You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)
Encyclopedia
"You Make Me Feel" is the title of a 1978 single by American
disco singer Sylvester James
, who performed using just his first name, Sylvester. The song was written by James Wirrick and Sylvester and appears on the singer's 1978 album, Step II.
, where it peaked at #8 on the UK Singles Chart
in October 1978. In Sylvester's home country, the single was his second Top 40 hit, peaking at #36 on the Billboard Hot 100
chart in February 1979. The song also reached #20 on the Billboard Hot Soul Singles chart. A 12" single was released in 1978, with "Dance (Disco Heat)
" as the A-side and "You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)" as the B-side, and these two extended dance mixes proved to be very popular in dance clubs at the time. The two songs held down the top spot on the Billboard Dance/Disco chart
for six weeks in August and September 1978. These two songs helped to establish Sylvester's career as a noted disco and dance music performer, both in the U.S. and abroad.
, formerly of the bands Bronski Beat
and Communards. His 1989 cover version
of the song also received substantial club play, and it peaked at #5 on the UK Singles Chart in January 1990. To date, this is the highest-charting version of the song in the UK. Somerville's cover of this song appears on his first solo album, Read My Lips.
In 1991, actress-comedian Sandra Bernhard
recorded her own version of the single, which is a tribute to James, on her album Excuses for Bad Behavior (Part One). A series of 12" remix singles was released in 1994 by Epic Records
' 550 Music imprint, who also signed Bernhard and picked up her album for a major push that same year. It peaked at #13 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart in late 1994.
Also recording a cover of this song was Chicago
-born house music
singer Byron Stingily
, formerly of the band Ten City
. Like Sylvester's original recording, Stingily's cover version of "You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)" (produced by UK music producer Damien Mendis) also went to #1 on the American dance chart, where it spent one week atop the chart in March 1998. Although there have been instances where the same song, recorded by two different artists, has reached #1 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart ("Don't Leave Me This Way
" is one example), it is still a fairly rare occurrence. This version also reached #13 in the UK.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
disco singer Sylvester James
Sylvester James
-Studio albums:-Live albums:-Compilation albums:* Mighty Real UK #62* 12 By 12 * Immortal -Singles:-Additional recordings:*Lights Out San Francisco...
, who performed using just his first name, Sylvester. The song was written by James Wirrick and Sylvester and appears on the singer's 1978 album, Step II.
Charts
The song was Sylvester's first Top 10 hit in the United KingdomUnited 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...
, where it peaked at #8 on the 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 ...
in October 1978. In Sylvester's home country, the single was his second Top 40 hit, peaking at #36 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart in February 1979. The song also reached #20 on the Billboard Hot Soul Singles chart. A 12" single was released in 1978, with "Dance (Disco Heat)
Dance (Disco Heat)
"Dance " is the title of a 1978 single by American disco singer Sylvester James, who performed using just his first name, Sylvester. The song became Sylvester's first Top 40 hit in the US, where it peaked at #19 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the fall of 1978; it also reached #29 on the UK...
" as the A-side and "You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)" as the B-side, and these two extended dance mixes proved to be very popular in dance clubs at the time. The two songs held down the top spot on the Billboard Dance/Disco chart
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...
for six weeks in August and September 1978. These two songs helped to establish Sylvester's career as a noted disco and dance music performer, both in the U.S. and abroad.
Other notable versions
The song has been recorded by other musicians, including British singer Jimmy SomervilleJimmy Somerville
James William Somerville is a Scottish pop singer and songwriter. He had considerable success in the 1980s with the pop groups Bronski Beat and The Communards, and has also had a successful solo career. He is known in particular for his falsetto singing voice...
, formerly of the bands Bronski Beat
Bronski Beat
Bronski Beat were a popular British synthpop trio who achieved success in the mid 1980s, particularly with the 1984 chart hit "Smalltown Boy". All members of the group were openly homosexual and their songs reflected this, often containing political commentary on gay-related issues...
and Communards. His 1989 cover version
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of the song also received substantial club play, and it peaked at #5 on the UK Singles Chart in January 1990. To date, this is the highest-charting version of the song in the UK. Somerville's cover of this song appears on his first solo album, Read My Lips.
In 1991, actress-comedian Sandra Bernhard
Sandra Bernhard
Sandra Bernhard is an American comedian, singer, actress and author. She first gained attention in the late 1970s with her stand-up comedy in which she often bitterly critiques celebrity culture and political figures. Bernhard is number 97 on Comedy Central's list of the 100 greatest standups of...
recorded her own version of the single, which is a tribute to James, on her album Excuses for Bad Behavior (Part One). A series of 12" remix singles was released in 1994 by Epic Records
Epic Records
Epic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...
' 550 Music imprint, who also signed Bernhard and picked up her album for a major push that same year. It peaked at #13 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart in late 1994.
