"Mr. Sandman" (or "Mister Sandman") is a

popular song Popular music is music with wide appeal that is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. These forms and styles can be enjoyed and performed by people with little or no musical training.Popular Music. (2015). ''Fun ...

written by

Pat Ballard Pat Ballard, born Francis Drake Ballard (June 19, 1899 – October 26, 1960), was an American songwriter, producer, music editor and author. Life He was born in Troy, Pennsylvania, to Frank Ballard, a jeweller-optician, and Lucille, a soprano. ...

and published in 1954. It was first recorded in May of that year by

Vaughn Monroe Vaughn Wilton Monroe (October 7, 1911 – May 21, 1973) was an American baritone singer, trumpeter and big band leader who was most popular in the 1940s and 1950s. He has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, one for recording and another f ...

and his orchestra and later that year by

The Chordettes The Chordettes were an American female vocal quartet, specializing in traditional pop music. They are best known for their 1950s hit singles " Mr. Sandman" and " Lollipop", both of which sold over a million copies. Career The group organized i ...

and

the Four Aces The Four Aces are an American male traditional pop quartet popular since the 1950s. Over the last half-century, the group amassed many gold records. Its million-selling songs include " Love is a Many-Splendored Thing", " Three Coins in the Foun ...

. The song's lyrics convey a request to "Mr.

Sandman The Sandman is a mythical character originating in Germanic and Scandinavian folklore who puts people to sleep and encourages and inspires beautiful dreams by sprinkling magical sand onto their eyes. Representation in traditional folklore The San ...

" to "bring me a ''

dream A dream is a succession of images, ideas, emotions, and sensation (psychology), sensations that usually occur involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep. Humans spend about two hours dreaming per night, and each dream lasts around ...

''" – the traditional association of the

folkloric Folklore is the body of expressive culture shared by a particular group of people, culture or subculture. This includes oral traditions such as tales, myths, legends, proverbs, poems, jokes, and other oral traditions. This also includes material ...

figure (but in this context the meaning of ''dream'' is more akin to '

dreamboat "Dreamboat" is a popular music song, the words and music to which were written by Jack Hoffman, (sometimes incorrectly attributed to Al Hoffman). A version produced by Walter Ridley, and performed by Alma Cogan, reached number 1 in the UK Sin ...

'). The pronoun used to refer to the desired dream is often changed depending on the sex of the singer or group performing the song, as the original

sheet music Sheet music is a handwritten or printed form of musical notation that uses musical symbols to indicate the pitches, rhythms, or chords of a song or instrumental musical piece. Like its analogs – printed Book, books or Pamphlet, pamphlets ...

publication, which includes male and female versions of the lyrics, intended.

Emmylou Harris Emmylou Harris (born April 2, 1947) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, bandleader, and activist. She is considered one of the leading music artists behind the country rock genre in the 1970s and the Americana (music), Americana genre ...

' recording of the song was a hit in multiple countries in 1981. Other versions of the song have been produced by

Chet Atkins Chester Burton Atkins (June 20, 1924 – June 30, 2001), also known as "Mister Guitar" and "the Country Gentleman", was an American musician who, along with Owen Bradley and Bob Ferguson (musician), Bob Ferguson, helped create the Nash ...

(1954) and

Bert Kaempfert Bert Kaempfert (born ; 16 October 1923 – 21 June 1980) was a German orchestra leader, multi-instrumentalist, music producer, arranger, and composer. He made easy listening and jazz-oriented records and wrote the music for a number of well-kno ...

(1968).

Background

, with his orchestra, was the first to record the song in 1954.Sullivan, Steve (2017).
Encyclopedia of Great Popular Song Recordings, Volume 3
',

Rowman & Littlefield Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group is an American independent academic publishing company founded in 1949. Under several imprints, the company offers scholarly books for the academic market, as well as trade books. The company also owns ...

. p. 261. Retrieved May 6, 2018. It was released as the

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph record, vinyl records and Compact cassette, cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a Single (music), single usually ...

of "They Were Doin' the Mambo", on

RCA RCA Corporation was a major American electronics company, which was founded in 1919 as the Radio Corporation of America. It was initially a patent pool, patent trust owned by General Electric (GE), Westinghouse Electric Corporation, Westinghou ...

Victor label as catalog number 20-5767 / 47-5767. This record lacked the complex vocal harmonies found in many later versions of the song. In December 1954, the song reached No. 1 on the ''

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', is an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...

'' Top 50, in a tandem ranking of the versions by the Chordettes, the Four Aces,

Buddy Morrow Buddy Morrow (born Muni Zudekoff; February 8, 1919 – September 27, 2010), also known as Moe Zudekoff, was an American trombonist and bandleader. Career On a scholarship at age 16, Morrow studied trombone with Ernest Horatio Clarke (1865–194 ...

, Vaughn Monroe,

Les Elgart Lester Elliott Elgart (August 3, 1917 – July 29, 1995) was an American swing jazz bandleader and trumpeter. Early years Born in New Haven, Connecticut, Elgart grew up in Pompton Lakes, New Jersey with his brother Larry. They were exposed ...

, the Lancers, and the Song Singers, with the Chordettes and the Four Aces' versions marked as bestsellers.The Cash Box Top 50
, ''

'', December 11, 1954. p. 26. Retrieved May 2, 2018. It also reached No. 1 on ''Cash Box''s chart of "The Nation's Top Ten Juke Box Tunes", in the same tandem ranking, and No. 1 on ''Cash Box''s chart of "The Ten Records Disk Jockeys Played Most This Week", with only the Chordettes version listed initially, but later in a tandem ranking of the Chordettes and the Four Aces' versions. The song also reached No. 1 on ''Billboard''s "Honor Roll of Hits", with the Chordettes and the Four Aces' versions listed as best sellers, and was ranked No. 12 on ''Billboard''s ranking of "1955's Top Tunes" based on the Honor Roll of Hits.

The Chordettes version

' recording of the song was released on the

Cadence Records Cadence Records was an American record company based in New York City whose labels had a picture of a metronome. It was founded by Archie Bleyer, who had been the musical director and orchestra leader for Arthur Godfrey in 1952. Cadence also ...

label, on both 78 RPM and 45 RPM formats. Cadence's founder,

Archie Bleyer Archibald Martin Bleyer (June 12, 1909 – March 20, 1989) was an American song arranger, bandleader, and record company executive. Early life Bleyer was born in the Corona section of the New York City borough of Queens. His father was a well-k ...

, was the orchestra conductor on the recording, and provided a rhythmic beat for the recording using his knees. Bleyer's voice is heard briefly in the third verse, when he says "Yes?" The piano is played by Moe Wechsler.

Liberace Władziu Valentino Liberace (May 16, 1919 – February 4, 1987) was an American pianist, singer and actor. He was born in Wisconsin to parents of Italian and Polish Americans, Polish origin and enjoyed a career spanning four decades of concerts, ...

's name is mentioned for his "wavy hair",Leszczak, Bob (2014).
Who Did It First?: Great Pop Cover Songs and Their Original Artists
',

. pp. 134–135. Retrieved May 15, 2018. and a

glissando In music, a glissando (; plural: ''glissandi'', abbreviated ''gliss.'') is a wikt:glide, glide from one pitch (music), pitch to another (). It is an Italianized Musical terminology, musical term derived from the French ''glisser'', "to glide". In ...

(a flourish common in his music) immediately follows.

Pagliacci ''Pagliacci'' (; literal translation, 'Clowns') is an Italian opera in a prologue and two acts, with music and libretto by Ruggero Leoncavallo. The opera tells the tale of Canio, actor and leader of a commedia dell'arte theatrical company, who mu ...

is mentioned for having a lonely heart, which is a reference to the opera ''Pagliacci'' by

Ruggero Leoncavallo Ruggero (or Ruggiero) Leoncavallo (23 April 18579 August 1919) was an Italian opera composer and librettist. Throughout his career, Leoncavallo produced numerous operas and songs but it is his 1892 opera ''Pagliacci'' that remained his lasting co ...

. In the United States, the Chordettes'

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

reached No. 1 on all three of ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

''s popular music charts,The Billboard Music Popularity Charts - Popular Records
, ''

'', December 18, 1954. p. 26. Retrieved May 2, 2018. and was ranked No. 9 in ''

''s ranking of "1955's Top Pop Records as Voted in the ''Cash Box'' Poll". In 2002, the 1954 recording of the song by The Chordettes on

was inducted into the

Grammy Hall of Fame The Grammy Hall of Fame is a hall of fame to honor musical recordings of lasting qualitative or historical significance. Inductees are selected annually by a special member committee of eminent and knowledgeable professionals from all branches of ...

. The Chordettes' version was notably featured in scenes of several TV shows and movies throughout the years, including '' Halloween II'' (1981), ''

Uncle Buck ''Uncle Buck'' is a 1989 American comedy film written and directed by John Hughes. It stars John Candy and Amy Madigan with Jean Louisa Kelly, Laurie Metcalf, Jay Underwood, Macaulay Culkin, Gaby Hoffmann, Elaine Bromka, and Garrett M. B ...

'' (1989), '' Halloween H20: 20 Years Later'' (1998), ' ''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series, created by Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber and Donald Wilson (writer and producer), Donald Wilson, depicts the adventures of an extraterre ...

'' (2005), ''

Grimm Grimm may refer to: People * Grimm (surname) * Brothers Grimm, German linguists ** Jacob Grimm (1785–1863), German philologist, jurist and mythologist ** Wilhelm Grimm (1786–1859), German author, the younger of the Brothers Grimm * Christia ...

'' (2011), '' Sleepy Hollow'' (2013), and ''

Deadpool Deadpool is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Fabian Nicieza and Rob Liefeld, the character first appeared in ''New Mutants'' #98 (December 1990). In his comic book appearances, Deadpool is ...

'' (2016).

Chart performance

The Four Aces version

In 1954,

released a version of the song, backed by the

Jack Pleis Orchestra Jack K. Pleis (May 11, 1917 – December 5, 1990) was an American jazz pianist, arranger, conductor, composer and producer. He recorded on London and Decca Records in the 1950s, and Columbia Records in the 1960s. During the course of his career, ...

. The Four Aces' version was a top-ten hit in the United States, United Kingdom, and Flanders. In 1985 The Four Aces' version was notably featured in the sci-fi movie ''

Back to the Future ''Back to the Future'' is a 1985 American science fiction film directed by Robert Zemeckis and written by Zemeckis and Bob Gale. It stars Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Crispin Glover, and Thomas F. Wilson. Set in 1985 ...

'' in a scene when Marty McFly first realizes he is in 1955, arriving at the town's square.

Chart performance

Chet Atkins version

On November 17, 1954,

recorded an instrumental version during a four-song recording session at

RCA Victor RCA Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside Columbia Records (its former longtime rival), Arista Records and Epic ...

Nashville Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

recording studio.Reinhart, Mark S. (2014).
Chet Atkins: The Greatest Songs of Mister Guitar
',

McFarland & Company McFarland & Company, Inc., is an American independent book publisher based in Jefferson, North Carolina, that specializes in academic An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tert ...

. Retrieved May 14, 2018. Atkins used the

Ray Butts EchoSonic The EchoSonic is a guitar amplifier made by Ray Butts. It was the first portable guitar amplifier with a built-in tape echo effect, and it allowed guitar players to use slapback echo, which dominated 1950s rock and roll guitar playing, on stage. ...

guitar amp on this recording, and was backed by

celesta The celesta () or celeste (), also called a bell-piano, is a struck idiophone operated by a keyboard. It looks similar to an upright piano (four- or five-octave), albeit with smaller keys and a much smaller cabinet, or a large wooden music ...

