Dream On (Aerosmith song)

Last updated

The music for 'Dream On' was originally written on a Steinway upright piano in the living room of Trow-Rico Lodge in Sunapee, maybe four years before Aerosmith even started. I was seventeen or eighteen. ... It was just this little thing I was playing, and I never dreamed it would end up as a real song or anything. ... It's about dreaming until your dreams come true.

Reception

Record World called it a "beauty which features strange melodic line and tight hard rock accompaniment" in 1973. [14] Then in 1975, Cash Box said that "the hard surface is there but Tyler's plaintive vocals and some economical muscular riffing make 'Dream On' a thinker as well as a mover." [15]

Upon the re-release of the single, Billboard listed it in its "Recommended LPs" section on January 3, 1976. [16]

In a later review, Stephen Thomas Erlewine commented about the song for allmusic: "There was nothing quite like it in 1973, and it remains the blueprint for all power ballads since." [17]

Legacy

Live performances

"Dream On"
DreamOnsingle.jpg
1976 UK promotional single
Single by Aerosmith
from the album Aerosmith
B-side "Somebody"
ReleasedJune 27, 1973 (1973-06-27) [1]
January 1976 (1976-01) (Re-release)
RecordedOctober 1972 [2]
Studio Intermedia, Boston
Genre
Length
  • 3:25 (single version)
  • 4:28 (album version)
Label Columbia
Songwriter(s) Steven Tyler
Producer(s) Adrian Barber [1]
Aerosmith singles chronology
"Dream On"
(1973)		"Same Old Song and Dance"
(1974)
Audio sample
"Dream On (Live)"
Single by Aerosmith
from the album Last Action Hero: Music from the Original Motion Picture
ReleasedJune 8, 1993
RecordedJune 6, 1991
Venue MTV 10th Anniversary Special
Genre Symphonic rock
Length5:42
Label Columbia Records
Songwriter(s) Steven Tyler

Long a concert staple, the song's piano part has been played live by Tyler. The band has also played "Dream On" with an orchestra on occasion. One of these performances, conducted by Michael Kamen, was performed live for MTV's 10th Anniversary [18] (in 1991) and included on the soundtrack for the movie Last Action Hero .

On September 19, 2006, Aerosmith dedicated the song to captured Israeli soldier Ehud Goldwasser. On September 22, 2007, at a concert in Atlantic City, New Jersey, Aerosmith dedicated the song to one of their fans, Monica Massaro, who had been murdered earlier that year. On May 25, 2011, Tyler performed a brief rendition of the song live during the finale of the tenth season of American Idol . [19]

In 2006, Tyler and Joe Perry performed the song live with the Boston Pops Orchestra at their Fourth of July spectacular. [20] In August 2010, Tyler performed much of the song on a grand piano on top of the Green Monster at an Aerosmith concert at Boston's Fenway Park, joined by the rest of the band to close out the song. [21] After the Boston Marathon bombing, Tyler performed the song at the Boston Strong concert in late May 2013. [22] [23] In 2014, Tyler, Slash and Train performed the song for Howard Stern's 60th Birthday Bash. [24]

In 2022, at rapper Eminem's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction concert, Tyler performed the introductory line and the chorus to "Dream On" along with Eminem as he performed his 2002 hit "Sing for the Moment", which used the former's chorus as its chorus. [25]

Appearances on other albums

The song has appeared on almost every Aerosmith greatest hits and live compilation, including:

It also appears on both of the band's box sets.

Other

Personnel

Charts

Certifications

Certifications for "Dream On"
RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Denmark (IFPI Danmark) [43] Gold45,000‡
Germany (BVMI) [44] Gold250,000‡
Italy (FIMI) [45] Platinum50,000‡
Spain (PROMUSICAE) [46] Platinum60,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI) [47] Platinum600,000‡
United States (RIAA) [48] 4× Platinum4,000,000‡
Streaming
Greece (IFPI Greece) [49] Gold1,000,000†

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.
† Streaming-only figures based on certification alone.

