"The Real Thing" is a song by 2 Unlimited

2 Unlimited

2 Unlimited is a Dutch Eurodance/Hi-NRG act formed in 1991. The project was the brainchild of Belgian producers Jean-Paul DeCoster and Phil Wilde, and was fronted by a Dutch duo, rapper Ray Slijngaard and singer Anita Doth. During five years of enormous worldwide popularity, the act scored 16 chart...

, released as the first single from their third album Real Things. It peaked at 6 in the UK. The track is based around Bach

Bạch

Bạch is a Vietnamese surname. The name is transliterated as Bai in Chinese and Baek, in Korean.Bach is the anglicized variation of the surname Bạch.-Notable people with the surname Bạch:* Bạch Liêu...

's Toccata and Fugue in D minor and it was noted at the time that this marked a change of direction for the band as they had moved away from their previous heavier sound for a lighter house-based vibe.

CD maxi

France, Germany, Netherlands, Sweden

1. "The Real Thing" (Edit) (3:40)
2. "The Real Thing" (Trance Thing) (6:18)
3. "The Real Thing" (Extended) (6:20)
4. "The Real Thing" (Tribal Thing) (5:53)

UK

1. "The Real Thing" (3:42)
2. "The Real Thing" (Extended 12") (6:20)
3. "The Real Thing" (Trance-Thing) (5:39)
4. "The Real Thing" (Tribal-Thing) (5:55)

US

1. "The Real Thing" (Radio Mix) (3:51)
2. "The Real Thing" (Extended Euro Club Mix) (6:18)
3. "The Real Thing" (J & D's Wookie Vocal Mix) (6:45)
4. "The Real Thing" (Doc Baron's 90 Proof Club Mix) (7:54)
5. "The Real Thing" (The Tribal Thing) (5:56)

7" single / CD single

Germany

1. "The Real Thing" (Edit) (3:40)
2. "The Real Thing" (Tribal-Edit) (3:55)

UK

1. "The Real Thing" (Radio Edit)
2. "The Real Thing" (Extended 12")
3. "The Real Thing" (Trance Thing)
4. "The Real Thing" (Tribal Thing)

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12" maxi

Belgium, France, Germany, Spain

1. "The Real Thing" (Trance-Thing) (6:18)
2. "The Real Thing" (Extended) (6:20)
3. "The Real Thing" (Tribal-Thing) (5:53)

Greece

1. "The Real Thing" (Trance-Thing) (6:18)
2. "The Real Thing" (Extended) (6:20)
3. "The Real Thing" (Tribal-Thing) (5:33)
4. "The Real Thing" (Edit) (3:40)

Italy

1. "The Real Thing" (Extended) (6:20)
2. "The Real Thing" (Spaans) (6:16)
3. "The Real Thing" (Tribal-Thing) (5:53)
4. "The Real Thing" (Trance-Thing) (6:18)

UK

1. "The Real Thing" (Tribal Thing)
2. "The Real Thing" (Trance Thing)
3. "The Real Thing" (Extended 12")

US

1. "The Real Thing" (J&D's Wookie Vocal Mix) (6:45)
2. "The Real Thing" (Extended Euro Club Mix) (6:18)
3. "The Real Thing" (The Doc & Baron 90 Proof Club Mix) (7:54)
4. "The Real Thing" (The Tribal Thing) (5:53)

US

1. "The Real Thing" (Doc & Baron's NYC Dub Excursion) (10:37)
2. "The Real Thing" (J&D's Clubstrumental) (4:20)
3. "The Real Thing" (The It Goes Underground Mix) (6:45)
4. "The Real Thing" (The Trance Thing) (5:38)

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Peak positions

Chart	Peak position
Australian Singles Chart ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June...	39
Austrian Singles Chart	7
Canadian Singles Chart Canadian Singles Chart The Canadian Singles Chart is currently compiled by the U.S.-based music sales tracking company, Nielsen SoundScan . The chart is compiled every Wednesday, and is published by Jam! Canoe on Thursdays....	5
Eurochart Hot 100	1
Dutch Top 40 Dutch Top 40 The Dutch Top 40 is a weekly music chart, which started as the "Veronica Top 40", because the offshore radio station Radio Veronica was the first to introduce it. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" until 1974, when the station was forced to stop broadcasting...	1
French SNEP Singles Chart	10
German Singles Chart	4
New Zealand RIANZ Singles Chart	22
Norwegian Singles Chart	5
Spanish Singles Chart	3
Swedish Singles Chart	2
Swiss Singles Chart	2
UK Airplay Chart	54
UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...	6

End of year charts

End of year chart (1994)	Position
Dutch Top 40	24
French Singles Chart	44
Swiss Singles Chart	43

Certifications

Country	Certification	Date	Sales certified
Netherlands	Platinum	1994	60,000