Our Top 10 Cheryl Lynn Songs list will take a look at a popular singer from the 70s and 80s. She is best known for her hit single “Got To Be Real.” Some of her hits include “If You Were Mine,” “New Dress,” “Every Time I Try to Say Goodbye,” “At Last You’re Mine,” “If This World Were Mine,” “Keep It Hot,” “Encore” and “Shake It Up Tonight.”
Cheryl Lynn was born Lynda Cheryl Smith on March 11, 1957. She got her start singing in a church choir. She appeared on the Gong Show. She won on the daytime version but lost on the nighttime version. She got a perfect score. She appeared on the show twice but lost the second time. She got a lot of exposure from being on the show. Record producers wanted to work with her. She became a professional singer in 1976 when she landed a job as a backing vocalist for the musical drama The Wiz. She released her first single “Got to Be Real.” The single was a hit and led to her releasing her debut album.
Cheryl Lynn released her self-titled album in 1978. It peaked at number five on the r&b charts and number 23 on Billboard 200. It features the singles “Got to Be Real,” “Star Love” and “You Saved My Day.” The album sold over 500,000 copies. In Love was released in1979. It peaked at number 47 on the r&b charts and 167 on Billboard 200. It features the singles “Hide It Away,” “Feel It,” “In Love” and “Keep It Hot.”
In the Night was released in 1981. It peaked at number 14 on the r&b charts and 13 on Billboard 200. It features the singles “Shake It Up Tonight,” “I’m on Fire,” “With Love on Our Side” and “Show You How.” Instant Love was released in 1982. It peaked at number seven on the r&b charts and number 133 on Billboard 200. It features the singles “Instant Love,” “If This World Were Mine” and “Look Before You Leap.” Preppy was released in 1983. It peaked at number eight on the r&b charts and number 161 on Billboard 200. It features the singles “Preppy,” “Encore” and “This Time.”
It’s Gonna Be Right was released in 1985. It peaked at number 56 on the r&b charts. It features the singles “Fidelity” and “Fade to Black.” Start Over was released in 1987. It peaked at number 55 on the r&b charts. It features the singles “Smooth Dress” and “If You Were Mine.” She released other albums throughout her career.
Cheryl Lynn has a powerful voice that helped make her a household name in the 70s and 80s. She may have had trouble maintaining her career after “Got to Be Real,” but she didn’t stop recording. She has other popular singles even though they didn’t match the success of “Got to Be Real.” This Top 10 Cheryl Lynn Songs list will feature her best songs.
# 11 – If You Were Mine
Opening up with a bonus track on our Top 10 Cheryl Lynn Songs list is “If You Were Mine” from the Start Over album. The song has an r&b beat. The emotional good song is about her wanting a guy to be hers. She is fantasizing about him being with her. She lets him know he wouldn’t have to be alone if he would be with her. The lyrics will make you think especially if you have a crush on someone you want to be yours. She is inside of the heads of people who want to be with the people they have crushes on. The writer did a good job explaining Cheryl Lynn’s feelings for the man she loves. If you have a crush on someone you want, this song will give you hope that you can get him. This song was proof that she could get past her biggest hit and have another hit. This song was number 11 on the r&b charts.
The music is magic. It features the piano, bass, electric guitar, and synthesizer. It has an r&b beat mixed with a funk beat. You can tell this song was recorded in the 80s based on the beat. The arrangement was excellent. Cheryl Lynn’s vocals are incredible. She sounds a little different in this track. She sounds like Vesta Williams in this track. She is singing her heart out in this song. She sings it as if it were a ballad and not a dance song. She shows vocal strength by belting in the hook. She holds a big note near the end that will blow you away. Her background singers sound great supporting her. Their harmonies are explosive.
# 10 – Every Time I Try to Say Goodbye
The next song on our Top 10 Cheryl Lynn Songs list is “Every Time I Try to Say Goodbye.” The song has an r&b beat. The reflective song is about her wanting to break up with someone, but it is hard because she still loves him. This is something most people go through in relationships. Your head is ready to go, but your heart won’t let you. You may find yourself sitting and listening to this track thinking the lyrics relate to your situation. This is a song that will have you in your feelings because it is hard to let go of someone you care about so much.
The music is very dance-friendly. The energetic beat will have you moving around. This music is something you would hear in the club. The music sounds like something Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis would have done. In fact, it sounds similar to Alexander O’Neal and Cherrelle’s “Never Knew Love Like This” and Alexander O’Neal’s “All True Man.” Cheryl Lynn sounds like a goddess. She is the type of vocalist who can adapt to any genre she sings. She is a vocal chameleon because she sounds different in every track. This just shows that she has versatility. She shows a lot of vocal range with this track. She sings in her lower register in the verses and sings in her upper register in the chorus. You can tell she grew up in a church because her vocals are powerful. She belts and holds notes towards the end of the song.
