Daydream (The Lovin' Spoonful song)
"Daydream" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by the Lovin' Spoonful | ||||
from the album Daydream | ||||
B-side | "Night Owl Blues" | |||
Released | February 1966 | |||
Recorded | Mid-December 1965 | |||
Studio | Bell Sound, New York City | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 2:18 | |||
Label | Kama Sutra | |||
Songwriter(s) | John Sebastian | |||
Producer(s) | Erik Jacobsen | |||
The Lovin' Spoonful U.S. singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
The Lovin' Spoonful U.K. singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Licensed audio | ||||
"Daydream" on YouTube |
"Daydream" is a song by the American
Sebastian composed "Daydream" in November 1965 in an effort to lift his spirits amid a grueling three-week tour of the
Background and composition
Sebastian initially hoped to compose a song like the Supremes' 1964 singles "
The verses of "Daydream" use a I–VIm7–ii–V
The author
Recording
Amid a busy TV and live-date schedule, the Lovin' Spoonful recorded most of their second album Daydream over four days, from December 13 to 16, 1965.[19] "Daydream" was among the songs recorded during the sessions, which took place at Bell Sound Studios in New York City and were produced by the band's regular producer, Erik Jacobsen.[3][19]
[
splicing wonder.[3]
– John Sebastian recalling producer Erik Jacobsen splicing different takes together to create a complete track, 2002
The song's
The finished recording staggers the entrance of four differently textured guitars, an arrangement which Everett describes as "Beatlesque".[21] The last guitar to enter features a volume-control pedal,[21] a device which had only recently begun to be employed in popular music and would be used on many recordings in 1966.[22] Paired with a guitar, the device hides the initial attack and decay of the instrument's tone while allowing the player to more easily control volume changes than through using the guitar's volume control knob.[22][nb 1]
Release and commercial performance
Kama Sutra Records issued "Daydream" as a single in the United States in February 1966.[23] The song furthered speculation from the press and public about a link between the Lovin' Spoonful and drug use,[24] fueled by the lyrics' use of the term "dream", which by 1966 was sometimes used to connote the experience of taking psychedelic drugs.[25] Accompanying the single's release, a trade ad appearing in Billboard made several drug allusions, drawing the ire of the band, who had regularly sought to distance themselves from drug associations.[24][nb 2] The following month, the song served as both the opening- and title-track of the Lovin' Spoonful's second album.[3]
"Daydream" entered the Billboard Hot 100 on February 26 and remained on the chart for twelve weeks, peaking at number two for two weeks in mid-April. It was the Lovin' Spoonful's third consecutive single to reach the top ten and their highest charting single to date.[28] The single was kept from the top spot on Billboard's chart by the Righteous Brothers' "(You're My) Soul and Inspiration",[29] but it reached number one on Cash Box magazine's chart and also reached the top spot in Canada.[30][31] On Billboard's 1966 Year-End singles chart, "Daydream" ranked number 38, one of three singles by the Lovin' Spoonful to make the chart.[32][nb 3] The song's success expanded the band's popularity such that they were able to headline their concerts rather than perform as a support act.[34][nb 4]
"Daydream" became a major international hit.
Critical reception
Paul Williams reviewed "Daydream" in the third issue of his American magazine Crawdaddy!, one of the earliest publications devoted to rock and roll criticism. Williams described the song as "the sort of thing that could get tiring and repetitious, but doesn't".[15][16] He counted the Lovin' Spoonful as one of the few groups with authentic roots in folk music, adding that rather than simply turning jug band songs electric, the band instead worked to incorporate new sounds from rock music into their productions. He concluded that the song was both popular and good, and he expected it to be another top ten hit for the band.[15][16] The review panel for Billboard similarly predicted "Daydream" would equal the success of the Lovin' Spoonful's most recent single, "You Didn't Have to Be So Nice",[46] which reached number ten on the Billboard Hot 100 in January 1966.[28] The review panel for Record World called "Daydream" "wonderful", writing that it managed to sound both contemporary and "oldtime" simultaneously.[47]
Among British critics, Derek Johnson of
Influence
In the pop music scene, where "
feed-back" has become a fetish and electronic distortion a trademark of hit songs, there emerges "Daydream," a very simple, uncluttered tune so out of place ... that record producers are having to think again about what makes a hit.[52]
–
The simple arrangement of "Daydream" was out of step with contemporary pop music trends,
In an attempt to write a song in the same vein as "Daydream", Paul McCartney composed "
After seeing the Lovin' Spoonful perform in England during their April 1966 tour,[64] Ray Davies, the principal songwriter of the Kinks, was regularly influenced by their sound.[65] "Daydream" directly inspired him in writing the Kinks' 1966 single "Sunny Afternoon",[13][57] which they recorded in mid-May.[66] The author Barry Miles additionally suggests "Daydream" inspired the Small Faces' 1968 single "Lazy Sunday".[13] The pop group the Bee Gees recorded a faithful cover of "Daydream" in mid-1966, but it went unissued.[67]
Personnel
According to Steve Boone in his autobiography,[20] except where noted:
- John Sebastian – vocal, electric guitar, harmonica, whistling
- Steve Boone – honky-tonk piano
- Zal Yanovsky – electric and acoustic guitars
Charts
|
|
Notes
- ^ The Beatles' use of the volume/tone-control pedal on their 1965 album Help! helped popularize the device. They had initially heard it in Marino Marini's 1958 song "The Honeymoon Song (Bound by Love)". The Everly Brothers also used it in 1960 on "That's Just Too Much".[22]
- ^ The press had often speculated that the band's name alluded to the spoon used in injecting heroin,[26] but it actually referenced the 1963 song "Coffee Blues" by the country blues musician Mississippi John Hurt.[27]
- ^ "Summer in the City" was number 35 and "Did You Ever Have to Make Up Your Mind?" number 48.[32] On Cash Box's year-end chart, "Daydream" was the band's highest ranking single at number 27.[33]
- ^ When the Lovin' Spoonful toured with the Beach Boys in March and April 1966,[35] the two groups alternated top billing.[36]
- ^ The "Daydream"-inspired version of "I'm Only Sleeping" was officially released in 2022 as "take 2" on the expanded reissue of Revolver.[55]
- triplets heard at the end of the intro of "Good Day Sunshine" may have also been inspired by "You Didn't Have to Be So Nice".[21]
References
- ^ Boone & Moss 2014, pp. 96, 101.
