Dreamer (Livin' Joy song)

Edit links
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

"Dreamer"
1995 reissue
Single by Livin' Joy, Janice Robinson
from the album Don't Stop Movin'
Released22 August 1994 (1994-08-22)
Genre
Length
  • 3:40 (1994 radio mix)
  • 3:44 (1995 re-release 7-inch mix)
LabelMCA
Songwriter(s)Janice Robinson
Producer(s)
  • Paolo Visnadi
  • Gianni Visnadi
Livin' Joy, Janice Robinson singles chronology
"Dreamer"
(1994) 		"Don't Stop Movin'"
(1996)
Music video
"Dreamer" on
YouTube

"Dreamer" is a song by Italian house group

Hot 100 and number 75 on the Cash Box Top 100
.

When the group was unable to reach a deal with Robinson for a follow-up single she was replaced by American singer Tameko Star. Star recorded a version of "Dreamer" for the Livin' Joy album entitled

MTV Dance ranked "Dreamer" number 15 in their list of "The 100 Biggest 90's Dance Anthems of All Time" in November 2011.[3]

Style

An example of

handbag house, that showy, uplifting offshoot that strutted across superclub dancefloors in the mid-90s."[4]

Critical reception

Scottish

Aberdeen Press and Journal complimented "Dreamer" as a "unforgettable summer stunner".[5] Larry Flick from Billboard remarked that here, Livin' Joy "weaves an irresistible fabric of vibrant house rhythms, blippy electro synth sounds, and fluttering diva vocal loops. Single's stateside run is aided by fresh remixes from Junior Vasquez, who is also on quite a roll these days".[6] He added, "The real beauty of this record is Janice Robinson's divine, lung-bursting vocal."[7] In 1996, Dave Sholin from the Gavin Report said that though they enjoyed plenty of exposure on the Euro club scene, this track didn't quite get the support needed from American radio. "That was then, this is now. Early indications are that the second run for this high-energy entry will be a lot healthier."[8] Howard Cohen from Knight-Ridder Newspapers complimented its "strong melody with punchy keyboards."[9] Andy Beevers from Music Week gave "Dreamer" four out of five, stating that "this happy house tune from Italy is bound to be a big club hit and its catchy female vocal should help it to cross over".[10] Also on the 1995 re-release, the magazine rated it four out of five, praising it as "the club anthem that gets everyone dancing round their handbags."[11]

Sun-Sentinel felt "Dreamer" "has great lyrics, but there's almost a sadness to them: 'I never learned how to hold love and stay strong to me/Now I close my eyes now and I'm dreaming right where I belong'."[16]

Retrospective response

In an 2013 retrospective review, Tom Ewing of

Idolator called it the "giddy little sister" of Robin S' "Show Me Love", describing it as "ebullient". He added that "the jumbo-sized synth bloops and hyper, screeching organ" and "the rip-roaring chorus of 'Dreamer' was guaranteed to stick in heads and make fools of amateur lip-syncers."[17]

Release and chart performance

The song was first released in the United Kingdom on 22 August 1994,

UK Singles Chart.[19] It descended the charts shortly afterwards, falling to number 67, then exiting the top 100 the following week. On 22 October 1994, it returned to the UK chart at number 85 before falling to number 97 and then exiting the top 100 once more. The record again re-entered the UK top 100 in November 1994, at number 99. The following week, it climbed to number 85 before descending one final time to number 97 before it bowed out. However, on 7 May 1995, "Dreamer" returned to the chart, reappearing at number one.[19] It also reached the top position on the RM Club Chart from British magazine Music Week
.

In Europe, the single was a top-10 hit in Finland and Ireland as well as on the

Hot 100, number 75 on the Cash Box Top 100, number 38 on the Billboard Top 40/Rhythm Crossover chart, and number 10 on the Billboard Maxi-Singles Sales
listing. In mid-1996, "Dreamer" re-entered the Billboard Hot 100, reaching number 95.

Music video

There are three versions of the music video for "Dreamer". The first video, for the 1994 version, was directed by Tom Laurie[20] and had split-screen footage of sped up urban cityscapes with a silhouetted female dancer (unclear if this is Janice Robinson). For its 1995 re-release, a new video was made, in which Robinson is performing the song with some scenes on a carousel horse and other scenes on a brass bed and silver foiled background. She also has various changes of wigs and costumes throughout the video. Several shots go from colour to black and white, also intercut separately are dancers/models acting out seductive poses with one model taking a shower fully clothed and other shots with a model holding and stroking a Chihuahua dog. The third version is from the same 1995 re-release video shoot with the 7-inch edit version with alternative edited scenes.

