Edited by Azizi Powell
This pancocojams post showcases the 1978 Disco song "Got To Be Real". The lyrics of this song are included in this post along with selected comments from the discussion thread of the featured YouTube sound file.
I've also included my comments about the high value placed on "being real" in Black American (USA) culture (and, probably in other cultures throughout the world).
The content of this post is presented for cultural, entertainment, inspirational, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to Cheryl Lynn for her musical legacy. Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publishers of these YouTube examples.
This post is a companion to the pancocojams post https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2017/04/shaggy-keepin-it-real-sound-file-lyrics.html "Shaggy - "Keepin' it Real" (sound file, lyrics, & comments)"
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PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S COMMENT
The saying "keepin' it real" is an African American Vernacular English originated sayings/phrase that reflect the high value placed on being "genuine" (meaning: being authentic, being true to yourself, being true to your roots, not being fake, not trying to be something that you're not.)
Some of those sayings/phrases that reflect this value are:
-bein' real
-bein' for real
-keepin it real
-get real
-real talk
-[give yourself a] reality check
-(don't) fake the funk
The African American Vernacular English phrases "for real"* and "for real for real" ("frfr") mean "really", definitely". But these phrase also reflect the high regard "being real" has in Black American culture (in the USA).
*Comment # -- below is an example of "for real" used to mean "really" ("definitely"; "You're absolutely right".
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INFORMATION ABOUT CHERYL LYNN AND THE SONG "GOT TO BE REAL"
Excerpt #1
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheryl_Lynn
"Cheryl Lynn (born Lynda Cheryl Smith; March 11, 1957) is an American singer. Lynn is best known for her songs during the late 1970s through the mid–1980s; including 1978's R&B/disco song, "Got to Be Real".[2]...
Lynn released her first and best-known song, "Got to Be Real," which was composed by keyboardist David Paich (of the band Toto), David Foster and Lynn. The song scored #12 on the Billboard Hot 100 record chart and #1 on the Rhythm & Blues chart."
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Excerpt #2
From https://genius.com/Cheryl-lynn-got-to-be-real-lyrics Created by Maitlandplace, 2013
" "Got To Be Real” was Cheryl Lynn’s studio debut, and her biggest hit.
It followed the fame she’d achieved on The Gong Show—a TV talent contest hosted by Chuck Barriss. She got a perfect score of 30 points, singing Joe Cocker’s “You Are So Beautiful.”...
She ended up signing with Columbia Records, and “Got To Be Real” became her first studio hit. It was written by Lynn, David Paich (the lead singer of Toto), and David Foster (who would go on to become a Broadway and pop production star). Ray Parker Jr. of “Ghostbusters” fame was the session guitarist.
The song hit number one on the soul charts and was certified platinum by the RIAA."
-snip-
Cheryl Lynn was a contestant on the Gong Show in 1976. She tied first place on that show's episode with a female juggler. (http://people.com/archive/cheryl-lynns-hit-is-called-got-to-be-real-her-rise-from-gong-show-to-gold-has-got-to-be-unreal-vol-11-no-11/
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LYRICS- GOT TO BE REAL
(composed by David Paich)
What you think ah!
What you feel now
What you know ah!
To be real!
What you think now
(I think I love you baby)
What you feel now
(I think I need you baby)
What you know ah
Oooh ah
To be real!
Oooh...
Your love is for real now
You know that...
Your love is my love
My love is your love
Our love is here to stay
What you think ah
(I think I love you baby)
What you feel now
(I think I need you baby)
What you know ah
Oooh ah
To be real!
Oooh...
Your love's for real now
You know that...
Your love is my love
My love is your love
Our love is here to stay
Yeah yeah yeah uh!
What you think ah!
(I think I love you baby)
What you feel now
(I think I need you baby)
What you know ah!
Oooh ah
To be real!
What you think ah!
I think I love you baby
What you feel now
I feel I need you baby
What you know ah!
To be real!
It's got to be real
To be real!
It's got to be real
To be real!
Aaah yeah
((( Instrumental Part )))
What you think ah!
What you feel now
What you know ah!
To be real!
What you think ah!
Oh oh oh
What you feel now
Oh oh oh
What you know ah!
I love for real
To be real!
Yeah yeah ah!
...To be real!
Got to be real
It's got to be real
...To be Real
Got to be real
It's got to be real
...To be Real
Got to be real
It's got to be real
...To be Real
Got to be real
It's got to be real
...To be Real
Ah real real real
To be real
Real real...
https://genius.com/Cheryl-lynn-got-to-be-real-lyrics
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SHOWCASE SOUND FILE: Got To Be Real - CHERYL LYNN '1978
ALL NIGHT LONG Published on Feb 2, 2013
Got To Be Real - CHERYL LYNN '1978
Album ''CHERYL LYNN'' 1978
-snip-
Here are selected examples from this sound file's discussion thread. Numbers are assigned for referencing purposes only.
