Shattered Dreams

"Shattered Dreams" is a song by English musical group Johnny Hates Jazz from their debut studio album, Turn Back the Clock (1988). Written by the band's lead singer Clark Datchler, the song was released in March 1987 as the album's lead single. "Shattered Dreams" entered the UK Singles Chart at number 92 and gained popularity through extensive radio play and video rotation on MTV, eventually peaking at number five in May 1987 and spending three weeks at that position. It also reached the top 10 in Canada, Ireland, Norway, Switzerland, and West Germany. In the United States, the song was released with an alternative music video shot entirely in black and white and directed by David Fincher, which Datchler preferred. The single topped Billboards Adult Contemporary chart for one week and peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100. Background Singer Clark Datchler wrote "Shattered Dreams" in a small studio he had set up in the front room of his parents' house. He had an upright piano, a 4-track portastudio, a drum machine, and a keyboard in the studio. He wrote the song quickly, but the bongo solo took a while to conceive. Datchler knew he had written something special by his dad's reaction. Usually, his dad would offer musical advice if he asked for it, but would otherwise leave Clark alone. But this time, his dad walked in and told him he had written a big hit, and believed in the song's potential when few other people in the music industry did. On the lyrics, Datchler said: Versions Clark Datchler and the group would soon part, and Datchler released an acoustic version of the song as a track on his 1990 Virgin solo single "Crown of Thorns". He later re-recorded a slower version on his 2007 album Tomorrow. The song has been covered by boyband Ultra, on their 1999 eponymous album; by house music artist Jaybee in 2005; by Russian singer Sergey Lazarev on his TV Show album, which was his first solo outing outside the post-Soviet zone and his first international single to be formally released in the United Kingdom, and reached number 19 on the Russian TopHit Top Radio Hits chart; and in 2009 by Quentin Elias, former singer for French boy band Alliage, by American Idol season 7 winner David Cook during his Declaration tour.