Dream a Little Dream of Me
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"Dream a Little Dream of Me" is a song, usually credited to Fabian Andre and Wilbur Schwandt.[1] The lyrics were written by Gus Kahn.
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[edit] Early recordings
"Dream a Little Dream of Me" was recorded by Ozzie Nelson and his Orchestra with vocal by Nelson on February 16, 1931 for Brunswick Records. That February 18 Wayne King and his Orchestra with vocal by Ernie Birchill recorded the song for Victor Records. "Dream a Little Dream of Me" was also an early signature tune of Kate Smith.
A top 20 success for Frankie Laine, "Dream a Little Dream" was also recorded by such traditional popular music singers of the 1940s and 1950s who recorded the song include Doris Day (who during 1957 was the first latterday singer to record it at the slow tempo in which it had been written), Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald, Barbara Carroll, the Nat King Cole trio, Bing Crosby, Ella Fitzgerald, Joni James on her 1962 jazz influenced album I'm Your Girl, Dean Martin, Vaughn Monroe, Jack Owens, and Dinah Shore.
[edit] Cass Elliot version
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"Dream a Little Dream" was recorded for the Mamas & the Papas April 1968 album release The Papas & The Mamas. The group had often sung the song for fun, having been familiarized with it by member Michelle Phillips whose father had been friends with the song's co-writer Fabian Andre in Mexico City where Michelle Phillips' family had resided when she was a young girl. Fellow-"Mama" Cass Elliot suggested to group leader John Phillips that the group record "Dream a Little Dream of Me"; according to him she was unhappy while recording the song, objecting to its campiness, but Elliot herself would tell Melody Maker: "I tried to sing it like it was 1943 and somebody had just come in and said, 'Here's a new song.' I tried to sing it as if it were the first time."
By the time of the album's release there were strong indications that the Mamas & the Papas were set to disband, a perception strengthened by the failure of the lead single "Safe in My Garden". Having an opportunity to promote the group's best known member as a soloist Dunhill Records gave a June 1968 single release to the "Dream a Little Dream of Me" track credited to Mama Cass with the Mamas & the Papas; the UK release simply read Mama Cass. Promoted in the US press and on billboards with a photograph of a discreetly but obviously nude Elliot lying in a bed of daisies,[2] "Dream a Little Dream of Me" peaked at #12 on the Billboard Hot 100 that August (its Cash Box peak was #10 and in Record World it reached #8). The Billboard Easy Listening chart ranked the single as high as #2. In the UK "Dream a Little Dream of Me" reached #11 that September staving off competition by a cover from Anita Harris which reached #33.
"Dream a Little Dream of Me" was included on Elliot's solo debut album which was entitled Dream a Little Dream.[2]
[edit] Other notable recordings
- Helen Schneider recorded the song as "Dream a Little Dream" making it the title cut of her 2008 album of standards.
- Laura Fygi included the song on her 1991 solo debut album Introducing.
- Recorded by Henry Mancini for his 1969 album A Warm Shade of Ivory.
- Bing Crosby recorded the song in 1957 for his album Bing With A Beat.
- Sung in Italian by French singer Sylvie Vartan as Nostalgia (Nostalgy), in 1969. She also sang a version in French ("Les Yeux Ouverts").
- It was the theme song in the 1989 movie Dream a Little Dream. The movie features two versions: One is a solo by Mickey Thomas, and the other is a duet with Mickey Thomas and Mel Tormé.
- French singer Enzo Enzo sang a French version ("Les yeux ouverts") on her 1990 album Enzo Enzo.
- Norwegian singer Sissel Kyrkjebø sang a version of it on her 1991 Gift of Love album.
- It was recorded in the style of the The Mamas & the Papas' version by Terry Hall and Salad for The Help Album in 1995.
- It was covered by Chicago in their 1995 release of Night and Day Big Band. The song was recorded featuring Jade on backing vocals and Paul Shaffer on piano.
- Sung by Czech singer Lucie Bílá as "Hvězdy jako hvězdy" (Stars like Stars) which became also the name of her 1998 album.
- Candye Kane, covered this song on her 1998 album Swango.
- It was covered by British group The Beautiful South and is found on Solid Bronze (2001) and the US release of Carry On up the Charts (1995). They also did a version in French for the movie French Kiss. It is re-used in the film The Devil Wears Prada.
- Performed by Michael Bublé on his 2005 album It's Time.
- The song appears in the album Angels & Thieves by Dala (Sheila Carabine and Amanda Walther), recorded in 2005. It is credited to Andre, Khan and Schwandt.
- Recorded by Anne Murray on her 2004/2005 album I'll Be Seeing You / All of Me.
- The song was performed by Pete Doherty and Carl Barat as a party piece during the first iteration of The Libertines. Most recently they performed it at the Hackney Empire on April 12, 2007 during a surprise reunion show for the duo. Carl often tapdances during the performance.
- The song was performed by the Egyptian actress Youssra in the movie The Yacoubian Building.
- Sung by Bobbi Eakes on the June 14, 2007 broadcast of ABC's All My Children.
- Recorded by Claw Boys Claw on their 2008 album Pajama day.
- Performed by Diana Krall on We All Love Ella: Celebrating The First Lady Of Song, a tribute to Ella Fitzgerald.[3]
- German power metal band Blind Guardian performed a heavy metal rendition on their single "Another Stranger Me".
- Goth musician Rozz Williams performed a live cover of the song; a recording appears on the live album Accept the Gift of Sin.
- American indie rock band My Morning Jacket performed the song in 2004 for Early Recordings: Chapter 2: Learning, a compilation.
- Burgess Meredith sang the song as a lullaby to the girl playing his granddaughter in the 1995 sequel movie Grumpier Old Men.
- Was used as the title of Episode 54 of the CW's television show Supernatural.
- Is the name of the third edition of Sandman, the comic book, created by Neil Gaiman.
- Performed live by She & Him (Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward).
- The Baltimore area band, Cowboy Amnesia, performs the song with a surf rock approach.
- Jimmy Demers performs this song on his debut album Dream A Little (2008).
- Will be used as the title of Episodes 79 and 80 of the ABC show Grey's Anatomy.
- Recorded by Nicole Atkins on her 2008 album Nicole Atkins Digs Other People's Songs.
- A sound-alike cover of Cass Elliot's version appeared on Top of the Pops, Volume 2.
- Korean composer and pianist Yiruma (이루마) plays this song on his second album "First Love: Piano Collection" (2001).
- Performed by Ms. Piggy in the attraction Jim Henson's Muppet*Vision 3D.
- Recorded by Mark Weber for his 2008 jazz-pop album, When I Fall In Love.
- Included on the Mills Brothers 1969 album of the same name, released by Pickwick Records.
- British band the Beautiful South included a cover of the song on the US release of their compilation album, Carry on up the Charts: The Best of the Beautiful South.
- French Singer Matthieu Boré on the album FriZZAnte!! (2009).
