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, bringing their unusual dance routines to the stage as they 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 slated 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 a televised audience as an actor, he had a knack for livening up the crowd. As a performer, his scrawny appearance, combined with the thick glasses, gave off the appearance of an eccentric performer, setting him apart from the teen idol-like presentations musicians such as The Beatles were known for.

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 until 1973, Freddie Garrity and Peter Birell appeared in the 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 getting them involved in the action throughout the show. Prior to this, the group recorded and released nine studio albums, then four more afterward. Freddie and the Dreamers also have a soundtrack to their credit, as well as twelve compilation albums and eight extended plays (EPs).

For Garrity, after his run on Little Big Time was over, he 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 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 Freddie Garrity would flap 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 the people entertained to keep 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 earns 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 met with the declining fan base of a younger audience. 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 simply get caught up in the beat and enjoy the talent pool of this group doing what they do best, which is entertaining.

#9 – I Love You Baby

“I Love You Baby” became a number nine hit in the Netherlands and a number sixteen hit on the UK Singles Chart when it was released in 1964. Like the majority of the singles released by the group in the UK, it was a stand-alone song, as well as 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 was able to do more than just sing a song and move on. Achieving audience involvement, whether it be at a live concert or a filmed production, “I Love You Baby” served as one of many songs that won over increased fan appeal over the years as the appreciation of lighthearted music material became more widespread.

#8 – A Little You

On the UK Singles Chart, “A Little You” peaked as high as number twenty-six while in Canada it became a top ten hit at number eight. On the US Billboard Hot 100, this 1965 single release from the album, Do the Freddie, charted as high as number forty-eight. 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 this as a single in the same 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 Netherlands markets, coming from the album, Frantic Freddie. The humorous lyrics of a mouse living in a windmill served as a great novelty tune both children and adults found 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 will wait for his love interest as the one and only that 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 would later reappear during 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 Kruger. On the US Billboard Hot 100, it became a number eighteen hit and it was even more popular in Canada at number six. 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 as high as number five and it was a number thirty-six hit on the US Billboard Hot 100. In Australia, “I Understand” peaked at number seventy-four and at number thirty on the Dutch Top 40 in the Netherlands. This wonderful ballad was a real gem as Freddie Garrity was better known for faster-paced material that made him and his band a fan favorite, especially with an audience that became accustomed to their whimsical performances. Beautifully narrated as a lovestruck, understanding man, Garrity’s vocal talent spoke volumes and why he won over the hearts of fans coming from 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 of this single 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 over, including The Beatles which also peaked at number three in the UK for the Fab Four 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, number ten in Ireland, and number twenty-three 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 making its 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, on the US Billboard Hot 100 and in Canada, this single topped their respective music charts, winning over the North American audience as members of the infamous British Invasion that musically swept the nations at that 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 inspired 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.

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