Mr. Sandman Explained

"Mr. Sandman" (or "Mister Sandman") is a popular song written by Pat Ballard and published in 1954. It was first recorded in May of that year by Vaughn Monroe & his orchestra and later that year by The Chordettes and the Four Aces. The song's lyrics convey a request to "Mr. Sandman" to "bring me a dream" – the traditional association of the folkloric figure (but in this context the meaning of dream is more akin to 'dreamboat'). 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 publication, which includes male and female versions of the lyrics, intended.[1]

Emmylou Harris' recording of the song was a hit in multiple countries in 1981. Other versions of the song have been produced by Chet Atkins (1954) and Bert Kaempfert (1968).

Background

Vaughn Monroe, with his orchestra, was the first to record the song in 1954.[2] It was released as the B-side of "They Were Doin' the Mambo",[2] [3] on RCA 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 Top 50, in a tandem ranking of the versions by the Chordettes, the Four Aces, Buddy Morrow, Vaughn Monroe, Les Elgart, the Lancers, and the Song Singers, with the Chordettes and the Four Aces' versions marked as bestsellers.[4] It also reached No. 1 on Cash Boxs chart of "The Nation's Top Ten Juke Box Tunes", in the same tandem ranking,[5] and No. 1 on Cash Boxs chart of "The Ten Records Disk Jockeys Played Most This Week", with only the Chordettes version listed initially,[6] but later in a tandem ranking of the Chordettes and the Four Aces' versions.[7]

The song also reached No. 1 on Billboards "Honor Roll of Hits", with the Chordettes and the Four Aces' versions listed as best sellers,[8] and was ranked No. 12 on Billboards ranking of "1955's Top Tunes" based on the Honor Roll of Hits.[9]

The Chordettes version

Mr. Sandman
Cover:Mr Sandman (Chordettes) .jpg
Type:single
Artist:The Chordettes
B-Side:I Don't Wanna See You Cryin'
Released:1954
Recorded:1954
Label:Cadence
Producer:Archie Bleyer
Prev Title:Moonlight on the Ganges
Prev Year:1951
Next Title:Lonely Lips
Next Year:1955

The Chordettes' recording of the song was released on the Cadence Records label, on both 78 RPM and 45 RPM formats. Cadence's founder, Archie Bleyer, was the orchestra conductor on the recording, and provided a rhythmic beat on the recording using his knees.[2] [10] Bleyer's voice is heard in the third verse, when he says the word "Yes?" The piano is played by Moe Wechsler. Liberace's name is mentioned for his "wavy hair",[11] and a glissando (a flourish common in his music) immediately follows. Pagliacci is mentioned for having a lonely heart,[11] which is a reference to the opera Pagliacci by Ruggero Leoncavallo.

This version was used in the 1989 comedy film Uncle Buck, starring John Candy and appeared in Halloween II and . A cover was sung by Nan Vernon for the remake film Halloween.

In the United States, the Chordettes' single reached No. 1 on all three of Billboards popular music charts,[12] and was ranked No. 9 in Cash Boxs ranking of "1955's Top Pop Records as Voted in the Cash Box Poll".[13]

In 2002, the 1954 recording of the song by The Chordettes on Cadence Records was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.[14]

Chart performance

Chart (1954-1955)Peak
position
UK New Musical Express[15] 11
US Billboard Best Sellers in Stores1
US Billboard Most Played by Jockeys1
US Billboard Most Played in Juke Boxes1

The Four Aces version

Mister Sandman
Cover:Mister Sandman by The Four Aces featuring Al Alberts US vinyl.png
Caption:U.S. vinyl single of the Four Aces recording
Type:single
Artist:the Four Aces featuring Al Alberts
B-Side:(I'll Be with You) In Apple Blossom Time
Released:1954
Genre:Traditional pop
Label:Decca

