I Have a Dream (song)
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| “I Have a Dream” | |||||
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| Single by ABBA from the album Voulez-Vous |
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| Released | December 1979 | ||||
| Format | Single | ||||
| Genre | Pop | ||||
| Length | 4:45 | ||||
| Label | Polar Music | ||||
| Writer(s) | Benny Andersson Björn Ulvaeus |
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| Producer | Benny Andersson Björn Ulvaeus |
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| Certification | Gold (UK), Gold (Netherlands) | ||||
| ABBA singles chronology | |||||
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"I Have a Dream", which had the working titles "I Know a Song" and "Take Me in Your Armpit", was a hit record for Swedish pop group ABBA. The song was written by Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus, and was taken from the group's 1979 album, Voulez-Vous. Anni-Frid Lyngstad sang the lead vocals. Released as a single in December 1979 (with a live version of "Take a Chance on Me" as the B-side), "I Have a Dream" was ABBA's final single release of the 1970s, the decade in which they achieved arguably more commercial success than any other popular music act in the world. "I Have a Dream" is the only ABBA song that features not only the voices of all four group members, but also a large choir of children. "I Have a Dream" is included on the ABBA Gold: Greatest Hits album, as well as in the Mamma Mia! musical.
In the UK, the single was issued in a lavish gatefold sleeve, intended as a souvenir for UK fans who had attended the Wembley concerts (the live recording of "Take A Chance On Me" being from one of them). It was not a limited edition, however. The inner gatefold made use of the pyramid/mountain/iceberg designs similar to those used in the inner sleeve of Greatest Hits Vol.2. The inner gatefold was effectively an advert for ABBA's existing albums released in the UK, but the back cover featured a message from ABBA themselves regarding the Wembley concerts, together with their signatures. The front cover used the same live photo of ABBA as the worldwide release, but artwork and fonts were different. This was only Epic's second picture sleeve for an ABBA single, and the company seemed keen to make up for its poor presentation (ie. yellow or orange company sleeves) used previously.
There is some speculation that "I Have A Dream" was never originally intended to be a single. There had already been three releases from the Voulez-Vous album, and the only other album to have four singles released from it was ABBA in 1975. Also, the track was not included on Greatest Hits Vol.2 released just weeks before. It is therefore speculated that this single was an extra release to cash in on both the Christmas sales and the 1979 tour. Furthermore, ABBA did not film a promotional video for the track, even though they had done for the Spanish version, "Estoy Soñando." It was rare for ABBA not to film a video for an official single. The Spanish version was filmed in the Polar Music Studios on the same day as the "Gimme Gimme Gimme" video (and even featured ABBA wearing the same clothes). If "I Have A Dream" had been intended as a single at that point, then presumably they would have filmed that as well. As it stood, a live performance from the tour was used to promote the single, causing some confusion to record buyers who may have been disappointed to discover the studio-recorded version on the record itself.
The live version of "Take A Chance on Me" on the b-side was one of three mixes of the same recording to be issued. Released soon after the concerts, this version is thought to be the genuine recording. A very slightly extended version, featuring spoken introductions from the group, was used as the b-side in Australia. This extended version has recently been released internationally on the deluxe edition of ABBA The Album. Finally, a third mix was included on ABBA Live issued in 1986. This is considered the inferior version as it contains overdubs added at the time of release (and not by ABBA themselves).
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[edit] Reception
"I Have a Dream" was yet another smash hit around the world, reaching No.1 in Austria, Belgium, Switzerland and the Netherlands, and peaking at No.2 in the UK, where it was held off the top spot by Pink Floyd's single "Another Brick In The Wall (Part 2)". "I Have a Dream" reached the Top Five in Ireland, South Africa and West Germany, and also became a No.1 hit on the RPM magazine Adult Contemporary chart in Canada. The Spanish-language version of the song, "Estoy Soñando", reached No.15 in Spain and was a Top Five single in both Argentina and Mexico.
