ABBA — I Have a Dream

We are going to learn a well-known ABBA hit released in 1979 that has remained popular ever since. Its chord progression is extremely simple: both the verse and chorus revolve around just a few basic chords. If, as a beginner, you already know C major, F major, G major and G7 and would like to turn those chords into a complete song, I Have a Dream is an ideal choice.

To keep the song from sounding monotonous, ABBA filled the arrangement with many musical ideas. Obviously we cannot reproduce all of those with a single ukulele, but that is not our aim. Our goal is to accompany ourselves — and anyone singing with us — with a strong, flowing strumming pattern. We will need the following chords:

You can also find the lyrics and chords under the “Downloads” menu, but I am including them here as well so that everything is in one place:

I have a [G7] dream, a song to [C] sing,
to help me [G7] cope with any[C]thing.
If you see the [G] wonder of a fairy [C] tale,
you can take the [G] future, even if you [C] fail.

I believe in [G7] angels, something good in [F] everything I [C] see,
I believe in [G7] angels, when I know the [F] time is right for [C] me,
I’ll cross the [G7] stream - I have a [C] dream.

I have a [G7] dream of fanta[C]sy,
to help me [G7] through reali[C]ty.
And my desti[G]nation makes it worth the [C] while,
pushing through the [G] darkness still another [C] mile.

I believe in [G7] angels, something good in [F] everything I [C] see,
I believe in [G7] angels, when I know the [F] time is right for [C] me,
I’ll cross the [G7] stream - I have a [C] dream.
I’ll cross the [G7] stream - I have a [C] dream.

I have a [G7] dream, a song to [C] sing,
to help me [G7] cope with any[C]thing.
If you see the [G] wonder of a fairy [C] tale,
you can take the [G] future, even if you [C] fail.

I believe…. in [G7] angels, something good in [F] everything I [C] see,
I believe in [G7] angels, when I know the [F] time is right for [C] me,
I’ll cross the [G7] stream - I have a [C] dream.

I’ll cross the [G7] stream…, I have a [C] dream.

In the next video I show you the chords and the strumming pattern that, in my opinion, fits the song best. I hope you enjoy it: