Got To Be Real

Album: Cheryl Lynn (1978)
Charted: 70 12
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This disco classic was a million-seller for Cheryl Lynn, who released it as her first single after being discovered on The Gong Show, where she sang a rendition of "You Are So Beautiful" that blew away the judges. The Gong Show wasn't a typical place to spot new talent (unless you were looking for someone to belch the alphabet), but Lynn made quite and impact on the show, drawing the attention of CBS Records.

    "Got To Be Real" was by far her biggest hit, reaching #12 on the Hot 100 and #1 on the R&B chart. The follow-up, "Star Love" was her next highest entry on the Hot 100, but she was a regular on the R&B chart, where she scored another chart-topper with "Encore."
  • On this track and the rest of her debut album, Lynn was teamed with the father-son team of Marty and David Paich, who were her producers. Marty was one of the biggest names in the business, having done production work and arrangements for the likes of Ray Charles and Frank Sinatra; his son David had recently formed Toto and was emerging as a top songwriter and keyboard player.

    David and Cheryl worked out songs for the album with him at the piano and her singing. He wrote the music for "Got To Be Real" with another David: the Canadian upstart David Foster, who also became a top songwriter and producer in the next few years. Lynn wrote the vocal melody and the lyric, which she said was about "real love, real affection. If you just be true, everything will be alright for you."
  • Ray Parker, Jr. of "Ghostbusters" fame played guitar on this track; he produced Lynn's third album, In the Night (1981). Other musicians were David Shields on bass, James Gadson on drums, and David Paich on keyboards.
  • This song keeps the beat going with an unusual arrangement. There are really two choruses: the "What you find... What you feel" section and the "Ooh, your love's for real now" part, which alternate back and forth. There are no real verses, but there is a bridge near the end of the song when Lynn sings, "Got to have it baby." The energy keeps up throughout the song, making it perfect for the dance clubs.
  • Mariah Carey sang this with Patti LaBelle for LaBelle's Grammy Award-winning album Live! One Night Only in 1998.

Comments: 2

  • Tito Lopez from Puerto Aventuras, MexicoThe intro of the song was used for the intro of "El Tiburón" ("The Shark"), a huge 1995 Latin hit for Dominican-American Merengue/Hip-hop group Proyecto Uno.
  • Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn March 16, 1979, Cheryl Lynn performed "Got To Be Real" on the NBC-TV late-night musical variety program, 'The Midnight Special'...
    At the time the song was at #25 on Billboard's Top 100 chart, four weeks earlier it had peaked at #12 {for 3 weeks} and it spent eighteen weeks on the Top 100...
    And December 31st, 1978 it reached #1 {for 1 week} on Billboard's Hot R&B Singles chart...
    On the same 'Midnight Special' she also performed "Star Love", four weeks later it entered the Top 100 at #85,
    then five weeks later it would peak at #62 {for 1 week} and it stayed on the chart for ten weeks...
    Besides the above two records, the Los Angeles native had one other Top 100 record, "Shake It Up Tonight", it reached #70 and remained on the chart for seven weeks...
    Lynda Cheryl Smith celebrated her 61st birthday earlier this month on March 11th {2018}.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Mike Campbell

Mike CampbellSongwriter Interviews

Mike is lead guitarist with Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, and co-writer of classic songs like "Boys Of Summer," "Refugee" and "The Heart Of The Matter."

Michael Franti

Michael FrantiSongwriter Interviews

Franti tells the story behind his hit "Say Hey (I Love You)" and explains why yoga is an integral part of his lifestyle and his Soulshine tour.

Kerry Livgren of Kansas

Kerry Livgren of KansasSongwriter Interviews

In this talk from the '80s, the Kansas frontman talks turning to God and writing "Dust In The Wind."

Charlie Benante of Anthrax

Charlie Benante of AnthraxSongwriter Interviews

The drummer for Anthrax is also a key songwriter. He explains how the group puts their songs together and tells the stories behind some of their classics.

Jonathan Edwards - "Sunshine"

Jonathan Edwards - "Sunshine"They're Playing My Song

"How much does it cost? I'll buy it?" Another songwriter told Jonathan to change these lyrics. Good thing he ignored this advice.

Ramones

RamonesFact or Fiction

A band so baffling, even their names were contrived. Check your score in the Ramones version of Fact or Fiction.