- ^ Boone & Moss 2014, pp. 96, 98, 101.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Diken 2002.
- ^ a b c Boone & Moss 2014, p. 101.
- ^ a b c Anon. (September 1966). "How I Write Songs by John Sebastian". Hit Parader. p. 17 – via the Internet Archive.
- Newspapers.com.
The Supremes ... will headline a variety show at 8:30 p.m. Saturday in the Greensboro Coliseum. ... Appearing with them will be ... the Lovin' Spoonful ...
[I] wrote ['Good Day Sunshine'] out at John's one day ... the sun was shining. [It was] influenced by the Lovin' Spoonful.
I saw the Lovin' Spoonful and they were nice and easy.
Sources
- Badman, Keith (2004). The Beach Boys: The Definitive Diary of America's Greatest Band, on Stage and in the Studio. San Francisco, California: ISBN 978-0-87930-818-6 – via the Internet Archive.
- ISBN 978-1-77041-193-7 – via Google Books.
- Diken, Dennis (2002). Buddha, BMG Heritage. 74465 99731 2.
- ISBN 978-0-19-512941-0 – via Google Books.
- Everett, Walter (2009). The Foundations of Rock: From "Blue Suede Shoes" to "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes". New York City: ISBN 978-0-19-531024-5 – via Google Books.
- Everett, Walter (2017). "Detroit and Memphis: The Soul of Revolver". In Reising, Russell (ed.). 'Every Sound There Is': The Beatles' Revolver and the Transformation of Rock and Roll. Abingdon-on-Thames: ISBN 978-1-351-21868-9 – via Google Books.
- Hallberg, Eric (1993). Eric Hallberg presenterar Kvällstoppen i P3: Sveriges Radios topplista över veckans 20 mest sålda skivor (in Swedish). Drift Musik. ISBN 91-630-2140-4.
- Hallberg, Eric; Henningsson, Ulf (1998). Ulf Henningsson presenterar Tio i topp med de utslagna på försök 1961–74 (in Swedish) (1. uppl ed.). Stockholm: Premium. ISBN 91-972712-5-X.
- Hinman, Doug (2004). The Kinks: All Day and All of the Night: Day by Day Concerts, Recordings, and Broadcasts, 1961–1996. San Francisco, California: ISBN 978-0-87930-765-3.
- Howlett, Kevin (2022). Revolver: Special Edition (book). The Beatles. Apple Records.
- Jackson, Andrew Grant (2015). 1965: The Most Revolutionary Year in Music. New York City: ISBN 978-1-4668-6497-9 – via the Internet Archive.
- ISBN 0-8050-5249-6 – via the Internet Archive.
- Miles, Barry (2001). The Beatles Diary Volume 1: The Beatles Years. London: ISBN 978-0-7119-8308-3 – via Google Books.
- ISBN 978-1-61185-959-1 – via the Internet Archive.
- ISBN 0-394-73938-8 – via the Internet Archive.
- Nyman, Jake (2005). Suomi soi 4: Suuri suomalainen listakirja (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. ISBN 951-31-2503-3.
- Perlmutter, Adam (2010). Chicken Soup for the Soul Piano Songbook: 40 Inspirational and Heartwarming Songs. Milwaukee, Wisconsin: ISBN 978-1-4584-8387-4 – via Google Books.
- Perone, James E. (2018). Listen to Pop! Exploring a Musical Genre. Santa Barbara, California: ISBN 978-1-4408-6377-6 – via Google Books.
- Rodriguez, Robert (2012). Revolver: How the Beatles Re-Imagined Rock 'n' Roll. Montclair, New Jersey: Backbeat Books. ISBN 978-1-61713-009-0 – via the Internet Archive.
- ISBN 978-1-84792-317-2 – via the Internet Archive.
- ISBN 978-0-571-27762-9 – via the Internet Archive.
- Stanley, Bob (2023). Bee Gees: Children of the World. London: Nine Eight Books. ISBN 978-1-78870-543-1 – via Google Books.
- ISBN 978-0-06-084409-7 – via the Internet Archive.
- Turner, Steve (2017). Beatles '66: The Revolutionary Year. New York City: ISBN 978-0-06-247558-9 – via the Internet Archive.
- ISBN 0-634-02958-4 – via Google Books.
- ISBN 978-0-912777-77-1 – via Google Books.
External links
- "Daydream" at Discogs (list of releases)
- "Daydream" (Demo version) on YouTube