Dreams (The Cranberries song)

"Dreams"
Artwork for 1994 European rerelease (UK CD1 single pictured)
Single by The Cranberries
from the album Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We?
B-side	"What You Were" "Liar"
Released	29 September 1992 1 April 1994 (reissue)
Format	CD
Recorded	1992
Genre	Alternative rock dream pop
Length	4:32 (album version) 4:15 (UK radio edit) 4:02 (U.S. radio edit)
Label	Island
Writer(s)	Dolores O'Riordan Noel Hogan
Producer(s)	Stephen Street
The Cranberries singles chronology
"Dreams" (1992) "Linger" (1993)
Music video "Dreams" on YouTube Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We? track listing "I Still Do" (1) "Dreams" (2) "Sunday" (3) Audio sample file info · help USA CD single (1994) The file above's purpose is being discussed and/or is being considered for deletion. See files for discussion to help reach a consensus on what to do.

"Dreams" is a song by Irish rock band the Cranberries. The song was released as the band's debut single in the industry in late-1992 from their debut studio album, Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We? (1993). An early 1990 version was released in Ireland only in the summer of that year.

The promotional single reached the Top 15 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Airplay and the top 30 on the UK charts in early 1994.

The backing vocals on the song are sung by Mike Mahoney, ex-boyfriend of Cranberries lead singer Dolores O'Riordan. This hit was also a main feature of the Cranberries in the 1994 Woodstock Revival Festival.

Music video

There are three versions of the video. The first version of the music video features Dolores O'Riordan donning her original hairstyle that is seen on the Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We? album cover. The video revolves around O'Riordan with the other band members flashing up throughout the video while she's sitting on in a chair with a cross as a back or a close up of her face and eyes. The video shows a mirrored image of O'Riordan to show she does the background vocals and towards the end the band members fade in and out constantly in front of O'Riordan.

The second version shows the Cranberries performing the song in a dimly lit aquatic-themed room interspersed with shots of geometric flowers hitting water. This video received high rotation on MTV's 120 Minutes in 1993 before the release of the bands next single, Linger, and the re-release of Dreams worldwide.

The third version, which was most commonly shown in America, shows the Cranberries performing the song in a nightclub. After which, Dolores O'Riordan heads out to a house where graverobbers dressed in black have placed in a very large tree pile. Dolores bathes the tree pile in water and a man is buried under the pile. The water frees him and in the final seconds of the video, the man wakes up.

Track listings

UK and European 12" Single/CD Single (1992)^[1]

1. "Dreams" (Radio Edit) - 4:15
2. "What You Were" (Previously Unreleased) - 3:41
3. "Liar" (Previously Unreleased) - 2:22

"What You Were" is written by Dolores O'Riordan. "Liar" is written by Dolores O'Riordan and Noel Hogan. "Liar" was later featured in the 1995 film Empire Records.

UK and European 7" Single^[2]

1. "Dreams" (Album Version) - 4:32
2. "What You Were" (Previously Unreleased) - 3:41

UK and European Special Edition 2-Disk CD Single (1994)

CD 1^[3]

1. "Dreams" (Radio Edit) - 4:15
2. "What You Were" (Previously Unreleased) - 3:41
3. "Liar" (Previously Unreleased) - 2:22

CD 2^[4]

1. "Not Sorry" (Live at The Record Plant, Hollywood) - 4:37
2. "Wanted" (Live at The Record Plant, Hollywood) - 2:00
3. "Dreams" (Live at The Record Plant, Hollywood) - 4:10
4. "Liar" (Live at The Record Plant, Hollywood) - 3:17

US CD Single^[5]

1. "Dreams" (Album Version) - 4:32
2. "What You Were" (Previously Unreleased) - 3:41
3. "Waltzing Back" (Live at The Record Plant, Hollywood) - 4:02
4. "Pretty" (Live at The Record Plant, Hollywood) - 2:09

2-Track CD Single^[6]

1. "Dreams" (Album Version) - 4:32
2. "Linger" (Album Version) - 4:34

Covers and media appearances

A Cantonese cover of the song, "Dream Lover", with backing vocals by herself, was a hit single for Chinese singer Faye Wong, included in her 1994 album Random Thoughts.^[7]

Bella Ferraro performed the song on X Factor Australia in 2012, that week the song re-entered the ARIA Charts just missing the top 50 at No.51.

American indie pop band Bleachers covered the song at Lollapalooza in 2014.

Soundtracks

Movies

• Chungking Express (1994)
• Safe Passage (1994)
• Milk Money (1994)
• The Next Karate Kid (1994)
• Boys on the Side (1995)
• Mission: Impossible (1996)
• You've Got Mail (1998)
• Shot Through the Heart (1998)
• The Baby-Sitters Club (Trailer only) (1995)
• Mona Lisa Smile (Trailer only) (2003)
• Sound of My Voice (2011)
• The To Do List (2013)

Television series

• My So-Called Life, season 1, episode 3 (1995)^[8]
• Being Erica, season 3, episode 3 "Two Wrongs" (2010)^[9]
• Beverly Hills, 90210, season 5, episode 24 "Unreal World" (1995)^[10]
• 90210
• JAG, Season 4 episode "Yeah, Baby"
• Beach Girls, Opening credits (2005)^[11]

Charts

References