Impact and legacy

In 1995, American DJ

Idolator ranked it number 17 in their list of "The 50 Best Pop Singles of 1995".[22] In 2017, BuzzFeed ranked it number 74 in their list of "The 101 Greatest Dance Songs of the '90s", writing, "Female vocals set to a house beat = everything you could want from an early-'90s dance song."[23]

Track listings

  • 1994 UK CD single
  1. "Dreamer" (Radio Mix) 3:40
  2. "Dreamer" (2" Deep Pan Mix) 5:36
  3. "Dreamer" (Original Mix) 5:39
  4. "Dreamer" (Slo Moshun Mix) 10:48
  5. "Dreamer" (Luvdup Mix) 5:08
  6. "Dreamer" (Swing 52 Dub) 7:51
  • 1994 US CD single
  1. "Dreamer" (Original Club Mix) 5:39
  2. "Dreamer" (Slo Moshun Mix) 10:37
  3. "Dreamer" (Junior's Sound Factory Mix) 9:47
  4. "Dreamer" (Factory Dub) 7:05
  5. "Dreamer" (Junior Vasquez Sound Factory Instrumental) 9:44
  6. "Dreamer" (Radio Mix) 3:38
  • 1995 UK re-release CD
  1. "Dreamer" (7-inch Mix) 3:44
  2. "Dreamer" (Original Club Mix) 5:39
  3. "Dreamer" (Rollo Armstrong Big Mix) 8:36
  4. "Dreamer" (Loveland's Viva Tenerife Mix) 6:53
  5. "Dreamer" (Junior Vasquez Sound Factory Mix) 8:56
  6. "Dreamer" (Jupiter 12-inch Collision Mix) 6:01

Charts

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[51] Platinum 600,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Alex Party vs. Livin' Joy

Gianni Visnadi (one of the two producers behind Livin' Joy) was no stranger to the UK chart at this point. He and his brother Paolo had already released a previous dance track under the Alex Party banner. "Read My Lips/Saturday Night Party" was released on 18 December 1993 where it entered at number 49. It remained in the top 100 for 6 weeks before it was re-released yet again on 28 May 1994. This time he had a little more success as "Read My Lips" peaked at number 29. It spent 5 weeks in the top 100.

After seeing the moderate success of "Dreamer" and "Read My Lips", both Paolo and Gianni then decided to focus on Alex Party once again to record "Don't Give Me Your Life" which peaked at number 2 in the United Kingdom where it spent 8 weeks in the top 10 and a total of 14 weeks in the top 100. After the major success of "Don't Give Me Your Life", the signature Visnadi sounds of thumping beats, commanding vocals and the organ sounds and synths had cemented themselves as the popular sound in dance music. Visnadi decided to revive "Dreamer" under the Livin' Joy banner. It received an updated remix but stayed true to its original form. This was the single that finally took the Visnadi brothers to number one,[19] beating the out-going number one by Oasis by a narrow margin of just 500 sales.[52]

"

Tameko Star taking over as lead singer from Janice Robinson
.

Janice Robinson solo version

Track listings

  • 2005 CD, maxi-single
  1. "Dreamer" (ReMixed) (Jack D. Elliot Rebirth club mix) – 6:27
  2. "Dreamer" (ReMixed) (Xenon's mix) – 7:00
  3. "Dreamer" (ReMixed) (Jamie J Sanchez club mix) – 7:37
  4. "Dreamer" (ReMixed) (Livewater Futuristic club vocal) – 8:56
  5. "Dreamer" (ReMixed) (Twisted Dee club mix) – 8:21
  • 2006 5× File, MP3
  1. "Dreamer" (ReMixed) (Joe Bermudez & Klubjumpers Nocternal Emissions club mix) – 8:46
  2. "Dreamer" (ReMixed) (Nic Mercy's Epic Anthem) – 9:30
  3. "Dreamer" (ReMixed) (John Farruggio's club mix) – 9:27
  4. "Dreamer" (ReMixed) (Radboy's Rockin' mix) – 7:44
  5. "Dreamer" (ReMixed) (Dancin' Divaz club mix) – 7:34
  • 2022 1x file, MP3
  1. "Dreamer" – LODATO and Janice Robinson – Dreamer (New Version)

