Any Dream Will Do (song)

"Any Dream Will Do" is a popular song written by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice for the 1968 musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. It is generally the beginning and the concluding song of the musical, sung by the title character of Joseph.

The song has been sung by numerous performers. In 1969, it was released as the B-side of the 7-inch single "We Will Rock You" by child singer Christopher. This recording was produced by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice, and arranged by Andrew Lloyd Webber. Max Bygraves released a popular version in 1972 which had another track from the film on the B-side "Close Every Door To Me". This may have been the most popular version released. Joe Cuddy's version was a number-one hit in Ireland in 1974. The song was voted Broadway Song of the Year in 1981, and won an Ivor Novello Award in 1991.^[1]

The song was also covered by Jason Donovan and Lee Mead, whose versions reached number one and number two respectively in the UK chart. Donovan, Mead and Donny Osmond performed the song at the Concert for Diana on 1 July 2007. Donovan performed the song at the Platinum Party at the Palace on 4 June 2022.

Jason Donovan version

"Any Dream Will Do"
Single by Jason Donovan
B-side	"Close Every Door"
Released	10 June 1991 (1991-06-10)[2]
Length	3:54
Label	Really Useful Group Polydor
Composer(s)	Andrew Lloyd Webber
Lyricist(s)	Tim Rice
Producer(s)	Nigel Wright
Jason Donovan singles chronology
"R.S.V.P" (1991) "Any Dream Will Do" (1991) "Happy Together" (1991)

In 1991, the song was released as a single by Jason Donovan, who was then playing Joseph in the West End production of the musical at the London Palladium. The single topped the UK Singles Chart for two weeks in June and July 1991; in July, it was certified Gold by the BPI for sales greater than 400,000 copies. In Donovan's native Australia, "Any Dream Will Do" peaked at number 92 on the ARIA Singles Chart in August 1991. The song was also a number-one hit in Ireland and a number-three hit in Austria.

The song was also performed by The X Factor duo Same Difference, with Jason Donovan, on 15 December 2007.^{[citation needed]}

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1991)	Peak position
Australia (ARIA)[3]	92
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[4]	3
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[5]	19
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[6]	7
Germany (GfK)[7]	55
Ireland (IRMA)[8]	1
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[9]	55
UK Singles (OCC)[10]	1

Year-end charts

Chart (1991)	Position
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[11]	13
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[12]	64
UK Singles (OCC)[13]	6

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[14]	Gold	400,000^^
^^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Any Dream Will Do and Lee Mead version

"Any Dream Will Do"
Single by Lee Mead
from the album Lee Mead
B-side	"Close Every Door" (with Keith Jack and Lewis Bradley)
Released	12 June 2007
Length	3:51
Label	Really Useful Group Fascination
Composer(s)	Andrew Lloyd Webber
Lyricist(s)	Tim Rice
Producer(s)	Nigel Wright

In 2007, the BBC One television series Any Dream Will Do, named after the song, searched for a new, unknown lead to play Joseph in a West End revival of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. The song was performed by the twelve contestants on the programme as the opening number to the first show, and it was performed again by Lee Mead, voted by the public as the winner of the series, as the finale to the series.

After the series, a single was released featuring "Any Dream Will Do", sung by Mead as the winner, and "Close Every Door", another song from Joseph which had been used each week as a contestant left the programme. It was performed by Mead along with second-placed Keith Jack and third-placed Lewis Bradley.

The single was released for digital download on 12 June 2007 and entered the UK Singles Chart on 17 June at number 18. After being released on CD on 18 June, it charted at number two on 24 June. It was held from the number-one spot by Rihanna and Jay-Z with their hit single "Umbrella". Downloads and CD single sales raise funds for the BBC's annual Children in Need charity appeal.^[15]

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2007)	Peak position
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[16]	9
Scotland (OCC)[17]	1
UK Singles (OCC)[18]	2

Year-end charts

Chart (2007)	Position
UK Singles (OCC)[19]	123

Performances, parodies and influences

• Donny Osmond, who has performed as Joseph in the musical successfully for many years in the 1990s, also recorded the song.^[20] His recording of the musical with the Canadian cast has sold 250,000 copies.^[21] He was also cast in the role of Joseph in the 1999 film of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.^[22]
• The song was parodied by Irish radio personality Mario Rosenstock in 2005 as "José and his Amazing Technicolor Overcoat", a send-up of then-Chelsea F.C. manager José Mourinho.^{[citation needed]}
• The songs "Ripple" (1970)^[23] by the Grateful Dead and the gospel hymn "Because He Lives" (1971),^[24] are both similar musically to "Any Dream Will Do".^[25]

References

1. "Any Dream Will Do: Did you know..." BBC Press Office. 22 March 2007. Retrieved 22 May 2007.
2. "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 8 June 1991. p. 21. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
3. Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988-2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
4. "Jason Donovan – Any Dream Will Do" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
5. "Jason Donovan – Any Dream Will Do" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
6. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 8, no. 27. 9 July 1991. p. 45. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
7. "Jason Donovan – Any Dream Will Do" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
8. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Any Dream Will Do". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
9. "Jason Donovan – Any Dream Will Do" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
10. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
11. "Jahreshitparade Singles 1991" (in German). Retrieved 30 July 2020.
12. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 8, no. 51–52. 21 December 1991. p. 21. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
13. "1991 Top 100 Singles". Music Week. London, England: Spotlight Publications. 11 January 1992. p. 20.
14. "British single certifications – Jason Donovan – Any Dream Will Do". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
15. "Pudsey Recruits Josephs". BBC. 5 June 2007. Retrieved 9 June 2007.
16. "Hits of the World – Eurocharts" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 119, no. 27. 7 July 2007. p. 87. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
17. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
18. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
19. "The Official UK Singles Chart 2007" (PDF). UKChartsPlus. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
20. Greenfield, Thomas A. (2009). Broadway: An Encyclopedia of Theater and American Culture. p. 581. ISBN 9780313342653.
21. LeBlanc, Larry (25 June 1994). "Garth Drabinsky Wants All The World To Be Livent's Stage". Billboard. p. 76.
22. "Donny Osmond Is Joseph, Complete With Coat, on PBS April 5". Playbill. 5 April 2000.
23. "The Annotated "Ripple"".
24. "Because He Lives".
25. Schneider, Jason (17 October 2024). "Understanding "Ripple" by The Grateful Dead". Creativity Squared. Retrieved 4 November 2024.