You Got It All – The Jets | Top 40 Chart Performance, Story and Song Meaning
Chart Performance: Pop (#3), R&B (#2), and Adult Contemporary (#1); 1987
Story Behind The Song By Ed Osborne
The history of rock ‘n’ roll is scattered with hit-making family singing groups, yet, none could compete with the Jets in number of children (17) and exotic birthplace (the South Pacific).
In the mid-1960’s Maikeli “Mike” and Vake Wolfgramm moved their family from Tonga to Salt Lake City and then Minneapolis where Jets-to-be Leroy, Eddie, Eugene, Haini, Rudy, Kathi, Elizabeth, and Moana were raised.
Under the tutelage of manager Don Powell, who’d also worked with Stevie Wonder and David Bowie, the Jets honed their performing skills. For their debut album on MCA, Powell received a song from his lawyer, who’d gotten it from another attorney, one of whose clients was Rupert Holmes.
Holmes knew just a bit about hits, having topped the Top 40 in 1979 with Escape (Pina Colada Song). His submission – You Got It All – was a perfect match for Elizabeth’s voice, and she sang it into the Top 3 on all three mainstream music charts in March of 1987.
This content and all Song Meaning articles were created and written by Top 40 Contributing Editor Ed Osborne. © 2024 Ed Osborne. All Rights Reserved. In addition to these song meaning articles, Ed has written our “Year in Music 1960s-1990s” articles.
Produced by:
- Don Powell
- David Rivkin
Lyrics Written by:
- Rupert Holmes
Ed Osborne
Hi. I got my first record at age two and never looked back, spending a decades-long career in radio and the music business. Even after years of reading about and listening to all types of music, I am still fascinated by it. Apart from that, I’m endlessly intrigued by art, nature, and the inner lives of people (and dogs).