1. A Liverpool-based vocal… Read Full Bio ↴There are several artists with this name.
1. A Liverpool-based vocal group which had its origins in the Merseybeat boom of the 1960s. Lead Singer Chris Amoo was a former band member of The Chants, whose beat singles gathered considerable critical acclaim, although they failed to chart. After continuing to record for various record labels, the band name was eventually dropped. Re-labelled as The Real Thing, and with brother Eddie Amoo, Ray Lake and Dave Smith on board, they got their big break following an appearance on the "Opportunity Knocks" ITV talent show. Spotted by an ex-Radio Luxembourg DJ, Tony Hall, he played a significant part in their early career development. Even so, success was not immediate, and contracts they signed with a couple of major record labels came to nothing, before signing to Pye Records in 1975. A spell acting as backing singers on tour with David Essex, also helped to increase their profile.
With a song written and produced by Ken Gold and Mick Denne, The Real Thing finally emerged in 1976 when "You To Me Are Everything" sailed up to the Number One slot in the UK singles chart.
It led off a list of nine hits on Pye over a three year period, which included "Can't Get By Without You", and "Can You Feel The Force", both of which were top five success stories.
Their brand of commercial sweet soul music, mixed with disco influences, established their popularity with the British audience. They were the UK's best selling black group of the late 1970s, but a switch to the Calibre record label in 1980 slowed the momentum. Subsequent material fared less well, although remixes of their first two hits charted some 10 years after their original release.
The group, with three of the founder members still on board, continue to perform and record to this day
Chris Amoo is also a regular on the Dog Show circuit, the highlight coming in 1987, when his Afghan Hound, Champion Viscount Grant, was crowned Supreme Champion at Crufts.
Eddie Amoo's early career, in the chants, was supported by a backing band called 'Vince & the Volcanoes', led by Vinnie Tow/Ismail, who was managed and promoted by Mr George Roberts at Liverpool 8, Stanley House, before the chants were, temporarily, backed by the Beatles at the Original Cavern Club.
2. A soul jazz band from Oslo, Norway. Founded in 1992, the band's sound combines influences from American Blue Note jazz (represented by people such aslike Jimmy Smith, George Benson and Wes Montgomery) and elements from modern popular music. The result is a mixture of genres including swing, blues, soul, Latin, funk and rock.
Rainin' Through My Sunshine
The Real Thing Lyrics
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So somehow we just don't seen bright
Rain drops are to fall down on me
Oh girl, how can i make you see
-----------how can i make you see
How much you mean to me
-----------how much you mean to me
Livin' in the shadow
------------livin' in the shadow
Without you here the world is narrow
------------the whole world is narrow
Without you I've got me
Oh girl, I just can't find a way
-----------I just can't find a way
It's rainin' through my sunshine
Rainin' through my sunshine
It's rainin' through my sunshine
Rainin' through my sunshine
Memories of you, just won't go away
Baby without you, I can't face this day
It's rainin' through my sunshine
-----------rainin' through my sunshine
It's rainin' through my sunshine
-----------rainin' through my sunshine
Come on back to me
I need you so desesperatly
Without you life just don't seen bright
Oh girl, I wanna be with you
-----------I wanna be with you
So tell me what to do
-----------so tell me what to do
It's rainin' through my sunshine
It's rainin' through my sunshine
It's rainin' through my sunshine
It's rainin' through my sunshine
Memories of you, just won't go away
Baby without you, I can't face this day
It's rainin' through my sunshine
-----------rainin' through my sunshine
-----------rainin' through my sunshine
It's rainin' through my sunshine
-----------rainin' through my sunshine
-----------rainin' through my sunshine
-----------rainin' through my sunshine
-----------rainin' through my sunshine
...
...
...
----------- = back vocals
The Real Thing's "Rainin' Through My Sunshine" is a soulful ballad that speaks about the emptiness of life without a loved one. The song starts with the singer acknowledging the presence of sunshine but still feels that things are not bright as everything seems incomplete. The lyrics "Rain drops are to fall down on me" suggests the feelings of loneliness that the singer is experiencing. He then begs the question "How can I make you see?" stressing the importance of his partner in his life by asking how much she means to him.
Moving into the chorus, the singer admits that without his love, he feels like he is living in the shadow and the world seems narrower. He expresses the pain of the emptiness he feels, explaining that he can't find a way out of his current state. The line "It's raining through my sunshine" symbolizes the heartache and pain the singer is experiencing as he feels like he is losing the light in his life.
Throughout the song, the singer expresses his desire for his love to come back to him and pleads with her to show him the way. He reminisces about the memories they shared and how they still hold on tight. The chorus repeats to emphasize the weight and gravity of the situation.
Line by Line Meaning
Sunshine bright
The world appears bright and hopeful.
So somehow we just don't seen bright
Despite the appearance of brightness, something feels off.
Rain drops are to fall down on me
The singer is experiencing a metaphorical rain storm in their life.
Oh girl, how can i make you see
The artist is addressing a lover, trying to communicate their love and feelings.
how can i make you see
The artist wants their lover to understand their emotions.
How much you mean to me
The singer is expressing the depth of their feelings for their lover.
Livin' in the shadow
Without their lover, the singer feels overshadowed or diminished in the world.
Without you here the world is narrow
The artist's world feels limited and restricted without their lover in it.
Without you I've got me
The artist feels incomplete and lonely without their lover.
Oh girl, I just can't find a way
The artist feels lost without their lover and doesn't know what to do.
It's rainin' through my sunshine
The singer's life is being disrupted by difficult emotions or circumstances.
Memories of you, just won't go away
The artist is haunted by memories of their lover.
Baby without you, I can't face this day
The singer feels unable to cope with life without their lover in it.
Come on back to me
The singer is pleading for their lover to return to them.
I need you so desesperatly
The singer is expressing the depth of their need for their lover.
Oh girl, I wanna be with you
The artist wants to be reunited with their lover.
So tell me what to do
The artist is looking to their lover for guidance or direction.
Writer(s): Edward Amoo, Christopher Amoo
Contributed by Nolan D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@knockshinnoch1950
These guys were one of the first really credible UK soul bands- along with Heatwave they blazed a trail through the mid to late 70s for so many acts that would stand on their shoulders
@johngraham7281jonyG
Chris has one the greatest soul voices if he was american they would have immortalised him this song makes the hairs on my neck stand up every time solid gold
@lullaby61
Thought his name was Eddie??
@johngraham7281jonyG
@lullaby61 that's his brother that died ...Chris is surving lead
@ManchesterUnitedFan-vh6nf
1978 was a great year for music. The 1970s was definitely the best decade for music. So much great music and so much variation.
@andyhaslam9231
Ten out of ten for the bass player. Really makes the song flow. Remember this like it was yesterday when it was 1978
@bgaearith5878
Without doubt the best song Real Thing ever did, love this track, timeless. I'll also never forget Can you feel the Force when the UK showed we could funk as good as anyone, RIP Eddy Amoo!!
@rjjcms1
Can You Feel the Force,the top 5 hit from March 1979 with its gradually-morphing seemingly Star Wars-inspired space intro that makes you think "where is this going?",then builds and transforms via bongos,brass,keyboards et al,smooth and slick as you like into a disco tune. But I forgot how good this track,which was underrated in the charts when released as a single in the summer of 1978,was.
@paulbryant1042
Totally agree..Pure class.
@mikelewis7525
Pure perfection, my favourite song of theirs.