Dreaming

Uk 7" single pic bag

Ltd. ed. 10" (UK)

**Dreaming** is the title of an OMD song, written by Humphreys/McCluskey (as OMD) and released as their twenty-second single in 1988. It was included on the groups first compilation album *The Best of OMD* but was not part of any studio album. It came almost ten years after the duo's debut single Electricity, and it was also the last single to be released before the two partners split at the end of the decade.

The track was produced by OMD and mixed by Tom Lord-Alge.

## Origins

> AM: ",,,*we needed a new single to promote this [compilation album]. Easier said than done...By ths tage Paul and I were working at the studio in the converted garage at his house...We never saw daylight. Vapire musicians trying deperately to write a single..The song we finally created was Dreaming. Don't ask me what the lyrics are about. They mean nothing; I just wrote some words - i had to have something to sing*." from *Pretending To See The Future* (2018)
>
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## Single release

Dreaming was originally released in the UK and Europe as a 7" and 12" in January 1988, slightly ahead of the compilation album, although reached only no.50 in the UK charts the following month[1]. It was re-released in June in various formats, including CD, after it had become a hit single in the US, reaching no.16 in the US Top 100 (the group had been touring there with Depeche Mode). The UK re-release failed to chart again however, reaching just no.60.

### B sides

Both UK releases of Dreaming carried two new tracks as 'B-sides'. Satellite appeared on both the 7" and 12" whereas Gravity Never Failed, a track rescued from the *Architecture & Morality* sessions, featured on the 12" and on the June-release CD single.

### Promo video

A promotional video was filmed and released for music television. The four-piece group are filmed performing the song or relaxing in a semi-abandoned room, indispersed with footage of a girl hanging around, or waiting for someone, in a desert location somewhre in the US (Arizona?). The performance has AM on vocals only, PH on keyboards, MC on bass guitar and MH on drums. A reel-to-reel tape recorder is also turning in the background, possibly as a homage to Winston.

It was the last video to feature all four members of the 'classic' band - McCluskey, Humphreys, Cooper & Holmes - together as a single group.

The group also appeared on *Wogan* (BBC1) on 27 June1988 for a mimed performance of the song, as promotion for the re-release. The footage is available on the *Souvenir* (boxset) BBC TV Performances DVD.

### Remixes

Aside from the Extended mix of Dreaming which appeared on the original 12" UK release, several other remixes emerged for the single's US release - notably a 'Club mix' and a 'Dub mix' and later a special remix by William Orbit which appeared on a limited edition UK 10" release.

## Live versions

Officially released live versions date from 1991 (when Humphreys was no longer with the band) and 2019 (Souvenir tour) - see below for details.

A live performance of Dreaming also features in the concert at Birmingham NEC on 1993-12-07 broadcast by the BBC.[2]

## Versions & availability

timings in brackets and may vary slightly from issue to issue

* *The Best of OMD* (1988)
* *The OMD Singles* (1998)
 Video
 Extended version (6:26)
 Club Mix Edit (4:58)
 Extended 12" Club Mix (8:22)
 William Orbit remix
 Dub mix (4:29)
 Club mix (7:13)
 Live (1991)
 Live (2019)
* *Live at The Hammersmith Odeon, 20.11.2019*

## External links

* Dreaming on discogs.com
* Dreaming (work) on musicbrainz.org
* *The Best of OMD* on Spotify