Steven Tyler Talks “Dream On” Turning 45 – Aerosmith
Steven Tyler: I WROTE THE MUSIC (for “Dream On”) WHEN I WAS 17 ON A PUMP ORGAN IN SUNAPPEE, NH…WROTE THE LYRICS IN 2 DAYS AT A HOTEL AT BOSTON LOGAN AIRPORT…SANG IT LIVE FOR THE FIRST TIME AT THE SHABOO INN, CT…AND GOT TO SING IT AGAIN TONIGHT…45 YEARS TO THE DAY OF ITS RELEASE… IN MOTOR CITY USA…IF IT WEREN’T FOR THE BOYS IN AERO ((AND THANK YOU #WBCN)) IT NEVER WOULDA SEEN NO LIGHT OF DAY!”
Aerosmith’s “Dream On” was originally appeared on their 1973 self-titled debut album. Released as a single on June 27, 1973, it peaked at #59 on the Billboard Hot 100 but hit big in the band’s native Boston, where it ranked highly on several local radio stations.
The album version of “Dream On” (4:28, as opposed to the 3:25 1973 45rpm edit) was reissued in late 1975, debuting at #81 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on January 10, 1976, breaking into the Top 40 on February 14th and peaking at #6 on April 10th. Columbia Records chose to service Top 40 radio stations with both long and short versions of the song; thus, many 1976 pop radio listeners were exposed to the group’s first Top 10 effort through the 45 edit.
