“I Dreamed a Dream” is Fantine’s lament in Les Misérables. She has just lost her job and is sliding into poverty, and she looks back on the hopes of her youth and the lover who left her. The lyrics contrast the dream she once had with the “hell” she’s living now, and they end with the bleak idea that life itself has killed that dream.
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This post used to reprint the full lyrics. We’ve replaced them with a guide to what the I Dreamed a Dream lyrics mean, where the song falls in Les Misérables, and who has sung it, from the original London and Broadway Fantines to Susan Boyle and Anne Hathaway. We quote only a few words of the lyrics.
What do the I Dreamed a Dream lyrics mean?
The song moves from memory to despair in three stages.
- A kinder past. Fantine opens by remembering a time when men were kind, love was blind and the world felt like a song. Then, she says, it all went wrong.
- The dream. In the main section she describes what she once believed: that love would never die and that God would be forgiving. She was young and unafraid, with nothing yet to pay for. Then the mood darkens. “The tigers come at night”, she sings, an image of everything that preys on hope: men, poverty, shame.
- The lover who left. Fantine sings about a man who spent a summer by her side and was gone when autumn came. He’s the father of her daughter, Cosette, who she has left in the care of the Thénardiers. She still dreams he’ll come back, but admits some dreams cannot be.
The final lines are what make the song so powerful. Fantine sees how different her life is from what she hoped, and concludes that life has killed the dream she dreamed. It’s not a song of hope; it’s the moment she stops hoping. What follows in the show is even worse, which is why the song lands so hard.
For where it sits in the score, see our Les Misérables songs explained guide.
When does Fantine sing I Dreamed a Dream in Les Misérables?
It’s early in Act One, at Montreuil-sur-Mer, the town where Jean Valjean, under a new name, owns a factory and serves as mayor. Fantine, a single mother, works in the factory. After a disagreement with the foreman, who has been making advances toward her, she is fired and thrown onto the street (“At the End of the Day”). Alone, she sings “I Dreamed a Dream” (Les Misérables, Wikipedia).
Right afterward, she sells her locket and her hair and becomes a prostitute (“Lovely Ladies”) to keep sending money for Cosette. Valjean eventually rescues her and promises to raise her daughter, but Fantine dies soon after. She returns as a spirit in the finale. For more about her and the rest of the cast, see our Les Misérables characters explained guide.
Who created Fantine, and who has sung the song since?
Les Misérables has music by Claude-Michel Schönberg and English lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer, based on the original French show by Alain Boublil and Schönberg. Fantine has been played by many actresses since 1985:
- Patti LuPone created Fantine in English in the original London production in 1985.
- Randy Graff was Fantine in the original Broadway cast, which opened on March 12, 1987 (IBDB).
- Ruthie Henshall sang it at the 10th Anniversary Concert at the Royal Albert Hall in 1995.
- Daphne Rubin-Vega played Fantine in the 2006 Broadway revival.
- Caissie Levy was Fantine in the 2014 Broadway revival at the Imperial Theatre, from March 2014 to March 2015 (IBDB).
- Madalena Alberto played Fantine on the UK tour, as pictured above.
Fantine is a short role with one huge song, and it’s become one of the most coveted parts for musical theater sopranos. For more roles like it, see our guide to iconic musical theater roles and their stars.
How did Susan Boyle and Anne Hathaway make the song famous again?
Susan Boyle (2009). On the Britain’s Got Talent episode broadcast on 11 April 2009, Susan Boyle, a 47-year-old from West Lothian in Scotland, walked on stage to laughter from the audience and then sang “I Dreamed a Dream”. The judges and audience were stunned, and the clip went viral around the world (ITV). For many people outside the theater world, her performance was their introduction to the song.
Anne Hathaway (2012). In Tom Hooper’s 2012 film, the cast sang live on set instead of miming to a studio recording. Hathaway’s “I Dreamed a Dream” is filmed mostly in a single close-up as Fantine breaks down, and it was one of the most praised moments of the film. She won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. The film also moves the song slightly later than on stage: Hathaway sings it after Fantine has sold her hair and become a prostitute, which makes it even darker.
Where can I hear I Dreamed a Dream legally?
- Cast albums. The original London cast recording (Patti LuPone) and the original Broadway cast recording (Randy Graff) are on the major streaming services. The 1995 10th Anniversary Concert, with Ruthie Henshall, was released on video as the Dream Cast concert.
- The 2012 film soundtrack, with Anne Hathaway, is on the major streaming services and the film is available to rent or buy.
- Susan Boyle’s studio recording is the title track of her 2009 debut album, I Dreamed a Dream.
- Official lyrics. The cast album booklets and the licensed lyrics shown inside streaming apps are the legitimate sources. We don’t reproduce the full lyrics here.
Next, read about the show’s other great death scene in our guide to A Little Fall of Rain, or see every Les Mis post in our Les Misérables complete fan guide.
Want to play these songs yourself? “I Dreamed a Dream” is one of the most-requested show tunes for piano, with a flowing accompaniment that builds to a big climax. Pianoforall teaches chord-based piano so you can play ballads like this from a chord chart and accompany yourself as you sing. Try Pianoforall.
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Frequently asked questions
What is I Dreamed a Dream about?
Fantine, newly fired and facing poverty, remembers the hopes she had when she was young and the lover who abandoned her, and concludes that life has destroyed her dream.
Who sang I Dreamed a Dream first?
The first English-language Fantine was Patti LuPone in the original London production in 1985. On Broadway, Randy Graff created the role in 1987. The song began on the 1980 French concept album as “J’avais rêvé d’une autre vie”, sung by Rose Laurens as Fantine.
Did Anne Hathaway sing live in the Les Misérables film?
Yes. Director Tom Hooper had the cast sing live on set, and Hathaway’s live performance of “I Dreamed a Dream” helped her win the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.
Who played Fantine in the 2014 Broadway revival?
Caissie Levy, who played the role from the first preview on March 1, 2014 until March 2015.
Where can I find the official lyrics?
Use the cast album booklets or the licensed lyrics displayed in streaming apps. We paraphrase the song here rather than reproducing it.
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