"Theme for a Dream" | ||||
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Single by Cliff Richard and the Shadows | ||||
B-side | "Mumblin' Mosie" | |||
Released | 24 February 1961 | |||
Recorded | 28 January 1961 [1] | |||
Studio | EMI Studios, London | |||
Genre | Pop | |||
Length | 2:06 | |||
Label | Columbia | |||
Songwriter(s) |
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Producer(s) | Norrie Paramor | |||
Cliff Richard and the Shadows singles chronology | ||||
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"Theme for a Dream" is a song by Cliff Richard and the Shadows, released as a single in February 1961. It peaked at number 3 on the UK Singles Chart and also received a silver disc for 250,000 sales. [2] [3]
"Theme for a Dream" was the first song by Richard to feature a female chorus, sung by the Mike Sammes Singers. When Richard and the Shadows got the song they "liked it, but it wasn't really us … but we did it because we felt it was a change of direction as far as we were concerned". [1]
The single exceeded 200,000 advance sales in the UK. However, in Spain, it was banned because of its supposedly suggestive lyrics due to the Francoist censorship. [1]
The B-side, "Mumblin' Mosie", was written and originally recorded by American Johnny Otis in 1960 and had been a minor hit for him on the Billboard Hot 100. [4] Richard had previously recorded another of Otis' songs, " Willie and the Hand Jive", which he had released as the B-side to " Fall in Love with You". [5]
Richard also recorded a German-language version of "Theme for a Dream", titled "Schön wie ein Traum", in April 1961 with backing vocals by the Hansen Girls. It was released as a single in Germany in June 1961 with the B-side "Vreneli", which was an original German song. [6] [7]
Reviewing for Disc, Don Nicholl described "Theme for a Dream" as an "attractive tune and lyric married very well indeed. Gets into your head right from the start". [8]
The melody of the track "Pal Pal.... Har Pal" from the 2006 Bollywood film Lage Raho Munna Bhai was lifted from "Theme for a Dream" [9]
7": Columbia / DB 4593
7": Columbia / C 21 843 (Germany)
Chart (1961) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australia ( Kent Music Report) [10] | 22 |
Belgium ( Ultratop 50 Flanders) [11] | 16 |
Belgium ( Ultratop 50 Wallonia) [12] | 33 |
Denmark (Quans Musikbureau) [13] | 6 |
India (The Voice, Calcutta) | 7 |
Ireland ( Evening Herald) [14] | 4 |
Netherlands ( Single Top 100) [15] | 12 |
New Zealand (Lever Hit Parade) [16] | 3 |
UK Singles ( OCC) [2] | 3 |
"Schön wie ein Traum"
Chart (1961) | Peak position |
---|---|
Germany ( Official German Charts) [17] | 33 |
"Vreneli"
Chart (1961) | Peak position |
---|---|
Germany ( Official German Charts) [18] | 50 |