1989 Hit Ranked Among ‘Greatest Mainstream Rock Songs of All Time' Was Cut From One of the Most Iconic Movie Scenes Ever
In 1989, The Smithereens had a radio hit with the song "A Girl Like You." Written by Pat DiNizio, the song was the first single from the New Jersey-based alternative rock band's third album, 11. It peaked at No. 38 on the Billboard Hot 100 in early 1990 and soared to No. 2 on the Mainstream Rock chart. Billboard also ranked "A Girl Like You" one of the greatest mainstream rock songs of all time.
For 11, The Smithereens brought in a new producer, Ed Stasium. According to Best Classic Bands, DiNizio once said, "I'm not sure what we were looking for…maybe a heavier guitar sound, like in ‘A Girl Like You.' We were trying to preserve our integrity, yet find a home on radio."
The song was originally meant to be a movie theme
"A Girl Like You" was originally written for an iconic movie scene. In an interview with The Chicago Tribune, DiNizio revealed, "That was written for the movie Say Anything."
"I based it on bits of dialogue in the screenplay and video that they gave me months and months before the film was released," he shared. "At a certain point, the producer wanted me to change the lyrics, and I didn`t want to, so the band decided not to give them the song. They used an old Peter Gabriel song,`In Your Eyes,' instead."
The story was confirmed on Say Anything director Cameron Crowe's official website, The Uncool. "Originally, the Smithereens were asked to write the theme song for the movie," a blurb on the site noted. "The result was a ‘A Girl Like You,' but producer James Brooks and Cameron thought that the lyrics revealed too much of the plot and was rejected in favor of Peter Gabriel's ‘In Your Eyes.'"
The Say Anything scene DiNizio wrote "A Girl Like You" for comes at the end of the Cameron Crowe film, when Lloyd Dobler (John Cusack) holds a blaring boombox above his head as he stands outside the bedroom window of his romantic interest, Diane Court (Ione Skye). The boombox serenade featuring Peter Gabriel's song remains one of the most iconic rom-com film scenes ever.
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Cameron Crowe considered other songs
When Crowe originally wrote the Say Anything screenplay, he wasn't thinking of The Smithereens or Gabriel for the iconic boombox scene.
"The sad truth is, I wrote that scene for Billy Idol's ‘To Be a Lover,' if you can believe it," Crowe shared in a blog post. "There was one day I liked that song, and that was the day I wrote the scene. By the next day, I knew it was a hideously wrong choice."
The filmmaker briefly considered using a Fishbone song for the scene, as Cusack was a superfan of the ska-punk band.
"And it was really wrong – as wrong as ‘To Be a Lover,' " he admitted. "You've just got to imagine it. Ione's turning in her bed, and this song is insidiously working into her soul – and then you cut to Cusack holding a boom box blasting… Fishbone? It's like, ‘Pull it together, man! Have you ever heard about setting the proper mood? Dude, pick your moment.' It was so wrong."
While "A Girl Like You" didn't make the original cut, years later, the song was included in an expanded reissue of the movie soundtrack. In 2022, a post on The Smithereens official Facebook page read, "This is cool! Smithereens HQ finally received a copy of the new reissued SAY ANYTHING film soundtrack. The Smithereens' original demo for ‘A Girl Like You' is included on the Say Anything expanded edition soundtrack on vinyl, produced by Cameron Crowe. The film, starring John Cusack and Ione Skye, was released in 1989 and the soundtrack again in 2021."
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This story was originally published May 6, 2026 at 6:25 AM.