David Naughton - "Makin’ It"

This song was also on a various artists LP called RSO Chart
Busters. I had this LP back then (gave it to a cousin once
I had every song on it on CD). Total of ten tracks by ten
different artists (all big hits). I never purchased the
Meatballs OST, but I did have the 12" single (gave that
away as well).   

EdisonLite wrote: Since "Makin' It" was the theme from the TV show "Makin' It", it wasn't really "from" the Meatballs soundtrack...

Pat Downey wrote: I agree that the Meatballs soundtrack version is not the parent album for the song Makin' It.

While I certainly don't dispute that this song was originally recorded for (and released as a single as a result of) the TV series in early '79 - and that the Meatballs soundtrack followed a bit later, in mid '79 - I hereby submit additional evidence that needs to be considered here, before jumping to the above conclusion...

Todd Ireland wrote: In the 7th Edition of Joel Whitburn's Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits 1955-1999, there's a notation under "Makin' It" that states: "from the movie Meatballs starring Bill Murray". Thus, I just assumed the soundtrack LP was considered the parent album.

Over the years, I'd also noticed that multiple publications of Mr. Whitburn's have indeed carried that statement under "Makin' It", so after you revived this thread several days ago, I decided to dig a little deeper into this one. And while I'd never questioned it previously, I now know why Whitburn has long made that claim: W/o asking Paul Haney to verify, I'm willing to wager that that's because at least one copy of the original 45 in Whitburn's collection actually STATES ON THE LABEL that the song is from that soundtrack, and NOT the TV series - and when you also factor in the song's chart history, I feel that his argument can be justified... :-)

While no one here has mentioned it yet, there were actually TWO pressings of the commercial 45 on RSO 916 here in the U.S., both issued during the song's chart run in '79. First pressings state on the labels, "From the Hit ABC TV Series 'Makin' It' a Miller-Milkis/Henderson/Stigwood Group, Ltd. Production in Association with Paramount Television". Photos on Discogs: First pressing However, second (later) pressings state, "From the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack 'MEATBALLS' Starring Bill Murray". Again, photos on Discogs: Second pressing In addition, the page for U.S. 45s of "Makin' It" on 45cat reveals at least two label variations for each pressing: "Makin' It" And heck, even *I* spotted a THIRD label variation for the second (Meatballs) pressing while scanning the current listings on eBay: Third "Meatballs" variation

And how do I know that RSO actually made this label change to the U.S. 45 while "Makin' It" was still riding high on the charts??? I offer this side-by-side weekly timeline of the single's performance on the pop chart in both Billboard and Cash Box, along w/ the Meatballs soundtrack's simultaneous appearance on the album chart in Billboard, as well as some other pertinent info:

03/17/79: -- BB/#90 CB   (single never reviewed in Billboard)
03/24/79: -- BB/#81 CB
03/31/79: #89 BB/#75 CB
04/07/79: #80 BB/#67 CB
04/14/79: #70 BB/#58 CB
04/21/79: #63 BB/#52 CB
04/28/79: #56 BB/#45 CB
05/05/79: #44 BB/#40 CB
05/12/79: #38 BB/#35 CB
05/19/79: #32 BB/#32 CB
05/26/79: #30 BB/#28 CB
06/02/79: #27 BB/#24 CB
06/09/79: #20 BB/#20 CB
06/16/79: #18 BB/#18 CB
06/23/79: #15 BB/#15 CB
06/30/79: #13 BB/#14 CB
07/07/79: #9 BB/#11 CB
07/14/79: #7 BB/#9 CB
07/21/79: #5 BB (peak)/#6 CB
07/28/79: #5 BB (peak)/#5 CB (peak)   (SDTRK. reviewed in Billboard - pg. 56)
08/04/79: #7 BB/#5 CB (peak)
08/11/79: #8 BB/#14 CB   (single now shown as certified GOLD by RIAA in Billboard)
08/18/79: #15 BB/#23 CB   (SDTRK.: #186 BB)
08/25/79: #31 BB/#24 CB   (SDTRK.: #175 BB)
09/01/79: #42 BB/#31 CB   (SDTRK.: #170 BB - peak)
09/08/79: #92 BB/#39 CB   (SDTRK.: #181 BB)
09/15/79: -- BB/#55 CB   (SDTRK.: #199 BB)
09/22/79: -- BB/#74 CB

