All I Have To Do Is Dream: A Song History

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"All I Have to Do Is Dream" came from the husband-and-wife songwriting team of Boudleaux and Felice Bryant, though sources differ on the credit: the Songwriters Hall of Fame lists it among hits the couple wrote together,[1] while the Associated Press obituary of Felice Bryant says Boudleaux wrote it on his own.[2] Don and Phil Everly were already performing the Bryants' compositions when they joined Cadence Records in March 1957, and this song later became one of the duo's string of hits.[3]

Painting of a young woman in a headscarf sitting with her head resting on her hand, a book in her lap

Camille Corot, Reverie, oil on wood, 1857 or later. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Public domain (CC0). Shown for its dreamy mood; it has no connection to the song.

The Everly Brothers' record, with Chet Atkins on electric guitar alongside the brothers' acoustic guitars, reached number one on Billboard's Best Sellers in Stores chart on May 12, 1958; according to American Songwriter, it soon led every one of the magazine's singles charts at the same time, country and R&B included.[4] In Britain it entered the singles chart at the end of May 1958, reached number one and stayed on the chart for 21 weeks.[5] Reviewing the compilation Cadence Classics: Their 20 Greatest Hits, Rolling Stone wrote that the song gets "as sweet as a song can" while keeping a darker edge.[6]

The song has been recorded many times since, by Roy Orbison, R.E.M., Linda Ronstadt and Brandi Carlile among others.[4] Bobbie Gentry and Glen Campbell's duet version reached number 27 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 6 on the country chart in 1970,[7][8] having entered the British chart in December 1969 on its way to number 3 there.[5] Cliff Richard revived it with Phil Everly himself in 1994, taking it to number 14 in the UK.[5]

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Sources

  1. Songwriters Hall of Fame: "Felice Bryant".
  2. Lawrence Journal-World (Associated Press): "Pop, country songwriter Felice Bryant, 77, dies".
  3. Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum: "The Everly Brothers".
  4. American Songwriter: "68 Years Ago, the Everly Brothers Started a Four-Week Run at No. 1 With a Song Penned by a Famed Husband-and-Wife Duo".
  5. Official Charts Company: "All I Have to Do Is Dream" (search results).
  6. Rolling Stone: "Cadence Classics: Their 20 Greatest Hits".
  7. Billboard: "Bobbie Gentry Chart History: Hot 100".
  8. Billboard: "Bobbie Gentry Chart History: Hot Country Songs".