Top 10 Freddie And The Dreamers Songs

Feature Photo: Harry Pot, CC BY-SA 3.0 NL <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/nl/deed.en>, via Wikimedia Commons

This List Of Freddie And The Dreamers songs presents the group’s best songs, including “I’m Telling You Now,” “I Understand,” and many more. Out of Manchester, England, Freddie Garrity met with Peter Birrell, Roy Crewdson, Bernie Dwyer, and Derek Quinn in 1961 to form the British beat-rock group, Freddie and The Dreamers. The Merseybeat sound sensation first centered around Liverpool before bringing their act to Manchester, where they introduced their unusual dance routines and engaged the audience with memorable concert performances. This was also seen in the motion pictures they appeared in, namely Joe Brown’s What a Crazy World, Kenneth Connor’s Cuckoo Patrol, and Victor Maddern’s Every Day’s A Holiday.

About Freddie

Although born as Frederick Garrity out of Crumpsall, Manchester on November 14, 1936, during the earlier run of Freddie and The Dreamers as a band it was stated his birth year as 1940 as a marketing ploy to win over the younger audience, as it was they who bought the majority of the music recorded and released within the UK. Freddie earned a name for himself more for his on-stage antics than he was for his vocal talent as a singer. Even before he became an actor, he had a knack for livening up the crowd. As a performer, his scrawny appearance, combined with his thick glasses, gave him an eccentric air, setting him apart from the teen-idol-like presentations of musicians such as The Beatles.

Little Big Time Run

Between 1963 and 1965, Freddie and the Dreamers were at the height of their popularity. Starting in 1966, many of the group’s fans began to lose interest, and by 1971, the bandmates went their separate ways. However, from 1968 to 1973, Freddie Garrity and Peter Birell appeared in episodes of the children’s series Little Big Time. The UK’s Independent Television (ITV) program featured Garrity and Birrell performing their mix of musical and theatrical antics before the audience, often involving the audience in the action throughout the show. Prior to this, the group recorded and released nine studio albums, followed by four more. Freddie and the Dreamers also have a soundtrack to their credit, as well as twelve compilation albums and eight extended plays (EPs).

After his run on Little Big Time ended, Garrity continued making television appearances until 1993. At that time, he brought forth a new version of Freddie and the Dreamers, where the group made several concert performances until he experienced a heart attack in 2001 while flying back to Britain from America. It would be at this time that he would be diagnosed with emphysema, a condition that would force him into retirement before his death on May 19, 2006, at sixty-nine years old.

Freddie and The Dreamers were probably as well known for the brief dance craze that erupted during the mid-1960s as for Freddie Garrity flapping his arms and legs as if he were performing a crazy exercise routine before the audience. From 1963 until 2000, Freddie and The Dreamers continued to make their zany impression before a worldwide audience as a group that may not have had any standout hits, but certainly knew how to keep people entertained and coming back for more. Of the five founding band members, only Peter Birrell and Roy Crewdson have survived Freddie Garrity, as well as Bernie Dwyer, who passed away in 2002, and Derek Quinn, who passed away in 2020.

Top 10 Freddie and The Dreamers Songs

#10 – If You’ve Got a Minute, Baby

Released as a single in 1966, “If You’ve Got a Minute, Baby” failed to make a chart impression and earned its place as one of the favorites from Freddie and The Dreamers. While the popularity of The Beatles was soaring at the time, Freddie and the Dreamers faced a declining audience among younger fans. As for devout fans of this beat group, they were treated to Freddie Garrity’s wonderful plea to his love interest; he would go out of his way to make sure giving him the time of day would be a decision she wouldn’t regret. This whimsical love song was more than enough to get caught up in the beat and enjoy the talent pool of this group doing what they do best: entertaining.

#9 – I Love You Baby

“I Love You Baby” reached number nine in the Netherlands and number sixteen on the UK Singles Chart when it was released in 1964. Like most of the singles released by the group in the UK, it was a stand-alone song, as was the case in the US. This playful number by Freddie and The Dreamers was one of many musical declarations of love singles performed by a group that could do more than just sing a song and move on. Achieving audience involvement, whether at a live concert or a filmed production, “I Love You Baby” was one of many songs that gained increased fan appeal over the years as appreciation for lighthearted music became more widespread.

