The Friday Five (times two): “Dream” Songs

I’m honored by my friend and fellow Battle of the Bands host, Mary at Jingle Jangle Jungle (who writes an excellent music-focused blog that I read and you should, too), who today started doing The Friday Five! That put me in the mood to celebrate, so today is a double Friday Five!

The keyword today is “dream,” and there are a ton of songs that have that word (and variants thereof) in the title. I’ve chosen ten of them, and if yours isn’t on the list, let me know. If I get enough, I’ll do them next week, or whenever.

You Stepped Out Of A Dream – Doris Day: This is a beautiful standard made even more beautiful by the lovely voice of Doris Day. It was written in 1950 by Nacio Herb Brown with lyrics by Gus Kahn, and was featured in the 1941 film Ziegfield Girl, sung by Tony Martin as Lana Turner walked down a grand staircase (at least that’s what Wikipedia says). It became Ms. Turner’s theme song, even though she never sang it (at least not on record).

Dream Lover – Bobby Darin: Bobby wrote this and recorded it in 1959, and it would have reached #1 had it not been for Johnny Horton’s “Battle of New Orleans.” It was a #1 in the UK, however. Neil Sedaka plays piano on this, according to Wikipedia. Johnny and Bobby died too soon.

I Can Dream About You – Dan Hartman: I heard this song at the dentist’s office yesterday, and it got me thinking about songs with “dream” in the title. It was recorded by Dan (a veteran of the Edgar Winter Group) and included on the Streets of Fire soundtrack album, as well as Dan’s album of the same name. It rose to #6 on the Hot 100 in 1984.

Bob Dylan’s 115th Dream – Bob Dylan: Was never a single, but features one of the better moments in recording history, where he started without the band and broke up laughing. A surreal and often funny song, too.

Your Wildest Dreams – The Moody Blues: From the Moodys’ 1986 album, The Other Side Of Life, this was their first single to reach the Top 10 since “Nights In White Satin” in 1972. It rose to #9 on the Hot 100, #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart, and #2 on the Mainstream Rock chart.

Dream On – Aerosmith: From their eponymous 1973 debut album. It was originally edited to a more Top 40 radio-friendly three minutes and 25 seconds and reached #59 on the Hot 100 in 1973, although it was a huge hit in their homtown of Boston. Re-released in late 1975 at the full album length (four minutes and 28 seconds), it peaked at #6 on the Hot 100 in April 1976. Guess that one minute and three seconds made all the difference…

These Dreams – Heart: It was released on Heart’s 1985 eponymous album and as a single the following year. It was Heart’s first #1 single, reaching it on the Hot 100, Adult Contemporary chart, and Canadian chart, as well as #2 on the Mainstream Rock chart. A friend of mine used to go around singing this, probably because he heard it all the time. Earworms are like that.

Dream Weaver – Gary Wright: Gary recorded this by himself with Jim Keltner on drums, and it’s considered one of the first synthpop hits. He says it was inspired by a poem by Paramhansa Yogananda (“God! God! God!”), which has a reference to the idea of the mind weaving dreams. The same poem inspired John Lennon’s “God,” from 1970. The song rose to #1 on the Canadian RPM survey and the Cash Box survey, and #2 on the Hot 100, in 1976.

Dream A Little Dream Of Me – Mama Cass with The Mamas & The Papas: That’s the way the song was credited, much to John Phillips’s displeasure, when Dunhill Records released this as a single in 1968. It was recorded for the 1968 album The Papas & The Mamas, and reached #12 on the Hot 100 that year. Cass, who had an outstanding voice, re-recorded it for her first solo album.

Dreamer – Supertramp: From their 1974 album Crime of the Century, this rose to #15 in the UK. It was on their 1980 live album, Paris, and this live recording was released as a single that reached #15 in the US and #1 in Canada.

Okay, those are the ten I thought of, and I’m sure there are others. I thought of a bunch more, but want your input for it. Leave me a comment and tell me your favorite song or songs with some form of “dream” in the title.

That’s your Friday Five (times two) for June 3, 2016.