Kelly Marie
Encyclopedia
Kelly Marie is a Scottish
disco
singer. Her only notable hit was "Feels Like I'm in Love
", a #1 hit
in the UK
in 1980.
". This exposure led to her signing with Pye Records
, who released Kelly Marie's debut single "Who's that Lady with my Man" in April 1976: that track reached #5 in France
and earned a gold disc
for sales in excess of 300,000 copies: the follow-up, "Help Me", was also a hit in France, reaching #18. Also in 1976, Marie was credited for her cameo vocal on "Sister Mary" a #2 hit in Ireland
for Joe Dolan
. Her 1977 single, "Run to Me", was a hit in the Netherlands
(#22) and South Africa
(#5) and in 1978 "Make Love to Me" gave Marie her most significant success (to that point) in the English
-speaking world, reaching #2 in South Africa and #5 in Australia
: the track spent forty-one weeks in the Australian Top 40 and was ranked as the #12 hit of the year.
"Make Love to Me" might also have returned Kelly Marie to the U.S.
club
charts
where "Run to Me" had reached #27, had Helen Reddy
not covered the track for the U.S. market.
had written it in 1977 in hopes of having Elvis Presley
record it: it's unclear if the song was ever pitched to Presley before his death that year. Dorset's group Mungo Jerry
did record
the song but their version was relegated to the B-side of a Belgian single "Sur Le Pont D'Avignon" (A-side)released by Polydor International: http://www.discomusic.com/records-more/8348_0_2_0_C/).
Kelly Marie and Peter Yellowstone — who had co-written
her hits with Mike Tinsley — saw the potential of the song as a follow-up to "Make Love to Me", and Kelly's recording of "Feels Like I'm in Love" returned her to the Top 10 in South Africa (#7) in November 1979.
Like all of Kelly Marie's recordings to that date, "Feels Like I'm in Love" failed to become a hit in the UK, but it did become a popular disco item first in Scotland and eventually all over Britain. The track's prolonged popularity in the clubs led Pye to re-release the song in the summer of 1980, after a #61 debut on the chart dated 2 August "Feels Like I'm in Love" entered the Top Ten 23 August and spent the weeks of 13th and 20 September at #1. "Feels Like I'm in Love" was the UK's #3 hit for the year, with sales in excess of one million copies: the track also enjoyed international success with chart rankings of #6 in Austria
, 2# in Belgium
, #6 in Australia, #5 in Germany
, #3 in the Netherlands and #3 in Ireland. In addition the track reached #10 on the U.S. dance charts
in 1981.
for its singer. Kelly Marie opined that the media were so focussed on the success story of her fellow Scotswoman Sheena Easton
that she received little attention above and beyond her hit record.
The decline of Kelly Marie's mainstream career became clear when her UK releases subsequent to "Feels Like I'm in Love" charted first outside the Top 20 ("Loving Just For Fun" #21; "Hot Love" #22) and then outside the Top 50 ("Love Trial" #51). Kelly Marie continued to record dance tracks, through which she remained a presence on the international club scene. She took a break from recording in 1984, around the time she met her husband and began a family which would extend to five daughters and one son. Kelly Marie did return in 1988 with the Ian Levine
production "Stealing My Time" whose lack of impact in the English speaking world has been attributed to fears of plagiarism assertions caused by its resemblance to the Eria Fachin dance hit "Savin' Myself". However the track did give Kelly Marie a latterday mainstream pop hit reaching #2 in Denmark.
After another absence from recording, Kelly Marie cut a new version of "Feels Like I'm in Love" in 1997, and continued recording with dance versions of "Rescue Me
", "I'm in the Mood For Dancin'", "Blanket on the Ground
", "Runaway
", "Millennium
", "I Need a Man
" and "River Deep - Mountain High
" as well as a new version of "Hot Love". Her final recording to date would seem to be a 2002 collaboration with Tina Charles with whom she remade "To Sir With Love
" and "Your Disco Needs You
".
