Kelly Marie ~ Feels Like I'm In Love 1980 Disco Purrfection Version - Video

If you remember Mungo Jerry's big US 1970 hit "In The Summertime" you already know about Ray Dorset, the singer/brainchild behind the bona fide one hit wonder. He came into this world as Raymond Edward Dorset on March 21, 1946.

In 1968 he formed a group called Good Earth, that splintered after their first LP and then the new band went with a more acoustic sound with a skiffle style beat. There was a revolving membership until the group renamed itself Mungo Jerry in 1970 and took one of Dorset's songs with that skiffle beat that had taken him ten minutes to write titled "In The Summertime" and wound up with a #3 spot on the Hot100 in the US. They topped the UK survey with two more #1's and seven more charting singles and have five Top20 hits in South Africa.

He continued writing and in 1977 after admiring Elvis for years had tailored a song he named "Feels Like I'm In Love" specifically for him. Dorset had done a convincing Elvis twang as a guide vocal and put it to good use on the demo he was going to send him, but then Elvis died. Dorset saved the song for himself but I can imagine Elvis killing this one in concert. Now that would have been a #1 hit pop for sure!

I first heard Kelly's version on the springy side of winter of 79/80...the snow was just about to start melting. It was electrifying! That full string section playing over a stomping back beat with her voice soaring above it all sounding so gloriously disco so a radio station DJ had recorded Ray's version of the song over the instrumental parts of Kelly's version creating a pseudo duet for their ultra weekend playlist in Montréal.

Kelly Marie was born Jacqueline McKinnon on October 16, 1957 in Paisley, Scotland and was already into show biz at the age of 10 as she was training for a career in the performing arts. In her teens she appeared on a television talent show, winning four times. That 1976 performance got her a record offer from Pye Records who hit #5 in France with her debut single.

She continued having hits and in 1979 Ray met with singer Kelly Marie and asked if she would like to record the song because he loved her voice and thought it would be a good match. It hit big locally in the UK that same year and spread out all over Britain prompting the label to re-issue and promote her version all over again and this time it topped the UK chart dated 13 September, 1980 for two weeks!

Her success In the US was limited to this #10 disco hit at the end of 1980 as the single completely missed the Hot100 due to the disco backlash. This joyously produced tune was considered to be HiNRG and should have been a bigger pop hit, it was huge in the clubs.

That backlash was a crude and cruel action that blamed disco for the woes of the world when it really represented was the perceived loss of audience. I can tell you that I and my underage bro and sister went to a biker club, proved I was 18 and got beers for all of us. They even played the 8track tape of Saturday Night Fever we brought with us. That big bearded bear of a barman said sure and tucked it in the player and it was on and no one complained and asked if he could borrow it for the night. Disco was bringing people together on a large scale which really did not affect rock and roll which built its reputation on the generation gap, separating people. Even my granny showed me some moves and taught me how to rhumba, which looked pretty cool on the dance floor. Disco was intergenerational. It was Chubby Checker's "The Twist" that first made history by hitting the #1 spot one year apart because by the time the adults caught on the kids had already moved on and its popularity the second time held it there for two weeks making it the most popular single ever .

Disco brought people together and it still does. I try to put out upbeat music with a positive message that I remember or find by digging around for inspiration. I never know what I'll find.