We Got Love (Real Thing)

Last updated
"We Got Love"
Song by The Real Thing
ReleasedOctober 1984
Genre
Label RCA
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s) Nick Martinelli
The Real Thing singles chronology
"Street Corner Boogie"
(1983)		"We Got Love"
(1984)		"Street Scene"
(1984)

"We Got Love" is a song written by Lynsey de Paul and Terry Britten that was first recorded by British soul group, The Real Thing. [1] [2] It was produced by the American R&B and pop record producer, Nick Martinelli, and released on the RCA label, both as a 7-inch single, and a 12-inch extended play version, in October 1984. [3]

Contents

Content

The lyrics of the song discuss love being more important than riches and wealth, and fame being meaningless.

Reception

It received positive reviews from the mainstream music press. Music Week described the song (and their debut on the RCA label) as "another veteran (and home-grown) dancefloor mak[ing] a welcome reappearance in the shape of Real Thing with We Got Love... produced in Philadelphia by the ubiquitous Nick Martinelli,... [it] could well be a step back towards their old consistency for the scouse soulsters." [4] [5] On his weekly disco page for Record Mirror , James Hamilton wrote the following: "[the] Latest to benefit from a visit to Nick Martinelli in Philadelphia, the guys sound quite soulful... hoarsely harmonizing in unison to a nagging 103bpm beat (the tempo makes it) with nice scat break". [6] It was already play listed on at least 10 of the UK's most prominent radio stations by late October, [7] as well as being played on Italian radio. [8] [9]

Charts

The song entered the top 200 of the UK Singles Chart as compiled by Gallup [10] on 13 October 1984 and spent six weeks on the chart peaking at number 118. [11] The song also was a dance floor hit, [12] with a three week stretch on the Record Mirror Disco Chart where it peaked at number 58, [13] [14] [15] , and debuted in the top 50 of the Music Week "Top Disco & Dance Songs" chart for the week including November 4, 1984, receiving playlisting by 15 radio stations. [4] The song also charted at number 34 on the DJ Nightclub chart. [16]

Releases

The first release of the song on CD was in two different mixes ("We Got Love (dub mix))" and "We Got Love (12 inch extended version)) since both were included on the seven CD The Anthology 1972-1997, on Cherry Red Records in 2021. [17]

Compilation albums

"We Got Love" was also included as a track on some compilation albums, including the 1985 various artist funk/soul album Black Magic. It was also included on the Indonesian album No.1 Prambors Of The Year, released on the Team Record label as a music cassette. [18]

Just a Little Time

The song's co-writer, de Paul, released her recording of the song on her 1994 album Just a Little Time , [19] [20] and it is available on the album Pop Masters: Sugar Me 2005 on Spotify. According to another interview with de Paul, the song was allegedly also recorded by fellow British soul group Imagination, but this needs verification.


Weekly charts

Weekly chart performance for "We Got Love (Real Thing)"
Chart (1984)Peak
position
UK Singles (OCC) [21] 118

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Stock (musician)</span> English songwriter, record producer (born 1951)

Michael Stock is an English songwriter, record producer, musician, and member of the songwriting and production trio Stock Aitken Waterman. He has been responsible for over a hundred top-40 hits in the UK, including 16 Number One's and is recognised as one of the most successful songwriters of all time by the Guinness World Records. As part of Stock Aitken Waterman in the 1980s and 90s, he holds the UK record of 11 number one records with different acts. In the UK Singles Chart he has written 54 top-ten hits including 7 number ones.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dazz Band</span> American R&B and funk band

The Dazz Band is an American R&B/funk band most popular in the early 1980s. Emerging from Cleveland, Ohio, the group's biggest hit songs include "Let It Whip" (1982), "Joystick" (1983), and "Let It All Blow" (1984). The name of the band is a portmanteau of the description "danceable jazz".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bis (Scottish band)</span> Scottish indie pop band

Bis are a Scottish indie pop band composed of Steven Clark, John Clark, and Amanda MacKinnon, formed in 1994. The band's name, rhyming with 'this', derives from "black iron skyline", a lyric from the song "Twilight of a Champion" by The The.

Five Star were a British pop group, formed in 1983 and comprising siblings Stedman, Lorraine, Denise, Doris, and Delroy Pearson. From 1985 to 1988, Five Star had four top-20 albums and 15 top-40 singles in the UK, including the top-10 hits "System Addict" (1986), "Can't Wait Another Minute" (1986), "Find the Time" (1986), "Rain or Shine" (1986), "Stay Out of My Life" (1987) and "The Slightest Touch" (1987). They won the 1987 Brit Award for Best British Group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UK singles chart</span> British singles sales chart

