Well, I didn’t expect this. To get to May 1994 and come across a number one hit I have genuinely never heard before…
The Real Thing, by Tony Di Bart (his 1st and only #1)
1 week, from 1st – 8th May 1994
This record both is, and isn’t, your average mid-nineties dance tune. It’s a banger, all throbbing synths and a bassline that goes right through you, but it’s main references aren’t techno, or Eurodance. It looks back to the house tunes of the late-eighties – meaning it probably qualifies as retro already – and in the beat and the piano chords it nods even further back, to the days of disco.
It’s a slow-build sort of song. I was about to write it off as bland on first listen, but on my second I heard a hook buried in the melancholy chords, and by the third listen I was intrigued. There’s something there. Despite its retro influences, it feels very modern. If I can’t have you, I don’t want nobody baby… Most dance hits in the mid-nineties were euphoric, in-your-face – the likes of 2 Unlimited and Snap! springing to mind. ‘Dancing through the tears’ is a very 21st century concept, popularised by acts like Robyn, and The Weeknd. The latter of whom I bring up, because Tony Di Bart sounds remarkably like Abel Tesfaye, with his falsetto, and the longing in his voice.
The man known as The Weeknd counting Tony Di Bart as an influence seems unlikely, given that ‘The Real Thing’ was the only Top 20, and one of only two Top 40 hits, Di Bart managed. Neither of which did very much in North America. This single hadn’t done much initially in the UK either, when it was released in November 1993. It took a remix to send it up the charts, and that’s why I haven’t attached a video below: none seems to have been made for the much more atmospheric remix. (Listen to the original version here.)
As Italian as Antonio Carmine Di Bartolomeo AKA Tony Di Bart sounds, he was actually from Slough. His Wikipedia page is sparse, with few details given as to how he went from selling bathrooms to the top of the charts. His post-fame entries make for sad reading: one of his more recent public appearances was at a village fête in Buckinghamshire, before he was arrested and pleaded guilty to assaulting a police officer earlier this year.
Still, assault charges or no assault charges, you can’t take away the fact that Tony Di Bart has a number one single. One that is actually quite good, the more you listen and get lost in its wistful synths. Up next, an equally forgotten one-week wonder…
The UK Number Ones Blog 
Wow, that’s some fall from grace! Won’t be holding my breath on a miraculous comeback anytime soon then…
No, I wouldn’t hold your breath…
This is an okay song. You’re right in that he does sound like the Weeknd.
Moving on to more important matters, looks like if things go according to plan, a certain foursome from Liverpool will be making an unexpected and dare I say unprecedented reappearance on this blog when you reach the 2020s. Looks like you’re not done quite yet with the Fab Four quite yet.
Yes, it looks pretty much guaranteed at this point, which is very exciting! I’ve been surprised at how well the song has done on streaming, alongside the predictably popular CDs and vinyl editions.
Another Ive not heard in yonks & yes it sounds vocally like The Weeknd, and it’s on the same mellow club retro dance vibe. Play loud in a club, really. I rated it at the time, and it still sounds pleasant, but def flattered to top the chart with, say, D:ream’s Ur The Best Thing as a way better example of the genre.
Yes, it is quite mellow, and still sounds quite modern almost thirty (!) years on… Compared to the more madcap, ravey dance hits of the time.
Ok… you know I’m not a huge fan of this genre..this one doesn’t annoy me because it’s kinda quiet in a way…it’s not so much in your face.
This was a club JAM when it came out…still one of my favs today. Forgotten song, not many people knew of it. Very short lived.
I was one of the remixers of the version that got to number one. If anyone is interested, my take on the story of this track can be found in a blog of my own relating (daft as it sounds) to the subject of camping… All will become clear if you have the stomach for it! Just skip to the third green text section titled ‘In Tents Experience 3 : 1994 – Telford, Shrophire‘
https://cottonbudmedia.blogspot.com/2018/10/nearly-wild-camping-by-vespa-pt1.html
That is fascinating! Thanks for commenting and sharing. And I’m sorry that you didn’t get recognition, money, or an appearance on TOTP; but for my money your remix is far superior to the original.
‘Soul Singer from Slough’ made me chuckle. Is that worse than being the ‘Fat Dancer from Take That’?
And PS, you are only the second chart-topping artist ever to have interacted on this blog, after Ray Dorset from Mungo Jerry!