# 9 – New Dress
The inspiring song is from the Start Over album. The song has an r&b beat. The upbeat song is about her wearing a new dress. She is ending a relationship and wants to wear a new dress. The title can be misleading if you don’t listen to the lyrics. It might appear if it is just about her buying a new dress. The song has a deeper meaning than her buying a new dress. This isn’t the type of track where you would be focusing on the lyrics too much. This song shouldn’t be taken seriously. It is a light and fun song. The focus of the song isn’t lyrical content. The point of the song is the music and her vocals.
The music screams 80s. It will make you feel as if you stepped into a time machine and traveled back to the 80s. The music is suitable for dancing or working out. You will get your heart pumping no matter what you are doing to the song. Cheryl Lynn shows she can sing anything. She was even able to sing a novelty song like this one. This song isn’t worthy of her vocal range, but she makes the best of it. She holds an impressive long note that you wouldn’t expect to hear in a track like this. We were pleasantly surprised to hear her hold the long note. She sings in time with all of the beat changes. Her voice sounds stacked in the hook because she is harmonizing with herself.
# 8 – At Last You’re Mine
The sweet song is from the Heavenly Bodies soundtrack. The song has an r&b beat. The romantic song is about a woman getting the man she wants. You can tell from the title what the song is about. This is the first ballad on our Top 10 Cheryl Lynn Songs list. She is one of the disco queens, so it was nice to hear her sing a ballad. The song was written for the movie, but you don’t have to watch the movie to love this song. The lyrics will touch your heart without you having to watch the movie. This song will teach you that if you are patient, you can get the man or woman of your dreams. This track will make a great wedding song. It would be easy to picture a bride walking down to this song. If she doesn’t walk down the aisle to it, it could definitely be the couple’s first dance song.
The music is touching and heartfelt. It is soft at points and then gets louder towards the hook. The music being soft is a wise production choice because it allows Cheryl Lynn’s vocals to be the star of the song. There is a guitar solo after the bridge that will make you want to play air guitar. Cheryl Lynn sounds like an angel in this track. She sings this song beautifully. She sings this with all of her heart and soul. She sings it as if it is about her personal life. She turns the song into a power ballad which will always get a thumbs up from us.
# 7 – In The Night
The passionate song is from the album of the same name. The song has r&b and funk beat. The seductive song is about her wanting to have sex with her man at night. She is okay with how their relationship is during the day, but she wants to focus on what they do at night. There aren’t too many songs about the woman being the aggressor in the relationship. She is the one who wants to have sex with her guy. She is fine with what they do during the day, but she turns into a wildcat at night. She explains what she wants without being graphic. If you read between the lines, you can tell what she wants from her man.
The music has a funky r&b beat. Here is a fun fact about the song. Singer Ray Parker Jr. worked on this song. The melody sounds similar to Geroge Benson’s “Give Me the Night.” It also sounds like something Ray Parker Jr. would have written for himself or his group Raydio. Cheryl Lynn sounds different in this track. She sings this in her upper register. Unless you are a die-hard Cheryl Lynn fan, you may not recognize her vocals right away. She doesn’t utilize her big instrument in this song. She keeps her vocals simple which was what was needed since the music wasn’t too loud. If she sang any louder, she would have been oversinging.
# 6 – Keep It Hot
The next song on our Top 10 Cheryl Lynn Songs list is “Keep It Hot” from the In Love album. The song has r&b and disco beat. The lustful song is about her wanting her man to keep her hot. The lyrics are metaphoric for keeping the passion alive in the relationship. She wants their relationship to stay sexual. People who have been together for a long time may notice that the fire is burning out in their relationship. This song is for people in that situation. It will inspire you to keep the fire burning in your relationship. This song is told from a woman’s perspective, but men can relate to it too. Men don’t want the spark to go out in their relationship either.
The music is pumping. There are elements that are similar to Cheryl Lynn’s “Got to Be Real.” The music is designed to get you dancing all night. There are musical pauses that will allow you to enjoy the enthusiastic music. The music has an old-school vibe to it. Cheryl Lynn’s voice has an exceptional tone. She sings this song in her upper and normal register. She takes the risk of singing in falsetto which could have been a disaster. Her voice could have easily cracked, but it did not. She remained in perfect pitch throughout the song. The only complaint about the song is Cheryl Lynn isn’t the star of the song. There is a musical pause that takes over the song halfway through.
# 5 – Star Love
The tender song is from her self-titled album. The song has an r&b beat. The poignant song is about her expressing her love for the man she loves. The song is basically about making love. The writers chose a different route to describe making love. The writers chose to speak about it metaphorically and talk about them making love under the stars. This would be a good song for you to play for your significant other when you are ready to take your relationship to the next level. It will also entice couples to make love. If you do not have a significant other, you can also enjoy the song. This song gives you a chance to dream about making love under the stars.
The song is a teaser. The music starts off slowly as if it is going to be a ballad. After the first verse, the song turns into a disco song. The disco beat is fire. It is perfect for the 70s era. If you are a fan of disco music, you will enjoy the beat of this track. This type of beat will hook people even if they aren’t fans of disco. This song is decades old, but if it came on in a club, you would be on the dance floor.
