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Cover of Mr. Fantasy by Traffic
Cover: Mr. Fantasy

Song · Traffic

“Dear Mr. Fantasy” by Traffic

From the album Mr. Fantasy (1967)

“Dear Mr. Fantasy” by Traffic appears on 48 radio countdowns from 18 stations between 1991 and 2026. It was first released in 1967 on the album Mr. Fantasy. Its best result is #29 on the 100.7 WZLX Firecracker 500 (2015). In the combined RockLists rankings it is #466 indie & aaa song of all time.

48countdowns
18stations
#29best position
0#1 finishes
0top 10 finishes
1991–2026years charted

Watch

Traffic - Dear Mr. Fantasy (Official Music Video)

Video from YouTube (Mreverything37). Pressing play loads YouTube's player. Watch on YouTube

"Dear Mr. Fantasy" is the title track of Traffic's 1967 debut, Mr. Fantasy, and it's a heavy trip in a pop suit. Jim Capaldi wrote the words; Steve Winwood and Chris Wood wrote the music; Jimmy Miller produced it for Island. The mood is dark and foreboding, the song carried along by a steady, tuneful pulse, and over it Winwood sings with the soul he honed back in the Spencer Davis Group, hanging back behind the beat and tightening the screws verse by verse.

It has followed the band a long way. When Dave Matthews inducted the band into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, he singled it out in his speech, and it was the song Traffic chose to play that night.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.

RockLists rankings

Indie & Adult Alternative

Classic Rock

All Rock Formats

All-time and decade countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
1991 153 WNEW-FM WNEW Firecracker 500 (1991) 500
1996 336 WNEW-FM WNEW Firecracker 500 (1996) 500
1997 423 102.3 WBAB WBAB Top 1,023 Rock and Roll Songs of All Time (1997) 1023
1997 325 100.7 WZLX WZLX Memorial 500 (1997) 499
2001 1907 WFPK WFPK 2001 Greatest Songs of All Time 2000
2002 859 92.3 KGON KGON Top 923 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2002) 923
2004 799 92.3 KGON KGON Top 923 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2004) 923
2004 552 WXPN WXPN 885 All-Time Greatest Songs (2004) 885
2007 321 WTMD WTMD Top 897 Songs of All Time 897
2009 826 WXPN WXPN 885 Desert Island Songs (2009) 885
2011 63 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1100 Countdown (2011) 1100
2012 280 WYEP WYEP Top 500 Songs Countdown 500
2012 64 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1200 Countdown (2012) 1200
2012 644 WXPN WXPN 885 Greatest Rock Songs (2012) 885
2013 255 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Firecracker 500 (2013) 500
2013 31 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Grand Jam 1000 (2013) 1000
2014 264 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Firecracker 400 (2014) 400
2014 949 Big 100 BIG 1000 New Year's Countdown (2014) 1000
2014 574 WXPN WXPN 885 All-Time Greatest Songs (2014) 885
2014 276 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX 1K Countdown (2014) 1000
2015 31 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1007 Classic Rock Countdown (2015) 1007
2015 29 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Firecracker 500 (2015) 499
2015 411 102.9 The Whale 102.9 The Whale Hartford 500 (2015) 500
2016 137 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1007 Countdown for 2016 1007
2017 247 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2017) 500
2018 438 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2018) 500
2019 467 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2019) 500
2019 349 WYEP WYEP Labor Day Weekend Countdown 2019 1099
2019 755 102.5 KZOK KZOK Top 1025 of 2019 1025
2019 349 WYEP WYEP Big Spring Countdown 2019 1017
2020 462 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2020) 500
2020 211 WXPN WXPN 2020 Greatest Songs of All Time 2020
2021 470 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2021) 500
2021 610 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2021) 1043
2022 374 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2022) 500
2022 848 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2022) 1043
2023 547 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2023) 1043
2023 283 Qfm96 Qfm96 Memorial Day 500 (2023) 500
2023 269 WMGK WMGK Philly 500 (2023) 500
2023 909 101.5 WPDH WPDH Top 1015 (2023) 1015
2023 608 WYEP WYEP Countdown to Fall 2023 1229
2024 674 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2024) 1043
2024 288 Qfm96 Qfm96 Memorial Day 500 (2024) 498
2024 419 WMGK WMGK Philly 500 (2024) 500
2024 367 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2024) 500
2025 578 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2025) 1043
2025 281 Qfm96 Qfm96 Memorial Day 500 (2025) 498
2026 290 KXT KXT 917 Song Countdown 917

Also listed as: Dear Mr Fantasy.

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