| "Dreams" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single byGabrielle | ||||
| from the albumFind Your Way | ||||
| Released | 7 June 1993 (1993-06-07) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:44 | |||
| Label | Go! Beat | |||
| Songwriters |
| |||
| Producer | Richie Fermie | |||
| Gabrielle singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Dreams" onYouTube | ||||
"Dreams" is a song by British singer and songwriterGabrielle. It was written by Gabrielle and Tim Laws and produced by Richie Fermie for her debut studio album,Find Your Way (1993). Released byGo! Beat as Gabrielle's debut single, "Dreams" entered theUK Singles Chart at number two, which was the highest chart entry a debut act had obtained in the United Kingdom at that time before reaching number one for three weeks in June 1993. In the United States, the song peaked at numbers 26 and 27 on theBillboard Hot 100 andCash Box Top 100, respectively, becoming Gabrielle's highest-charting song there. The song's music video was directed byKate Garner.
"Dreams" is widely seen as Gabrielle'ssignature song,[according to whom?] and its lyrics inspired the title of her greatest hits compilationDreams Can Come True, Greatest Hits Vol. 1 (2001). The song is featured heavily in the 1999Paul Thomas Anderson filmMagnolia, whereWilliam H. Macy's downtrodden character Donnie Smith plays the song repeatedly as a motivational aid. In 2013, Gabrielle re-recorded the track with producerNaughty Boy for her compilation albumNow and Always: 20 Years of Dreaming.
"I don’t think Gabs had been in a studio before and I’m pretty sure Dreams was only her second ever recorded vocal, after the duet she did earlier with the other girl. I didn’t have a vast amount of experience with singers then, but Gabs was awesome. She sang Dreams twice. I took the best bits and that was that. She didn’t need fancy production techniques. She had the voice."
Gabrielle used to perform at a London club called Moonlighting. One night after she'd performedLuther Vandross covers at the club, a woman told her, "This is as good as it's going to get for you." Disheartened by this, the singer went home and wrote the first lines of "Dreams" in her diary.[5] Shortly after, Gabrielle and another singer, Jackie King from the club, got an opportunity to make a record in a studio inByfleet,Surrey. Her boyfriend had paid for them to do it. Producer Tim Laws was impressed by her voice and asked if she could come back later on her own. The singer then performed the lyrics of "Dreams" over Laws' music which was a backing track, using aKorg M1 synthesiser for most of the parts – piano, bass, string line – with anAkai S900 firing off drum loops and hits.
The first version became a hit in nightclubs, being played by underground DJs. This version included asample of the song "Fast Car" byTracy Chapman, but because ofcopyright reasons, the sample had to be removed.[6] After selling a few thousand copies, Gabrielle was signed to theGo! Beat label. Because the "Fast Car" sample had not been cleared, producer Richie Fermie recorded a new version of "Dreams", without the sample.[7] This version went straight to number two on theUK Singles Chart as the highest charting debut single ever, before hitting number-one.
In a 1997 interview, Gabrielle said about making the song, "It wasn't until I took it home that I realised it was 'Fast Car' by Tracy Chapman and I thought, oh God, I love 'Fast Car,' but I don't think I could write anything original for it. And it wasn't until I had to go to the studio on the day, and I was on the train thinking, oh my God, I haven't written anything. So I opened up my notebook where, I keep my songs, and 'Dreams' was there, it was one of the songs I had written some time back."[8]
Larry Flick fromBillboard magazine described the song as a "gloriously romantic, upliftingpop/dance shuffler" with a "wildly infectious chorus, delivered with a sly, feline grace." He commented further that a "interplay of contrasting elements like acoustic strumming,hip-hop-styled beats, anddisco strings works surprisingly well".[3] Tom Ewing ofFreaky Trigger noted Gabrielle's voice as "soaked in personality" and complimented the production as "reassuringly professional, very close to the kind of powerpointsoul theLighthouse Family would serve up later in the 90s."[9] Dave Sholin from theGavin Report felt the singer's "warm vocal style is just right to complement thehook-laden melody that she co-wrote."[10]Irish Independent named it a "smooth debut pop single".[11]Knight Ridder described it as "hypnotic".[12] In his weekly UK chart commentary,James Masterton wrote that this is "another one of those records that is a hit almost before it even started." He also described it as a "haunting dreamyballad" and "a unique record".[13] Pan-European magazineMusic & Media viewed it as "immaculate".[14]
