Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Aug 5, 2026

In Between Dreams

In Between Dreams is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter Jack Johnson, released by Brushfire Records in the United States on March 1, 2005. In Between Dreams received generally mixed reviews from music critics; however, it achieved considerable commercial success.

Last revised
Aug 5, 2026
Read time
≈ 7 min
Length
1,704 w
Citations
73
Source
Wikipedia ↗
In Between Dreams
Studio album by
Jack Johnson
ReleasedMarch 1, 2005 (2005-03-01)
RecordedOctober 2004
StudioThe Mango Tree, Hawaii
Genre
Length41:34
LabelBrushfire, Universal Records
ProducerMario Caldato, Jr.
Jack Johnson chronology
On and On
(2003) 		In Between Dreams
(2005) 		Sing-A-Longs and Lullabies for the Film Curious George
(2006)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusicStarStarStarHalf star1
BlenderStarStar2
Entertainment WeeklyB3
MojoStarStarStar4
The New York Times(mixed)5
PopMatters6/106
QStarStarStar7
Rolling StoneStarStarHalf star8
SpinD+9
The Village Voice(favorable)10

In Between Dreams is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter Jack Johnson, released by Brushfire Records in the United States on March 1, 2005. In Between Dreams received generally mixed reviews from music critics;11 however, it achieved considerable commercial success.

Album cover

The album cover depicts a mango tree, referring to the Mango Tree, the studio where In Between Dreams was recorded. There is also a reference to the mango tree in "Better Together".

Critical reception

At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 58, based on 15 reviews.11 MacKenzie Wilson of AllMusic describes Johnson as "stick[ing] with what he does best" on the album;1 this has led some critics to characterize the album as feeling "safe" or unambitious.19 However, Barry Walters of Rolling Stone argues that Johnson explored new content with more politically minded tracks like "Crying Shame" and "Staple It Together".8 Most critics have described Johnson's delivery as laid-back or mellow;138 some tracks were also characterized as employing a "light reggae lilt", a stylistic choice which was generally criticized.812 The overall mood of the album has been described as "upbeat" and "uplifting".112

Track listing

All lyrics are written by Jack Johnson; all music is composed by Johnson, except where noted.

No.TitleLength
1."Better Together"3:27
2."Never Know"3:32
3."Banana Pancakes"3:12
4."Good People"3:28
5."No Other Way"3:09
6."Sitting, Waiting, Wishing"3:03
7."Staple It Together" (Jack Johnson, Merlo Podlewski)3:16
8."Situations"1:17
9."Crying Shame" (Jack Johnson, Adam Topol)3:06
10."If I Could"2:25
11."Breakdown" (Jack Johnson, Dan Nakamura & Paul Huston)3:32
12."Belle"1:43
13."Do You Remember"2:24
14."Constellations"3:21
iTunes bonus track
No.TitleLength
15."Constellations" (Demo from the Mango Tree)3:32
UK bonus track
No.TitleLength
15."Mudfootball" (Live)4:24

Personnel

Musicians

  • Jack Johnson – vocals and guitars
  • Sam Lapointe – lead guitar
  • Simon Tessier – bassoon
  • Zach Gill – piano on "Good People" and "Sitting, Waiting, Wishing", accordion on "Belle", melodica on "If I Could"
  • Adam Topol – drums and percussion
  • Merlo Podlewski – bass guitar
  • Johnald Hernandez – backup vocals

Production

Charts

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)46 5× Platinum 350,000‡
Austria (IFPI Austria)47 Gold 15,000*
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)48 Gold 50,000*
Canada (Music Canada)49 6× Platinum 600,000‡
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)50 4× Platinum 80,000‡
France (SNEP)51 Gold 75,000*
Germany (BVMI)52 3× Gold 300,000‡
Ireland (IRMA)53 2× Platinum 30,000^
Japan (RIAJ)54 Gold 100,000^
Netherlands (NVPI)55 Gold 40,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)56 7× Platinum 105,000‡
Portugal (AFP)57 Gold 20,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)58 Gold 20,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)59 5× Platinum 1,500,000*
United States (RIAA)60 2× Platinum 2,000,000^
Summaries
Europe (IFPI)61 2× Platinum 2,000,000*

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Sheet music

The artist-approved sheet music of this album is available through Cherry Lane Music Company in a "Play It Like It Is" guitar folio.62

