The song, “You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)”, was originally recorded by Sylvester in 1978
“You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)” was written by James Wirrick and singer Sylvester James (1947-1988) for his third studio album, “Step II”, in 1978. The track was released as the second single in October and peaked at No.36 in America and No.1 on the Dance chart. It was more successful, however, internationally, where it made the top twenty in a dozen countries including the UK, where it reached No.8.
Former Communard Jimmy Somerville (b.1961) covered the song for his debut solo album, “Read My Lips”. It was released in January 1990 as the second single and peaked at No.5 in the UK, higher than the original did. Jimmy’s version was also a top ten hit across Europe. The video pays homage to the original with clips of Sylvester linked with new footage of Jimmy.
American artist Byron Stingily covered the song for his debut album, “The Purist”, in 1998. His version was released as the sixth single in February 1998 and, like the original, also topped the US Dance chart. His version also went to No.1 on the UK Dance chart and No.13 on the singles chart there.
But which version is the best? SYLVESTER’s original, JIMMY’s cover or BYRON’s cover?
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