For Jermaine Jackson, it must have been a bitch to be in Michael Jackson's shadow.
First as a member of The Jackson 5, and then as a solo artist, Jermaine sold millions of records, but for most people, he'll always just be "Michael's older brother." It's too bad since the guy was a formidable talent in his own right.
I own a couple of Jermaine records, but his Dynamite album (it also goes under the title Jermaine Jackson in some markets) from 1984 features his strongest solo work. The highlight from the album finds the singer sharing vocal duties with—you guessed it—his way more famous younger brother.
Produced by Michael Omartian (Christopher Cross, Whitney Houston), "Tell Me I'm Not Dreamin' (Too Good to Be True)" is a funky R&B jam with a bass line that never quits. Co-written by Omartian, Jay Gruska (Chicago, Amy Grant) and Bruce Sudano (Donna Summer, Dolly Parton), the track finds the Jackson brothers trading off verses and then joining forces during the chorus, one backing up the other and vice versa.
I recently chatted with Gruska (stay tuned to the site for the interview), who revealed to me that once he found out that Michael was going to feature on "Tell Me I'm Not Dreamin' (Too Good to Be True)," he asked if he could be in the studio the day the Gloved One cut his vocals. Michael declined the request through Omartian.
Either way, Gruska told me the first time he heard the song on the radio, he was in his car, driving through Los Angeles, and had to pull over because he was so excited. The world was still in the middle of Thriller fever, so Michael's company didn't allow the song to be released as an official single. It didn't matter. Radio programmers played "Tell Me I'm Not Dreamin' (Too Good to Be True)" like crazy. The song was also nominated for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals at the 1985 Grammy Awards.
In 1988, Robert Palmer recorded a cover version of "Tell Me I'm Not Dreamin' (Too Good to Be True)" for his platinum-selling Heavy Nova album.
Gruska has continued to have a fruitful career as a songwriter and composer, but he told me "Tell Me I'm Not Dreamin' (Too Good to Be True)" remains a personal highlight for him.