On 7 May 2005, Kelly Marie appeared on the ITV
show
, Hit Me, Baby, One More Time, singing "Feels Like I'm in Love" and "Oops!... I Did It Again
" in hopes of progressing to the final to compete for the major label release of a new single. The popular vote went to Chesney Hawkes
.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
disco
Disco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
singer. Her only notable hit was "Feels Like I'm in Love
Feels Like I'm in Love
"Feels Like I'm in Love" was a UK number-one single for two weeks in September 1980 for Kelly Marie.Written by Raymond Dorset of Mungo Jerry, the song was originally intended for Elvis Presley but he died before it could be pitched to him...
", a #1 hit
Hit record
A hit record is a sound recording, usually in the form of a single or album, that sells a large number of copies or otherwise becomes broadly popular or well-known, through airplay, club play, inclusion in a film or stage play soundtrack, causing it to have "hit" one of the popular chart listings...
in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
in 1980.
Early career
Born to parents Alex and Jeanette McKinnon, the future Kelly Marie began to train for a performing career at age ten: she began appearing in singing competitions at age twelve and made her television debut at age fifteen. At age sixteen as Keli Brown she appeared on the television talent show Opportunity Knocks winning four times with her rendition of "I Don't Know How to Love HimI Don't Know How to Love Him
"I Don't Know How to Love Him" is a song from the 1970 rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar written by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice , a torch ballad sung by the character of Mary Magdalene who in Jesus Christ Superstar is presented as bearing an unrequited love for the title character...
". This exposure led to her signing with Pye Records
Pye Records
Pye Records was a British record label. In its first incarnation, perhaps Pye's best known artists were Lonnie Donegan , Petula Clark , The Searchers , The Kinks , Sandie Shaw and Brotherhood of Man...
, who released Kelly Marie's debut single "Who's that Lady with my Man" in April 1976: that track reached #5 in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and earned a gold disc
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
for sales in excess of 300,000 copies: the follow-up, "Help Me", was also a hit in France, reaching #18. Also in 1976, Marie was credited for her cameo vocal on "Sister Mary" a #2 hit in Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
for Joe Dolan
Joe Dolan
Joseph "Joe" Francis Robert Dolan was an Irish entertainer, recorder and singer of easy listening songs...
. Her 1977 single, "Run to Me", was a hit in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
(#22) and South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
(#5) and in 1978 "Make Love to Me" gave Marie her most significant success (to that point) in the English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
-speaking world, reaching #2 in South Africa and #5 in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
: the track spent forty-one weeks in the Australian Top 40 and was ranked as the #12 hit of the year.
"Make Love to Me" might also have returned Kelly Marie to the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
club
Nightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
charts
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
where "Run to Me" had reached #27, had Helen Reddy
Helen Reddy
Helen Reddy , often referred to as "The Queen of 70s Pop", is an Australian-American singer and actress. In the 1970s, she enjoyed international success, especially in the United States, where she placed fifteen singles in the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100. Six of those 15 songs made the Top 10...
not covered the track for the U.S. market.
"Feels Like I'm in Love"
Kelly Marie chanced across the song "Feels Like I'm in Love" in a music publishing office: Ray DorsetRay Dorset
Ray Dorset is an English guitarist, singer, songwriter, and founder of Mungo Jerry...
had written it in 1977 in hopes of having Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
record it: it's unclear if the song was ever pitched to Presley before his death that year. Dorset's group Mungo Jerry
Mungo Jerry
Mungo Jerry is an English rock group whose greatest success was in the early 1970s, though they have continued throughout the years with an ever-changing line-up, always fronted by Ray Dorset. They are remembered above all for their hit "In the Summertime". It remains their most successful and most...
did record
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
the song but their version was relegated to the B-side of a Belgian single "Sur Le Pont D'Avignon" (A-side)released by Polydor International: http://www.discomusic.com/records-more/8348_0_2_0_C/).
Kelly Marie and Peter Yellowstone — who had co-written
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
her hits with Mike Tinsley — saw the potential of the song as a follow-up to "Make Love to Me", and Kelly's recording of "Feels Like I'm in Love" returned her to the Top 10 in South Africa (#7) in November 1979.
