you, yeah yeah
I need a girl like you

Maybe it's six forty-five
Maybe I'm barely alive
Maybe you've taken my shit for the last time, yeah
Maybe I know that I'm drunk
Maybe I know you're the one
Maybe I'm thinking it's better if you drive

[Cardi B:]
Not too long ago, I was dancing for dollars (eeoow)
Know it's really real if I let you meet my mama (eeoow)
You don't want a girl like me, I'm too crazy
But every other girl you meet is fugazi (okurrrt)
I'm sure them other girls were nice enough
But you need someone to spice it up
So who you gonna call? Cardi, Cardi
Come and rev it up like a Harley, Harley
Why is the best fruit always forbidden?
I'm coming to you now doin' 20 over the limit
The red light, red light stop, stop (skrrt)
I don't play when it comes to my heart, let's get it though
I don't really want a white horse and a carriage
I'm thinkin' more of white Porsches and karats
I need you right here 'cause every time you're far
I play with this kitty like you play with your guitar (ah)

[Adam Levine:]
'Cause girls like you run 'round with guys like me
'Til sundown when I come through
I need a girl like you, yeah yeah
Girls like you love fun, and yeah, me too
What I want when I come through
I need a girl like you, yeah yeah

Yeah yeah yeah, yeah yeah yeah
I need a girl like you, yeah yeah
Yeah yeah yeah, yeah yeah yeah
I need a girl like you