2014
1. k1773ns
"the first 10 seconds of this song! ooouh whenever i hear that i just get pumped haha. (: this song just makes me wanna dance!"
-snip-
"get pumped" = "get excited"; "get hyped"
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2. Denell Stokes
"5 DOLLARS BASEMENT PARTYS. YES I REMEMBER ALL TO WELL. BLACK LIGHTS PARTY UNTIL PARTY LET OUT. THOSE WERE THE DAYS. I HAD BACKYARD PARTY ALL THE TIME WITH A RECORD PLAYER. PARTYING TO 45'S. HOW YOU LIKE THAT FOR OLD SCHOOL. LOL"
-snip-
"Old school" is usually a complimentary African American originated referent to music, dance, fashions, and other customs from the past (It''s dependent on who is using this term, but "old school" usually doesn't extend pass the 1960s).
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Reply
3. King Bee
"Yesssssss! You're from MY neighborhood!"
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4. Dawn Gilbert
"Oh man!! My big brother's first "basement party" with no lights and I was not allowed downstairs!!! I remember peaking in from the top of the stairs tho!! This song was playin'!!!"
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Reply
5. Dawn Gilbert
"+Curtis Jackson Hey now....stop doin' that math! Lol! I was not 13!! I...I was actually an INFANT back then which is the real reason why I wasn't allowed to his party!"
-snip-
Unfortunately, Curtis Jackson's comment no longer appears in this comment thread.
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Reply
6. Rose Ryan
"+Dawn Gilbert
Yeah, an infant crawling to the top of the stairs. You go, girl! lol "
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Reply
7. Dawn Gilbert
"+Rose Ryan LOLOL! You weren't supposed to catch that!! :-)"
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Reply
8. Miriam Razo
"such a pretty memory, you made me smile :D"
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Reply
9. ppeppe dos
"yeah, we dont have basements, in southern cal."
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2015
10. Ramon LeBlanc Harts
"God this woman can SANG!!!"
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11. Jacqueline Rogers
"Sang girl! Oh for the days of real singers"
-snip-
"Sang" here is a African American Vernacular English (present tense) term that means "to sing really well, especially to sing soulfully very well).
In the context of this comment "real singers" means singers who sing very well (sing with all their heart and soul) and really mean what they sing .
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2015
12. DJ Mizzy
"There isn't a gay guy in this world that dislikes this song!!!"
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Reply
13. Roland Chambers
"I knw right!! Lol it's like our theme song behind I'm coming out"
-snip-
"I knw right" = "I know [that's] right". This is said when you want to express that you really agree with what someone has said.
"To Be Real" is the LGBTQ theme song [which ranks right after] the song "I'm Coming Out".
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14. yaisha perez
"not a black family gathering without this song. 😂❤️"
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15. Michelpp
"Real instruments, real metals, real vocals, real talent. Got to be real!"
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16. Donna Clemons
"Written by David Patch and David Foster one of the most prolific writers and arrangers in the business. Foster also wrote for Earth Wind And Fire- After The Love is Gone."
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17. Craig Holmes
"This music was so real nothing like today's music"
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18. Angora Merdo
"it was verry cool times"
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19. Darian Edwards
"Strolling down memory lane for real"
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20. StylistecS
"So um black folks, did your high school band play this lol"
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Reply
21. Isaac V
"yasss !!!!!!😍😍😍😍😍😍🎺🎺🎺🎺🎷🎷🎷🎼🎼🎼🎶🎶🎶🎸🎸🎸🎺🎺🎺🎷🎷🎹🎻🎻🎹🎻🎻🎹🎹🎷🎵🎵🎵🎵🎤"
-snip-
"Yass" - an African American originated contemporary way of spelling and pronouncing "Yes".
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22. Jeremy Register
"I love when the Delta's stroll to this song."
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23. maurice mcconnell
"Go to A Delta Sigma Theta party. you will see a show when this song come on"
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Reply
24. Brittany Brown, 2017
"maurice mcconnell lol yes!! I know right!"
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25. Saadiha Alford
"My favorite song to stroll to! lol Oo~oop !!"
-snip-
The historically Black Greek letter sorority Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. is known for doing party walks (strolls) to this record. "Oo~oop" is that sorority's signature call.
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26. excessive requirement
"Man you gotta feel sorry for these young ppl today..the music is fake the food is fake..everything is sythasized.. just fake and if you tell them,they think you're crazy..but if all you've experienced was fake,how could you ever know what's real...I'm glad I grew up in the 80's"
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2016
27. Audrey O'Neill
"CLASSIC TUNE ! Still sounds amazing !"
