Call Me Up in Dreamland

"Call Me Up in Dreamland"
Single by Van Morrison
from the album His Band and the Street Choir
A-side	"Call Me Up in Dreamland"
B-side	"Street Choir"
Released	April 1971
Recorded	Summer 1970 at A&R Recording Studios in New York City
Genre	Folk rock, R&B
Length	3:52
Label	Warner Bros.
Songwriter(s)	Van Morrison
Producer(s)	Van Morrison
Van Morrison singles chronology
"Blue Money" (1971) "Call Me Up in Dreamland" (1971) "Wild Night" (1971)

"Call Me Up in Dreamland" is a song that was written by Northern Irish singer-songwriter, Van Morrison and included on his 1970 album, His Band and the Street Choir. Brian Hinton describes the song as "life on the road, with 'radio' as a verb and laughing sax."[1]

Recording and composition

The song was recorded in summer, 1970 at the A&R Recording Studios, 46th Street, New York, during the second His Band and the Street Choir sessions.[2]

"Call Me Up in Dreamland" features a moderate 4/4 tempo. It is in the key of A major, with a chord sequence in the verses of A–E–D–A–D–E–A–D–A–E–D–A–D–E–A–D and the chorus of A–D–A–E–A–D–A–E–E♭–D–A. The song also has a tenor saxophone solo from Morrison.[3] The song is composed in a gospel style and prominently features the vocal backing group the Street Choir.[4]

Chart performance

In June 1971 "Call Me Up in Dreamland" rose to No. 95 in the Billboard Hot 100 music charts.[5]

According to Cash Box, the single release was "preceded by exceptional FM play and good AM in-LP picks."[6]

Record World said that it "always sounded like a hit" and was "great stuff for rádio play."[7]

Personnel

• Van Morrison: vocal, guitar, tenor saxophone
• Alan Hand: piano, organ
• Keith Johnson: trumpet
• John Klingberg: bass
• John Platania: guitar
• Jack Schroer: soprano saxophone
• Dahaud Shaar (David Shaw): drums

The Street Choir

• Larry Goldsmith
• Janet Planet
• Andrew Robinson
• Ellen Schroer
• Dahaud Shaar
• Martha Velez

Notes

1. Hinton. Celtic Crossroads, p.123
2. Heylin. Can You Feel the Silence, p.520
3. Van Morrison Anthology, p.14-17
4. Brooks. In Search of Van Morrison, p.56
5. Collis. Inarticulate Speech of the Heart, p.122
6. "CashBox Record Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. 22 May 1971. p. 16. Retrieved 10 December 2021.
7. "Picks of the Week" (PDF). Record World. 22 May 1971. p. 1. Retrieved 22 April 2023.

References

• Brooks, Ken (1999), In Search of Van Morrison, Andover, Hampshire: Agenda, ISBN 1-899882-95-2
• Collis, John (1996). Inarticulate Speech of the Heart, Little Brown and Company, ISBN 0-306-80811-0
• Heylin, Clinton (2003), Can You Feel the Silence? Van Morrison: A New Biography, London: Viking, ISBN 0-670-89321-8
• Hinton, Brian (1997). Celtic Crossroads: The Art of Van Morrison, Sanctuary, ISBN 1-86074-169-X
• Van Morrison Anthology, Los Angeles: Alfred Music Publishing, 1999, ISBN 0-7692-8967-3