Alan Jones fromMusic Week said about the original 1992 release, "The soothing and gentle guitar intro toTracy Chapman's 'Fast Car' underpins this superbly soulful dance cut, written and performed by a 22-year-old newcomer fromSydenham. Chiming synth strings and aSoul II Soul shuffle propel it along nicely, the uncluttered arrangement and production (by Unit 3) allowing her fine vocals room to breathe." He added, "Initially on a limited pressing of 1,500, which have now sold out, this is already getting specialist radio play, and could very easily explode as a major pop hit, given adequate distribution."[6] AnotherMusic Week editor, Andy Beevers, called the 1993 version "excellent".[15] Mandi James fromNME praised it, writing, "This is the sounds of blackness that will be drifting from sound systems nationwide by the end of summer.Swingbeat and soul, suckers, is back — and there's not a thing you can do about it."[4] Marts Andrups from theRecord Mirror Dance Update named it "a stunning debut with "summer hit" written all over it. Like a funky Tracy Chapman, there's a beautiful soul vocal over a deceptively simple acoustic guitar and string arrangement."[16]Siân Pattenden fromSmash Hits gave "Dreams" a score of four out of five, writing, "If you're a big girl and like soulful swishdance music, this'll be in your in-car CD player for 1,000 years. More of less. You've got to have dreams, she reckons, and it's true, children."[17]
In Europe, the song reached number one in the United Kingdom on 20 June 1993 and stayed there for three weeks. Before, it had entered the chart at number two. At that time, it was the highest chart entry a debut female solo act had scored in the UK.[18] The single was a top-five hit in Ireland, Italy, Portugal and Sweden, as well as a top-10 hit in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, the Netherlands and Switzerland. On theEurochart Hot 100, "Dreams" reached its best position of number six on 14 August. It debuted on the chart at number 15 on 26 June,[19] after charting in the UK and peaked eight weeks later. Outside Europe, the single peaked at number one on the USBillboardDance Club Play chart and the CanadianRPMDance/Urban chart. It also reached numbers 26 and 27 on theBillboard Hot 100 andCash Box Top 100, becoming Gabrielle's highest-charting song in the US (and her only Top 40 hit in the US to date). "Dreams" sold 513,000 copies in United Kingdom in 1993.[20]
The accompanying music video for "Dreams" was directed by British photographer, artist and singerKate Garner.[21][better source needed] It receivedheavy rotation onMTV Europe.[22]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Dreams" (7-inch version) | 3:44 |
| 2. | "Dreams" (The Developed Arrested mix) | 6:25 |
| 3. | "Dreams" (Our Tribe house mix) | 6:41 |
| 4. | "Dreams" (Dignity mix) | 5:44 |
| 5. | "Dreams" (Easy mix) | 5:39 |
| 6. | "Dreams" (Law's House) | 4:00 |
| 7. | "Dreams" (The Red Underground mix) | 6:16 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Dreams" | 3:44 |
| 2. | "Dreams" (Breakdown mix) | 3:54 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Dreams" (The Developed Arrested mix) | 6:25 |
| 2. | "Dreams" (The Red Underground mix) | 6:16 |
| 3. | "Dreams" (Law's House) | 4:00 |
| 4. | "Dreams" (Our Tribe house mix) | 6:41 |
| 5. | "Dreams" (Dignity mix) | 5:44 |
| 6. | "Dreams" (7-inch version) | 3:44 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Dreams" (7-inch version) | 3:44 |
| 2. | "Dreams" (Breakdown mix) | 3:53 |
| 3. | "Dreams" (acoustic version) | 3:51 |
| 4. | "Dreams" (Dignity mix edit) | 3:44 |
| 5. | "Dreams" (Easy mix edit) | 3:46 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Dreams" (7-inch version) | 3:44 |
| 2. | "Dreams" (The Red Underground mix) | 6:16 |
| 3. | "Dreams" (Dignity mix) | 5:40 |
| 4. | "Dreams" (Our Tribe house mix) | 6:41 |
Weekly charts[edit] | Year-end charts[edit]
|
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[62] | Platinum | 70,000^ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[81] | Platinum | 1,000,000[80] |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
| Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 7 June 1993 |
| Go! Beat | [82] |
| Australia | 16 August 1993 |
|
| [83] |
| Japan | 25 October 1993 | Mini-CD | Go! Beat | [84] |
