You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)


"You Make Me Feel " is a 1978 single by American disco/R&B singer Sylvester. The song was written by James Wirrick and Sylvester. It appears on Sylvester's 1978 album, Step II. Music critic Robert Christgau has said the song is "one of those surges of sustained, stylized energy that is disco's great gift to pop music".
In 2003, Q Magazine ranked "You Make Me Feel " at number 677 in their list of the "1001 Best Songs Ever". In 2019, the song was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Recording Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".

Origins

The song was originally recorded as a mid-tempo piano driven gospel song, however after producer Patrick Cowley saw a rehearsal of the song at San Francisco's city disco, he offered to remix the song. The result was one of the pioneering disco records using some electronic instrumentation and effects, following closely on "I Feel Love" by Donna Summer which heavily used electronic instrumentation ahead of its time. These 1970s songs using electronic instrumentation would have an influence on 1980s and 1990s dance music, which in turn, would have an influence on dance music in the next century.

Impact and legacy

In 2003, Q Magazine ranked "You Make Me Feel " at number 677 in their list of the 1001 Best Songs Ever.
In 2018, Pitchfork Media featured the song in their list of 50 Songs That Define the Last 50 Years of LGBTQ+ Pride.
In 2019, the song was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Recording Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".
In 2020, Daily Mirror listed "You Make Me Feel " at number 13 in their ranking of Top 50 happiest songs ever.

Charts

The song was Sylvester's first Top 10 hit in the United Kingdom, 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 " as the A-side and "You Make Me Feel " 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.

Weekly charts

Chart Peak
position
Australia 16

Year-end charts

Jimmy Somerville version

British singer Jimmy Somerville, formerly of the bands Bronski Beat and Communards released a cover of "You Make Me Feel " in 1989. His version of the song also received substantial club play, and it peaked at number 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.

Critical reception

Bill Coleman from Billboard described the song as a "unashamedly hi-NRG/pop cover". He noted that it marked Somerville's debut as a solo-singer. Music & Media wrote that the song is "an obvious choice for Somerville" and added further that he performs it with "such raw enthusiasm that his version is easily as good as the original. The basic difference is that the backing is tighter and cleaner-a punchy brass riff has been added and there is a video."

Byron Stingily version

-born house music singer Byron Stingily, formerly of the band Ten City recorded a cover of "You Make Me Feel " in 1997. Like Sylvester's original recording, Stingily's cover version of "You Make Me Feel " also went to number-one 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, it is still a fairly rare occurrence. This version also reached number 13 in the UK.

Critical reception

from Billboard wrote that Stingily "bravely takes on Sylvester's disco classic and infuses a startling combination of pulpit-pounding preaching and hip-grinding sexuality." He noted that "his falsetto has never sounded so limber and soulful, and the track percolates with equal parts retro reverence and modern flair. Stingily has recently burst into pop prominence in the U.K. and Europe with this winning effort. What a treat it would be to see him enjoy comparable success in his home territory." Music & Media commented that "This latest attempt to reinterpret the song stays close to the original, but doesn't sound at all dated." Vibe noted that "it's deliciously ironic that the defining moment in Byron Stingily's solo debut, The Purist, occurs during the climax of Sylvester's evergreen "You Make Me Feel "." The magazine added that Stingily "whips through a vamp that eerily duplicates the late disco belter's primal intensity."

Weekly charts

Other notable versions

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 . 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, and #86 on the UK Singles Chart in late 1994.

Appearances in other media

According to the 2008 Drew Daniel book, in the 1977 video for this song, there is a short appearance by Cosey Fanni Tutti from Throbbing Gristle. She briefly appears as one of the female dancers wearing silver hot pants.