Mr. Sandman

"Mr. Sandman" (sometimes rendered as "Mister Sandman") is a popular song written by Pat Ballard which was published in 1954 and first recorded in that year by The Chordettes. The song's lyrics convey a request to "Mr. Sandman" to "bring me a dream," the word "dream" ambiguously referring to a real significant other as well as to a sleeping dream - the traditional association with the folkloric figure, the sandman. The pronoun used to refer to the desired dream is often changed depending on the sex of the singer or group performing the song. Some time later, Ballard also rewrote the lyrics for Christmas use as "Mr. Santa." The chord progression in the chorus follows the circle of fourths for six chords in a row.

Recorded versions

The Chordettes recording of the song was released on the Cadence Records label whose founder, Archie Bleyer, is credited on the disc's label as "knees played by" and orchestra conductor. Bleyer's voice is heard in the third verse, when he says the word "YES?" The piano is played by Moe Wechsler. The single reached #1 on the Billboard United States charts and #11 on the United Kingdom charts in 1954. In November 1954, The Four Aces released a version that charted even higher in the UK, reaching #9 and in the same year a version by Max Bygraves reached #16 on the UK charts. On the Cash Box magazine charts in the US, where all versions were combined, the song also reached #1.

There are numerous recorded versions of the song^[1] including versions by Chet Atkins, Mocedades, Blue Diamonds, Marvin Gaye, Gob, Jose Melis, The Chipmunks, The Supremes, The Andrews Sisters, The Puppini Sisters, Linda McCartney, and The Fleetwoods.

Joe Loss and his Orchestra recorded it in London on November 1, 1954. The tune was released by EMI on the His Master's Voice label as catalog number BD 6184.

It has featured in a number of TV and film soundtracks including The Simpsons,^[2] Futurama, Back to the Future, Mr. Nobody, Nip/Tuck, Philadelphia, Planet 51, Uncle Buck, I Saw what You Did, and several of the Halloween films. A version by the band Oranger also featured as an intro song and later on a cutscene in the video game Stubbs the Zombie - Rebel without a Pulse and can also be heard in the 2010 video game Mafia II.

The "Mr. Santa" version has been recorded by Shari Lewis (on the 1965 Musicor single MU 1140), Lenny Dee, Amy Grant, and Suzy Bogguss, among others.

Mr. Sandman was also famously sung on The Golden Girls in the season five episode "Not Another Monday" when Dorothy, Rose, and Blanche are trying to cheer up a child.

Emmylou Harris version

In 1978, Emmylou Harris, Dolly Parton, and Linda Ronstadt recorded a version of the song. The song was released by Harris as a single in 1981, under the title "Mister Sandman", for which she re-recorded all three vocal parts herself as neither Parton's nor Ronstadt's record companies would allow their artists' vocals on the single. Harris also included her version on her album.

Chart performance

Blind Guardian version

In 1996, German power metal band Blind Guardian released a single with a cover version of "Mr. Sandman." While the song starts in a similar mood to the original, it becomes increasingly aggressive, introducing heavy metal guitars in the second verse and a double bass drum in the third.

Track listing

1. "Mr. Sandman" – 2:12
2. "Bright Eyes" (Edited Version) – 4:04
3. "Hallelujah" – 3:18
4. "Imaginations from the Other Side" (Demo Version) – 7:14
5. "The Script for My Requiem" (Demo Version) – 7:01

Lineup

• Hansi Kürsch – vocals and bass
• André Olbrich – lead guitar
• Marcus Siepen – rhythm guitar
• Thomen Stauch – drums

References

External links

• Mr. Sandman at Allmusic
• discogs.com The Chordettes on discogs.com, a community-built database of music information.