"I Have a Dream" was not commercially released in the United States, but did become an airplay favorite on Easy Listening and Adult Contemporary radio stations; today, it is featured on many Adult Standards stations' playlists. Country Gospel singer Cristy Lane's cover of the song reached No.17 on the U.S. country singles chart in 1981.
[edit] Charts
| Chart (1979/1980) | Position |
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| Austrian Singles Chart | 12 |
| Belgian Singles Chart | 13 |
| Canadian Adult Contemporary Chart | 1? |
| Dutch Singles Chart | 13 |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 12 |
| Irish Singles Chart | 2 |
| U.K. Singles Chart | 2 |
| South African Singles Chart | 3 |
| German Singles Chart | 4 |
| Zimbabwean Singles Chart | 7 |
| French Singles Chart | 42 |
| Australian Singles Chart | 64 |
[edit] Cover versions
- A recording by the dansband Streaplers, with lyrics in Swedish by Ingela Forsman, "Jag har en dröm", was No.1 on the Swedish Svensktoppen radio chart for 17 weeks from May 31 - December 6, 1987.
- Internationally renowned Greek singer Nana Mouskouri recorded a cover of this song.
- Local Hawaiian singers the Makaha Sons have covered this song on their 1994 album Ke Alaulau.
- Irish folk music duo Foster & Allen have covered the song.
- Irish singer Daniel O'Donnell has covered the song.
- An electronica cover version by H-Hustler can be found on the compilation The Electronic Tribute To ABBA.
- U.S. indie music artist Stueym covered the song, which was available for download on the Internet.
- A duet version was recorded by German celebrity Barbara Schöneberger and American singer Sydney Youngblood for the German ABBA Mania compilation, which coincided with a TV special.
- Swiss chef/singer Dan Daniell recorded a cover as a duet with original ABBA member Anni-Frid Lyngstad for his album Lieber Gott.
- Italian-American singer Al Martino included a cover of the song for his 2006 album Come Share The Wine.
- A cover of the song was recorded by Connie Talbot for her debut album Over the Rainbow in 2007.
- The song is featured in the Mamma Mia! musical as a recurring musical theme sung by the character of Sophie. It is also featured in the trailer for the film based on the musical.
[edit] Westlife Version
| “I Have a Dream"/"Seasons in the Sun” | |||||
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| Single by Westlife from the album Westlife |
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| Released | December 6, 1999 | ||||
| Format | CD Single | ||||
| Genre | Pop | ||||
| Label | Sony BMG | ||||
| Writer(s) | Benny Andersson / Björn Ulvaeus | ||||
| Certification |  Platinum |
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| Westlife singles chronology | |||||
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| Westlife track listing | |||||
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| Westlife track listing | |||||
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| Unbreakable - The Greatest Hits Vol. 1 track listing | |||||
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Westlife released a cover of "I Have a Dream" in December 1999, twenty years after ABBA's original release. The release was a double-A-side single with "Seasons in the Sun" and became the UK's Christmas No. 1 single of 1999, extending its peak into January 2000.
In 2001, as part of a UNICEF fund-raising campaign, the song was re-recorded with additional vocals by Indonesian child singer, Sinna Sherina Munaf.
[edit] Track listing
- I Have a Dream
- Seasons in the Sun
- On the Wings of Love
[edit] Chart performance
| Country/Chart | Peak position |
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| United World Chart | 23 |
| German Singles Chart | 24 |
| Irish Singles Chart | 1 |
| Swedish Singles Chart | 15 |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 18 |
| UK Singles Chart | 1 |
Note: The song also reached #7 at Global 100 Singles Chart.
[edit] External links
| Preceded by "Goodbye" by Spice Girls |
UK Singles Chart Christmas number-one single by Westlife 1999 |
Succeeded by "Can We Fix It?" by Bob the Builder |
| Preceded by "The Millennium Prayer" by Cliff Richard |
UK Singles Chart number-one single December 19, 1999 - January 9, 2000 by Westlife |
Succeeded by "The Masses Against the Classes" by Manic Street Preachers |
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