Song:I Can Dream About You
Album:Streets Of Fire: Original Soundtrack
For the most part, Dan Hartman was a behind the scenes figure as a songwriter and producer. But he stepped out front a couple of times and had his biggest hit in 1984 with I Can Dream About You. He was born Dec. 8, 1950 in Harrisburg, PA. He played bass for Johnny Winter and joined Edgar Winter's group. Hartman wrote the smash hit Free Ride. He left the Winter band to go solo in 1976. His debut album Images didn't sell. But Hartman topped the dance charts with Instant Replay in 1978. It reached #29 on the Billboard Hot 100. He wasn't able to follow that up and moved to MCA Records. I Can Dream About You reached #6 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song appeared in the 1984 Walter Hill film Streets Of Fire. Ry Cooder composed the score for the film but Jimmy Iovine produced the soundtrack album and he was also producing Hartman. The song is performed in the film by Winston Ford and lipsynced by the vocal group led by Stoney Jackson. That scene from the film is the video most folks are familiar with. But Hartman's recording is on the Streets Of Fire soundtrack album. The Winston Ford recording is only in the film. Sony released a Hartman comp CD in 1994 that contained Instant Replay and I Can Dream About You that is now out of print. But the Streets Of Fire soundtrack is available as a budget CD. Hartman wrote I Can Dream About You for Hall & Oates but they turned it down. Hartman's follow up single We Are The Young reached the top 30. After his 1986 album White Boy was not released, Hartman returned to writing and producing for others. Among other things, he co-wrote and produced the 1985 James Brown hit Living In America. Dan Hartman died of an AIDS related brain tumor Mar. 22, 1994 at age 43. Here's the video for I Can Dream About You by Dan Hartman. Most folks are familiar with the video featuring the group from Streets Of Fire. This second video features Hartman and I don't think most folks have seen it.
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