In 1954, the Four Aces released a version of the song, backed by the Jack Pleis Orchestra.[16] 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, when Marty first realizes he is in 1955.[17] [11]

Chart performance

Chart (1954-1955)Peak
position
Belgium Flanders[18] 2
UK New Musical Express[19] 9
US Billboard Best Sellers in Stores9
US Billboard Most Played by Jockeys[20] 5
US Billboard Most Played in Juke Boxes[21] 6

Chet Atkins version

On November 17, 1954, Chet Atkins recorded an instrumental version during a four-song recording session at RCA Victor's Nashville recording studio.[22] Atkins used the Ray Butts EchoSonic guitar amp on this recording, and was backed by celesta, piano, bass, and drums.[22] Atkins' version was released as a single in January 1955.[22] It was Atkins' first single to chart on Billboards country charts,[23] and reached No. 15 on Billboards Country & Western Records chart of "Best Sellers in Stores" and No. 13 on Billboards Country & Western Records chart of "Most Played by Jockeys".[24]

Atkins re-recorded "Mister Sandman" for his 1990 album The Magic of Chet Atkins.[22]

Credits and personnel

Bert Kaempfert version

In 1968, Bert Kaempfert and His Orchestra released an instrumental version as a single and on the album My Way of Life.[25] It reached No. 12 on Billboards Easy Listening chart,[26] [27] No. 14 on Record Worlds "Top Non-Rock" chart,[28] No. 3 on Record Worlds chart of "Singles Coming Up",[29] and No. 1 on Cash Boxs "Looking Ahead" chart of singles with potential of entering the Cash Box Top 100.[30]

Emmylou Harris version

Mister Sandman
Cover:Mister Sandman Emmylou Harris.jpg
Caption:Artwork for German and Austrian vinyl releases
Type:single
Artist:Emmylou Harris
B-Side:Rose of Cimarron
Released:1981
Recorded:1980
Genre:Country pop
Length:2:20
Label:Warner Bros. Nashville
Producer:Brian Ahern
Prev Title:The Boxer
Prev Year:1980
Next Title:I Don't Have to Crawl
Next Year:1981

In January 1978,[31] Emmylou Harris, Dolly Parton, and Linda Ronstadt 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,[31] 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,[11] and releasing it in 1981, under the title "Mister Sandman". The single reached number 10 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles 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 .

Credits and personnel

Evangeline version

Charts

Chart (1981)Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[32] 19
Austria (Ö3 Hit wähl mit)[33] 15
Canada RPM 50 Singles[34] 42
Canada RPM Country 50 Singles[35] 1
Belgium Flanders[36] 8
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[37] 8
Netherlands (Nationale Hitparade)[38] 9
New Zealand Singles Chart[39] 16
Swiss Hitparade[40] 5
US Billboard Hot 100[41] 37
US Billboard Adult Contemporary[42] 8
US Billboard Hot Country Singles[43] [44] 10
US Cash Box Top 100 Singles[45] 37
US Cash Box Top 100 Country[46] 9
US Record World Singles[47] 40
US Record World A/C Chart[48] 12
US Record World Country Singles[49] 9
West Germany (Media Control)14

Year-end charts

Chart (1981)Position
Belgium (Ultratop Flanders)[50] 73
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[51] 83
West Germany (Official German Charts)[52] 35

