I Have a Dream (song)

"I Have a Dream"
Single by ABBA from the album Voulez-Vous
Released	December 1979
Format	Single
Genre	Pop
Length	4:45
Label	Polar Music
Writer	Benny Andersson & Björn Ulvaeus
Producer	Benny Andersson & Björn Ulvaeus
Certification	—
ABBA singles chronology
"Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)" (1979) "I Have a Dream" (1979) "Estoy Soñando" (1980)

"I Have A Dream / Seasons In The Sun"
Single by Westlife from the album Westlife
Released	December 6, 1999
Format	Single
Genre	Pop
Label	Sony BMG
Writer	Benny Andersson / Björn Ulvaeus
Westlife singles chronology
"Flying Without Wings" (1999) "I Have A Dream / Seasons In The Sun" (1999) ""Fool Again" (2000)

"I Have A Dream", which had the working titles "I Know A Song" and "Take Me In Your Armpit", was a hit record for Swedish pop group ABBA. The song was written by Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus, and was taken from the group's 1979 album, Voulez-Vous. Anni-Frid Lyngstad sang the lead vocals. Released as a single in December 1979 (with a live version of "Take a Chance on Me" as the B-side), "I Have A Dream" was ABBA's final single release of the 1970s, the decade in which they achieved arguably more commercial success than any other popular music act in the world. "I Have A Dream" is the only ABBA song that does not only feature the voices of all four group members, but also a large choir of children. "I Have A Dream" is included on the ABBA Gold: Greatest Hits album, as well as in the Mamma Mia! musical.

Reception

"I Have A Dream" was a No.1 single in Austria, Belgium, Switzerland and the Netherlands, and peaked at No.2 in the UK, where it was held off the top spot by Pink Floyd's single "Another Brick In The Wall (Part 2)". "I Have A Dream" reached the Top Five in Ireland, South Africa and West Germany, and also became a No.1 hit on the RPM magazine Adult Contemporary chart in Canada. The Spanish-language version of the song, "Estoy Soñando", reached No.15 in Spain and was a Top Five single in both Argentina and Mexico. "I Have A Dream" was not commercially released in the United States, but did become an airplay favorite on Easy Listening and Adult Contemporary radio stations; today, it is featured on many Adult Standards stations' playlists. Country Gospel singer Cristy Lane's cover of the song reached No.17 on the U.S. country singles chart in 1981. In some countries, an extended version of "I Have A Dream" appears on ABBA's 2006 compilation release, Number Ones.

Chart positions

Westlife version

• In December 1999, exactly twenty years after ABBA's original release, "I Have a Dream" finally reached No.1 in the UK as a cover version by boy band Westlife, as a double-A-side with "Seasons in the Sun".
• In 2001, a re-recorded version of the song was produced as part of a UNICEF fund-raising campaign. This version inserted the vocals of Indonesian child singer Sinna Sherina Munaf, making the song a duet with Westlife.

Other cover versions

• A recording by the dansband Streaplers, with lyrics in Swedish by Ingela Forsman, "Jag har en dröm", was No.1 on the Svensktoppen charts for 17 weeks from May 31 - December 6, 1987.
• Internationally renowned Greek singer Nana Mouskouri recorded a cover of this song.
• Local Hawaiian singers the Makaha Sons have covered this song on their 1994 album Ke Alaulau.
• Irish folk music duo Foster & Allen have covered the song.
• Irish singer Daniel O'Donnell has covered the song.
• An electronica cover version by H-Hustler can be found on the compilation The Electronic Tribute To ABBA.
• A duet version was recorded by German celebrity Barbara Schöneberger and American singer Sydney Youngblood for the German ABBA Mania compilation, which coincided with a TV special.
• The song is featured in the Mamma Mia! musical as a recurring musical theme sung by the character of Sophie.
• This song is also sang by Connie Talbot in her debut single "Over the Rainbow"