1976 was hugely significant for The Real Thing; the year when the Liverpool quartet finally made an indelible mark on the British singles chart and thrilled millions of music fans across Europe. The record-breaking sweltering summer set pulses racing, and discotheques bopping with two timeless soul classics – ‘You To Me Are Everything’ and ‘Can’t Get By Without You’, which reached #1 and #2 respectively, with combined sales of over one million.
Both tracks were recorded at Roundhouse Studios in London, composed by legendary hit-makers Ken Gold and Mick Denne. What few Real Thing fans actually realise is that a third Gold/Denne single was also recorded that summer – a deliciously up-tempo dance track entitled ‘Someone Oughta Write a Song (About You Baby)’. Anticipated as the band’s third big hit of 1976 – and a potential number one smash – it sadly never saw the light of day. Instead, The Real Thing plumped for their own composition – ‘You’ll Never Know What You’re Missing’ – which hit the top 20 later that autumn.
For nearly five decades ‘Someone Oughta Write a Song (About You Baby)’ has sat on a shelf – unheard and forgotten. That is, until now.
During research for his new documentary movie ‘Everything – The Real Thing Story’, director Simon Sheridan discovered that producer Ken Gold still had the original master-tapes of the song in his archive in America. Simon asked Ken if he could listen to the track, and was immediately blown away by how infectious the song was. Back in London, he played it to executives at BMG Records, who immediately agreed to include it as the lead track on The Real Thing’s upcoming double-disc ‘Best Of’ collection, out in January.
So on 3 December 2019 – after 43 long years – The Real Thing finally release their ‘lost’ big hit of 1976. The re-emergence of ‘Someone Oughta Write a Song (About You Baby)’ finally completes the trio of classic Real Thing songs from that unforgettable summer of love. Welcome back 1976. We’ve missed you.
Stream the new track, or pre-order the new album here: The Real Thing