Dan Hartman "I Can Dream About You"

Dan Hartman spent much of his musical career as a sideman and producer. During the '70s, he was a member of the bands for both Edgar and Johnny winter, as well as playing on sessions for acts like Ian Hunter, Stevie Wonder, and Todd Rundgren. In 1979, he scored a Top 40 hit with the R&B-tinged "Instant Replay," but he couldn't sustain the momentum and, during the early '80s, focused more on producing.

In 1984, Hartman's song "I Can Dream About You" appeared on the soundtrack to that summer's movie Streets Of Fire, a half-baked, rock and roll musical. The movie was panned by critics and generally ignored by moviegoers, but "I Can Dream About You" began to attract attention when it was released as a single.

Drawing on Hartman's love for Motown soul, the song was a shuffling, mid-tempo number with lovely background harmonies and Hartman's yearning lead vocal. In early June, "I Can Dream About You" became a belated follow-up trip to the US Top 40 for Hartman. The song climbed the chart in a lazy fashion that matched the song's laid-back nature, finally reaching the Top Ten in August.

"I Can Dream About You" eventually peaked at #6 and became a multi-genre hit, also reaching the Top Ten on the adult contemporary and dance charts, although it could not be strictly classified as simply either. With the new-found interest, "I Can Dream About You" formed the basis and inspired the title for a new album from Hartman.

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