Written by Sylvester and James Wirrick Key Recordings |
Sylvester was a flamboyant star in San Francisco and beginning to gain national attention after his Disco hit with Over and Over in 1977. Then he met Patrick Cowley, an aspiring remixer and synthesizer whiz. While putting together the album Step II, Sylvester played tapes of You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real) for Cowley. The song was originally a ballad, but Patrick Cowley came up with the idea of adding synthesizers and an intense Disco beat. The fierce beat combined with Sylvester's feverish, high vocals created an irresistibly sensation in clubs. Coupled with another Disco classic Dance (Disco Heat), Sylvester spent 6 weeks at the top of the Disco chart in the fall of 1978 near the peak of Disco's mainstream commercial success. You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real) has become a Dance music standard hitting the Dance charts in 3 more versions and recorded and performed by countless other musicians.
At the end of the 80's vocalist Jimmy Somerville elected to embark on a solo career after recording seminal Dance hits with both Bronski Beat and the Communards. His first album Read My Lips featured a faithful remake of You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real). It landed in the top 5 of the Pop chart in his native U.K. and reached the top 40 of the U.S. Dance chart in the spring of 1990. The hit was produced by Stephen Hague, one of the key architects of 80's electronic Dance music, and 12-inch singles included remixes by Gary Langan of the Art Of Noise and William Orbit.
A scant four years later in 1994 You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real) was back near the top 10 of the U.S. Dance chart. Comedian Sandra Bernhard recorded a blistering version as a centerpiece of her music/comedy album Excuses For Bad Behavior Pt. 1.
Another four years and You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real) was back once again sung by Byron Stingily, a vocalist whose pipes rival those of Sylvester in gospel-influenced power. This time the song landed at the top of the U.S. Dance chart for its second time and reached the Top 20 of the U.K. Pop chart. After recording a number of significant House classics with the group Ten City, Stingily had departed for a solo career. You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real), with remixes by Don Carlos and Victor Calderone, was a key track on Byron Stingily's first solo album The Purist.