Cheryl Lynn sings this with her heart and soul. She belts throughout the song. She even holds notes throughout the song. She takes notes and vibrates them. This isn’t the type of song where you would expect big notes to be held. It was a pleasant surprise. She holds one note in particular where she is scatting while she is holding the note. This screams talented because there is no other artist who could create the sound she did with this one note.
# 4 – If This World Were Mine ft. Luther Vandross
The sexy song is from the Instant Love album. The song has an r&b beat. The thoughtful song is about what you would do for your lover if the world were yours. This is a remake of Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell’s song. Since this is a remake, it is time for the questions. Should Cheryl Lynn and Luther Vandross have taken the risk of covering this song? Did they make the song their own? The answer to the first question is probably not. This is one of Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell’s hit singles, so Cheryl Lynn and Luther Vandross took a risk covering a song that is so closely linked to them.
The answer to the second question is yes. They did make this version their own. The tempo of the music is slightly faster in the original version than it is in this version. This version is slowed down. It sounds more soulful. This version has become a quiet storm staple. It has become just as popular as the original version. This has become one of Cheryl Lynn and Luther Vandross’ signature songs. It has become a quiet storm staple.
Any radio station playing r&b classics is guaranteed to have this on their playlist. This song has become baby-making music. It is for the grown and sexy. Luther Vandross had big shoes to fill singing a Marvin Gaye track. Luther Vandross showed that he was up for the challenge. He sang his vocals just as well as Marvin Gaye. Cheryl Lynn actually downplays her big voice in this song. She usually belts when she sings, but her performance is subdued on this track. She does a great job with her vocals, but she doesn’t use her big and powerful voice to the best of her ability. Both versions of the song are great to listen to. The real winner will be the fans who get to listen to either version of the song.
# 3 – Shake It Up Tonight
The celebratory song is from the In the Night album. The song has an r&b beat. The fun song is about partying and having fun. This is a novelty song because it is a song about partying. You get what you expect with a song like this. This is one of Cheryl Lynn’s signature songs. Here is a fun fact. Ray Parker Jr. worked on this song. Almost every singer has recorded a song about dancing and partying. The subject of this song is nothing new and has been done several times before. With that said, the song is still a hot track.
The musical production is off the chain. The second you hear the first note, you will be hooked. You can listen to this song at the cookout or in the club. If the music doesn’t move you, you might have to seek professional help. You cannot sit still while this jam is playing on the radio. This song will put you in a good mood. This is the perfect song to listen to after having a tough day. It will pick your spirits up. Cheryl Lynn’s vocals are fire on this track. She utilizes her powerful vocals to the best of her ability. She belts throughout the song. She also holds notes in the song. She has a lot of energy. Her tone is pretty. Her voice will hypnotize you.
# 2 – Encore
The number one song on our Top 10 Cheryl Lynn’s Songs list is “Encore” from the Preppy album. The song has an r&b beat. The love song is about her thinking her man deserves applause for being good to her in every way. She makes reference to movies and Broadway, but she’s not talking about that kind of encore. She is making sexual inuendoes about his performance. These lyrics will affect anyone who is in a loving relationship. If you want to give your man an “encore,” this song will give you the advice you need. It may inspire you to give your man an encore.
This song gave Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis one of their earlier hit songs. This is one of Cheryl Lynn’s signature songs after “Got to Be Real.” This song was proof that Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis are powerhouses when it concerns r&b music. They created a masterpiece for her. They deserve an encore for what they did for her. She also deserves an encore for what she did to this song. She slew this song with her exceptional voice. She sings the song with the right amount of confidence and sass to pull off the track. No one could have done this song justice the way Cheryl Lynn did. Her voice is flawless. She is a little hard to understand in some of the lyrics, but it doesn’t hurt the song. This song is very addictive and will have you putting it on repeat so you can hear it again.
# 1 – Got To Be Real
As we close out our Top 10 Cheryl Lynn songs list, there was never any doubt as to which song would be left standing at number one. Not only was Cheryl Lynn’s “Got To Be Real,” the biggest song of her career, but the song also stands as one of the most popular r&b songs of the 1970s. Cheryl Lynn’s “Got To Be Real,” was released on August 14, 1978. The song was released as the first single from Cheryl Lynn’s debut album entitled Cheryl Lynn. The song “Got To Be Real,” was written by David Paich of Toto and the legendary music producer David Foster who wrote and produced so many hits for various artists.
“Got To Be Real,” was a monster hit in the 1970s. The song went all the way to number one on the US Billboard Hot Soul Singles chart. It was also a top 20 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 peaking at number twelve. It has been placed in countless movies and television shows. The song merged the soulfulness of r&b and soul music with the fresh sound of disco that made for a hit that was most memorable and actually still sounds fresh in the 2020s. Great songs are great songs no matter what year they are published. This is one of them.
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Top 10 Cheryl Lynn Songs article published on Classic RockHistory.com© 2022
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