So while "Makin' It" peaked at #5 in both trade magazines, the single actually did slightly better in Cash Box, getting a two-week head start there (and no, it never "Bubbled Under" in Billboard, as I checked for that), and also lasting two weeks longer on the other end. Clearly, the Meatballs soundtrack hit store shelves in mid to late July, which was just a week or two after the single peaked in the top 5, and had also been certified gold by the RIAA. So w/ a bona-fide top 10 hit on their hands - which had to have been quite unexpected, as the TV series died just as the song was hitting the pop charts, not to mention Naughton had never recorded anything previously, so he was unproven - RSO obviously wanted a new vehicle for the song, and they made that the Meatballs soundtrack. So I imagine around June was when they made the label change on the 45, as they now wanted to promote the upcoming album. (This is further supported by my search on eBay and elsewhere, which - while less than scientific - seems to show that the breakdown of first pressings w/ the TV show labels vs. second pressings w/ the soundtrack labels is roughly 50/50. In other words, they seem to be equally common...)

So because RSO went out of its way to actually change the labeling on the 45 to state that the song was FROM THE FILM SOUNDTRACK, and in addition, the soundtrack hit retail stores while the single was STILL ON THE CHARTS (and thus charted in its own right), I'm going to side w/ Whitburn on this one... :-)

jimct wrote: I have just acquired a second, unique promo 45 for this song. Below the "RSO 916" catalog # info, the initial promo 45 states (RS 916 AS), whereas this second promo 45, which states "New Special 12" Mix" on both sides, has (RS 916 AS REV) below the catalog #.

Yes, while researching the above, I saw that there were indeed two unique promo 45s issued here in the U.S. as well for "Makin' It". Here are pics of both, for those who want to actually see the difference: First pressing on eBay - original mix Second pressing on eBay - "NEW SPECIAL 12" MIX" Curiously, both versions have a printed time of (3:08). But I'll say this: None of the photos I found on-line of the second promo containing the "NEW SPECIAL 12" MIX" have the "REV" printed on the label - as you say yours does - so perhaps you have yet another label variant??? Please correct me if I'm wrong...

jimct wrote: Upon giving it a quick listen, it has even more of the "additional instruments/disco energy" present than the already-very-uptempo, "standard" promo 45/stock 45 version does. I will shoot this new promo 45 out to Aaron for his further evaluation, as well as my vinyl 12" single version of the song, and will soon report back with additional findings.

So, did this analysis ever take place??? :-) Do both promos actually clock in at (3:08)??? I'm now also wondering if both versions appeared commercially??? Could it be that first pressings of the stock 45s w/ the TV show labels have the original mix, while the second pressings of the stock 45s w/ the soundtrack labels feature the "NEW SPECIAL 12" MIX", even though they aren't stated as such??? After all, the 12" single had a printed time of "7:08", while the soundtrack had a printed time of "6:54" - could they be the same??? And if they are, and RSO was now into promoting the song as being from the film, wouldn't it make sense for them to use the "NEW SPECIAL 12" MIX" on the stock 45s, since it would've been derived from the 12"/LP version??? And even if both 45s weren't available commercially, have both of the promo versions appeared on CD yet here in the U.S.??? (Todd Ireland said above that he now thinks the version on Disco Nights Volume VIII is a "remix". I don't have that CD myself, but could it be the second promo 45 version???) I think some additional research is definitely warranted here, for whoever has all the pieces to this puzzle...

(Sorry for the long post!)

After reading this thread I changed the trivia note to read: theme from the TV series starring Naughton; also featured in the movie Meatballs starring Bill Murray.

Also, to add to the chart discussion, "Makin' It" peaked at #9 in Record World and only at #25 in R&R.

Edited by Paul Haney

80smusicfreak wrote: the 12" single had a printed time of "7:08", while the soundtrack had a printed time of "6:54" - could they be the same???

I have a dub of the 12" single, and the run time is 7:27. The mix of the 12" single sounds like the version on the "New Mix" promo 45, but I haven't checked to see if the short version can be edited from the long version.

I just sent a dub of my 12" to Aaron which runs approx 7:08.

What I think we might have here is different mixes between the 12" commercial copies and the 12" promo versions.

I confirmed this with a buddy of mine who was a DJ at the time and he told me that there were different mixes between the two.

Here is a youtube link to what sounds like the 12" promo version and the time of the track is 7:27. What is interesting is that the clip shows a commercial copy of the 12" and if you look at the listed time, it says 7:08 which is in line with my findings about commercial copies.

Thoughts?

If anyone wants a copy of my 12", send me a PM.