Like all of Kelly Marie's recordings to that date, "Feels Like I'm in Love" failed to become a hit in the UK, but it did become a popular disco item first in Scotland and eventually all over Britain. The track's prolonged popularity in the clubs led Pye to re-release the song in the summer of 1980, after a #61 debut on the chart dated 2 August "Feels Like I'm in Love" entered the Top Ten 23 August and spent the weeks of 13th and 20 September at #1. "Feels Like I'm in Love" was the UK's #3 hit for the year, with sales in excess of one million copies: the track also enjoyed international success with chart rankings of #6 in Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, 2# in Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, #6 in Australia, #5 in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, #3 in the Netherlands and #3 in Ireland. In addition the track reached #10 on the U.S. dance charts
Hot Dance Club Play
The Hot Dance Club Songs chart is a weekly national survey of the songs that are most popular in U.S. dance clubs...
in 1981.
Later career
The intense success of "Feels Like I'm in Love" did not result in any significant stardomCelebrity
A celebrity, also referred to as a celeb in popular culture, is a person who has a prominent profile and commands a great degree of public fascination and influence in day-to-day media...
for its singer. Kelly Marie opined that the media were so focussed on the success story of her fellow Scotswoman Sheena Easton
Sheena Easton
Sheena Easton is a Scottish recording artist. Easton became famous for being the focus of an episode in the British television programme The Big Time, which recorded her attempts to gain a record contract and her eventual signing with EMI Records.Easton rose to fame in the early 1980s with the pop...
that she received little attention above and beyond her hit record.
The decline of Kelly Marie's mainstream career became clear when her UK releases subsequent to "Feels Like I'm in Love" charted first outside the Top 20 ("Loving Just For Fun" #21; "Hot Love" #22) and then outside the Top 50 ("Love Trial" #51). Kelly Marie continued to record dance tracks, through which she remained a presence on the international club scene. She took a break from recording in 1984, around the time she met her husband and began a family which would extend to five daughters and one son. Kelly Marie did return in 1988 with the Ian Levine
Ian Levine
Ian Levine is an English songwriter, producer, and DJ. He is also a well-known fan of the long-running television show Doctor Who.Levine attended Arnold School in Blackpool from 1963 to 1970...
production "Stealing My Time" whose lack of impact in the English speaking world has been attributed to fears of plagiarism assertions caused by its resemblance to the Eria Fachin dance hit "Savin' Myself". However the track did give Kelly Marie a latterday mainstream pop hit reaching #2 in Denmark.
After another absence from recording, Kelly Marie cut a new version of "Feels Like I'm in Love" in 1997, and continued recording with dance versions of "Rescue Me
Rescue Me (Fontella Bass song)
"Rescue Me" is a song written by Fontella Bass, Raynard Miner and Carl William Smith. In 1965, it was released as a single by Fontella Bass. It would prove the biggest hit of Bass' career, reaching #1 on the R&B charts for four weeks and placing at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100...
", "I'm in the Mood For Dancin'", "Blanket on the Ground
Blanket on the Ground
"Blanket on the Ground" is a song made famous by country music singer Billie Jo Spears. Originally released in 1975, the song became her first and only song to reach No. 1 on the Billboard magazine Hot Country Singles chart...
", "Runaway
Runaway (The Corrs song)
"Runaway" is the début single by the Irish family band The Corrs. It was released in September 1995, and had middling chart success except in Ireland and Australia, where it peaked at #10. In the UK Singles Chart, it reached #49....
", "Millennium
Millennium (song)
"Millennium" is a song by Robbie Williams, released as the first single from his second album, I've Been Expecting You. The song was released in 1998....
", "I Need a Man
I Need a Man (Grace Jones song)
"I Need a Man" was the debut single by singer and actress Grace Jones, originally recorded and released in France for the label Orfeus while Jones was still working as a fashion model. The track was later released in the U.S...