Other versions

Notes and References

  1. Ballard, Pat (1954). "Mister Sandman" [sheet music], Edwin H. Morris & Company, Inc., 35 West 51st St., New York, NY.
  2. Sullivan, Steve (2017). Encyclopedia of Great Popular Song Recordings, Volume 3, Rowman & Littlefield. p. 261. Retrieved May 6, 2018.
  3. "Reviews of New Pop Records", Billboard, June 19, 1954. p. 38. Retrieved May 6, 2018.
  4. "The Cash Box Top 50", Cash Box, December 11, 1954. p. 26. Retrieved May 2, 2018.
  5. "The Nation's Top Ten Juke Box Tunes", Cash Box, December 25, 1954. p. 4. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
  6. "The Ten Records Disk Jockeys Played Most This Week", Cash Box, December 4, 1954. p. 14. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
  7. "The Ten Records Disk Jockeys Played Most This Week", Cash Box, December 25, 1954. p. 12. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
  8. "Honor Roll of Hits", Billboard, December 4, 1954. p. 34. Retrieved May 7, 2018.
  9. "1955's Top Tunes based on the Honor Roll of Hits", Billboard, December 31, 1955. p. 29. Retrieved May 7, 2018.
  10. "Reviews of New Pop Records", Billboard, October 2, 1954. p. 39. Retrieved May 11, 2018.
  11. Leszczak, Bob (2014). Who Did It First?: Great Pop Cover Songs and Their Original Artists, Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 134-135. Retrieved May 15, 2018.
  12. "The Billboard Music Popularity Charts - Popular Records", Billboard, December 18, 1954. p. 26. Retrieved May 2, 2018.
  13. "1955's Top Pop Records as Voted in the Cash Box Poll", Cash Box, December 24, 1955. p. 16. Retrieved May 8, 2018.
  14. https://www.grammy.com/awards/hall-of-fame-award#m
  15. http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/1661/chordettes/ Chordettes - Full Official Chart History
  16. Web site: The Four Aces (Jack Pleis Orch) : A Discography. Honkingduck.com. 30 April 2021.
  17. Krims, Adam (2012). Music and Urban Geography, Routledge. p. 103. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
  18. http://www.ultratop.be/nl/song/9f3d5/The-Four-Aces-Mister-Sandman The Four Aces – Mister Sandman
  19. http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/1246/four-aces/ Four Aces - Full Official Chart History
  20. "The Billboard Music Popularity Charts - Popular Records", Billboard, January 1, 1955. p. 20. Retrieved May 2, 2018.
  21. "The Billboard Music Popularity Charts - Popular Records", Billboard, January 22, 1955. p. 30. Retrieved May 2, 2018.
  22. Reinhart, Mark S. (2014). Chet Atkins: The Greatest Songs of Mister Guitar, McFarland & Company. Retrieved May 14, 2018.
  23. Jessen, Wade. "Chet Atkins Remembered as a 'Country Gentleman'", Billboard, July 14, 2001. p. 104. Retrieved May 11, 2018.
  24. "The Billboard Music Popularity Charts - Country & Western Records", Billboard, February 5, 1955. p. 42. Retrieved May 2, 2018.
  25. "Billboard Album Reviews", Billboard, October 12, 1968. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
  26. https://web.archive.org/web/20180521084157/https://www.billboard.com/music/bert-kaempfert-and-his-orchestra/chart-history/adult-contemporary/song/704354 Adult Contemporary - Bert Kaempfert and His Orchestra Mister Sandman Chart History
  27. "Easy Listening", Billboard, July 27, 1968. p. 39. Retrieved May 2, 2018.
  28. "Record World's Top Non-Rock", Record World, July 6, 1968. p. 24. Retrieved May 2, 2018.
  29. "Singles Coming Up", Record World, June 22, 1968. p. 22. Retrieved May 2, 2018.
  30. "Looking Ahead", Cash Box, June 22, 1968. p. 12. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
  31. Holland, Bill. "'Supertrio' Cutting for Autumn Release", Billboard, March 8, 1986. p. 56. Retrieved May 8, 2018.
