Dan Hartman - I Can Dream About You

This month marks the thirtieth anniversary of I Can Dream About You, the fifth studio album from American singer-songwriter Dan Hartman. The record peaked at number 55 on the US Billboard Album chart, with a twenty-eight week total chart run. It was his highest ranking album to date here in the States.


While I knew the title track very well, the rest of the album was new to me. For this review, I ended up hunting down most of the tracks of this hard-to-find record on YouTube.

Side one begins with steady boogie beats of “We Are the Young”. As a single, it went to number 58 on the US Billboard R&B chart, number 25 on the US Billboard Hot 100, and number 1 on the US Billboard Dance chart. It has been ages since I heard the track which celebrates the strength of the youth generation; I remember it quite well from nights out the clubs back in 1985.

The title track “I Can Dream About You” was a huge hit for Hartman off of the Streets of Fire soundtrack earlier in the summer of 1984 (click here for that full album review). The single went to number 62 in France, number 60 on the US Billboard R&B chart, number 47 in New Zealand, number 18 in the Netherlands, number 16 in Belgium, number 13 in Sweden, number 12 in the UK, number 11 in Canada, number 8 on the US Billboard Dance chart, number 7 on the US Billboard Adult Contemporary chart, number 6 on the US Billboard Hot 100, number 4 in Ireland, and number 3 in the UK. I love the strutting-sway of this one; I had to be out on the dance floor whenever it came on. It remains a favorite of mine to this day.

“Shy Hearts”, a mid-tempo tune about the confusing times in love, follows.

Next up is “I’m Not a Rolling Stone”; it was released as the B-side to the single for “We Are the Young”.

The side closes with “Rage to Live”, a pulsing powder-keg of party goodness.

Side two opens with “Name of the Game”. I like how the synths go from speaker to speaker on the opening, like a surging wave of electronic energy. Even though this was not a single, I am betting this was very popular with the club deejays; I can easily think of a number of songs that would have remixed perfectly with it.

“Power of a Good Love”, with its pop-rock sound, is a testament to the strength and support of a good relationship.

“Second Nature”, the last single, went to number 80 in Canada, number 66 in the UK, number 40 on the US Billboard Dance chart, number 39 on the US Billboard Hot 100, and number 19 on the US Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. This one is another lost gem from days gone by; the finger-snapping rhythm is upbeat and fun.

“I Can’t Get Enough” is the next track; it was the B-side to the single for “Second Nature”.

“Electricity” lights up the end of the album with the charged attraction of young lovers.

I can tell you for a fact that had I run across I Can Dream About You back in 1984, I would have played the heck out of the album. It is full of the kind of dance music that I was totally into at the time.