WHEN MY DREAMBOAT COMES HOME - Free Jazz Leadsheet

“when my dreamboat comes home” was written by Cliff Friend and Dave Franklin and published in 1936. It entered the popular-music repertoire and later found a home in jazz as a standard ballad.

The song was recorded by many of the big bands and vocalists of the late 1930s and 1940s, and subsequent jazz artists have reinterpreted it. While a definitive “first jazz recording” is not always cited, it has remained a favorite for vocalists and instrumentalists alike.

Its lyrics convey longing and anticipation for a beloved’s return — the “dreamboat” being a romantic figure who is expected to come home. The melody is gentle and lyrical, with harmonies that lend themselves to rich, expressive arrangements in both small-group and orchestral jazz settings.