"The Real Thing" is a song by Belgian/Dutch Eurodance band 2 Unlimited, released in May 1994 by Byte Records as the first single from their third album, Real Things (1994). The song was co-written by band members Ray Slijngaard and Anita Dels, and achieved chart success in several European countries, topping the charts of Finland, Lithuania and the Netherlands while peaking at number two in Denmark, Sweden, Belgium and Switzerland. The accompanying music video was directed by Nigel Simpkiss, and received heavy rotation on music television channels, such as MTV Europe and VIVA.