[Verse 1]
Everytime that I look in the mirror
All these lines on my face getting clearer
The past is gone, it went by like dusk to dawn
Isn’t that the way, everybody got the dues in life to pay
I know nobody knows
Where it comes and where it goes
I know it’s everybody’s sin
You got to lose to know how to win
[Verse 2]
Half my life’s in books written pages
Lived and learned from fools and from sages
You know it’s true
All the things come back to you
[Chorus]
Sing with me, sing for the year
Sing for the laughter and sing for the tear
Sing with me, just for today
Maybe tomorrow the good Lord’ll take you away
[Instrumental Break]
[Chorus]
Sing with me, sing for the year
Sing for the laughter and sing for the tear
Sing with me, just for today
Maybe tomorrow the good Lord’ll take you away
[Bridge]
Dream on, dream on, dream on
Dream until your dream come true
Dream on, dream on, dream on
Dream until your dream come true
Dream on, dream on
Dream on, dream on
Dream on, dream on
Dream on
[Chorus]
Sing with me, sing for the year
Sing for the laughter and sing for the tear
Sing with me, just for today
Maybe tomorrow the good Lord’ll take you away
Sing with me, sing for the year
Sing for the laughter and sing for the tear
Sing with me, just for today
Maybe tomorrow the good Lord’ll take you away
“Dream On” is a power ballad by Aerosmith from their 1973 debut album, Aerosmith.[3] 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 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 received immediate heavy airplay too 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 45rpm edit) 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.
“Dream On” was first played live in Mansfield, Connecticut, at the Shaboo Inn.[4] In a 2011 interview, Tyler reminisced about his father, a Juilliard-trained musician. He recalled lying beneath his dad’s piano as a three-year-old listening to him play classical music. “That’s where I got that Dream On chordage,” he said.[5]
Although the songs vocals were often performed by their drummer Joey Kramer, originally, Tyler says that this was the only song on the band’s first album where he used his real voice. He was insecure about how his voice sounded on tape, so for the other songs, he tried to sing a bit lower and sound more like soul artists, such as James Brown.[4] The song is also famous for its building climax to showcase Tyler’s trademark screams. The main riff and chorus of the song were sampled in the 2002 song “Sing for the Moment” by rapper Eminem on The Eminem Show that also features a solo from Joe Perry. The song is composed in the key of F minor.
Single track listings
7″ 45 RPM
Side one
“Dream On”
Side two
“Somebody”
The original 1973 issue of this 45 (45894) has a shorter edit of “Dream On” (3:25). Most of the intro has been edited out and the first chorus is replaced with the second chorus. The second issue from 1976 (10278) contains the album version (4:28).
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 a couple of occasions. One of these performances, conducted by Michael Kamen, was performed live for MTV‘s 10th Anniversary (in 1991) and included on the soundtrack for the movie Last Action Hero. Additionally, in 2006, Steven Tyler and Joe Perry performed the song live with the Boston Pops Orchestra at their Fourth of July spectacular. 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. In August 2010, Tyler performed much of the song on a grand piano on top of the “Green Monster” at an Aerosmith concert at Fenway Park in Boston, before the rest of the band joined in to close out the song. On May 25, 2013, Tyler performed a brief rendition of the song live during the finale of the tenth season of American Idol. After the Boston Marathon Attacks, Tyler performed the song at the Boston Strong Concert.
Music video
A coinciding video directed by Marty Callner was also created at the MTV 10th anniversary special performance with the orchestra.
In 2002, “Dream On” was covered by Fisher on their Uppers & Downers dual-disc album. The cover version performed by Fisher was featured in the series-finale episode of the NBC drama Windfall.
In 2002, the main riff and chorus of the song were sampled in the 2002 song “Sing for the Moment” by rapper Eminem.
In 2002, an instrumental jazz cover of the song by Alex Skolnick Trio was included on their album Goodbye to Romance: Standards for a New Generation.
In 2005, Tori Amos covered the song during her live performance at the B of A Pavilion in Boston, MA. A recording of the song was included on her The Original Bootlegs 6-CD release.
In 2011, American post-grunge band Cold covered this song which later appeared on their fifth album Superfiction as bonus track.
In 2012, Anastacia covered the song for her fifth studio album It’s a Man’s World. The song was released as album’s lead single, only in Austria, Germany and Switzerland.
Danny Gokey sang this song on season 8 of American Idol in 2009 during the Top 4 round. He received negative reviews from the judges, and was also mocked in many media outlets for a long, ear-splitting scream at the end of the song.[9][10][11]
“Dream On” was covered by the American rock band Train on an episode of the MTV show Icon, that was dedicated to Aerosmith.
Koryn Hawthorne sang the song in the live Top 6 of season 8 of The Voice. Adam Levine, Blake Shelton, Miley Cyrus and Alicia Keys – the latest group of Voice coaches – united on Sunday’s Season 11 premiere for an explosive rendition of Aerosmith’s 1973 rock epic “Dream On.” The singers dedicated their performance to former contestant Christina Grimmie, who was shot and killed in June following an Orlando concert, according to Ryan Reed of Rolling Stone, August 22, 2016
Sampling
In 2002, the song was sampled by American rapper Eminem for the song “Sing for the Moment“, from his 2002 album The Eminem Show. Joe Perry played the guitar solo on the track and Steven Tyler also sang the chorus for the track, with Eminem adding “sing”, “sing with me” and “come on” in the refrain as well.
“Dream On” was used on a promotional advertisement for CNN‘s documentary on the 1970s entitled The Seventies.[13]
“Dream On” was used on the introduction montage of Super Bowl 50. The song appears when director Ron Howard pulls actor Kevin Bacon out of the interview about him and numerous celebrities’ best Super Bowl memories, and begins to interview players from both the Denver Broncos and Carolina Panthers regarding what it meant to play in the 50th anniversary of the Super Bowl. The version of the song is unknown.[14]
“Dream On” was used on a promotional advertisement for Walmart, aired during 2016 Rio Olympics.[15]
