"Got to Be Real" | ||||||
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Single by Cheryl Lynn | ||||||
from the album Cheryl Lynn | ||||||
B-side | "Come in from the Rain" | |||||
Released | August 14, 1978 | |||||
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Recorded |
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Genre | Disco | |||||
Length | 5:07 (LP version) 3:42 (Radio version) |
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Label | Columbia | |||||
Writer(s) | Cheryl Lynn, David Paich, David Foster | |||||
Producer(s) |
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Cheryl Lynn singles chronology | ||||||
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"Got to Be Real" is a song by American singer Cheryl Lynn from her 1978 self-titled debut album. The song, which was Lynn's debut single, was written by Lynn, David Paich and David Foster, and has since been called one of the defining moments in disco music.
For the recording, David Shields played bass, David Paich played keyboards, James Gadson played drums, and Ray Parker, Jr. was the session guitarist.
In the United States, "Got to Be Real" spent three weeks at #12 on the pop chart and hit number one on the soul chart in early 1979. Along with the album tracks "Star Love" and "You Saved My Day", "Got to Be Real" peaked at #11 on the disco chart. The song was used for a 2010 British TV advertising campaign for Marks & Spencer, a department store, and it re-entered the main charts at #78 for the week ending April 4, the next week peaking at #70.
On September 19, 2005, "Got to Be Real" was inducted into the Dance Music Hall of Fame.
7" single
12" single
*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone
In 1994, PWL artist Erik covered the single, resulting in a UK club smash hit, and minor chart hit.