The UK Singles Chart is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-selling singles in the United Kingdom, based upon physical sales, paid-for downloads and streaming. The Official Chart, broadcast on BBC Radio 1 and MTV, is the UK music industry's recognised official measure of singles and albums popularity because it is the most comprehensive research panel of its kind, today surveying over 15,000 retailers and digital services daily, capturing 99.9% of all singles consumed in Britain across the week, and over 98% of albums. To be eligible for the chart, a single is currently defined by the Official Charts Company (OCC) as either a 'single bundle' having no more than four tracks and not lasting longer than 25 minutes or one digital audio track not longer than 15 minutes with a minimum sale price of 40 pence. The rules have changed many times as technology has developed, the most notable being the inclusion of digital downloads in 2005 and streaming in July 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Got to Be Real</span> 1978 disco single

"Got to Be Real" is a song by American singer Cheryl Lynn from her 1978 self-titled debut studio album. The song, which was released in August 1978 as Lynn's debut single, was written by Lynn, David Paich and David Foster.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">It Only Takes a Minute</span> 1975 single by Tavares

"It Only Takes a Minute" is a 1975 song by American soul/R&B group Tavares, released as the first single from their third album, In the City (1975). The song was the group's only top-10 pop hit in the United States, peaking at number 10, and their second number one song on the American soul charts. On the US Disco chart, "It Only Takes a Minute" spent five weeks at number two and was the first of four entries on the chart. The song was subsequently covered by Jonathan King performing as 100 Ton and a Feather in 1976 and by boy band Take That in 1992.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Disco 2000 (song)</span> 1995 single by Pulp

"Disco 2000" is a song by British band Pulp, included on the band's fifth album, Different Class (1995). Featuring a disco-inspired musical performance, the song was based on Pulp singer Jarvis Cocker's childhood memories of his friend Deborah Bone, who he had "fancied" in his youth but could never impress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Love I Lost</span> 1973 single by Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes

"The Love I Lost" is a song by American R&B group Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes. Group member Teddy Pendergrass sang lead vocals. Originally written as a ballad by Philly soul songwriters Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, the song was transformed into a funk song and features drummer Earl Young. It was released from the Black & Blue album in late 1973 and sold more than a million copies. In the 21st century, the track has been the subject of extended re-edits by notable remixers Tom Moulton, Theo Parrish, and Dimitri From Paris.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ain't No Love (Ain't No Use)</span> 1993 single by Sub Sub

"Ain't No Love (Ain't No Use)" is a song by British dance music act Sub Sub, released on 29 March 1993 by independent label Rob's Records as the second single from their debut album, Full Fathom Five (1994). It features Temper Temper's Melanie Williams on vocals. The song was the act's biggest single, reaching number three on the UK Singles Chart and number one on the UK Dance Singles Chart; it became one of many dance singles in 1993 to cross over into mainstream popularity in the UK. In the accompanying music video, Jimi Goodwin plays bass, Jez Williams plays keyboards and percussion, and Jez' twin brother Andy Williams plays keytar. After struggling to repeat the success of the single, and after a fire destroyed the band's Ancoats studio in 1996, the group eventually reformed with a radically different sound as Doves in 1998.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)</span> 1978 single by Sylvester

"You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)" is a 1978 song by American disco/R&B singer Sylvester. It was written by James Wirrick and Sylvester, and released by Fantasy Records as the second single from the singer's fourth album, Step II (1978). The song was already a largely popular dance club hit in late 1978, as the B-side of his previous single "Dance (Disco Heat)", before it was officially being released in December. It rose to the number one position on the US Billboard Dance Club Songs chart. Music critic Robert Christgau has said the song is "one of those surges of sustained, stylized energy that is disco's great gift to pop music".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nick Martinelli</span> American R&B and pop record producer (born 1952)

Nicholas J. Martinelli is an American R&B and pop record producer. During the 1980s he worked with many R&B and pop music artists, some of them based in the UK. Acts he has worked with include Loose Ends, Phyllis Hyman, Five Star, Stephanie Mills and Regina Belle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Love Resurrection</span> 1984 single by Alison Moyet

"Love Resurrection" is a pop song written by English singer-songwriter Alison Moyet and producers Jolley & Swain for Moyet's debut studio album Alf (1984). Released as the album's first single in June 1984, it reached number 10 in the UK Singles Chart. It was released in the US in summer 1985 following "Invisible" and reached number 82 on the Billboard Hot 100 that August.

British pop music is popular music, produced commercially in the United Kingdom. It emerged in the mid-to late 1950s as a softer alternative to American rock 'n' roll. Like American pop music it has a focus on commercial recording, often orientated towards a youth market, as well as that of the Singles Chart usually through the medium of relatively short and simple love songs. While these basic elements of the genre have remained fairly constant, pop music has absorbed influences from most other forms of popular music, particularly borrowing from the development of rock music, and utilising key technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes. From the British Invasion in the 1960s, led by The Beatles, British pop music has alternated between acts and genres with national appeal and those with international success that have had a considerable impact on the development of the wider genre and on popular music in general

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Circles (Atlantic Starr song)</span> 1982 single by Atlantic Starr