, piano, bass, and drums. Atkins' version was released as a single in January 1955. It was Atkins' first single to chart on ''Billboard''s country charts, and reached No. 15 on ''Billboard''s Country & Western Records chart of "Best Sellers in Stores" and No. 13 on ''Billboard''s Country & Western Records chart of "Most Played by Jockeys". Atkins re-recorded "Mister Sandman" for his 1990 album ''The Magic of Chet Atkins''.

Credits and personnel

– Guitar *Bud Isaacs – Steel guitar *Marvin Hughes – Piano / Celeste * Ernie Newton – Bass *

Buddy Harman Murrey Mizell "Buddy" Harman, Jr. (December 23, 1928 – August 21, 2008) was an American country music session musician. Career Born in Nashville, Tennessee, Harman studied music at Roy C. Knapp School of Percussion. He returned to Nashville ...

– Drums *

Stephen H. Sholes Stephen Henry Sholes (February 12, 1911 – April 22, 1968) was a prominent American recording executive with RCA Victor. Career Sholes was born in Washington, D.C., and moved with his family to Merchantville, New Jersey, at the age of n ...

– Producer

Bert Kaempfert version

In 1968,

and His Orchestra released an instrumental version as a single and on the album ''My Way of Life''. It reached No. 12 on ''Billboard''s

Easy Listening Easy listening (including mood music) is a popular music genre and radio format that was most popular during the 1950s to the 1970s. It is related to middle of the road (MOR) music and encompasses instrumental recordings of standards, hit s ...

chart, No. 14 on ''

Record World ''Record World'' magazine was one of three major weekly music industry trade magazines in the United States, with ''Billboard'' and '' Cashbox''. It was founded in 1946 as ''Music Vendor''. In 1964, it was changed to ''Record World'' under the ...

''s "Top Non-Rock" chart, No. 3 on ''Record World''s chart of "Singles Coming Up", and No. 1 on ''Cash Box''s "Looking Ahead" chart of singles with potential of entering the ''Cash Box'' Top 100.

Emmylou Harris version

In January 1978,Holland, Bill.
'Supertrio' Cutting for Autumn Release
, ''

'', March 8, 1986. p. 56. Retrieved May 8, 2018.

Dolly Parton Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, actress, and philanthropist, known primarily as a country music, country musician. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton's debut album ...

, and

Linda Ronstadt Linda Maria Ronstadt (born July 15, 1946) is an American singer who has performed and recorded in diverse genres including rock, country, light opera, the Great American Songbook, and Latin music. Ronstadt has earned 11 Grammy Awards, three A ...

recorded a version of the song for a planned trio album which was ultimately scrapped. (The three would eventually reunite and release the first of two ''Trio'' albums nearly a decade later in 1987). Harris included the trio recording of "Mr. Sandman" on her 1981 album ''

Evangeline ''Evangeline, A Tale of Acadie'' is an epic poem by the American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, written in English and published in 1847. The poem follows an Acadian girl named Evangeline and her search for her lost love Gabriel during the e ...

'', though with the stipulation that it not be released as a single (given that Parton and Ronstadt were both affiliated with other record labels). However, when Harris later changed her mind and wanted to put the song out as a single, she rerecorded it, singing all three parts herself, and releasing it in 1981, under the title "Mister Sandman". The single reached number 10 on the ''Billboard''

Hot Country Singles Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data along with digital sales and streaming. ...

chart, and number 37 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, making it Harris' only single to reach the top 40 on that chart. Harris's single version did not appear on an album until the 1984 compilation '' Profile II: The Best of Emmylou Harris''.

Credits and personnel

;''Evangeline'' version *

– lead and backing vocals *

– backing vocals *

James Burton James Edward Burton (born August 21, 1939, in Dubberly, Louisiana, United States) is an American guitarist. A member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame since 2001 (his induction speech was given by longtime fan Keith Richards), Burton has also ...

– electric guitar * Brian Ahern – acoustic guitar *

Glen D. Hardin Glen Dee Hardin (born April 18, 1939) is an American piano player and arranger. He has performed and recorded with such artists as Roy Orbison, Elvis Presley, Emmylou Harris, John Denver, and Ricky Nelson. Career Hardin was born in Wellington, ...

