Forty-five years ago exactly, on December 17th, 1977, Luv's second single,"Dream, Dream", entered the Tipparade (the Dutch Bubbling Under Top 40 chart). Though this record was not a commercial success, it achieved cult status among the fans. Here's the story of the underestimated song.
History
The second record in the career of any band or singer is a challenge, especially when the debut single has been quite successful on the charts.
In May 1977, Philips/Phonogram Records put out the ABBAesque single "My Man", recorded by a then-unknown girl group named Luv'. It was the first time in the history of Dutch pop music that such a manufactured female pop formation was launched.
Well-established record producer Hans van Hemert, assisted by songwriter-arranger Piet Souer and manager Han Meijer, took the initiative to recruit three young and charming ladies (Patty Brard, Marga Scheide and José van de Wijdeven) in late 1976.
"My Man" was a promising start for the trio. It peaked at #12 on the Nationale Hitparade and the Dutch Top 40 in June 1977. The single also charted in Belgium: #10 on the Flemish BRT Top 30, #11 on the Ultratop Flanders and #47 on the Ultratop Wallonia. The girls enjoyed moderate success but were far from being the pop stars they would become the following year.
November 5th, 1977, saw the release of the follow-up single "Dream, Dream", a track penned by Janschen & Janschens (the pseudonym of Hans van Hemert and Piet Souer). Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf announced this release in its December 2nd and 4th editions.
De Telegraaf - December 2nd, 1977
Click here to read the article online
De Telegraaf - December 4th, 1977: The announcement of Dream, Dream's release in "De Platenspeurder" section
Click here to read the article online
A few weeks before the single came out, Luv' and Hans van Hemert attended the release party of Corry Konings' album "Gewoon Zoals Ik Ben". André van Duin, Kiki van Oostindië and other Dutch celebrities were present on this occasion.
De Telegraaf - October 31st, 1977: Corry Koning's album release party with André van Duin, Kiki van Oostindië, Hans van Hemert and Luv'
Click here to read the article online.
Unlike "My Man", which had a dramatic side due to the lyrics that dealt with the death of a railroad man, "Dream, Dream" had a happy sound inspired by ABBA's music. The first sentence of the song contains a big mistake in English. It says: "When I turn over the "leaves" of this book". The word "leaves" should have been "pages". But it didn't bother the songwriters who only focused on the efficiency of the track.
Lydia van Wooning did the choreography for the song. Her mother even designed the outfits used by the singers for the front cover of the single and shows.
The ladies performed "Dream, Dream" only twice on television. On November 17th, 1977, they appeared on the NCRV program "Dik Voormekaar Show" to present their new song.
Luv' on Dik Voormekaar Show
On February 4th, 1978, German viewers could watch Luv' sing "Dream, Dream" on the NDR show "Die aktuelle Schaubude".
Despite this exposure on the small screen, the record flopped, and the group's future seemed uncertain. At that time, Luv' were considered a "one-hit wonder".
Press clipping (Luv's name is misspelt)
Although there was a dark cloud on the horizon, José remained optimistic and gave a positive interview to the local Dutch newspaper "De Eindhovens Courant" in December 1977 to preserve the good image of Luv'. She even announced that the trio was busy with the follow-up record to "Dream, Dream".
Here's an excerpt from the article:
"Though the pretty girl group Luv' hasn't appeared much on national television after the success of "My Man", José Andreoli, one of the beautiful members of the trio, is hopeful about 1978. Though "Dream, Dream" has flopped, Luv' has remained active over the past months. "We give performances twice or three times a week. We do photo shoots and interviews, and we are busy with our third single," José tells. It will come out in early 1978, and according to José, it will be different from what the group has already released. Performances are scheduled in the Netherlands and Belgium. Many hours out of home, lots of travel and sometimes "we're happy that we are still alive". Because three attractive ladies in overcrowded discos can excite some men. "Fortunately, our manager and some club owners protect us against insistent clients". Luv' released their first record in May of this year. The producers of the group wanted the girls to look good and to sing well. "We have big plans for 1978," José says. Despite the hard competition on the Top 30 and other charts, she is optimistic. José has decided to take it easy and not pay attention to what's written about groups like Luv'. She is sure about one thing: "Some journalists write that we cannot sing, and this isn't true. We sing everything by ourselves. They should listen to us."
Moreover, the December 21st, 1977 edition of De Telegraaf featured a short article about Marga illustrated with a sexy picture of the blonde. Her last name was even misspelt (Scheider instead of Scheide). Actually, it was an excuse to show the charm of the Luv' singer, who posed in a leopard-print swimsuit and to hide the fact that the days of the group were numbered.
Translation in English: "The 23-year-old Marga Scheider from Amsterdam took part in the Miss Holland contest as a joke. "I've been elected "Miss Teenager" to my great surprise," Marga says. That's why I went to Japan for the Miss Young pageant. Then I could travel all over Europe, where I participated in other beauty contests. I even became Miss Grand Prix 1976. Marga is not only beautiful but she has quite a good voice. In January, Hans van Hemert was looking for a third girl for his group "LUV". Via a modelling agency, I had the opportunity to audition. "I thought it was scary, and I was terribly nervous, but finally I was chosen. Fortunately, I have a very relaxing hobby. Sometimes I fly to Corsica or Ibiza to snorkel". The photo of Marga shows that this sport gives a good appearance."
Luv' ended 1977 without knowing they would make history the following year. But that's another story...
TV performances
November 17th, 1977: "Dik Voormekaar Show" on NCRV (the Netherlands)
February 4th, 1978: "Die aktuelle Schaubude" on NDR (Germany)
Video posted by Siegfried Stelte
Chart performance
Dream, Dream failed to break into the Dutch Top 40 and the Flemish BRT Top 30. However, on December 17th, 1977, it entered the Tipparade (the Dutch Bubbling Under Top 40 chart) at #28. On December 31st, 1977, it peaked at #16. It dropped out of the chart the following week.
Tracklisting & release
Dream, Dream
7" vinyl single (45 rpm) - original release by Phonogram/Philips Records in November 1977
A side: Dream, Dream (Janschen & Janschens) - 3:29
B side: Hang On (Janschen & Janschens) - 3:09
Credits:
Vocals by José Andréoli, Marga Scheide and Patty Brard
Produced by Hans van Hemert
Arranged and conducted by Piet Souer
Manager: Han Meijer
Click here for details about the release of Dream, Dream.
Original Dutch cover
Front and back covers of the German 7" vinyl pressing
British 7" vinyl released by Harvest/EMI
Zimbabwean pressing
South African edition
* Bibliography:
The Story of Luv' by Peter Boonstra
Source: Luv' Weblog archives, Facebook (Official Luv', LUV' fan page), Wikipedia, Discogs.com, 45cat.com, Delpher.nl, YouTube, Dutchcharts.nl, ANP Historisch Archief...