#8 – A Little You

On the UK Singles Chart, “A Little You” peaked at number 26, while in Canada it reached number eight. On the US Billboard Hot 100, this 1965 single release from the album Do the Freddie charted as high as number 48. From start to finish, the narrator addressed his love interest as a concerned lover simply wanting a little of his sweetheart. Performed as a beat-fused love song, Freddie and The Dreamers continued with the band’s trademark sound that earned them a strong fan following during the first half of their recording career.

#7 – A Windmill in Old Amsterdam

“A Windmill in Old Amsterdam” was originally recorded in 1965 by Ronnie Hilton, before Freddie and The Dreamers covered it as a single that year. On the RPM music chart belonging to Canada, it became a number twenty-seven hit. This song was released only for the North American and Dutch markets from the album Frantic Freddie. The humorous lyrics of a mouse living in a windmill made it a great novelty tune; both children and adults found it too appealing not to get caught up in the playfulness of this song.

#6 – Over You

On the UK Singles Chart, “Over You” became a number thirteen hit after it was released as a single in 1964. In Australia, it charted at number ninety-six. Freddie and The Dreamers made this a playful favorite as the narrator claimed he would wait for his love interest as the one and only who had won over his heart.

#5 – Do the Freddie

“Do the Freddie” became more than just a hit single for Freddie and The Dreamers as the lead vocalist, Freddie Garrity, made a name for himself with the wacky dance routines he’d perform for this song, as well as “I’m Telling You Now.” For a short while, it became a dance craze that later reappeared in a 1965 episode of The Addams Family and in the 1989 movie Troop Beverly Hills. The spoof, “Do the Freddy,” was inspired by “Do the Freddie,” which featured the horror movie icon, Freddy Krueger. On the US Billboard Hot 100, it reached number 18, and it was even more popular in Canada, where it reached number 6. It also made a big enough impression in Australia, as “Do the Freddie” peaked at number fifty-five.

#4 – I Understand

Originally performed in 1953 by The G-Clefs, Freddie and The Dreamers recorded and released “I Understand” as a single in 1964. On the UK Singles Chart, it peaked at number five, and it was a number 36 hit on the US Billboard Hot 100. In Australia, “I Understand” peaked at number seventy-four, and in the Netherlands, at number thirty on the Dutch Top 40. This wonderful ballad was a real gem, as Freddie Garrity was better known for faster-paced material that made him and his band fan favorites, especially with an audience that had grown accustomed to their whimsical performances. Beautifully narrated as a lovestruck, understanding man, Garrity’s vocal talent spoke volumes, and it’s why he won over the hearts of fans across all age groups.

#3 – If You Gotta Make a Fool of Somebody

“If You Gotta Make a Fool of Somebody” was a 1961 James Ray original that peaked at number three on the UK Singles Chart when Freddie and The Dreamers released their version in 1963. This single served as the opening track for the group’s self-titled debut album, which also peaked at number seven in New Zealand. This song has been covered many times, including by The Beatles, which also peaked at number three in the UK in 1962.

#2 – You Were Made for Me

Released in 1963, “You Were Made for Me” was a number three hit single for Freddie and The Dreamers on the UK Singles Chart, making it the third song in a row for the band to score a top ten hit in their home nation. It also became a number four hit in New Zealand, a number ten hit in Ireland, and a number twenty-three hit in Canada. On the US Billboard Hot 100, “You Were Made for Me” peaked at number twenty-one. In 1964, “You Were Made for Me” was performed by Freddie Garrity in the 1964 British film Just for You. This cheery musical declaration of love was a classic British beat hit that came just shy of the Beatles’ North American breakthrough, which marked Freddie and The Dreamers as part of the musical British Invasion that swept the American and Canadian nations.

#1 – I’m Telling You Now

On the UK Singles Chart, “I’m Telling You Now” became a number two hit during the summer of 1963. In 1965, this single topped the US Billboard Hot 100 and the Canadian music charts, winning over North American audiences as part of the infamous British Invasion that musically swept the nations at the time. This single, combined with Freddie Garrity’s comical dance routines, spawned a dance fad named after the band’s lead vocalist. Regarded as one of Freddie and The Dreamers’ signature songs, “I’m Telling You Now” still remains the fan-favorite, sometimes inspiring enough to go all out and “Do the Freddie.” Should you wish to listen and dance to this classic, make sure you have plenty of arm and leg space.

Updated January 17, 2026

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