I Have a Dream (song)

"I Have a Dream"
Single by ABBA
from the album Voulez-Vous
B-side
Released 7 December 1979 (1979-12-07)
Format 7-inch single
Recorded 15 March 1979
Studio Polar, Stockholm, Sweden
Genre Pop
Length 4:45
Label Polar Music
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Benny Andersson
  • Björn Ulvaeus
ABBA singles chronology
"Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)"
(1979)
"I Have a Dream"
(1979)
"As Good as New"
(1979)
Music video
"I Have A Dream" on YouTube
Spanish version single cover

Spanish title: "Estoy soñando" ("I'm Dreaming")

"I Have a Dream" is a song by Swedish pop group ABBA. It was featured on the group's sixth studio album Voulez-Vous and released as a single in December 1979. The single became a big hit, topping the charts in many countries and peaking at No. 2 in the UK over the Christmas week of 1979. Twenty years later, Irish pop group Westlife released a version of the song which reached No. 1 in the UK over the Christmas week of 1999.

Overview

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. It was released as a single in December 1979 with a live version of "Take a Chance on Me" as the B-side. The recording is notable for being the only ABBA song to include vocalists other than the four band members; the final chorus features a children's choir from the International School of Stockholm. In the UK, "I Have a Dream" was held off the No. 1 spot by Pink Floyd's "Another Brick in the Wall" which also features a children's choir. "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). 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.

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 been released internationally on the deluxe edition of ABBA: The Album. Finally, a third mix was included on ABBA Live issued in 1986.

Chart performance

Chart (1979/1980) Position
Australia (ARIA)[1] 64
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[2] 1
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[3] 1
Canada Adult Contemporary Chart[4]1
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[5] 1
Ireland (IRMA)[6]2
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[7] 1
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[8] 2

Cover versions

Westlife version

"I Have a Dream"
Single by Westlife
from the album Coast to Coast
A-side
Released 6 December 1999 (1999-12-06)
Format
Recorded 1999
Studio PWL, London
Genre Teen pop
Length 4:06
Label BMG
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Westlife singles chronology
"Flying Without Wings"
(1999)
"I Have a Dream"
(1999)
"Fool Again"
(1999)
Music video
"I Have a Dream" on YouTube

Irish boy band Westlife released a cover of "I Have a Dream" in December 1999, twenty years after ABBA's original release. The song became the group's fourth UK number-one single. The release was a double A-side, also featuring "Seasons in the Sun". The release became the UK's Christmas number-one single of 1999, beating Cliff Richard's charity single "The Millennium Prayer" into the No. 2 spot. Westlife's version of "I Have a Dream" was later included on their second studio album Coast to Coast in 2000. It then extended its peak into January 2000 and spending seventeen weeks in the UK chart.[12] The song was the 26th best-selling single of 1999 in the UK and it was also the final number one single of the 1990s.

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. The song has received a Platinum sales certification in the UK for over 650,000 copies sold.[13]

Music video

The music video for the Westlife version of "I Have a Dream" features the band exiting out of a car and into a dark street where a group of children are. The children start singing with the band members and play with toys lying nearby before the band head back to the car and drive away.

Track listing

  1. "I Have a Dream" (Single Remix) – 4:06
  2. "Seasons in the Sun" (Single Remix) – 4:10
  3. "On the Wings of Love" – 3:22

Chart performance

Country (1999-2000) Peak
position
Denmark (Tracklisten)[14] 11
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[15] 7
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[16] 10
Germany (Official German Charts)[17] 24
Ireland (IRMA)[18] 1
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[19] 10
Norway (VG-lista)[20] 10
Scotland (Official Charts Company)[21] 1
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[22] 15
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[23] 18
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[24] 1

End-of-year charts

End-of-year chart (1999) Position
UK Singles Chart 26
Preceded by
"Goodbye" by Spice Girls
UK Singles Chart Christmas number-one single (Westlife version)
1999
Succeeded by
"Can We Fix It?" by Bob the Builder
Preceded by
"I Try" by Macy Gray
Irish IRMA number one single
18 December 1999 (5 weeks)
Succeeded by
"Born to Make You Happy" by Britney Spears
Preceded by
"Kiss (When the Sun Don't Shine)" by Vengaboys
Scottish Singles Chart
18 December 1999 (4 weeks)
Succeeded by
"The Masses Against the Classes" by Manic Street Preachers
Preceded by
"The Millennium Prayer" by Cliff Richard
UK Singles Chart number-one single (Westlife version)
18 December 1999 – 8 January 2000 (4 weeks)
Succeeded by
"The Masses Against the Classes" by Manic Street Preachers

References

  1. "Australian-charts.com – Abba – I Have a Dream". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 12 Jan 11.
  2. "Austriancharts.at – Abba – I Have a Dream" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 30 Nov 10.
  3. "Ultratop.be – Abba – I Have a Dream" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 9 Sep 16.
  4. "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved 2014-04-01.
  5. "Dutchcharts.nl – Abba – I Have a Dream" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 30 Nov 10.
  6. "All there is to know". Irish Singles Chart. IRMA. Archived from the original on 3 June 2009.
  7. "Swisscharts.com – Abba – I Have a Dream". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 30 Nov 10.
  8. "December 1979/ Archive Chart: 22 December 1979" UK Singles Chart. Retrieved 30 Nov 10.
  9. Svensktoppen - 1987
  10. Dan Daniell
  11. Archived 5 December 2008 at the Wayback Machine.
  12. "WESTLIFE | Artist". Official Charts. Retrieved 2012-08-15.
  13. "Westlife | Official Top 20". MTV. Retrieved 2012-08-15.
  14. "Danishcharts.com – Westlife – I Have A Dream / Seasons In The Sun". Tracklisten. Retrieved 30 November 2010.
  15. "Billboard - Google Books". 2000-01-29. Retrieved 2014-04-01 via Google Books.
  16. "Westlife: I Have A Dream / Seasons In The Sun" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 30 November 2010.
  17. "Musicline.de – Westlife Single-Chartverfolgung" (in German). Media Control Charts. PhonoNet GmbH.
  18. "Chart Track: Week 51, 1999". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 14 January 2011.
  19. "Charts.org.nz – Westlife – I Have A Dream / Seasons In The Sun". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 30 November 2010.
  20. "Norwegiancharts.com – Westlife – I Have A Dream / Seasons In The Sun". VG-lista. Retrieved 30 November 2010.
  21. "Archive Chart: 1999-12-19". Scottish Singles Top 40.
  22. "Swedishcharts.com – Westlife – I Have A Dream / Seasons In The Sun". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 30 November 2010.
  23. "Swisscharts.com – Westlife – I Have A Dream / Seasons In The Sun". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 30 November 2010.
  24. "Archive Chart: 1999-12-25/" UK Singles Chart.
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