Who Did It Better? Tell Me I'm Not Dreaming (Too Good To Be True)

Who Did It Better? 

Tell Me I'm Not Dreaming

Today's Who Did It Better? entry sheds a little light on the #1 hit that never was. It involves a bit of a record company grudge and some family tension, but shut this could've been down before it even got out the gate. Let's dish...

Tell Me I'm Not Dreamin' (Too Good to Be True) was a song written by Michael Omartian, Bruce Sudano and Jay Gruska.

Going forward, for the sake of this post, we'll just refer to it as Tell Me I'm Not Dreamin'.

It was first recorded by Jermaine Jackson with his younger brother Michael Jackson, for Jermaine's eponymous debut album on Arista Records. 

In her 1993 book Michael Jackson: The King of Pop, author Lisa D. Campbell states that "although it was never officially released as a single because of legal difficulties between Michael's label, Epic, and Jermaine's label, Arista, the song did receive a lot of airplay." However, word on the street thought there were several other factors at play. At the time, it seems Michael and his label were very concerned about oversaturating the market with music associated with him. In addition to his epic-selling Thriller album, which continued to churn out hit after hit, Michael had also been busy helping out other artists such as Diana Ross, his sister Rebie, and the son of the founder of Motown, Berry Gordy's son who recorded as Rockwell.  Also, when The Jackson Five left Motown for Epic and became The Jacksons, Jermaine chose to remain as a solo artist with Motown, something that had divided the family group at the time and remained a sore spot for Epic. Rumor also had it that Jermaine took the decision hard, blaming Michael for scuttling what he felt was a guaranteed #1 hit.  

Because it was an airplay only hit without a proper A-side vinyl release, Billboard could not include the song on any singles chart. Nor, at the time, did they have an airplay-only chart. So, though the song did register on Radio and Records′ Top 40 chart - a chart based solely on airplay - peaking at #6 in June of 1984, it was not considered a bona fide hit. The only Billboard chart where the song appeared was their Hot Dance Club Play chart, where it spent a solid three weeks at #1 for the month of June. 

 

Tell Me I'm Not Dreamin' featuring Jermaine and Michael's vocals was released on vinyl as the B-side for both the 7" and 12" versions of Jermaine Jackson's single, Do What You Do, while an instrumental version of the song was on the B-side of another Jermaine Jackson release, Dynamite.

Even though the song was not an official hit, it was later nominated at the 1985 Grammy Awards for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals.

In 1988, Robert Palmer was recording the follow-up album to his breakthrough release Riptide. Riding high on the popularity of his international smash Addicted To Love, the label wanted to see if lightening would strike twice and ordered an album in the same vein.  Palmer chose to include a cover of Tell Me I'm Not Dreamin' on his album, Heavy Nova - which did indeed continue the singer's winning streak. Released as the third single from the album in June of 1989, his version managed to reach #60 on the Billboard's Hot 100.

And that's the whole story.

Now? On to the competition!

The Song: Tell Me I'm Not Dreamin' 

The Competitors: Jackson and Jackson vs. Palmer

Tell Me I'm Not Dreamin' - Jermaine Jackson and Michael Jackson

Tell Me I'm Not Dreamin' - Robert Palmer

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Jermaine Jackson and Michael Jackson

Oh, that is a nice fat beat. Fun bass line. Those spacey, spooky synths with a very 'Thriller' era rhythm track. 

Man, I remember when this came out - and I haven't listened to it since - I was certain this was going to #1. I remember being super disappointed when it was pulled as a single. In hindsight? Why didn't Jermaine just go back into the studio and record the track with someone else or by himself? 

And there lies my issues with the Jackson family - save for Michael and Janet; once they became extremely privileged, they suffered from a bit of sloth, making extremely poor musical and business decisions. Someone with Michael's ambition would have found a way to release this on their own - the song's hook is undeniable. 

Vocally, the brothers are very easy to tell apart. Jermaine has a deeper bottom to his voice and doesn't have Michael's range or his telling vocal tics.

Jermaine verse one, Michael verse two. And notice how Michael brings so much more fire to his performance, especially the second half of verse two. 

On that C-section is where we really get an opportunity to compare the two vocalists. Maybe Jermaine didn't have enough of an edge to sell this on his own. Michael certainly fills up every available surface with his genius. In his prime? The man brought sounds to the table no singer had ever produced before. 

It's a combination of that niggling repetition of the song's title and that extremely propulsive beat which sells this regardless of who is singing. Also, all the synth flourishes, the echo chamber, and aural space in the mix can't help but bring up comparisons to Michael's Thriller.

Those snaky synths in the C-section sure date this thing, but are vintage fun all the same.

Love the use of the horns! They dash in there like James Bond.

Okay, the more I listen to this, the more I'm thinking Jermaine is definitely taking a backseat to Michael. Still, if I'd been Jermaine, I would have not let this one go unreleased as a bona fide single. I wonder how the songwriters felt?

This is every bit as fun as I remember it. 

And just think of the video that might have been... sigh.

Robert Palmer

Palmer brought on board B.J. Nelson to bring the fire to this one. Let's see how it goes.

Palmer's big scattered drum beat approach. Synths rev up like the start of a motion picture, not once, but twice. Love the dropped beat. This is fun. 

I adore Palmer's gritty vocals. Wow... this is really a duet. B.J. sounds great. Lots of buzzing guitar work. The whole feel is very different from Jackson's version, yet - it's the song itself that dominates - what a juggernaut. 

I am surprised this wasn't a bigger hit, but then... if I recall correctly, people were getting a little burnt out on Palmer's big beats.

Again, with the dropped beat. Smart. 

They blend so well together. Man. This is going to be tougher than I thought. This version has a lot more muscle to it, it's much less spacey/spooky. It's thick and chunky - the mix is thick, the beat chunky. 

B.J. Nelson sing the way Jackée Harry talks.

Palmer is on fire on the second half of verse two. 

The vocals repeating the title? They sound exactly the same. 

The C-section is a little underwhelming. None of the fireworks experienced in Jackson's version. Competent, but little else. And the synth solo that follows is sort of anti-music. It's very angular and with the mix already being so bulked up, it feels like too much noise? Ends well, though.

The vocal back and forth if fine. I really like B.J. Nelson. 

No fade. A concert ending. 

Huh.

The Verdict

Do I need to listen to these again? 

I think I want to give this to Jermaine and Michael... especially Michael. 

There's an actual balance to Palmer's version which I appreciate, but Michael's talent is rather undeniable - he simply dominates that song. 

The song is huge and needs someone as innovative and expressive as Michael to really control it. Michael's vocals turn on a dime - it's rather magical. Keep in mind, he is at the height of his abilities. 

So, yes... this goes to Jermaine and Michael. 

Palmer's version is great and had the other version not existed, I would put be in his corner. It's danceable. It's driven and fun. 

But Michael's magic is too strong and can't be denied. 

So, despite all my current misgivings regarding Michael and his legacy, I have to say... this belongs to him. 

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And that's enough of me.

Okay, your turn. You know what to do: leave your thoughts and choice in the comments section.

That's all for now.

Until next time...

Thanks for reading... and listening!

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Tell Me I'm Not Dreamin' - Robert Palmer