"Dreamer"
Single by Supertramp
from the album Crime of the Century
B-side"Bloody Well Right"
Released1 November 1974 (UK)[upper-alpha 1]
Recorded1974 (1974)
Genre
Length3:33
LabelA&M
Songwriter(s)Rick Davies, Roger Hodgson
Producer(s)Supertramp, Ken Scott
Supertramp singles chronology
"Land Ho"
(1974)		 "Dreamer"
(1974)		 "Bloody Well Right"
(1974)
Official audio
"Dreamer" on YouTube
"Dreamer"
Live version single picture sleeve
Single by Supertramp
from the album Paris
B-side"You Started Laughing"
ReleasedSeptember 1980 (US)[3]
RecordedNovember 1979 (1979-11)
VenuePavillon de Paris
GenreProgressive rock
Length3:15
LabelA&M
Songwriter(s)Rick Davies, Roger Hodgson
Producer(s)Peter Henderson, Russel Pope
Supertramp singles chronology
"Take the Long Way Home"
(1979)		 "Dreamer"
(1980)		 "Breakfast in America"
(1980)
Audio
"Dreamer" (Live) on YouTube

"Dreamer" is a hit single from British band Supertramp's 1974 album Crime of the Century. It peaked at number 13 on the UK Singles Chart in February 1975.[4] In 1980, it appeared on the band's live album Paris. This live version was also released as a single and hit number 15 on the US charts,[5] number 36 in the Dutch Top 40,[6] and number one on the Canadian Singles Chart.[7] When "Dreamer" had been released in 1974, its B-side "Bloody Well Right" was more popular in North America leading it to chart instead, at No. 35 in the US and No. 49 in Canada, with "Dreamer" only charting in Canada, that being at No. 75. "Dreamer" also appeared on Roger Hodgson's album, Classics Live, recorded on tour in 2010.

Background

"Dreamer" was composed by Roger Hodgson on his Wurlitzer piano at his mother's house when he was 19 years old. At that time he recorded a demo of the song using vocals, Wurlitzer, and banging cardboard boxes for percussion. Hodgson recalled, "I was excited – it was the first time I laid hands on a Wurlitzer."[8] Hodgson also said:

I was sitting at the keyboard in my mother’s house and it was something that just flew out of me. I just sang words and the words that came out were very close to what’s in the final song. I was banging boxes and light shades and I created this magical demo.[9]

Supertramp cut their own recording of the song in imitation of this early demo.[10]

The band performed the song on the BBC's Old Grey Whistle Test show in 1974, during which John Helliwell can be seen playing the rim of a wine glass on top of his keyboard to achieve a certain sound effect.[11]

The song was used in the films The Parole Officer, Wild Thing, and The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle, as well as the trailers for the latter and Robots.

Reception

Cash Box called it a "funny little song" and said that it "maintains the group's stance on instrumentation, lyrics and structure while offering a great deal of commercial potential."[12] Record World said that "The song is memorable, the style right for a mass audience."[13] Record World later said that "the cute vocals and swirling, pulsating keyboards are contagious."[14] Ultimate Classic Rock critic Nick DeRiso rated it as Supertramp's 10th best song, calling it a "diaphanous slice of sentiment" in which it became apparent that Supertramp had found its own "art-pop sound."[15] Gary Graff of Billboard rated it as Supertramp's all-time greatest song, praising its twists and hooks.[16]

Reviewing the live version in 1980, Billboard said that "Dreamer" has a "sweet pop melody, clear vocals and bubbly keyboards."[17]

Hodgson rated it as one of the top 10 songs he ever wrote.[9]

Track listings

1974: 7-inch single

Side one

  1. "Dreamer" – 3:33 (Written by Roger Hodgson)

Side two

  1. "Bloody Well Right" – 4:26 (Written by Rick Davies)

1980: 7-inch single

US version

Side one

  1. "Dreamer" (Live) – 3:15 (Hodgson)

Side two

  1. "From Now On" (Live) – 6:44 (Davies)

European version

Side one

  1. "Dreamer" (Live) – 3:15 (Hodgson)

Side two

  1. "You Started Laughing" (Live) – 3:50 (Davies)

Personnel

Charts

Studio version

Chart (1975/78) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[18] 47
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[19] 75
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[20] 34
UK Singles (OCC)[21] 13

Live version

Chart (1980) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[18] 39
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[22] 1
France (IFOP)[23] 44
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[24] 31
US Billboard Hot 100[25] 15

References

  1. ↑ release date from the A&M records press release
  1. ↑ Stanley, Bob (13 September 2013). "Progressive Rock (And Simpler Pleasures)". Yeah Yeah Yeah: The Story of Modern Pop. Faber & Faber. p. 372. ISBN 978-0-571-28198-5.
  2. ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Crime of the Century - Supertramp | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 18 July 2019. Also present is a slight sentimental streak and a heavy fondness for pop, heard on 'Dreamer,' a soaring piece of art pop that became their first big hit.
  3. ↑ Strong, Martin Charles (1995). The Great Rock Discography. p. 804. ISBN 9780862415419.
  4. ↑ "everyhit.com search results". Archived from the original on 17 July 2007. Retrieved 23 November 2008.
  5. ↑ "Billboard charts at Allmusic". Retrieved 23 November 2008.
  6. ↑ "Media Markt top 40". Retrieved 26 November 2016.
  7. ↑ "Top Singles - Volume 34, No. 5, December 06 1980". RPM. Retrieved 17 February 2012.
  8. ↑ Crime of the Century (sleeve notes). Universal Music Enterprises. 2014.
  9. 1 2 Hodgson, Roger (20 March 2023). "Supertramp's Roger Hodgson: the 10 best songs I've written". Prog. Louder Sound. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
  10. ↑ "Breakfast in Detroit: Tales from a Dreamer!". annecarlini.com. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
  11. ↑ The Old Grey Whistle Test Vol. 3 (DVD). BBC Video. 2006.
  12. ↑ "CashBox Singles Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. 22 October 1977. p. 23. Retrieved 26 December 2021.
  13. ↑ "Single Picks" (PDF). Record World. 8 October 1977. p. 46. Retrieved 16 February 2023.
  14. ↑ "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. 20 September 1980. p. 1. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
  15. ↑ DeRiso, Nick (22 July 2013). "Top 10 Supertramp Songs". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 8 June 2022.
  16. ↑ Graff, Gary (10 October 2017). "Supertramp's 10 Best Songs: Critic's Picks". Billboard. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  17. ↑ "Top Single Picks" (PDF). Billboard Magazine. 20 September 1980. p. 71. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
  18. 1 2 Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  19. ↑ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 5554b." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 14 February 2021.
  20. ↑ "Supertramp – Dreamer". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 14 February 2021.
  21. ↑ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 February 2021.
  22. ↑ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 0268." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 14 February 2021.
  23. ↑ "Tous les Titres de l'Artiste choisi". infodisc.fr (in French). Retrieved 14 February 2021. Select SUPERTRAMP from the artist drop-down menu and then click OK.
  24. ↑ "Supertramp – Dreamer (Live Version)" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 14 February 2021.
  25. ↑ "Supertramp Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 14 February 2021.
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