Dreamer (Livin' Joy song)

"Dreamer"
Single by Livin' Joy
from the album Don't Stop Movin
Released	22 August 1994 (original) 1 May 1995 (re-Issue)
Format	12' Vinyl CD single Acetate 12"
Recorded	1993
Genre	Italo house Eurodance
Length	3:40 (1994 Radio Mix) 3:44 (1995 Re-release 7' Mix)
Label	MCA Records
Writer(s)	Janice Robinson Paolo Visnadi Gianni Visnadi
Producer(s)	Paolo Visnadi Gianni Visnadi
Livin' Joy singles chronology
"Dreamer" (1994) "Don't Stop Movin'" (1996)
Music video "Dreamer" on YouTube

"Dreamer" is a 1994 song 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.^[1] In May 1995, it entered the UK Singles Chart at No. 1 for one week.^[2]

The song was first released in the United Kingdom in September 1994 and peaked at number 18 in the UK Singles Chart.^[3] After the track saw moderate success and broke the top 20 in the UK, the DJ behind Livin' Joy, Viani DJ, then decided to focus on other projects, namely Alex Party to record "Don't Give Me Your Life". After the success of "Don't Give Me Your Life", he released another single, "Read My Lips", which did not match the success the previous track had achieved, so they returned their focus on Livin' Joy once more and returned with a remix of their original hit "Dreamer". The song was re-released and entered the UK chart at number 1,^[4] beating the out-going number one by Oasis by a narrow margin of just 500 sales.^[5] 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

The first version released in 1994 was sung by US singer Janice Robinson, but 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 who did a version only found on the group's debut and only released album to date 'Don't Stop Movin', 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.

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.^[6] Arctic Monkeys lead singer Alex Turner's spoken word story "A Choice Of Three" appears as a b-side.^[7]

See also

• List of number-one dance singles of 1994 (U.S.)

References