  32. Web site: Top 100 Singles . Top100singles.net . 2021-05-21.
  33. http://austriancharts.at/showitem.asp?interpret=Emmylou+Harris&titel=Mister+Sandman&cat=s Emmylou Harris – Mister Sandman
  34. "RPM 50 Singles", RPM Weekly, Volume 34, No. 21. May 02, 1981. Retrieved May 5, 2018.
  35. "RPM Country 50 Singles", RPM Weekly, Volume 34, No. 23. May 16, 1981. Retrieved May 5, 2018.
  36. http://www.ultratop.be/nl/song/2e4/Emmylou-Harris-Mister-Sandman Emmylou Harris – Mister Sandman
  37. https://www.top40.nl/emmylou-harris/emmylou-harris-mister-sandman-5409 Emmylou Harris – Mister Sandman
  38. http://dutchcharts.nl/showitem.asp?interpret=Emmylou+Harris&titel=Mister+Sandman&cat=s Emmylou Harris – Mister Sandman
  39. https://charts.nz/showitem.asp?interpret=Emmylou+Harris&titel=Mister+Sandman&cat=s Emmylou Harris – Mister Sandman
  40. https://hitparade.ch/song/Emmylou-Harris/Mister-Sandman-740 Emmylou Harris – Mister Sandman
  41. https://www.billboard.com/artist/emmylou-harris/chart-history/hsi/ Hot 100 - Emmylou Harris Mister Sandman Chart History
  42. Book: Whitburn, Joel . Joel Whitburn . 1993 . Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–1993 . Record Research . 106.
  43. https://www.billboard.com/artist/emmylou-harris/chart-history/csi/ Hot Country Songs - Emmylou Harris Mister Sandman Chart History
  44. "Billboard Hot Country Singles", Billboard, May 2, 1981. p. 62. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
  45. "Cash Box Top 100 Singles", Cash Box, April 18, 1981. p. 4. Retrieved May 5, 2018.
  46. "Cash Box Top 100 Country", Cash Box, May 9, 1981. p. 28. Retrieved May 5, 2018.
  47. "Record World Singles", Record World, April 25, 1981. Retrieved May 5, 2018.
  48. "Record World A/C Chart", Record World, April 11, 1981. p. 30. Retrieved May 5, 2018.
  49. "Record World Country Singles", Record World, May 2, 1981. Retrieved May 5, 2018.
  50. Web site: Jaaroverzichten 1981. Ultratop. October 9, 2021.
  51. Web site: Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1981. Dutch Top 40. October 9, 2021.
  52. Web site: Top 100 Single-Jahrescharts. German. GfK Entertainment. offiziellecharts.de. October 9, 2021.
  53. "The Billboard Music Popularity Charts - Popular Records", Billboard, December 4, 1954. p. 36. Retrieved May 2, 2018.
  54. Web site: Discogs entry for Mervin Shiner. Discogs.
  55. http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/194/max-bygraves/ Max Bygraves - Full Official Chart History
  56. http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/401/dickie-valentine/ Dickie Valentine - Full Official Chart History
  57. http://www.norwegiancharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=The+Fleetwoods&titel=Mr%2E+Sandman&cat=s The Fleetwoods - Mr. Sandman
  58. "Bubbling Under the Hot 100", Billboard, September 5, 1964. Retrieved May 2, 2018.
  59. "Looking Ahead", Cash Box, September 5, 1964. p. 10. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
  60. https://www.billboard.com/artist/tommy-oday/chart-history/csi/ Hot Country Songs - Tommy O'Day Mr. Sandman Chart History
  61. "Hot Country Singles", Billboard, February 4, 1978. Retrieved May 2, 2018.
  62. Web site: Mr. Sandman - SYML | Song Info . 30 April 2021. AllMusic.
  63. Web site: Mosk . Mitch . 10 May 2017 . Premiere: SYML's Haunting "Mr Sandman" Gives New Life to a Classic . 30 April 2021 . Atwood Magazine.
  64. Published Music: Jan-Jun., Catalog of Copyright Entries: Third series. 1954. p. 16. Retrieved May 8, 2018.
  65. "Reviews of New Pop-Christmas Records", Billboard, November 26, 1955. p. 44. Retrieved May 14, 2018.
  66. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAfTSlpU80Q&ab_channel=nappycakes