The Real Thing (Tony Di Bart song)


"The Real Thing" is a song from 1993 by English singer Tony Di Bart. It topped the UK Singles Chart following a rerelease in 1994 and reached the top 20 in Belgium, France, Ireland and Spain.

Background and release

Di Bart was working as a bathroom salesman in Buckinghamshire when he recorded and released "The Real Thing". It was written by Di Bart, Andy Blissett and Lucinda Drayton. Originally released in November 1993, the song failed to appear on the UK Singles Chart. However, a remixed version was released in April 1994, and spent a week at number one on the UK Singles Chart in May 1994.

Critical reception

Music & Media wrote about the song: "It's the combination of the fast basslinelike Grandmaster Flash's 'White Lines' with Di-Bart's slow soulful vocals that does it. This type of pop dance happens to be very popular in Turkey, says Radio Number One FM/Istanbul programmer Alpay Kasicki. "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."

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications