Like Dreamers Do
From BeatlesWiki
Like Dreamers Do is a song written by Paul McCartney. It was performed by The Beatles in the early days of the group. The song would later be given away to The Applejacks in 1964.
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Writing
Like Dreamers Do is one of Paul McCartney's earliest compositions, written in 1957.
Live Performances
Like Dreamers Do was part of The Quarrymen's setlist beginning in 1958. As The Beatles gained popularity in the early 1960's, they'd start to insert more original songs into their setlist. Paul recalled, "Like Dreamers Do was one of the very first songs I wrote and tried out at the Cavern. We did a weak arrangement but certain of the kids liked it because it was unique, none of the other groups did it. It was actually a bit of a joke to try your own songs... For you to write it yourself was a bit plonky, and the songs obviously weren't that great, but I felt we really had to break through that barrier because if we never tried our own songs we'd just never have the confidence to continue writing."
Recording
The only recorded Beatles version is one from The Beatles' failed audition for Decca Records on January 1, 1962 (See Decca Audition - January 1, 1962). This song, along with three other originals (Hello Little Girl and Love Of The Loved) and several cover versions were recorded in order to obtain a contract with Decca Records. The audition proved to be a failure, however, and they did not get a contract.
The Applejacks Version
After The Beatles had gotten signed with EMI Records later in 1962, the song was largely forgotten about. Instead, they gave it to the Birmingham group The Applejacks, who released it as a single on June 5, 1964. It got to number twenty on the UK singles chart. At that time, anything written John Lennon and Paul McCartney was sure to become a hit.
Personnel (Beatles Version)
The Beatles
- Lead Vocals: Paul McCartney
- Bass: Paul McCartney
- Rythm Guitar: John Lennon
- Lead Guitar: George Harrison
- Drums: Pete Best
Production
- Producer: Mike Smith
Available Versions
- Decca Audition, January 1, 1962, (Bootlegs)
- Decca Audition edited, January 1, 1962, (Anthology 1)
Available On
- Anthology 1, 1995.