– electric piano *Mike Bowden – bass *

Hal Blaine Hal Blaine (born Harold Simon Belsky; February 5, 1929 – March 11, 2019) was an American drummer and session musician, thought to be among the most recorded studio drummers in the music industry, claiming over 35,000 sessions and 6,000 singles. ...

– drums

Charts

Year-end charts

Other versions

and His Orchestra released a version in 1954, which reached No. 20 on ''Billboard''s chart of "Most Played by Jockeys". *

Mervin Shiner Mervin James Shiner (February 20, 1921 – October 23, 2023) was an American country singer, songwriter, and guitar player, known for his honky-tonk style. Biography Mervin James Shiner was born in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, on February 20, 1921. ...

released a version in 1954. *In January 1955, a version by

Max Bygraves Walter William "Max" Bygraves (16 October 1922 – 31 August 2012) was an English comedian, singer, actor and variety performer. He appeared on his own television shows, sometimes performing comedy sketches between songs. He made twenty ''Roya ...

reached No. 16 on the UK's ''New Musical Express'' chart. *The most successful recording of the song in the UK was by

Dickie Valentine Richard Bryce ( Maxwell; 4 November 1929 – 6 May 1971), known professionally as Dickie Valentine, was a British pop singer who enjoyed great popularity in Britain during the 1950s. In addition to several other Top Ten hit singles, Valentine h ...

, which peaked at No. 5 on the ''New Musical Express'' chart in February 1955. *

The Fleetwoods The Fleetwoods were an American vocal group from Olympia, Washington, whose members were Gary Troxel (born November 28, 1939), Gretchen Christopher (born February 29, 1940), and Barbara Ellis (born February 20, 1940). Early history The band ...

released a version in 1964, as a single and on the album ''Before and After''. Their version reached No. 113 on ''Billboard''s

Bubbling Under the Hot 100 Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (also known as Bubbling Under the Hot 100) is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. The chart lists the top songs that have not yet charted on the main ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Chart ...

chart and No. 19 on ''Cash Box''s "Looking Ahead" chart of singles with potential of entering the ''Cash Box'' Top 100. *Tommy O'Day released a version in 1978, which reached No. 96 on ''Billboard''s

chart. *In 2017

SYML SYML is the solo venture of Brian Leseney Fennell (born January 16, 1983), an American musician from Issaquah, Washington. He was previously part of the indie band Barcelona. SYML released his eponymous debut album on May 3, 2019, through Nettwerk ...

released a cover, which was described as "an ominous and brooding song full of dark waves of emotion." *Ballard also rewrote the lyrics for Christmas use as "Mr. Santa". Singer

Dorothy Collins Dorothy Collins (born Marjorie Chandler;
''

Music Vendor ''Record World'' magazine was one of three major weekly music industry trade magazines in the United States, with ''Billboard'' and '' Cashbox''. It was founded in 1946 as ''Music Vendor''. In 1964, it was changed to ''Record World'' under the ...

''. *The music was covered in the commercial to promote a

McDonald's McDonald's Corporation, doing business as McDonald's, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational fast food chain store, chain. As of 2024, it is the second largest by number of locations in the world, behind only the Chinese ch ...

Big N' Tasty burgers under the song "Come Around Now, Make Me a Dream".

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mister Sandman 1954 songs 1954 singles 1955 singles 1964 singles 1968 singles 1978 singles 1981 singles 1996 singles Songs written by Pat Ballard The Chordettes songs The Four Aces songs Chet Atkins songs Max Bygraves songs The Fleetwoods songs Emmylou Harris songs Blind Guardian songs Bette Midler songs Song recordings produced by Brian Ahern (producer) Song recordings produced by Stephen H. Sholes Number-one singles in the United States Grammy Hall of Fame Award recipients RCA Victor singles Cadence Records singles Decca Records singles Mercury Records singles His Master's Voice singles Warner Records singles Sandman Songs about fictional male characters Songs about dreams Bert Kaempfert songs