Also recording a cover of this song was Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
-born house music
House music
House music is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in Chicago, Illinois, United States in the early 1980s. It was initially popularized in mid-1980s discothèques catering to the African-American, Latino American, and gay communities; first in Chicago circa 1984, then in other...
singer Byron Stingily
Byron Stingily
Byron Stingily is an African American R&B and house-music singer born in Chicago, Illinois, known for his falsetto voice. He is now a principal at a school in Chicago.-Career:...
, formerly of the band Ten City
Ten City
Ten City was a Chicago, Illinois-based R&B and house-music act that enjoyed a number of club hits and Urban radio hits in the late Eighties and early Nineties and was one of the first exponents of deep house...
. Like Sylvester's original recording, Stingily's cover version of "You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)" (produced by UK music producer Damien Mendis) also went to #1 on the American dance chart, where it spent one week atop the chart in March 1998. Although there have been instances where the same song, recorded by two different artists, has reached #1 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart ("Don't Leave Me This Way
Don't Leave Me This Way
"Don't Leave Me This Way" is an R&B/soul/disco song written by Kenneth Gamble, Leon Huff, and Cary Gilbert. First charting as a hit for Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes, an act on Gamble & Huff's Philadelphia International label in 1975, "Don't Leave Me This Way" was later a hit single for both...
" is one example), it is still a fairly rare occurrence. This version also reached #13 in the UK.
Appearances in other media
- Sylvester's version of the song was featured in the 1984 documentary The Times of Harvey MilkThe Times of Harvey MilkThe Times of Harvey Milk is an American documentary film that premiered at The Telluride Film Festival, the New York Film Festival, and then on November 1, 1984 at the Castro Theatre in San Francisco...
where SylvesterSylvester James-Studio albums:-Live albums:-Compilation albums:* Mighty Real UK #62* 12 By 12 * Immortal -Singles:-Additional recordings:*Lights Out San Francisco...
is seen in the documentary's file footage, the 1998 film 5454 (film)54 is a 1998 drama film written and directed by Mark Christopher, starring Ryan Phillippe, Salma Hayek, and Neve Campbell...
as well as the 2008 film MilkMilk (film)Milk is a 2008 American biographical film on the life of gay rights activist and politician Harvey Milk, who was the first openly gay person to be elected to public office in California, as a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors...
. - The style of New OrderNew OrderNew Order are an English rock band formed in 1980 by Bernard Sumner , Peter Hook and Stephen Morris...
's 1983 release "Blue MondayBlue Monday (New Order song)"Blue Monday" is a single released in 1983 by British band New Order, and later remixed in 1988 and 1995. The song has been widely remixed and covered since its original release, and became a popular anthem in the dance club scene.-Background:...
" was influenced by "You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)". - Danny Devito dances his strip tease for Phoebe's bachelorette party to this song on FriendsFriendsFriends is an American sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994 to May 6, 2004. The series revolves around a group of friends in Manhattan. The series was produced by Bright/Kauffman/Crane Productions, in association with Warner Bros. Television...
"The One Where the Stripper Cries" (season 10, episode 11) - In the Chris RockChris RockChristopher Julius "Chris" Rock III is an American comedian, actor, screenwriter, television producer, film producer and director. He was voted in the US as the 5th greatest stand-up comedian of all time by Comedy Central...
movie Head of StateHead of State (film)Head of State is a 2003 comedy film directed, written by, and starring Chris Rock and also co-starring Bernie Mac. The film's title refers to that function of the President of the United States, the other two functions being head of government and commander in chief.-Plot:Mays Gilliam is an...
, the song plays when Rock's character campaigns at a gay club. - LMFAOLMFAO (group)LMFAO is an American electro pop duo consisting of rappers, producers, dancers, and DJs Redfoo and SkyBlu . The group formed in 2006 in Los Angeles, California. Redfoo is SkyBlu's uncle. Redfoo is also the son of music mogul Berry Gordy, SkyBlu a grandson...
's Song "Hot Dog" on their 2011 album Sorry for Party RockingSorry for Party RockingSorry for Party Rocking is the second full-length studio album by LMFAO. It was released June 21, 2011 physically and digitally by Interscope Records. The album debuted at number 12 on the Billboard 200 with 27,100 copies sold in its first week. "Party Rock Anthem" was the first single released...
(Deluxe Edition) has a very similar song progression and is clearly influenced by "You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)". - Eyes CreamEyes CreamEyes Cream is a male/female dance music duo consisting of Agostino Carollo from Italy and New York-born Stephanie Haley. In 2000 they hit #1 on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart with "Fly Away ." They hit the dance chart Top 10 again in 2002 with "Open Up Your Mind," which peaked at #10.-See...
's number one dance single of 2000, "Fly Away (Bye Bye)", uses the music of "You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)" throughout the song.