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28. Yvonne Luke
"This got quite a few parties jumping back in the 70's!!!!"
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Reply
29. Shirley Butler
"SHO NUFF TELL ME ABOUT IT 4REAL"
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Reply
30. Paul Cobine
"still does..."
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Reply
31. Yvonne Luke
"I know"
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32. MANUEL XAVIER
"WOW when black people did real music!"
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33. MANUEL XAVIER
"The songs of the 1960's, 1970's and 1980's were mostly crafted by real musicians who knew how to compose a song, how to write lyrics, how to arrange a song in the optimal way and they were great at their instruments and the singers could really sing. They didn't need special effects, dancers behind them, pyrotechnics and other distractions to put on a good show. If a person could demonstrate a song just by singing it and playing..."
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Reply
34. Jake Rodriguez, 2016
"MANUEL XAVIER je ne suis pas daccord, il y toujours de bons musiciens, il ne faut pas se limiter à la musique commercial, il y a plein d'artistes qui font de la bonne musique de nos jours mais la plupart ne sont pas connues"
-snip-
(Google translate: From French to English)
"MANUEL XAVIER I do not agree, there are always good musicians, we must not limit ourselves to commercial music, there are plenty of artists who make good music today but most are not known"
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Reply
35. Hercules Stewart, 2017
"MANUEL XAVIER..black people always did great music. White people exploited the bad part of music making."
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36. Connie Maheswaren
"Grandma cleaning the house jam"
-snip-
"jam" = record [The record Grandma would play when she cleaned the house)
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37. TheGusBus97
"This song still goes off in clubs."
-snip-
"goes off in" = is played in nightclubs and when it is played people go off (get very excited)
**
Reply
38. nathalie tromp
"yes and also in games on gta
-snip-
"gta" = video game "Grand Theft Auto"
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39. Jayden Anderson
"this classic song always makes me think of "Paris Is Burning" and the legends in that film and it gets me so emotional, because they were so REAL!"
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40. Brittany Brown, 2017
"This played through the film Paris Is Burning"
-snip-
Paris Is Burning is the title of a documentary that chronicle New York's drag scene in the 1980s with a focus on their drag balls.
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41. Mick Cannon
"enjoyed playing this and other funk soul classics in the pubs and clubs here in bradford west yorkshire in the 80s as a dj. uk."
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2017
42. TheSistaWarrior
"My mom says she and her friends used to double dutch jump rope to this song"
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43. matthew Paterson
"Got To Be Real was playing in dance clubs in Japan in the early nineties."
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44. Jesusabudhabi
"This that family reunion music lol"
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45. Johnny Palagi
"Her great voice is so real"
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46. Craig Beasley
"Nothing quite like it! I know, I know how to be real."
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47. rvnge45
"Proper 12inch choon wickec!!"
-snip-
12 inch = long playing vinyl record
"choon" = Jamaican way of writing/pronouncing "tune" (meaning the entire song)
"wicked" = very good
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48. peril357
"This is the jam of jams!!! The boom boxes were blasting this at max back in the day!"
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49. Satsuma Antiquário
"SAUDADESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS"
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50. Sergio Dantas
"Saudades dessa época!!!!
-snip-
(Google translate: Portuguese to English) "Miss this time !!!!"
-snip-
"Saudade is a deep emotional state of nostalgic or profound melancholic longing for an absent something or someone that one loves...
Saudade is a word in Portuguese and Galician (from which it entered Spanish) that claims no direct translation in English.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saudade
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51. AllAmericanGuy01
"This song brings back memories when life was simple, yet satisfying. Neighborhood BBQs, lying about not having homework to go play basketball or football, sitting under the car porch roasting each other, having someone in the house pick up the house phone and start dialing in the middle of a conversation, prank calling, LOL. Man I wish I could go back in time."
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52. Timothy Wright
"i can still kill this"
-snip-
"I can still really sing this song so well (so that people say "I'm killin' it").
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53. Anyre Robinson
"This is one of those songs you put on when you're by yourself either cleaning or dressing up and put on a show! Lip sync for your life!! ❤"
-snip-
A number of commenters in this discussion thread wrote "Alaska vs Phi Phi" without giving any other information. Here's my response to a commenter asking who are Alaska and Phi Phi:
" Phi Phi O'Hara VS Alaska - Got To Be Real (Ru Paul's Drag Race All-Stars Season 2)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FR9HfHpTN4U
Sep 16, 2016
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54. MOBILE MOB
"singing this at a cookout and ya uncle hits you w/ that "you don't kno nun bout dat""
-snip-
"hits you with that" = forcefully says
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55. Peetsa Pasta
"When I feel down and all else fails, this piece of music is always there to get me back up. Simply reminds me of the good times. Bless you Cheryl!!!"
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