Tuesday May 17, 2022 “Dream Lover” Bobby Darin
Today’s favorite song is Bobby Darin’s number two, multi-million selling “Dream Lover”. This song is part of my 60s “dream” trilogy: “All Have to Do Is Dream”, by the Everlys; “Dreamin” by Johnny Burnette; and today’s “Dream Lover” by Bobby Darin.
I liked them all so much that I couldn’t decide which one to choose so I played rock, paper scissors with myself and Bobby Darin won.
“Dream Lover” was written by Bobby Darin and was produced by Ahmet Ertegun and Jerry Wexler and engineered by Tom Dowd. In addition to Darin's vocals, the song features Neil Sedaka on piano. Each of these gentlemen would go on to be luminaries in the music business.
Ahmet Ertugun co-founded Atlantic Records while Jerry Wexler would produce the songs that made Aretha Franklin and Wilson Pickett among others stars. Tom Dowd produced records by an almost endless list of musical superstars including Eric Clapton, Rod Stewart and the Eagles, and Neill Sedaka would write 500 songs which he often recorded himself. Some of those songs would include hits like “Calendar Girl”, “Breaking Up Is Hard to Do” and “Laughter in the Rain”.
Bobby Darin was plagued by a heart condition caused by rheumatic fever which he had as a child. The threat of an early death pushed him to pursue his dream of becoming "a legend by age 25." He actually accomplished this by age 22 but unfortunately left us at age 37.
Stay safe and well…and legend has it that Robert Cassato took his stage name from a broken sign on a Chinese restaurant whose first three letters weren’t working, creating (Man)Darin.
Fun campfire song with those familiar chords: C Am F G7