References

References

  1. "In Between Dreams - Jack Johnson". AllMusic. Retrieved March 1, 2025.
  2. "Jack Johnson, 'In Between Dreams' (Brushfire)". Blender. Alpha Media Group: 119. April 2005.
  3. Browne, David (February 28, 2005). "In Between Dreams Review". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on April 21, 2009. Retrieved November 12, 2011.
  4. "Jack Johnson, 'In Between Dreams' (Brushfire)". Mojo. EMAP: 109. May 2005.
  5. Pareles, Jon (March 13, 2005). "Playlist: The Sexy Sounds of Childbearing". The New York Times. Retrieved November 12, 2011.
  6. "Music Reviews, Features, Essays, News, Columns, Blogs, MP3s and Videos | PopMatters". Archived from the original on April 4, 2016. Retrieved June 29, 2005.
  7. "Jack Johnson, 'In Between Dreams' (Brushfire)". Q: 122. April 2005.
  8. "Rolling Stone review". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on October 23, 2005.
  9. Gross, Joe (April 2005). "Jack Johnson, 'In Between Dreams' (Brushfire)". Spin. 21 (4): 102. Retrieved November 12, 2011.
  10. Wood, Mikael (August 30, 2005). "Dumber Breeze". The Village Voice. Retrieved November 12, 2011.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  11. "In Between Dreams Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More at Metacritic". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved November 12, 2011.
  12. Smith, Caspar Llewellyn (February 20, 2005). "Jack Johnson, In Between Dreams". The Guardian. Retrieved December 14, 2021.
  13. "Australiancharts.com – Jack Johnson – In Between Dreams". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  14. "Austriancharts.at – Jack Johnson – In Between Dreams" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  15. "Ultratop.be – Jack Johnson – In Between Dreams" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  16. "Ultratop.be – Jack Johnson – In Between Dreams" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  17. "Jack Johnson Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  18. "Danishcharts.dk – Jack Johnson – In Between Dreams". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  19. "Dutchcharts.nl – Jack Johnson – In Between Dreams" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  20. "Lescharts.com – Jack Johnson – In Between Dreams". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  21. "Offiziellecharts.de – Jack Johnson – In Between Dreams" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  22. "Irish-charts.com – Discography Jack Johnson". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  23. "Charts.nz – Jack Johnson – In Between Dreams". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  24. "Norwegiancharts.com – Jack Johnson – In Between Dreams". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  25. "Portuguesecharts.com – Jack Johnson – In Between Dreams". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  26. "Official Scottish Albums Chart on 26/2/2006 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
  27. "Spanishcharts.com – Jack Johnson – In Between Dreams". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  28. "Swisscharts.com – Jack Johnson – In Between Dreams". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  29. "Official Albums Chart on 26/2/2006 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  30. "Jack Johnson Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  31. "ARIA End of Year Albums Chart 2005". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
  32. "Jahreshitparade Alben 2005". austriancharts.at. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
  33. "Jaaroverzichten – Album 2005". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
  34. "Top de l'année Top Albums 2005" (in French). SNEP. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
  35. "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts". GfK Entertainment (in German). offiziellecharts.de. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
  36. "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2005". hitparade.ch. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
  37. "End of Year Album Chart Top 100 – 2005". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
  38. "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2005". Billboard. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
  39. "Top 50 Global Best Selling Albums for 2005" (PDF). IFPI. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 17, 2008. Retrieved February 2, 2023.
  40. "Jaaroverzichten – Album 2006". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
  41. "Top de l'année Top Albums 2006" (in French). SNEP. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
  42. "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts". GfK Entertainment (in German). offiziellecharts.de. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
  43. "End of Year Album Chart Top 100 – 2006". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
  44. "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2006". Billboard. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
  45. "The Noughties' Official UK Albums Chart Top 100". Music Week. London, England: United Business Media: 19. January 30, 2010.
  46. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2023 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
  47. "Austrian album certifications – Jack Johnson – In Between Dreams" (in German). IFPI Austria. Retrieved October 27, 2013.
  48. "Brazilian album certifications – Jack Johnson – In Between Dreams" (in Portuguese). Pro-Música Brasil. Retrieved April 29, 2011.
  49. "Canadian album certifications – Jack Johnson – In Between Dreams". Music Canada. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
  50. "Danish album certifications – Jack Johnson – In Between Dreams". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  51. "French album certifications – Jack Johnson – In Between Dreams" (in French). SNEP. Retrieved April 11, 2020.
  52. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Jack Johnson; 'In Between Dreams')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved March 25, 2023.
  53. "The Irish Charts - 2006 Certification Awards - Multi Platinum". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved October 27, 2013.
  54. "Japanese album certifications – Jack Johnson – In Between Dreams" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved January 12, 2025. Select 2005年4月 on the drop-down menu
  55. "Dutch album certifications – Jack Johnson – In Between Dreams" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Retrieved May 26, 2019. Enter In Between Dreams in the "Artiest of titel" box. Select 2006 in the drop-down menu saying "Alle jaargangen".
  56. "New Zealand album certifications – Jack Johnson – In Between Dreams". Radioscope. Retrieved January 12, 2025. Type In Between Dreams in the "Search:" field and press Enter.
  57. "Portuguese album certifications – Jack Johnson – In Between Dreams" (in Portuguese). Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa. Archived from the original on November 20, 2010. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
  58. "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('In Between Dreams')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien. Retrieved May 26, 2019.
  59. "British album certifications – Jack Johnson – In Between Dreams". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved February 1, 2016. Select albums in the Formats field. Type In Between Dreams Jack Johnson in the "Search:" field.
  60. "American album certifications – Jack Johnson – In Between Dreams". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved April 29, 2011.
  61. "IFPI Platinum Europe Awards – 2007". International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved July 4, 2019.
  62. [1]
External links
  • Honolulu Advertiser: "Johnson hits the road, sharing his 'Dreams'" – Inspiration behind the songs