The Real Thing (Tony Di Bart song)

"The Real Thing" is a song by English singer-songwriter Tony Di Bart, released in 1993 and re-released in March 1994 by Cleveland City Blues. Co-written by Di Bart, the song topped both the UK Singles Chart following its 1994 re-release and became a top-20 hit in Belgium, France, Ireland, and Spain the same year. In 1996, it was included on Di Bart's only album, Falling for You.

"The Real Thing"
Single by Tony Di Bart
from the album Falling for You
Released	1993
Genre	House^[1]
Length	3:54
Label	Cleveland City Blues
Songwriter(s)	Tony Di Bart Andrew Blissett Lucinda Drayton
Producer(s)	The Joy Brothers
Tony Di Bart singles chronology
"The Real Thing" (1993) "Do It" (1994)
Music video
"The Real Thing" on YouTube

Background and release

Di Bart was working as a bathroom salesman in Buckinghamshire when he recorded and released "The Real Thing".^[1][2] It was written by Di Bart, Andy Blissett and Lucinda Drayton.

Originally released in 1993, the song failed to appear on the UK Singles Chart. However, a remixed version was released on 28 March 1994 and spent a week at number one on the UK Singles Chart in May 1994.^[3][4] This remix also found success in countries outside the UK, becoming a top-10 hit in Belgium,^[5] Finland and Israel and a top-20 hit in France,^[6] Ireland,^[7] Italy,^[8] and Spain.^[9] It also reached the top 30 in the Netherlands and the top 50 in Germany.^[10][11] On the Eurochart Hot 100 and European Dance Radio chart, "The Real Thing" reached numbers eight and two, respectively.^[12][13] In North America, the single peaked at number 35 on the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart and number three on the Canadian RPM Dance chart.^[14][15]

Critical reception

Alexis Petridis from The Guardian said that "The Real Thing" "is an authentically fantastic pop record: in a world of euphoria, it sounded strangely wistful and muted, its melancholy chafing against its plasticky bedroom production."^[1] In his weekly UK chart commentary, James Masterton described the song as "a pleasant, poppy piece of soul".^[16] Pan-European magazine Music & Media wrote, "It's the combination of the fast basslinelike Grandmaster Flash's 'White Lines' with Di Bart's slow soulful vocals that does it." Radio Number One FM/Istanbul programmer Alpay Kasicki stated that this type of pop dance happens to be very popular in Turkey, "We try to cover everything, but this is the people's taste. It was played 25 times in its first two weeks on our playlist. I'm sure Di Bart will follow in the footsteps of Haddaway and Culture Beat."^[17]

Andy Beevers from Music Week's RM Dance Update said about the 1994 remix, "They retain the excellent catchy vocals and back them up wlth a more complete club track. It builds from an almospheric piano and synth intro with leasing snatches of beats into a driving epic with blg breakdowns."^[18] Another RM editor, James Hamilton, described it as "last autumn's mournfully moaned light floater now faster like its old B-side in blippily swirled plonking fluttery 0-128.8bpm Joy Brothers Remake".^[19]

Impact and legacy

The Guardian included "The Real Thing" in their "60 years of No 1 singles – The best No 1 records" in 2012.^[1] Tomorrowland featured the song in their official list of "The Ibiza 500" in 2020.^[20]

Track listings

1993 release

• UK 12-inch blue vinyl single^[21]

A1. "The Real Thing"

B1. "The Real Thing" (dance mix)

B2. "The Real Thing" (underground mix)

1994 release

UK 7-inch single^[22] A. "The Real Thing" (new 7-inch dance) B. "The Real Thing" (new 7-inch radio) UK 12-inch single^[23] A1. "The Real Thing" (The Joy Brothers remake) B1. "The Real Thing" (7-inch remake) B2. "The Real Thing" (original dance mix) UK CD single^[24] "The Real Thing" (new 7-inch dance) "The Real Thing" (new 7-inch radio) "The Real Thing" (new 12-inch dance) "The Real Thing" (original 12-inch dance) "The Real Thing" (12-inch dub mix)

Dutch 12-inch single^[25] A1. "The Real Thing" (house mix) – 6:32 B1. "The Real Thing" (new 12-inch dance mix) – 7:17 B2. "The Real Thing" (dub underground mix) – 5:15 French CD single^[26] "The Real Thing" (new dance mix) – 3:51 "The Real Thing" (new radio mix) – 3:54 Spanish maxi-CD single^[27] "The Real Thing" (new 7-inch dance) "The Real Thing" (original 12-inch dance) "The Real Thing" (12-inch dub mix) "The Real Thing" (new 12-inch dance) "The Real Thing" (new 7-inch radio)

