About The Song
“Dream On” is a song by the American rock band Aerosmith, released as the first single from their self-titled debut album on June 27, 1973, through Columbia Records, with “Somebody” as the B-side. Written by lead singer Steven Tyler, it was produced by Adrian Barber. Recording took place in October 1972 at Intermedia Studios in Boston, Massachusetts. The song, Aerosmith’s first major single, was pivotal in establishing their presence in the rock scene, despite initial slow traction.
The single achieved moderate chart success upon release, peaking at No. 59 on the Billboard Hot 100 on November 24, 1973, and charting for 10 weeks. A 1976 reissue, prompted by the success of their album Rocks, performed better, reaching No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 on April 24, 1976, and staying for 20 weeks. Internationally, it hit No. 14 in Canada (RPM Top Singles) and No. 72 in Australia (Kent Music Report). The Aerosmith album peaked at No. 21 on the Billboard 200, with over 2 million copies sold in the US, earning 2× Platinum certification by the RIAA. The song itself is certified 4× Platinum in the US (4,000,000 units) and Platinum in Denmark (90,000 units). In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked it No. 172 on its 500 Greatest Songs list, and it was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2018.
Steven Tyler wrote “Dream On” at age 17, initially on a piano in his family’s living room in Yonkers, New York, as he recalled in a 2002 Rolling Stone interview. Inspired by his father, a classical musician, Tyler crafted the song’s melody on a Steinway piano, with influences from classical music and The Rascals’ “Groovin’.” The lyrics were finalized in 1972, drawing from Tyler’s early struggles and aspirations, though not tied to a specific event, per a 2019 American Songwriter article. The band’s early performances of the song in Boston bars helped refine its arrangement before recording. Tyler initially hesitated to include it on the album, fearing it was too soft for their hard rock image, but producer Adrian Barber insisted, as noted in Aerosmith’s 2003 autobiography, Walk This Way.
Production details include Tyler’s vocals, recorded using a Neumann U87 microphone, with a raw, emotive delivery that took multiple takes to perfect, according to engineer Jay Messina in a 2014 Sound on Sound interview. Joe Perry played lead guitar on a Gibson Les Paul, with Tom Hamilton on bass, Joey Kramer on drums, and Ray Colcord adding Mellotron for the song’s orchestral feel. The final mix used a tape loop for the intro’s piano arpeggios, a technique Barber suggested to enhance the song’s ethereal quality. A 1972 demo, later released on the 2013 Pandora’s Box reissue, featured a slower tempo and no Mellotron. The music video, filmed in 1993 for MTV, used footage from a 1991 Massachusetts concert. The song was covered by The Mission in 1990 and used in films like Miracle (2004). In 2006, Eminem sampled it for “Sing for the Moment,” crediting Tyler’s vocal influence, as noted in a 2003 MTV News report.
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Lyric
Every time that I look in the mirror
All these lines on my face getting clearer
The past is gone
It went by like dusk to dawn
Isn’t that the way
Everybody’s got their dues in life to payYeah, I know nobody knows
Where it comes and where it goes
I know it’s everybody’s sin
You got to lose to know how to winHalf my life’s in books’ written pages
Lived and learned from fools and from sages
You know it’s true
All the things come back to youSing with me, sing for the year
Sing for the laughter and sing for the tear
Sing with me, if it’s just for today
Maybe tomorrow the good Lord will take you awayYeah, sing with me, sing for the year
Sing for the laughter and sing for the tear
Sing with me, if it’s just for today
Maybe tomorrow the good Lord will take you awayDream on, dream on, dream on
Dream until your dreams come true
Dream on, dream on, dream on
Dream until your dreams come true
Dream on, dream on, dream on
Dream on, dream on, dream on
Dream on, ahSing with me, sing for the year
Sing for the laughter and sing for the tear
Sing with me, if it’s just for today
Maybe tomorrow the good Lord will take you away
Sing with me, sing for the year
Sing for the laughter and sing for the tear
Sing with me, if it’s just for today
Maybe tomorrow the good Lord will take you away