"Sad Sweet Dreamer" is a song by Sweet Sensation, which was a number-one single on the UK Singles Chart for one week in October 1974. The second single from the

British soul British soul, Brit soul, or (in a US context) the British soul invasion, is soul music performed by British artists. Soul has been a major influence on British popular music since the 1960s, and American soul was extremely popular among some yo ...

group, a soaring soul

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and song of Great Britain and Ireland from the Late Middle Ages until the 19th century. They were widely used across Eur ...

heavily influenced by

the Stylistics The Stylistics are an American Philadelphia soul group that achieved their greatest chart success in the 1970s. They formed in 1968, with a lineup of singers Russell Thompkins Jr., Herb Murrell, Airrion Love, James Smith, and James Dunn. All ...

(and led by lead vocalist Marcel King's falsetto), "Sad Sweet Dreamer" became their first hit. It was written by

David Parton David Parton (born David Eric Stanley Parton, 1948) was an English singer-songwriter and record producer from Newcastle Under Lyme, Staffordshire, England. He was also known as Des Parton, based on the initials of his first three names. Care ...

and co-produced by

Tony Hatch Anthony Peter Hatch (born 30 June 1939) is an English composer for musical theatre and television. He is also a songwriter, pianist, arranger and producer. Early life and early career Hatch was born in Pinner, Middlesex. Encouraged by his mu ...

and Parton. The song reached No. 14 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 the following spring. It charted similarly in Canada. Both Hatch and

Jackie Trent Yvonne Ann Gregory (born Yvonne Ann Burgess; 6 September 1940 – 21 March 2015), better known by her stage name Jackie Trent, was an English singer-songwriter and actress. She was best known for co-writing (with Tony Hatch) several hits for Petu ...

sang on the track to augment Sweet Sensation. Hatch wanted to work with them after they were discovered on ''

New Faces ''New Faces'' is a British television talent show that aired in the 1970s and 1980s. It has been hosted by Leslie Crowther, Derek Hobson and Marti Caine. It was produced for the ITV network by ATV, and later by Central. Original series: ...

'' whilst he was on the judging panel. The song was covered by French singer

Joe Dassin Joseph Ira Dassin (; November 5, 1938 – August 20, 1980) was an American–French singer-songwriter. In his career spanning sixteen years (1964–1980), he enjoyed numerous successes in France and the French-speaking world, as well as singing ...

as "Carolina (Sad Sweet Dreamer)" in 1975. The song can be heard in the 2009 UK television series ''

Red Riding ''Red Riding'' is a British crime drama limited series written by Tony Grisoni and based on the book series of the same name by David Peace. The series comprises the novels ''Nineteen Seventy-Four'' (1999), ''Nineteen Seventy-Seven'' (2000), ...

''. It is also featured in the 2013 film '' Rush''.

Chart history

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

1974 singles 1974 songs 1975 singles Pye Records singles Song recordings produced by Tony Hatch Sweet Sensation (band) songs UK singles chart number-one singles {{1970s-pop-song-stub