"I Have a Dream" | ||||||||||||||
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Single by ABBA | ||||||||||||||
from the album Voulez-Vous | ||||||||||||||
B-side | "Take a Chance on Me" (Recorded live at Wembley) | |||||||||||||
Released | 7 December 1979 | |||||||||||||
Format | Single | |||||||||||||
Recorded | 15 March 1979 at Polar Music Studios | |||||||||||||
Genre | Pop | |||||||||||||
Length | 4:45 | |||||||||||||
Label | Polar Music | |||||||||||||
Writer(s) | Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus | |||||||||||||
Producer(s) | Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus | |||||||||||||
ABBA singles chronology | ||||||||||||||
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"I Have a Dream" / "Seasons in the Sun" | ||||
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Single by Westlife | ||||
from the album Westlife | ||||
Released | 06 December 1999 | |||
Format | CD single, cassette single | |||
Recorded |
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Genre | Teen pop | |||
Length | 4:06 | |||
Label | BMG | |||
Writer(s) | Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus | |||
Producer(s) | Dan Frampton, Pete Waterman | |||
Westlife singles chronology | ||||
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"I Have a Dream" is a song by Swedish pop group ABBA. It was featured on the group's sixth studio album Voulez-Vous and released as a single in December 1979. The single became a big hit, topping the charts in many countries and peaking at No. 2 in the UK over the Christmas week of 1979. Twenty years later, Irish pop group Westlife released a version of the song which reached No. 1 in the UK over the Christmas week of 1999.
The song was written by Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus and was taken from the group's 1979 album, Voulez-Vous. Anni-Frid Lyngstad sang the lead vocals. It was released as a single in December 1979 with a live version of "Take a Chance on Me" as the B-side. The recording is notable for being the only ABBA song to include vocalists other than the four band members; the final chorus features a children's choir from the . In the UK, "I Have a Dream" was held off the No. 1 spot by Pink Floyd's "Another Brick in the Wall" which also features a children's choir. "I Have a Dream" is included on the ABBA Gold: Greatest Hits album, as well as in the Mamma Mia! musical.
In the UK, the single was issued in a lavish gatefold sleeve, intended as a souvenir for UK fans who had attended the Wembley concerts (the live recording of "Take a Chance on Me" being from one of them). The inner gatefold made use of the pyramid/mountain/iceberg designs similar to those used in the inner sleeve of Greatest Hits Vol. 2. The inner gatefold was effectively an advert for ABBA's existing albums released in the UK, but the back cover featured a message from ABBA themselves regarding the Wembley concerts, together with their signatures. The front cover used the same live photo of ABBA as the worldwide release, but artwork and fonts were different. This was only Epic's second picture sleeve for an ABBA single.
The live version of "Take a Chance on Me" on the B-side was one of three mixes of the same recording to be issued. Released soon after the concerts, this version is thought to be the genuine recording. A very slightly extended version, featuring spoken introductions from the group, was used as the B-side in Australia. This extended version has been released internationally on the deluxe edition of ABBA: The Album. Finally, a third mix was included on ABBA Live issued in 1986.