Keeping the Dream Alive


"Keeping the Dream Alive" is a 1988 song by German pop and rock band Münchener Freiheit - also known as Freiheit in English-speaking countries - taken from their album Fantasy. The music was written by Aron Strobel and Stefan Zauner with lyrics by Timothy Touchton and Curtis Briggs, and the song was arranged by Andrew Powell, Armand Volker and Stefan Zauner. It was recorded in Abbey Road Studios and mastered by Tonstudio Rico Sonderegger, with Volker as the producer. The performance by Münchener Freiheit with the London Symphony Orchestra included featuring of additional vocals by the Jackson Singers.
The song was originally recorded in German as "So lang' man Träume noch leben kann", and appeared on the album Fantasie. It was translated into English and recorded again to be released on CBS.
An instrumental version under the original German-language title "So lang' man Träume noch leben kann" appeared in 1987 on Schenk Mir Eine Nacht - Ihre Schönsten Lovesongs.
The song's chorus bears a striking resemblance to "All Through the Night", a 1984 hit by Cyndi Lauper.

Charts

It remains the band's only international hit, peaking at #14 in the UK Charts. Because it is the only charting hit of the band in the UK, it is generally considered as a one-hit wonder.
Chart Peak
position
Australia 55
-
UK14

Tracklist

German

Single
Maxi single
  1. "Keeping the Dream Alive"
  2. "Keeping the Dream Alive"
  3. "The Land of Fantasy"

    Popularity

Due to its December release and rich orchestral sound, "Keeping the Dream Alive" still receives a lot of airplay at Christmas time in the United Kingdom, and can be found on many Christmas compilation albums. It is also very popular with choirs throughout the world. The song has often been mistaken for a Beatles track, with Paul McCartney singing lead, while the orchestra has been likened to ELO.
The song failed to chart in the United States when it was originally released, gaining favour with the American public only after it was featured in the soundtrack for the movie Say Anything.... The single has received additional exposure in the United States thanks to the singing talent contest American Idol on the Fox television network. The song has been used in various seasons of the show as a backdrop to video montages featuring contestants on the programme. In season 9 of the show, the Top 12 finalists performed it on Idol Gives Back.

Covers and remixes

There have been a number of covers of the song both in English and in German. The German version "So lang' man Träume noch leben kann" include those by Erkan Aki, the Blassportgruppe, and Annett Louisan and Heinz Rudolf Kunze.
In 2008, the song was remixed on the 2008 edition of Essential Summer Remixes by the Summer Remixers and released by Music Factory Entertainment Group, Ltd.
The classic music band Adoro made up of Peter Dasch, Nico Müller, Jandy Ganguly, Assaf Kacholi and Laszlo Maleczky - presented a classical cover on their 2012 album Träume.
In 2013, English pop singer Kim Wilde covered it on her album Wilde Winter Songbook but only in the deluxe edition of the album.
In 2018, British pop music group The Fizz covered it in their album Christmas with The Fizz!.

In popular culture

The song was featured on the soundtrack of the 1989 movie Say Anything... directed by Cameron Crowe.