Background
Described by Stuart Elliott in The New York Times as "an infectiously sunny tune about the affirmative powers of self-confidence," "You Gotta Be" according to Des'ree is, like all the songs on its parent album, "about having the inner strength to figure out who you are" with "You Gotta Be" specifically being "born out of me stopping myself and thinking everyday how you gotta be something. You have to be cool and calm in situation, and then you have to be bold and strong in another situation." Des'ree drew inspiration for "You Gotta Be" from the Shakti Gawain book Creative Visualization which had abetted the singer's recovery from a painful romantic breakup; "I've always been blindly optimistic, and that helped me rise from my melancholia," explains Des'ree who it is said "swears by daily affirmations."
"You Gotta Be" was released several times in the UK: first in April 1994, then in 1995, and in 1999 in a remixed version because of its use in the 1999 Ford Focus advertising campaign and following the success of Des'ree's previous singles "Life" and "Kissing You". The latter release of "You Gotta Be" charted in its highest position out of all three releases in the UK, peaking at #10. This version, entitled the "1999 Mix" was added to a re-issue of her third studio album Supernatural. The 1995 release peaked at #5 in the United States and is the most popular version of the song. The remixed version of the song was released in 1998 in Spain, and went to #1 there.
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