"The Dream Academy" is the debut studio album by the English band The Dream Academy, released in September 1985. Produced by Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour and Nick Laird-Clowes, the album features the band's breakthrough single, "Life in a Northern Town." Written as a tribute to musician Nick Drake, the song became the band's only major chart hit, reaching number 7 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number 15 in the UK. The album itself charted at number 20 on the US Billboard 200.
The follow-up single, "The Love Parade," did not achieve the same level of success, peaking at number 36 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 68 in the UK, although it still received some radio airplay. Another notable track from the album, "The Edge of Forever," was featured in a key scene of the 1986 John Hughes film Ferris Bueller's Day Off, which helped the band gain a following among fans of 1980s cinema.
