WCSX Classic Cuts : Dreamer
WCSX Classic Cuts
Supertramp: “Dreamer”
The Hook: The saxophonist used to try to make the singer laugh when they did this one live.
Albums: Crime of the Century and Paris.
Years: Studio version, 1974; live version, 1980
Writer: Rick Davies and Roger Hodgson
Stats: The group’s first U.K. hit from Crime of the Century, the live version from Paris became the U.S. hit a half dozen years later, peaking at number-15 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Background: Roger Hodgson wrote it, but shared credits with Rick Davies as per the rules of their Lennon and McCartneyesque songwriting partnership agreement. After Hodgson left the band, they didn’t do it live until their 2010 tour, where it was part of a three-song encore of tunes from Crime of the Century. In a 1988 interview, saxophonist John Helliwell explains why.
Supertramp saxophonist John Helliwell on “Dreamer.” OC:…Paris album. :20
“Part of Crime of the Century and then it became a big number on stage. I used to frolic around and stand on the piano and try to make Roger laugh while he was singing it. We don’t do that any more, ’cause it was so much Roger that we really couldn’t do another version of that. It was on the live album, Paris, so I guess that was a single from there. That’s a good album. I like the Paris album.”
