Dream On (Aerosmith song)

"Dream On"
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]
StudioIntermedia, Boston
Genre
Length
  • 3:25 (single version)
  • 4:28 (album version)
LabelColumbia
Songwriter(s)Steven Tyler
Producer(s)Adrian Barber[1]
Aerosmith singles chronology
"Dream On"
(1973) 		"Same Old Song and Dance"
(1974)
Audio sample
Music videos
"Dream On" (audio) on YouTube
"Dream On" (official live video) on YouTube

"Dream On" is a power ballad[3] by American rock band Aerosmith, from their 1973 eponymous debut album.[4] Written by lead singer Steven Tyler, this song was their first major hit and became a classic rock radio staple. Released in June 1973, it peaked at number 59 on the Billboard Hot 100[5] but hit big in the band's native Boston, where it was the number one single of the year on WBZ-FM, number five for the year on WRKO and number 16 on WMEX (AM).[citation needed] The song also received immediate heavy airplay on the former WVBF (FM), often showing up in the #1 position on "The Top Five at Five" in June 1973.

The album version of "Dream On" (4:28, as opposed to the 3:25 1973 45 rpm edit where most of the intro has been edited out and the first chorus is replaced with the second chorus) was re-issued in late 1975, debuting at number 81 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on January 10, 1976, breaking into the top 40 on February 14 and peaking at number 6 on April 10. Columbia Records chose to service top 40 radio stations with both long and short versions of the song, thus many 1976 pop radio listeners were exposed to the group's first top 10 effort through the 45 edit.

In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine ranked the song at number 172 on its list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.[6] It was moved to number 173 in 2010,[7] and re-ranked at number 199 in 2021.[8] In 2007, Aerosmith would perform a re-recording of the song, amongst some of their other songs, for the game Guitar Hero: Aerosmith as the master track was missing during the game's development.[9] In 2018, the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.[10] On November 29, 2023, the song surpassed one billion streams on Spotify.[11]

  1. ^ a b 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.
  10. ^ "Grammy Hall of Fame". Grammy. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
  11. ^ "Aerosmith Hit Surpasses 1 Billion Streams on Spotify". November 29, 2023.