Dream song aiming for Olympic gold

A song with a golden Midlands pedigree is to be released as an unofficial anthem for the London Olympics and Paralympics.

And the two families who have united for the project are hoping Everybody Needs A Dream will take the charts by storm.

The song was penned in the early 1970s by the late Barry Pritchard, founding member of The Fortunes, and has been reworked by his son Nick, from Wolverhampton.

Birmingham-based group The Fortunes enjoyed a string of top 10 hits in the UK, US and Europe during the 1960s, 70s and 80s, including the platinum-selling You've Got Your Troubles, Coca-Cola advert It's The Real Thing and other gold disc-winning releases.

In 2008, two of Mr Pritchard's sons, twins Shaun and Steven, decided to catalogue The Fortunes' recordings to remember him by. After turning their houses upside down, they discovered piles of old reel tapes, cassettes and CDs in an outbuilding, containing more than 200 unreleased songs.

The twins then set up TwinSpin Entertainment, confident that with their brothers Nick and Karl on board, the dream of one day revealing this music to the world could become a reality. Debating which track should be the first release, Shaun suggested Everybody Needs A Dream was a great fit with the 2012 Olympics.

Musician and songwriter Nick, aged 40, from Horseley Fields, has produced the new arrangement and Wolverhampton group D'Votion, made up of the Smith family, brothers Paul, John and Charles, alongside their sisters Julia and Louise, sing the track. Nick said: "I am a former journalist and covered the story of D'Votion's success in reaching the final of GMTV's search for Britain's most talented family.

"My dad would have been elated to hear them perform his song. His passing in January 1999 had a profound effect on us all, but if he taught us anything it is that life is for living.

"This song encapsulates that sentiment of going all out to realise your dreams. He achieved more in 54 years than most."

The song will be available to download from iTunes, Amazon and via a link from the D'Votion website, from Saturday.