When You Dream

[Koach]

I was wondering if anyone knew why Diana Ross's 1992 album When You Dream was never released anywhere other than Japan. Was it even recorded with Motown? I love Did You Ever Wonder Why.

[uptight]

Definitely not recorded with Motown. Outside the US, her label has always been EMI. One guess why it wasn't released in The States was because Motown at that time barely knew how to market Diana Ross, let alone a CD of lullaby-type songs by her.

I bought the EP before finding a copy of the children's book Ms. Ross wrote that contained the CD inside. I shared the book with my niece, who was a toddler at the time. And we enjoyed the music very much. Peter Asher, who had produced the song "If We Hold On Together" for the animated film The Land Before Time, had produced songs for Ross' Force Behind The Power album. And he produced and co-wrote most of the tunes on When You Dream as well.

I thought they were the most beautiful songs, and Ross' voice was sweet and alluring. You could tell this was more of a labor of love as she sang it to her two little boys. The book was illustrated with caricatures of the boys in scenes with their dad and another sibling.

I don't know the keyboard model, but the popular synthesizer of the day was prominent and dates the recording very much. Still I just might retrieve my disc from storage bin and give it another spin for old-time's sake.

I seem to remember reading that the song "That's Why I Call You My Friend" was one of her biggest hits ever in Japan and was the theme for a daytime soap opera there. Can someone confirm this?

[reese]

I have a vague memory that THAT'S WHY I CALL YOU MY FRIEND was commissioned by a Japanese tourism organization or something like that. But it's been so long I wouldn't swear to it. I think PROMISE ME YOU'LL TRY might have been for the soap opera. Again, so long ago that I don't even remember where I read or heard any of this.

[uptight]

Around 1999 or so, there used to be a fan discussion via email that would discuss these kinds of topics. This was before forums like SDF existed. Everyone added their comments via the reply button. LOL.

[stopinthenameoflove]

I seem to remember reading that the song "That's Why I Call You My Friend" was one of her biggest hits ever in Japan and was the theme for a daytime soap opera there. Can someone confirm this?

The song that was a big Japanese hit [[and the theme to a soap opera there) was "If We Hold On Together"

It was later included on the Force Behind The Power album - which for me stands as one of her best later albums. That album did very well in the UK [[five hit singles) - which is probably why I still listen to it today and can sing most of the songs lol!

[jobeterob]

International[edit] List of best-selling international singles in Japan 1968-2006Japan has more million-selling singles than any other country, but few have come from foreign artists. From 1968 through 2006, only three singles by Western musicians have become million sellers.

This section requires expansion.
Rank Year Sales Chart Peak Title Artist
1 1976 1.924.000 1 "Beautiful Sunday"/"Sleepy Head" Daniel Boone
2 1994
[[reissue 1996, 2000) 1.256.000 2 "All I Want for Christmas Is You" Mariah Carey
3 1995 1.141.160 1 "To Love You More" Celine Dion
4 1992 810.080 5 "I Will Always Love You" Whitney Houston
5 1968 810.000 1 "The Sound of Silence" Simon and Garfunkel
6 1970 750.000 1 "Otoko no Sekai [[Mandom: The Lovers of the World)" Jerry Wallace
7 1983 750.000 1 "Flashdance... What a Feeling" Irene Cara
8 1980 673.850 1 "I'm In the Mood for Dancing" The Nolans
9 1971 0.67m 1 "Ani Holem Al Naomi" [Japanese Lyric Ver.] Hedva and David
10 1984
[[reissue 1991) 0.67m 12 "Last Christmas" Wham!
11 1997 0.63m 1 "Candle in the Wind 1997"/"Something About the Way You Look Tonight" Elton John
12 1973 0.592m 5 "Yesterday Once More" The Carpenters
13 1977 0.568m 2 "Sky High" Jigsaw
14 1970 0.558m 6 "Let It Be" The Beatles
15 1997 0.555m 2 "Venus" Shocking Blue
16 1976
[[reissue 1996) 0.542m 5 "I Need to be in Love" / "Top of the World" [[double A-Side on reissued single)" The Carpenters
17 1991 0.518m 3 "Welcome to the Edge" Billie Hughes
17 1968 0.517m 1 "Massachusetts" Bee Gees
19 1971 0.505m 2 "Never Marry a Railroad Man" Shocking Blue
20 1971 0.475m 5 "Tombe La Neige" [Japanese Lyric ver.] Salvatore Adamo
21 1976 0.473m 11 "Jolene" Olivia Newton-John
22 1977 0.471m 2 "The Stranger" Billy Joel
23 1968 0.467m 1 "Those Were the Days" Mary Hopkin
24 1990 0.465m 4 "If We Hold on Together" Diana Ross
25 1970 0.458m 7 "Mister Monday" Original Caste
26 1970 0.454m 3 "Melody Fair" Bee Gees
27 1976 0.436m 6 "Take Me Home, Country Roads" Olivia Newton-John
28 1971 0.424m 2 "Mammy Blue" The Pop-Tops
29 1968
[[reissue 1980) 0.421m 2 "Daydream Believer" The Monkees
30 1976 0.416m 7 "Soul Dracula" Hot Blood