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References

  1. 1 2 Greatest Hits (CD liner). Aerosmith. U.S.: Columbia Records. 1993 [1980]. CK 57367.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  2. ↑ Pandora's Box (CD liner). Aerosmith. U.S.: Columbia Records. 2002 [1991]. C3K 86567.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  3. ↑ "Top 10 Power Ballads That Don't Suck". Loudwire. April 12, 2018. Retrieved July 2, 2023.
  4. ↑ "Aerosmith | Music Videos, News, Photos, Tour Dates, Ringtones, and Lyrics | MTV". MTV. Archived from the original on June 29, 2012. Retrieved April 5, 2017.
  5. ↑ "Aerosmith Chart History: Billboard Hot 100: "Dream On" (peak position)" (PDF). Billboard . Vol. 85, no. 48. December 1, 1973. p. 56. ISSN   0006-2510 . Retrieved April 17, 2021– via American Radio History.
  6. ↑ "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time 2004: 101-200". Rolling Stone . Archived from the original on June 20, 2008. Retrieved October 3, 2021.
  7. ↑ "Dream on ranked #173 by Rolling Stone in 2010". Rolling Stone . December 11, 2003. Retrieved October 3, 2021.
  8. ↑ "Dream On ranked #199 on Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Songs List". Rolling Stone. September 15, 2021. Retrieved October 3, 2021.
  9. ↑ "Guitar Hero: Aerosmith First Look - Xbox 360 Previews at GameSpot". June 29, 2009. Archived from the original on June 29, 2009. Retrieved October 4, 2022.
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  12. ↑ Hiatt, Brian (May 12, 2011). "The Emancipation of Steven Tyler". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on February 2, 2013. Retrieved April 9, 2022.
  13. ↑ Davis, Stephen (1997). Walk This Way: The Autobiography of Aerosmith. HarperCollins. pp. 171–173. ISBN   978-0-380-97594-5.
  14. ↑ "Single Picks" (PDF). Record World. September 15, 1973. p. 14. Retrieved March 22, 2023.
  15. ↑ "CashBox Singles Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. December 27, 1975. p. 120. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
  16. ↑ "Billboard's Top Single Picks" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 88, no. 1. January 3, 1976. p. 45. Retrieved January 14, 2025– via World Radio History.
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  18. ↑ "Dream On (MTV 10th Anniversary) - Aerosmith" – via YouTube.
  19. ↑ "Steven Tyler - Dream On - American Idol Season 10 Finale Results Show - 05/25/11". May 25, 2011 – via YouTube.
  20. ↑ "Aerosmith & The Boston Pops Orchestra - Dream On (Live 2006)". May 22, 2010 – via YouTube.
  21. ↑ "Aerosmith Dream On Fenway Park 8-14-2010 HD". August 15, 2010 – via YouTube.
  22. ↑ "Boston Marathon concert to feature music icons Aerosmith, James Taylor, NKOTB concert benefits One Fund". WCVB . May 30, 2013. Retrieved March 10, 2014.
  23. ↑ "Aerosmith - Dream On (with Southern California Children's Chorus) - Boston Marathon Bombing Tribute". April 16, 2014 – via YouTube.
  24. ↑ "Steven Tyler, Slash, and Train "Dream On" at the Howard Stern Birthday Bash (2014)". January 31, 2020 – via YouTube.
  25. ↑ Scarlettpublished, Liz (November 7, 2022). "Watch Aerosmith's Steven Tyler perform with Eminem at the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame ceremony". loudersound. Retrieved November 13, 2022.
  26. ↑ Wass, Mike (December 15, 2022). "Aerosmith's 'Dream On,' Lady Gaga's 'Bloody Mary,' Sia's 'Unstoppable' Among the Viral Revivals of 2022". Variety. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
  27. ↑ "What's the Song in the Creator's Official Trailer?". May 17, 2023.
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  29. ↑ "Dutch Single Tip 13/03/1976". dutchcharts.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved March 1, 2023.
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  37. ↑ "ČNS IFPI". IFPI ČR. Note: Select SK SINGLES DIGITAL TOP 100 and insert 202246 into search. Retrieved November 21, 2022.
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  43. ↑ "Danish single certifications – Aerosmith – Dream On". IFPI Danmark . Retrieved November 28, 2023.
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