"Dreamer" is a hit single from Supertramp

Supertramp

Supertramp are a British rock band formed in 1969 under the name Daddy before renaming to Supertramp in early 1970. Though their music was initially categorised as progressive rock, they have since incorporated a combination of traditional rock and art rock into their music...

's 1974 album Crime of the Century. It peaked at Number 13 on the UK singles chart

UK Singles Chart

The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...

 in February 1975. In 1980, it appeared on their live album Paris

Paris (Supertramp album)

Paris is a live album by progressive rock band Supertramp, released in 1980 . The album was recorded on Supertramp's Breakfast in America tour in November 1979 in Paris, France at the Pavillon de Paris, a venue which was once a slaughterhouse...

. This live version was also released as a single and hit number 15 on the US charts

Billboard Hot 100

The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...

 and 36 in the Dutch Top 40

Dutch Top 40

The Dutch Top 40 is a weekly music chart, which started as the "Veronica Top 40", because the offshore radio station Radio Veronica was the first to introduce it. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" until 1974, when the station was forced to stop broadcasting...

 and charted at 1 on the Canadian Singles Chart.

The band performed the song on the BBC's Old Grey Whistle Test

Old Grey Whistle Test

The Old Grey Whistle Test was an influential BBC2 television music show that ran from 1971 to 1987. It took over the BBC2 late night slot from "Disco Two", which had been running since January 1970, while continuing to feature non-chart music. It was devised by BBC producer Rowan Ayers...

 show in 1974, during which John Helliwell

John Helliwell

John Helliwell is an English musician and the saxophonist and occasional keyboardist and woodwind player for the rock band Supertramp...

 can be seen playing the rim of a wine glass on top of his keyboard to achieve a certain sound effect.

The song was used in the films The Parole Officer

The Parole Officer

The Parole Officer is a 2001 film, directed by John Duigan and was the first feature film to star comedian Steve Coogan. The film follows a mismatched group of former criminals as they assist their probation officer in proving his innocence after a murder accusation.-Plot:Simon Garden is a...

, Wild Thing

Wild Thing

Wild Thing or Wild Things can refer to:In entertainment:* "Wild Thing" , a 1965 song that was a hit for The Troggs* "Wild Thing" , a 1989 song by rapper Tone Lōc...

and The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle

The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle

The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle is a 2000 comedy film based on the television cartoon The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show by Jay Ward. The animated characters Rocky and Bullwinkle shared the screen with live actors portraying Fearless Leader , Boris Badenov , Natasha Fatale , and FBI agent Karen...

, as well as its trailer.

Lyrical content

"Dreamer" is the fifth song on the concept album Crime of the Century, and explores the mental state of Rudy, the protagonist, following his release from a psychiatric hospital

Psychiatric hospital

Psychiatric hospitals, also known as mental hospitals, are hospitals specializing in the treatment of serious mental disorders. Psychiatric hospitals vary widely in their size and grading. Some hospitals may specialise only in short-term or outpatient therapy for low-risk patients...

. Though treatment there has brought him to a state where he can function in normal society, it has also left him in a deep existential crisis

Existential crisis

An existential crisis is a stage of development at which an individual questions the very foundations of his or her life: whether his or her life has any meaning, purpose or value...

, feeling lost and insignificant. He questions and argues with himself as to whether he has any chance of making a difference in the world.

1975: 7" vinyl single

Side one

1. "Dreamer" – 3:33

Side two

1. "Bloody Well Right
   Bloody Well Right
   "Bloody Well Right" is a song by the progressive rock band Supertramp from their 1974 album Crime of the Century. Released in April 1975, it failed to chart in the United Kingdom but became their breakthrough hit in the United States, peaking at number 35 on the Billboard Hot 100...
   
   " – 4:26

US version

Side one

1. "Dreamer" (Live) – 3:15

Side two

1. "From Now On" (Live) – 6:44

European version

Side one

1. "Dreamer" (Live) – 3:15

Side two

1. "You Started Laughing" (Live) – 3:50

Personnel

• Roger Hodgson: Wurlitzer electric piano, lead vocal
• Richard Davies: Wurlitzer through rotating speaker, lead vocal
• John Helliwell: samplers, backing vocals
• Bob Siebenberg: drums, percussion
• Dougie Thomson: bass