" and "River Deep - Mountain High
River Deep - Mountain High
"River Deep – Mountain High" is a 1966 single by Ike & Tina Turner. Considered by producer Phil Spector to be his best work, the single was successful in Europe, peaking at #3 in the United Kingdom, though it flopped on its original release in the United States...
" as well as a new version of "Hot Love". Her final recording to date would seem to be a 2002 collaboration with Tina Charles with whom she remade "To Sir With Love
To Sir, with Love (song)
"To Sir With Love" is the theme from the 1967 film To Sir, With Love. The song was written by Don Black and Mark London."To Sir With Love" was initially recorded by Lulu for the film of the same name...
" and "Your Disco Needs You
Your Disco Needs You
"Your Disco Needs You" is a disco song written by Australian singer Kylie Minogue, Guy Chambers and Robbie Williams for Minogue's seventh album Light Years...
".
On 7 May 2005, Kelly Marie appeared on the ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
show
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
, Hit Me, Baby, One More Time, singing "Feels Like I'm in Love" and "Oops!... I Did It Again
Oops!... I Did It Again (song)
"Oops!... I Did It Again" is a song by American recording artist Britney Spears. The song was written and produced by Max Martin and Rami for Spears' second studio album, Oops!... I Did It Again . It was released on March 27, 2000 by Jive Records, as the first single from the album. "Oops!.....
" in hopes of progressing to the final to compete for the major label release of a new single. The popular vote went to Chesney Hawkes
Chesney Hawkes
Chesney Lee Hawkes , is an English pop singer, songwriter, and occasional actor. He is best known for his 1991 single "The One and Only", which topped the charts in the UK and reached the Top 10 in the U.S.-Life and career:...
.
Discography
| Release date | Single title | UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... position |
French Charts |
German Charts |
Irish Charts |
Various |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | "Sister Mary" (duet with Joe Dolan) | - | - | - | 2 | - |
| May 1976 | "Who's That Lady With My Man" | - | 5 | - | - | - |
| October 1976 | "Help Me" | - | 18 | - | - | - |
| 1976 | "Goodbye Venice Goodbye" | - | - | - | - | - |
| February 1977 | "All We Need is Love" | - | 25 | - | - | - |
| June 1977 | "Run to Me" | - | 35 | - | - |  #22  #5 |
| February 1978 | "Make Love to Me" | - | 23 | - | - |  #5 #2 |
| August 1978 | "Loving Just for Fun" | - | - | - | - | - |
| November 1978 | "Take Me to Paradise" | - | - | - | - | - |
| January 1979 | "If I Can't Have You" | - | - | - | - | - |
| August 1979 | "Feels Like I'm in Love" | - | - | - | - | - |
| May 1980 | "Feels Like I'm in Love" (re-release) | 1 | - | 5 | 3 | #6  #6  #2 #3 #7 |
| November 1980 | "Loving Just for Fun" (re-release) | 21 | - | 20 | 22 | - |
| February 1981 | "Hot Love" | 22 | - | 25 | 13 | - |
| May 1981 | "Love Trial" | 51 | - | 75 | - | - |
| August 1981 | "Don't Stop Your Love" | - | - | - | - | - |
| January 1982 | "I Need Your Love" | - | - | - | - | - |
| April 1982 | "I Feel Love Comin' On" | - | - | - | - | - |
| July 1982 | "Love's Got a Hold on You" | - | - | - | - | - |
| October 1982 | "Don't Take Your Love to Hollywood" | - | - | - | - | - |
| September 1983 | "Silent Treatment" | - | - | - | - | - |
| July 1984 | "Break Out" | - | - | - | - | - |
| October 1984 | "I'm On Fire" | - | - | - | - | - |
| September 1986 | "Feels Like I'm in Love '86" | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1988 | "Stealing My Time" | - | - | - | - |  #2 |
| 1988 | "Halfway To Paradise" | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1998 | "I'm In The Mood For Dancing" | - | - | - | - | - |
| February 2001 | "Hot Love 2001" | - | - | - | - | - |
See also
- List of disco artists
- List of Scottish musicians
- List of artists who reached number one on the UK Singles Chart
- List of performers on Top of the Pops