"Make It Real" by The Jets

Top 10 Alert!

Song#:  3482

Date:  04/16/1988

Debut:  79

Peak:  4

Weeks:  20

Genre:  Pop, Adult Contemporary

Pop Bits:  The family band's second album Magic would be a gold seller thanks to a pair of Top 10 hits and another Top 20 entry. With their last single, "Rocket 2 You," hitting #6, it was logical for the label to push out a fourth single from the LP. This ballad was selected and it ended up being the right choice. The song became their fifth Top 10 at Pop while becoming their second #1 at AC. It also got to #24 at R&B. Unfortunately, it would end up being the band's final Pop Top 10.

ReduxReview:  For a song that was basically tossed together (see below), the results were pretty darn good. I'm guessing it must have been a surprise to the band and their team that the song turned into a hit. I also think that the writers/producers looked to the band's previous hit "You Got It All" for inspiration. While it wasn't an exact copy of the song, the tune did sort of play like a musical fraternal twin. That seemed to be fine with pop and AC listeners. I didn't necessarily mind the song. It was a cute, fluffy tune. The musical equivalent of a stuffed animal. It was just that I had heard it before and better as "You Got It All."

ReduxRating:  5/10

Trivia:  In the recording studio, it was sometimes best to let the professionals play on the track instead of the actual band members. Lack of time, money, and experience would occasionally push producers to quickly develop tracks with other musicians and just leave the vocals to the artist. Although The Jets were a band, several tracks on their first two albums were enhanced or performed by hired hands or even by the producers themselves. Then the family was brought in to do lead and background vocals. In the case of "Make It Real," only one of The Jets performed on the track. The lead vocals were done by Elizabeth Wolfgramm. She had also provided the lead vocal on the band's #3 hit "You Got It All." Apparently, the tune was a last minute add to the album and was written, produced, and recorded rather quickly. After the instrumental track was recorded, the vocal part was needed. According to band member Moana Wolfgramm, the producers caught up with the band on tour and after one of their shows got Elizabeth into a studio to record the vocal part. The little add-on ballad with the sole sibling singing turned into a #4 Pop/#1 AC hit.

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