"These Dreams" by Heart

#1 Alert!

Song#:  2590
Date:  01/18/1986
Debut:  54
Peak:  1 (1 week)
Weeks:  20
Genre:  Soft Rock



Pop Bits:  Heart's self-titled album was a major comeback for them that already generated two Top 10 hits. The songs helped the LP climb to #1 late in '85 for a week making their only one to ever hit the top of the chart. Sales would continue to be strong into the early part of '86 thanks to this third single. The ballad would end up being the album's biggest hit reaching the top spot at Pop and AC while hitting #2 at Rock. After a decade of releasing singles, Heart finally earned their first #1 Pop chart hit.

ReduxReview:  This was certainly the coronation song for Heart's bid for mainstream success. I mean, the dang thing got to #1 at AC...AC - home turf of Air Supply! This certainly wasn't the Heart of "Barracuda" or "Crazy on You." The slick sounds and polished MTV look of the band didn't exactly thrill a chunk of their original fan base, but I think they chose songs that fit them well and this dreamy track was one of them. It's nearly a spiffed up, more commercialized cousin to their 1979 #34 song "Dog & Butterfly. It was a big hit then and it still continues to get played. I'd have to say that out of all their hits, I think I hear this one the most when I'm out n' about places.

ReduxRating:  8/10

Trivia:  Double Shot!  1) This song was written by Martin Page and Bernie Taupin. The two composers had recently begun to work together and their first effort, "We Built This City," became a #1 hit for Starship. This song was their second co-write. Taupin wrote the lyrics and the original title was "Boys in the Mist." He wrote it with Stevie Nicks in mind and sent it over to her, but she didn't bite. Taupin then gave the lyrics to Page to see what he could do with it. Page made a few structural changes to the song and got the music done. Page had previously written a couple of songs for Kim Carnes and the thought the new tune, "These Dreams," would be a good fit for her. Carnes liked the song, but in the end rejected it because it just didn't fit her vocal range. It then got to Heart due to a mutual connection. Peter Wolf (not the J. Geils one) had produced and got a writing credit on "We Build this City" and one of his next gigs was playing on Heart's new album. When they were looking for tunes, Wolf played them Page's demo of "These Dreams." The band got it recorded and it then became their first #1 hit.  2) While Ann Wilson typically did most of the lead vocal work, her sister Nancy would usually sing lead on at least one track on their albums. For their self-titled LP, Nancy would take the lead on this song. The band thought that her voice would fit the song better than Ann's. It ended up being the first single released by the band with a lead vocal from Nancy.

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