Matt Helders version

A

Alex Turner's spoken word story "A Choice Of Three" appears as a b-side.[53]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Livin' Joy - Chart history". Billboard. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
  2. ^ "Who is Livin' Joy's Janice Robinson, the singer who brings Robbie Williams to tears?".
  3. ^
    MTV Dance
    . 27 December 2011.
  4. ^ a b c Ewing, Tom (23 June 2013). "Livin' Joy – "Dreamer"". Freaky Trigger. Retrieved 12 April 2017.
  5. Aberdeen Press and Journal
    . 5 May 1995. page 8.
  6. ^ Flick, Larry (1 October 1994). "Singles: New & Noteworthy" (PDF). Billboard. Retrieved 23 January 2018.
  7. ^ Flick, Larry (1 June 1996). "Dance Trax: U.K.'s deConstruction Lays New Foundation In Song" (PDF). Billboard. p. 29. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
  8. ^ Sholin, Dave (10 May 1996). "Gavin Picks > Singles" (PDF). Gavin Report. No. 2104. p. 62. Retrieved 16 April 2018.
  9. ^ Cohen, Howard (28 July 1995). "Compact Discs Create Club At Home". p. 5C. Messenger-Inquirer.
  10. ^ Beevers, Andy (6 August 1994). "Market Preview: Dance" (PDF). Music Week. p. 12. Retrieved 19 April 2021.
  11. ^ "Reviews: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 29 April 1995. p. 14. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  12. NME
    . p. 17. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
  13. NME
    . p. 47. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
  14. ^ Hamilton, James (27 August 1994). "Dj directory" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental Insert). p. 10. Retrieved 19 April 2021.
  15. ^ Meade, Stephen (25 November 1994). "Crossover" (PDF). The Network Forty. p. 26. Retrieved 21 February 2018.
  16. Sun-Sentinel
    .
  17. Idolator
    . Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  18. ^ "Single Releases" (PDF). Music Week. 20 August 1994. p. 27. Retrieved 29 June 2021. Misprinted as 23 August.
  19. ^ a b c d "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 8 September 2019.
  20. ^ "Promos In Production" (PDF). Music Week. 13 August 1994. p. 12. Retrieved 19 April 2021.
  21. ^ "Jock On His Box" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental Insert). 4 March 1995. p. 5. Retrieved 6 May 2021.
  22. ^ "The 50 Best Pop Singles Of 1995 (Featuring New Interviews With Alanis Morissette, Garbage, Kylie Minogue, Monica, Ace Of Base & More!)". idolator.com. Retrieved 5 October 2018.
  23. ^ "The 101 Greatest Dance Songs Of the '90s". BuzzFeed. Retrieved 3 October 2018.
  24. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 11, no. 37. 10 September 1994. p. 13. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
  25. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 43, 1994" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 8 September 2019.
  26. ^ "Livin' Joy – Dreamer" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 8 September 2019.
  27. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100 04 September 1994 - 10 September 1994". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
  28. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100 28 August 1994 - 03 September 1994". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
  29. ^ "Official Dance Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company.
  30. ^ "The RM Club Chart" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental Insert). 6 August 1994. p. 4. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
  31. ^ "Dance Club Songs". Billboard. 19 November 1994. Retrieved 29 July 2023.
  32. ^ "The ARIA Australian Top 100 Singles Chart – Week Ending 13 Aug 1995". ARIA. Retrieved 1 June 2017 – via Imgur. N.B. The HP column displays the highest peak reached.
  33. ^ "Top RPM Dance/Urban: Issue 2697." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 8 September 2019.
  34. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 12, no. 21. 27 May 1995. p. 31. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
  35. ^ "European Dance Radio" (PDF). Music & Media. 17 June 1995. p. 27. Retrieved 23 April 2023.
  36. ISBN 951-31-2503-3
    .
  37. ^ "Livin' Joy – Dreamer (Original Club Mix)" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 8 September 2019.
  38. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Dreamer". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 8 September 2019.
  39. ^ Sanche, Karine. "Livin' Joy". The Eurodance Encyclopaedia.
  40. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  41. ^ "Official Dance Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company.
  42. ^ "The RM Club Chart" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental Insert). 6 May 1995. p. 6. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  43. ^ "The RM on a Pop Tip Club Chart" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental Insert). 13 May 1995. p. 8. Retrieved 2 September 2021.
  44. ^ "Billboard Hot 100". Billboard. 11 February 1995. Retrieved 29 July 2023.
  45. ^ "Dance Singles Sales". Billboard. 28 January 1995. Retrieved 29 July 2023.
  46. ^ "Rhythmic Airplay". Billboard. 11 February 1995. Retrieved 29 July 2023.
  47. ^ "Cash Box Top 100 Pop Singles" (PDF). Cash Box. Vol. LVIII, no. 24. 25 February 1995. p. 6. Retrieved 19 February 2018.
  48. ^ "The RM Club Chart of the Year" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental Insert). 24 December 1994. p. 10. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
  49. ^ "RPM Top 50 Dance Tracks of 1995". RPM. Retrieved 8 September 2019 – via Library and Archives Canada.
  50. ^ "Top 100 Singles 1995". Music Week. 13 January 1996. p. 9.
  51. ^ "British single certifications – Livin' Joy – Dreamer". British Phonographic Industry. 27 March 2020. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
  52. ^ Music Week, 13 May 1995
  53. ^ "Matt Helders Dreamer ALN721 Alex turner - Matt Helders from Sound It Out UK". Sounditoutrecords.co.uk. 19 February 2014. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dreamer_(Livin%27_Joy_song)&oldid=1216922575"