"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). ''Funk ...

written by Pat Ballard 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, big band leader, actor, and businessman, who was most popular in the 1940s and 1950s. He has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, one for rec ...

& 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 songs " Mr. Sandman" and "Lollipop". Career The group organized in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, in 1946. The origin ...

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 Fou ...

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

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

" to "bring me a ''

dream A dream is a succession of images, ideas, emotions, and 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 5 to 20 minutes, althou ...

''" – the traditional association of the

folkloric Folklore is shared by a particular group of people; it encompasses the traditions common to that culture, subculture or group. This includes oral traditions such as tales, legends, proverbs and jokes. They include material culture, ranging fro ...

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 Sing ...

'). 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 List of musical symbols, musical symbols to indicate the pitches, rhythms, or chord (music), chords of a song or instrumental Musical composition, musical piece. Like ...

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

Emmylou Harris Emmylou Harris (born April 2, 1947) is an American singer, songwriter and musician. She has released dozens of albums and singles over the course of her career and has won 14 Grammys, the Polar Music Prize, and numerous other honors, including ...

' 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), known as "Mr. Guitar" and "The Country Gentleman", was an American musician who, along with Owen Bradley and Bob Ferguson, helped create the Nashville sound, the country music s ...

(1954) and

Bert Kaempfert Bert Kaempfert (born Berthold Heinrich Kämpfert; 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 musi ...

(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 independent publishing house founded in 1949. Under several imprints, the company offers scholarly books for the academic market, as well as trade books. The company also owns the book distributing compa ...

. 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 records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

of "They Were Doin' the Mambo", on

RCA The RCA Corporation was a major American electronics company, which was founded as the Radio Corporation of America in 1919. It was initially a patent trust owned by General Electric (GE), Westinghouse, AT&T Corporation and United Fruit Comp ...

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'', was 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, aka Moe Zudekoff; February 8, 1919 – September 27, 2010) was an American trombonist and bandleader. Career On a scholarship at age 16, Morrow studied trombone with Ernest Horatio Clarke (1865–1947) at Juill ...

, 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 to ...

, 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

The Chordettes The Chordettes were an American female vocal quartet, specializing in traditional pop music. They are best known for their 1950s hit songs " Mr. Sandman" and "Lollipop". Career The group organized in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, in 1946. The origin ...

' 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 laun ...

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-kn ...

, was the orchestra conductor on the recording and provided a rhythmic beat on the recording, using his knees. Bleyer's voice is heard in the third verse, when he says the word "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. A child prodigy born in Wisconsin to parents of Italian and Polish origin, he enjoyed a career spanning four decades of concerts, recordi ...

'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 glide from one pitch to another (). It is an Italianized musical term derived from the French ''glisser'', "to glide". In some contexts, it is distinguished from the co ...

(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 m ...

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. Although he produced numerous operas and other songs throughout his career it is his opera '' Pagliacci'' (1892) that remained hi ...

. 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 advertise ...

''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".

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. The Four Aces' version was notably featured in the 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, ...

'', when Marty first realizes he is in 1955.

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 currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also Aris ...

Nashville Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...

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 and reference works, as well as general-interest adult nonfiction. Its president is Rhonda Herman. Its former ...

. 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 box ( ...

, 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 played drums on over 18,000 sessions for artists such as Elvis Presley, Jerry ...

– Drums * Stephen H. Sholes – 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 1970s. It is related to middle-of-the-road (MOR) music and encompasses instrumental recordings of standards, hit songs, n ...

chart, No. 14 on ''

Record World ''Record World'' magazine was one of the three main music industry trade magazines in the United States, along with '' Billboard'' and '' Cashbox''. It was founded in 1946 under the name ''Music Vendor'', but in 1964 it was changed to ''Record Wo ...

''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, actress, philanthropist, and businesswoman, known primarily for her work in country music. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton made her album d ...

, and

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

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, set during t ...

'', though with the stipulation that it not be released as a single (given that Parton and Ronstadt both were 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 from Nielsen BDS along with digital sal ...

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) 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 been recognized ...

– 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 Welling ...

– 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". *In January 1955, a version by

Max Bygraves Walter William Bygraves (16 October 1922 – 31 August 2012), best known by the stage name Max Bygraves (adopted in honour of Max Miller), was an English comedian, singer, actor and variety performer. He appeared on his own television shows, s ...

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 ha ...

, 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 mem ...

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 1996 the German

power metal Power metal is a subgenre of heavy metal combining characteristics of traditional heavy metal with speed metal, often within symphonic context. Generally, power metal is characterized by a faster, lighter, and more uplifting sound, in contra ...

band

Blind Guardian Blind Guardian is a German power metal band formed in 1984 in Krefeld, West Germany. They are often credited as one of the seminal and most influential bands in the power metal and speed metal subgenres.The Forgotten Tales ''The Forgotten Tales'' is a compilation album by Blind Guardian. It was published in 1996. The cover artwork was created by . "'The Forgotten Tales'" contains several cover versions of popular songs, including "Mr. Sandman", "Surfin' U.S.A.", and ...

''. The song was released also as a CD maxi single. *

Bette Midler Bette Midler (;''Inside the Actors Studio'', 2004 born December 1, 1945) is an American singer, actress, comedian and author. Throughout her career, which spans over five decades, Midler has received List of awards and nominations received by Be ...

recorded the song for her 2014 album ''

It's the Girls! ''It's the Girls!'' is the fourteenth studio album by American singer Bette Midler. It was released by Warner Bros. Records on November 4, 2014. Midler's first release with the label since '' Bette'' (2000), the album is a collection representing ...

. *In 2017

SYML SYML is the solo venture of Brian Leseney Fennell, who was previously part of the indie band Barcelona. SYML released his eponymous debut album on May 3, 2019, through Nettwerk Records. Life and career Brian Fennell was born on January 16, 1983, ...

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 the three main music industry trade magazines in the United States, along with ''Billboard'' and '' Cashbox''. It was founded in 1946 under the name ''Music Vendor'', but in 1964 it was changed to ''Record Wor ...

''.

Amy Grant Amy Lee Grant (born November 25, 1960) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. She began in contemporary Christian music (CCM) before crossing over to pop music in the 1980s and 1990s. She has been referred to as "The Queen of Christia ...

recorded a version included on the 1999 album '' A Christmas to Remember''. *In 2021, political satirist

Randy Rainbow Randy Stewart Rainbow (born July 6, 1981) is a Grammy nominated American comedian and singer, best known for spoof interviews that blend political satire and musical parodies from a progressive perspective. Early life Randy Rainbow was born ...

did a parody of the song, changing it to "Mr. Biden (Bring My Vaccine)" about

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

Joe Biden's rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine.

References

External links

*
discogs.com
The Chordettes on discogs.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Mister Sandman Songs about fictional male characters Songs about dreams 1954 singles 1954 songs 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