"Circles" is a song by the American band Atlantic Starr, and the first single released from their 1982 album Brilliance. The single was the most successful for the group thus far, peaking at number two for two weeks on the Soul Singles chart and it also became their first single to hit the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 38. "Circles" was also Atlantic Starr's most successful single on the dance charts, peaking at number nine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hang On in There Baby</span> 1974 single by Johnny Bristol

"Hang On in There Baby" is a song written by American musician Johnny Bristol and arranged by H. B. Barnum as the title track from his first album. It was released as a single in 1974, reaching No. 8 on the U.S. Hot 100 and No. 2 on the U.S. R&B chart. In the UK it reached No. 3.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Real Thing (British band)</span> British soul group

The Real Thing are a British soul group formed in the 1970s. The band charted internationally with their song "You to Me Are Everything", which reached No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart. They also had successes with a string of British hits such as "Can't Get By Without You" and "Can You Feel the Force?". They returned to mainstream success in 1986 with the Decade Remix of "You to Me Are Everything". By number of sales, they were the most successful black rock/soul act in England during the 1970s. The journalist, author and founder of Mojo magazine Paul Du Noyer credits them alongside Deaf School with restoring "Liverpool's musical reputation in the 1970s" with their success.

<i>Just a Little Time</i> 1994 studio album by Lynsey de Paul

Just a Little Time is an album by Lynsey de Paul. It was originally released on 30 September 1994 on the Music Deluxe label but has since been released on the Tring International PLC label and on Arc Records/The Magic Collection. All of the songs on the album are written or co-written by de Paul.

Paul Kyser is an American promoter, record label owner, singer, songwriter, record producer and arranger. He wrote and co-produced the hit "Dawning of Love" with Tom Vetri for Devotion. He also wrote "Body and Soul " for the group Soul Generation and "Where Were You " for Jimmy Briscoe and the Little Beavers. Along with Leon Stuckey he co-wrote "Just How Sweet Is Your Love" for Rhyze, which appears on the Boogie's Gonna Getcha: '80s New York Boogie compilation album. He co-wrote "Be My #2" which appears on the R. Kelly Untitled album. He is also credited with discovering Jimmy Briscoe & The Little Beavers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ain't No Man (Dina Carroll song)</span> 1992 single by Dina Carroll

"Ain't No Man" is a song by British singer-songwriter Dina Carroll. After singing on two singles with British dance production duo Quartz, she was relaunched as a solo artist with the song, which was released in June 1992 by A&M and 1st Avenue Records as the first single from the singer's debut album, So Close (1993). Lyrically, the song is sung from the view of a woman singing to her man, telling him that there ain't no man that makes her feel like he do. Carroll told in an 1992 interview, "We wanted an anthemic, memorable song. For some reason, Nigel [Lowis] brought up 'Ain't No Mountain High Enough', and that idea evolved into 'Ain't No Man'." The song was well received among music critics and peaked at number 16 in the UK charts, number 26 in the Netherlands and number 63 in Germany. Its music video was directed by Pedro Romhanyi.

References

  1. ↑ "The Real Thing". Therealthingofficial.com.
  2. ↑ Hung, Steffen. "The Real Thing - We Got Love". hitparade.ch.
  3. ↑ Number One, p. 6, 20 October 1984
  4. 1 2 https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/1984/Music-Week-1984-11-03-I.pdf
  5. ↑ Blues & Soul, 1984, Napfield Limited
  6. ↑ Hamildon, James (October 6, 1984). "October 6, 1984: Chaka Khan, Paris, Dazz Band, Hi-Tension, Linda Clifford". Jameshamiltonsdiscopage.com.
  7. ↑ Music Week , p. 19, 20 October 1984
  8. ↑ Eurotipsheet, p. 4, 12 November 1984
  9. ↑ "Dance 80 - Euro Hits 80'". Dance80.com.
  10. ↑ "Official Charts History: The 80s". Officialcharts.com. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
  11. ↑ "UK Singles Charts: 1984 (including chart panel sales)". UKMIX Forums. May 14, 2022.
  12. ↑ "The Real Thing: Soulstice 2018's Headline Act!". Summersoulstice.co.uk. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
  13. ↑ Record Mirror , p. 31, 20 October 1984
  14. ↑ Hamilton, James (October 27, 1984). "October 27, 1984: Dazz Band, Cool Notes, Roy Ayers, S.O.S. Band, Tom Browne". Jameshamiltonsdiscopage.com.
  15. ↑ "October 20, 1984: Champaign, Angela Bofill, Teena Marie, Force MD's, Laura Pallas". Jameshamiltonsdiscopage.com. 20 October 1984. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
  16. ↑ Record Mirror, p. 34, 3 November 1984
  17. ↑ "THE ANTHOLOGY 1972-1997". Officialcharts.com. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
  18. ↑ "THE REAL THING * BIOGRAFIA". Vuestraradio.foroactivo.com.
  19. ↑ "We Got Love by The Real Thing - Samples, Covers and Remixes". Whosampled.com. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
  20. ↑ "We Got Love by The Real Thing". Secondhandsongs.com.
  21. ↑ "Real Thing: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 19, 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.