Album: The Best Of Kelly Marie (1980)

Charted: 1

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Songfacts®:

• Ray Dorset, who was the lead vocalist for Mungo Jerry, wrote this for Elvis Presley, who was one of his idols. Unfortunately, Elvis' untimely death ruled this out and the song ended up as the B-side of a Mungo Jerry single released in France. In the book 1000 UK #1 Hits by Jon Kutner and Spencer Leigh, Dorset explains: "I wrote Feels Like I'm In Love in 1977 with Elvis Presley in mind and even recorded it Elvis-style on my demo. My producer, Barry Murray, was about to send it to Elvis when he got a phone call saying Elvis had died. After that, I kinda put it to bed for a while. Kelly Marie had a few minor hits in France and had been hanging around our office a bit. I thought she had a good voice, so I asked her if she wanted to record the song."
• This was originally released 18 months earlier but it failed to chart. It then became a northern club hit before finally topping the UK charts.
• Kelly Marie was born Jacqueline McKinnon in Paisley, Scotland. She was known as Keli Brown, winning the TV talent show Opportunity Knocks 4 times under that name. She enjoyed European success when "Who's That Lady With My Man" won her a French gold disc and made many European charts. Her management thought this song could be the record to break her in the UK and they bought the rights to the song.
• When this hit #1, Ray Dorset became one of the select group of singer/songwriters whose compositions had been #1s for themselves and other performers. In 1970 his own group Mungo Jerry topped the UK chart with "In The Summertime" then "Baby Jump."
• The 46 weeks this spent on Billboard's Dance/Club Play Songs chart made it the longest-charting titles all-time on the tally.

Comments: 5

• Daddythickshake from NycI vaguely remember the tune (I was in college when it was on the dance charts in the USA). About a year ago, someone played the song for me on YouTube and I thought it was a lot of fun with a strong, sassy vocal. But, I couldn't remember the artist or title (or who showed me the video) and I recently began obsessing on finding it. I kept thinking of Teena Marie, and I had the lyric wrong in my head - I thought it was "It feels like, it feels like you're the one." Tonight I combed over a list that I Googled ("Pop hits, female solo artists early 1980s") and found it! It's pretty much a heaping helping of sugary disco pop, but it's infectious and I'm loving having found it. Her upper range is so piercing and great.
• Randy from Orefield, PaIf you watch the YouTube video ‘Top of the Pops 1980’ you’ll hear Ray Dorset play this on his guitar and sing it as he wanted it presented to Elvis. But I’m glad it ended up where it did and hopefully he received decent royalties from its success. I was a DJ in the early 80’s and when put this song on, it filled the floor! She sang her heart out in this track, couldn’t picture it recorded by anyone else, still a favorite of mine.
• Kellymarie from UkI was named after her! Not kidding. I was supposed to be called "Kerry Marie", but ended up as "Kellymarie" (no hyphen, no space between the first name). Ironically, I'm a singer and studying toward a degree in music. Whenever I introduce myself, anyone who knows the song, immediately makes the electronic "boo-boo.boo-boo" sound effect from the song! I have a love/hate relationship with "Feels Like I'm in Love"! Lol
• Clarke from Pittsburgh, PaI'm amazed that anyone remembers this song. It came and went quickly in the United States, and it's really a rather insubstantial piece of pop, but I like it.
• Kim from New Btunswick, NjI always loved that tarzan-like "aaaaaaaaaaaaahhhh AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!" refrain. : P

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