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1993) Peak position UK Club Chart (Music Week)^[28] 19 Chart (1994) Peak position Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)^[5] 4 Canada Dance/Urban (RPM)^[15] 3 Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)^[12] 8 Europe (European Dance Radio)^[13] 2 Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)^[29] 7 France (SNEP)^[6] 13 Germany (Official German Charts)^[10] 44 Ireland (IRMA)^[7] 13 Israel (IBA)^[30] 7 Italy (Musica e dischi)^[8] 20 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)^[11] 23 Netherlands (Single Top 100)^[31] 32 Scotland (OCC)^[32] 1 Spain (AFYVE)^[9] 13 UK Singles (OCC)^[4] 1 UK Dance (Music Week)^[33] 1 UK Club Chart (Music Week)^[34] 6 US Dance Club Play (Billboard)^[14] 35

Year-end charts Chart (1994) Position Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)^[35] 28 Canada Dance/Urban (RPM)^[36] 34 Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)^[37] 79 Europe (European Dance Radio)^[38] 21 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)^[39] 180 UK Singles (OCC)^[40] 32

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)^[41]	Silver	200,000^^
^^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

1. Petridis, Alexis (31 May 2012). "The best No 1 records: Tony di Bart – The Real Thing". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 July 2020.
2. Ewing, Tom (January 2013). "Tony Di Bart – "The Real Thing"". Freaky Trigger. Retrieved 18 July 2020.
3. "Single Releases" (PDF). Music Week. 26 March 1994. p. 23. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
4. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 12 March 2018.
5. "Tony Di Bart – The Real Thing" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 12 March 2018.
6. "Tony Di Bart – The Real Thing" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 12 March 2018.
7. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – The Real Thing". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 27 September 2018.
8. "Classifiche". Musica e dischi (in Italian). Retrieved 4 June 2022. Set "Tipo" on "Singoli". Then, in the "Artista" field, search "Toni Di Bart".
9. Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
10. "Tony Di Bart – The Real Thing" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 12 March 2018.
11. "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 23, 1994" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 27 September 2018.
12. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 11, no. 20. 14 May 1994. p. 14. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
13. "European Dance Radio Top 25" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 11, no. 23. 4 June 1994. p. 21. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
14. "Dance Club Songs". Billboard. 26 November 1994. Retrieved 27 July 2023.
15. "Top RPM Dance/Urban: Issue 2608." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 27 September 2018.
16. Masterton, James (3 April 1994). "Week Ending April 9th 1994". Chart Watch UK. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
17. "New Releases" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 11, no. 18. 30 April 1994. p. 11. Retrieved 21 November 2017.
18. Beeevers, Andy (26 March 1994). "Hot Vinyl" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental Insert). p. 4. Retrieved 15 April 2021.
19. Hamilton, James (2 April 1994). "Dj directory" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental Insert). p. 7. Retrieved 16 April 2021.
20. "Tomorrowland Ibiza Top 500 (2020)". Spotify. 2020. Retrieved 28 April 2022.
21. The Real Thing (UK 12-inch single vinyl disc). Tony Di Bart. Cleveland City Blues. 1993. CCB 15001.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
22. The Real Thing (UK 7-inch single vinyl disc). Tony Di Bart. Cleveland City Blues. 1994. CCB 715001(R).{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
23. The Real Thing (UK 12-inch single vinyl disc). Tony Di Bart. Cleveland City Blues. 1994. CCB 15001(R).{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
24. The Real Thing (UK CD single liner notes). Tony Di Bart. Cleveland City Blues. 1994. CCBCD 15001 (R).{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
25. The Real Thing (Dutch 12-inch single vinyl disc). Tony Di Bart. Freaky Records. 1994. Freaky 1038-5.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
26. The Real Thing (French CD single liner notes). Tony Di Bart. NN'B, Bertelsmann Music Group. 1994. 74321215012.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
27. The Real Thing (Spanish maxi-CD single liner notes). Tony Di Bart. Max Music. 1994. NM 865 CDMX.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
28. "The RM Club Chart" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental Insert). 25 September 1993. p. 4. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
29. Pennanen, Timo (2021). "Tony Di Bart". Sisältää hitin - 2. laitos Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla 1.1.1960–30.6.2021 (PDF). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 62. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
30. 24 May 1994
31. "Tony Di Bart – The Real Thing" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 12 March 2018.
32. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 12 March 2018.
33. "Dance Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 9 April 1994. p. 24. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
34. "The RM Club Chart" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental Insert). 9 April 1994. p. 4. Retrieved 15 May 2023.
35. "Jaaroverzichten 1994" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved 7 December 2019.
36. "Top 50 Dance Tracks of 1994". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 30 June 2019.
37. "1994 Year-End Sales Charts: Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 11, no. 52. 24 December 1994. p. 12. Retrieved 28 November 2019.
38. "1994 in Review: European Dance Radio" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 11, no. 52. 24 December 1994. p. 8. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
39. "Jaarlijsten 1994" (in Dutch). Stichting Nederlandse Top 40. Retrieved 29 November 2019.
40. "Top 100 Singles 1994". Music Week. 14 January 1995. p. 9.
41. "British single certifications – Tony Di-Bart – The Real Thing". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 30 June 2019.