Beautiful Dreamer: Introduction
“Beautiful Dreamer” is a cover song by The Beatles and is on their 2013 album, “On Air: Live At The BBC, Volume 2.”
In Detail
- Recorded: January 22, 1963
- Release Date: November 11, 2013
- Studio: Playhouse Theatre, London
- BBC Show: Saturday Club
- Track duration: 1:46
- Genre: Rock and roll, Merseybeat
- Song Originally Published: March, 1864 (reworked version: 1962)
- Songwriter: Stephen Foster (around 1862), also rewritten in 1962 by Gerry Goffin and Jack Keller
- Producer: Terry Henebery
Performers And Instruments
- Paul McCartney: vocals, bass guitar
- John Lennon: vocals, rhythm guitar
- George Harrison: lead guitar
- Ringo Starr: drums
Where To Find “Beautiful Dreamer”
You can still buy the song on this album.
Beautiful Dreamer: The Song
Written by Stephen Foster (1826–1864), “Beautiful Dreamer” is a parlour song telling of a lover serenading someone. But it’s not clear whether that person is dead or alive. Be that as it may, Gerry Goffin and Jack Keller rewrote the song.
Their doo-wop version was for Tony Orlando, who then released it as a single in 1962 (1963 in the UK). However, the single with the B-side being “The Loneliest” wasn’t a success.
The Beatles managed to get hold of a copy and sang that version as part of their live act, including in the Cavern Club. The Fab Four would often cover songs from other artists in their early days, of course.
In fact, they specialised in covering the more obscure songs and B-sides coming over the pond from America. Incidentally, Rory Storm and The Hurricanes also sang the song in their live act too.
Recording Studio
In order for The Beatles to gain the benefit of free publicity, the band would often perform for BBC Radio shows. In this case, they recorded “Beautiful Dreamer” at London’s Playhouse Theatre. This was for the BBC radio show “The Saturday Club,” a programme hosted by Brian Matthew, airing on January 26, 1963.
Although the song is not true hi-fi quality, it still is worth a spin. Indeed, it shows just why the Fab Four became a household name and why Beatlemania was always going to happen.
Because it was a BBC recording, it is now available on the band’s 2013 album, “On Air: Live At The BBC, Volume 2.” On the album, it sits on disc one, after track 25, “Please Mr. Postman” and before “Devil in Her Heart.” Those are also BBC recordings.
Take A Listen
You can leave us a comment after you listen to the song.
