I Dreamed a Dream

This song is from the first act of the musical Les Miserables. It is sang by the character Fantine, in which she recalls the man whom she once loved, who abandoned Fantine and her daughter. In the original 1980 French production it was titled "J'avais rêvé d'une autre vie," which translates as "I dreamed of another life."

The song had a resurgence in popularity after a performance by the 48-year-old Scottish amateur singer Susan Boyle on the reality show Britain's Got Talent. When the mousy Scot first stepped onto the stage, the three judges including Simon Cowell looked noticeably unenthusiastic, but as soon she opened her mouth to sing it was clear that Boyle had a rare talent. The contrast between their first impression and the ovation she received afterwards triggered global interest. Within a week Boyle's performance had been viewed over 66 million times on YouTube, setting an online record. Boyle sang the song again in the show's final, in which she came second to dance troupe Diversity.

Prior to Susan Boyle's performance, this song had not charted in the UK. In the US the only Billboard appearance was a live version by Neil Diamond, which peaked at #13 on the Adult Contemporary chart in 1987. After the interested generated by Boyle, Patti LuPone's version from the 1985 Original London Cast Recording entered both the Hot Digital Songs listing in the US and the UK singles chart. It was the musical star's first hit in the UK and also the first time any song from Les Miserables had charted in that country.