Thursday, February 05, 2015

Song of the Day: 'I Can Dream About You' by Dan Hartman


This was a HUGE single my junior year of high school -- yet when some younger colleagues broke into the (incredible) bridge at work yesterday and asked me who sang it, I kinda hesitated -- the video  featured an R&B group singing it, yet I had no recollection of their name -- but I eventually said, "Wasn't it some fictional band in the movie 'Streets of Fire?'" Turns out I was right -- and the version in the film was actually performed by yet another artist -- but Dan is the blue-eyed soulman who took it to the Top 10. What I didn't know was that he was friends with Holly Johnson of Frankie Goes to Hollywood and died at age 43 of an AIDS-related brain tumor way back in 1994, a deeply dark time when it seemed there was no hope at all. (Everyone I know who died did so right before the cocktail came along, making their passing especially sad somehow.) His New York Times obituary made no reference to AIDS.

3 comments:

Steve said...

The fictional group that performed in the movie was called the Sorels. Robert Townsend and Mykelti Williamson (Bubba from Forrest Gump)were part of foursome. The performance included moonwalking. Dan Hartman is credited with singing on the soundtrack (CD), but not in the movie. The movie version, according to the wikipedia was performed by Winston Ford, but has not been released (except in the movie).

Unknown said...

thanks for this one, kenneth. video brought some tears, sweet memories mired in those dark times, and of loves lost to them.

Michael said...

Great memories! Amazing voice! The banter at the end of the video is wonderful!