"Dreamer" is a song by Italian house group Livin' Joy, written and recorded by Janice Robinson and produced by brothers Paolo and Gianni Visnadi. Originally released in August 1994, it was re-released in 1995 and topped the UK Singles Chart at the number one spot that May, ending 1995 as the UK's 40th-biggest-selling single of 1995. In the United States, it went to number-one on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart. It was a sleeper hit on pop radio, but finally managed to peak at number 72 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 75 on the Cash Box Top 100. MTV Dance ranked "Dreamer" number 15 in their list of "The 100 Biggest 90's Dance Anthems of All Time" in November 2011.
When the group was unable to reach a deal with Robinson for a follow-up single she was replaced by American singer Tameko Star. Star recorded a version of "Dreamer" for the Livin' Joy album entitled Don't Stop Movin', but the original by Janice Robinson was a hidden track on the album. In 2005, Robinson released her own version of "Dreamer" as a solo artist, reaching number five in the US Dance chart. In 2018, Robinson auditioned for the fifteenth series of The X Factor, singing "Dreamer" as her performance song 24 years after its original release in 1994.
Style
An example of Italo house and Eurodance, the song is said to blend elements from different electronic genres. Tom Ewing of Freaky Trigger explained, "The bumping, cut-up rhythms and vocals that begin the remixed 'Dreamer' [that was a hit] feel like garage, for example, but as Janice Robinson takes the song into its urgently blissful chorus I want to call it house – or even go more specific and say handbag house, that showy, uplifting offshoot that strutted across superclub dancefloors in the mid-90s."
Chart performance
The song was first released in the United Kingdom on 22 August 1994, going straight in at number 18 in the UK Singles Chart. It had a slow and steady decline down the charts shortly after, slipping from its number 18 debut down to 67, exiting the top 100 the following week. On 22 October 1994, it returned to the UK chart after a few weeks out of the top 100, coming straight back in at number 85 before sliding to number 97 and then exiting the top 100 once more. The record again re-entered the UK top 100 in November 1994, at number 99. The following week, it climbed to number 85 before descending one final time to number 97 before it bowed out. However, on 7 May 1995, "Dreamer" returned to the chart, going all the way to number-one on the UK Singles Chart. It also reached the top position on the RM Club Chart by British magazine Music Week.
In Europe, the single was a top-10 hit in Finland (10) and Ireland (7) as well as on the Eurochart Hot 100, where it reached number six in May 1995. It entered the top 30 in the Netherlands (23) and the top 90 in Germany (87). Outside Europe, the single peaked at number one on the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart, number three on the RPM Dance chart in Canada, number 28 in Israel, and number 90 in Australia. In the US, "Dreamer" peaked at number 72 on the Billboard Hot 100, number 75 on the Cash Box Top 100, number 38 on the Billboard Rhythmic Top 40, and number 10 on the Billboard Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales chart. In mid-1996, "Dreamer" re-entered the Billboard Hot 100, reaching number 95.
Critical reception
Scottish Aberdeen Press and Journal complimented "Dreamer" as a "unforgettable summer stunner". Larry Flick from Billboard remarked that here, Livin' Joy "weaves an irresistible fabric of vibrant house rhythms, blippy electro synth sounds, and fluttering diva vocal loops. Single's stateside run is aided by fresh remixes from Junior Vasquez, who is also on quite a roll these days." He added, "The real beauty of this record is Janice Robinson's divine, lung-bursting vocal." In 1996, Dave Sholin from the Gavin Report said that though they enjoyed plenty of exposure on the Euro club scene, this track didn't quite get the support needed from American radio. "That was then, this is now. Early indications are that the second run for this high-energy entry will be a lot healthier." Howard Cohen from Knight-Ridder Newspapers complimented its "strong melody with punchy keyboards."