Jim Peterik
“American Dreamer” ft. Dave Mikulskis
Roots & Shoots Volume 2
Directed by HIP Video Productions
Added 9/16/2024
We can’t define it. There’s no consensus on what it is. Nevertheless, we know that the American Dream is a real thing. There’s a particular approach to fantasy and imagination that only exists under American skies. It may have to do with the wildness of the frontier, the urgency of industry, or the optimism of a new start — regardless, everyone feels its pull. No matter how different the American Dream is something everyone has in common. Sometimes it may seem like the only thing everyone has in common: a sense of the romance and endless possibility of life in America at its best.
About Jim Peterik
About “American Dreamer”
“American Dreamer,” his latest single, is both a continuation of that reverie and a completion of a narrative quest he began in 1979 with “Somewhere in America,” the kickoff track on Survivor’s debut album. All of the hallmarks of Peterik’s writing are present, including the thunderous drums, the muscular riffs, the sing-along choruses, the memorable melody and the scalding six-string solo, the optimism, the fighting spirit. For “American Dreamer,” he’s joined forces with another musician whose ambitions match his: singer Dave Mikulskis, a specialist in reinterpreting and reanimating the unforgettable radio hits of the 1980s. His understanding of Peterik’s intentions is total — because he’s an American dreamer, too.
About the “American Dreamer” Lyric Video
The lyric clip for the song contains the elements of the American Dream as it’s widely apprehended by Americans: the blue skies, the broad vistas, the beaches and blue waves, the streets, and the beautiful young men and women who play there. The words are presented in chunky, robust letters: letters thick enough for a varsity sweatshirt. There’s also plenty of footage of Jim Peterik and Dave Mikulskis in the studio, doing what they always have done: weaving a dream big enough for a nation to inhabit. It’s a well crafted visual matched up with an undeniable earworm, encouraging all the American Dreamers out there to stand out, level up…and “shine like a star.”