Harman Patil (Editor)

Dreamer (Livin' Joy song)

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Recorded
  
1993

Label
  
MCA Records

Genre
  
Italo house Eurodance

Released
  
22 August 1994 (original) 1 May 1995 (re-Issue)

Format
  
12' Vinyl CD single Acetate 12"

Length
  
3:40 (1994 Radio Mix) 3:44 (1995 Re-release 7' Mix)

First released in 1994, "Dreamer" is a dance track produced and recorded by Italian house group Livin' Joy, featuring vocals by Janice Robinson. It was number one in the US Hot Dance Club Play chart that year. On the 13th of May 1995, it entered the UK Singles Chart at No. 1 where it reigned just for one week.

Contents

About the song

The song was first released in the United Kingdom on the 3rd of September 1994, going straight in at number 18 in the UK Singles Chart. It had a slow and steady decline down the charts shortly after, slipping from its #18 debut down to #22-#24-#32-#46-#67, exiting the top 100 the following week. On the 22nd of October 1994 it returned to the UK charts after a few weeks out of the top 100, coming straight back in at #85 before sliding to #97 and then exiting the top 100 once more. The record seemed to show no signs of dying away as once more it re-entered the UK top 100 (on the 12th of November 1994) at #99. The following week it climbed to #85 before descending one final time to #97 before it bowed out.

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

After seeing the moderate success of 'Dreamer' & 'Read My Lips', Viani DJ then decided to focus on Alex Party once again to record "Don't Give Me Your Life" which peaked at #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 & synths had cemented themselves as the popular sound in dance music. Viani DJ the 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 #1. beating the out-going number one by Oasis by a narrow margin of just 500 sales.

'Dreamer' stayed on top of the chart for only a week, eventually being knocked off by the monster hit 'Unchained Melody' by Robson & Jerome. 'Dreamer' racked up an impressive run in the top 100, spending 21 non consecutive weeks in the UK chart, ending the year as the 40th biggest selling single of 1995. (Coincidentally Alex Party's "Don't Give Me Your Life" ended the year as the 28th biggest selling single of 1995)

In the United States, the song was a sleeper hit on pop radio, but finally managed to peak at #72 on the Billboard Hot 100, #38 on Billboard's Rhythmic Top 40 chart, #10 on Billboard's Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales chart and #40 on Billboard's Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart. In mid-1996, "Dreamer" re-entered the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at #95.

Sadly the back and forth between Livin' Joy & Alex Party seemed to affect the next few Alex Party singles. 'Wrap Me Up' entered the chart on the 18th of November 1995 and peaked at #17, spending just 6 weeks in the top 100. As a last stab at success under the Alex Party banner, Viani DJ remixed and re-released "Read My Lips". This did not match the success of 'Don't Give Me Your Life', crashing in to the top 40 at #28 where it dropped out of the U.K top 100 in just two weeks. Alex Party was then scrapped and their focus was back on Livin' Joy.

Janice Robinson was a singer from the U.S and was the original vocalist on the 1994 & 1995 editions of 'Dreamer'. When the group was unable to reach a deal with Robinson for a follow up single she was replaced by Doris Diggs AKA Tameka Starr. Tameka recorded a version of 'Dreamer' for the Livin' Joy album entitled 'Don't Stop Movin', but the original by Janice Robinson was a hidden track on the album.

Diggs remained the group's singer until their last single in 1999 with "Just for the Sex of It" with plans for a wide scale commercial release, but due to the public's disinterest it was eventually only released in the UK and Australia where it peaked at #76 on the charts and managed to receive a limited club run where it was a popular hit in the nightclubs.

Janice Robinson released her own version of Dreamer as a solo artist in 2005 reaching number 5 in the US Dance chart.

Tameka Starr is now under the name Tameko Star, and is based in Atlanta, Georgia. U.S.A.

Music video

There are two versions, the first video for the 1994 version had split screen footage of sped up urban cityscapes with a silhouetted female dancer (unclear if this is Janice Robinson) and for the 1995 re-release with a new edit had Robinson 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. There are certain shots that go from colour to black and white, also inter-cut 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.

Track listing

1994 UK CD single
  1. Dreamer (Original Club Mix) 5:37
  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
1994 UK 12" Promo
  1. Dreamer (Original Club Mix) 5:39
  2. Dreamer (Alex Party Underground Mix) 5:20
  3. Dreamer (Piano Mix)
1995 Re-release CD
  1. Dreamer (7" 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" Collision Mix) 6:01

Janice Robinson 2005 version

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, Maxi-single
  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

Matt Helders version

A cover version of the track by Arctic Monkeys drummer Matt Helders was released on his Late Night Tales compilation in 2008. This version features vocals from Nesreen Shah. It was also released as a 7" vinyl single limited to 1000 copies. Arctic Monkeys lead singer Alex Turner's spoken word story "A Choice Of Three" appears as a b-side.

References

Dreamer (Livin' Joy song) Wikipedia