"Dreams" is a song by Irish rock band the Cranberries. It was originally released in October 1992 by Island Records as the band's debut single and later appeared on the band's debut album, Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We? (1993). The song reached the top 50 of the US Billboard Hot 100 and the top 30 of the UK Singles Chart. A 1990 demo version was released in Ireland only in the summer of that year under their initial band name, the Cranberry Saw Us. At the end of the song, the backing vocals are sung by Mike Mahoney, ex-boyfriend of Cranberries lead singer Dolores O'Riordan. Three different music videos were made to promote the single, directed by John Maybury, Peter Scammell and Nico Soultanakis.
In 2017, the song was released as an acoustic, stripped-down version on the band's Something Else album.
Background According to lead singer Dolores O'Riordan, "Dreams" was written for an early love; she explained, "I wrote that about my first love when I was living in Ireland ... It's about feeling really in love for the first time". The song was later released on a demo tape with "Linger" that helped generate excitement for the band.
In a 2019 interview for New Musical Express, guitarist Noel Hogan said of the song:
Critical reception Upon the 1992 release, Ian Gittins from Melody Maker named it Single of the Week. He complimented it as "intoxicating, beguiling, a gossamer waltz across sacred ground", and concluded, "So enjoy the delicate but profound delights of 'Dreams' now. The Cranberries may never be this good again." On the 1994 re-release, the magazine's Paul Mathur felt it "doesn't quite scale such heights" as 'Linger'.
Larry Flick from Billboard magazine wrote, "As predecessor 'Linger' does just that on the pop charts, band offers a new track for modern rock to get to work on. 'Dreams' should do the trick, with twining vocal harmonies and upbeat, sparkling guitars. Unusual, striking midsection also will draw attention, and song eventually should follow 'Linger' to top 40." Alan Jones from Music Week said, "A very different track to the long-lasting 'Linger', 'Dreams' is a more uptempo piece, less melodic but still a good bet."
Leesa Daniels from Smash Hits gave it a score of four out of five, praising the song as a "marvellous" follow-up. She said, "It hooks you right from the start with twangy guitars and loud drums. Then it calms down and Dolores comes in, singing like an angel." Clark Collis from Select felt it "strongly signposted a lilting Sundays feel". Charles Aaron from Spin commented, "Sinéadish wails over the drumbeat from Modern English's 'I Melt with You'. Dope. But after enduring the video, I sure hope singer Dolores O'Riordan has more compelling dreams than trotting around with a white horse and digging up hunks in the countryside."
Music videos There are three versions of the music video for the song, all three videos being their respective directors' only videos for the band. The first version 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 while she's sitting down 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. This video was directed by English director John Maybury.
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 band's next single, "Linger", and the re-release of "Dreams" worldwide. This video was directed by Peter Scammell.
The third version, directed by Nico Soultanakis, which was most commonly shown in America and Ireland, shows the Cranberries performing the song in a nightclub. Afterward, Dolores O'Riordan heads out to a house where grave robbers dressed in black have placed a very large wood pile inside. Dolores bathes the pile in water and a man is revealed to be buried underneath. The water frees him and in the final seconds of the video, the man awakens.
Track listings
UK 7-inch and cassette single "Dreams" – 4:15 "What You Were" – 3:41 Note: Both formats were re-released in 1994 and contain the same tracks
UK 12-inch and CD single "Dreams" – 4:32 (4:15 on CD) "What You Were" – 3:41 "Liar" – 2:21 Note: The CD was re-released in 1994 as the first part of a two-CD set and contains the same tracks
UK CD2 (1994) "Not Sorry" (live at The Record Plant, Hollywood) "Wanted" (live at The Record Plant, Hollywood) "Dreams" (live at The Record Plant, Hollywood) "Liar" (live at The Record Plant, Hollywood)
US CD single "Dreams" – 4:32 "What You Were" – 3:41 "Waltzing Back" (live at The Record Plant, Hollywood) – 4:01 "Pretty" (live at The Record Plant, Hollywood) – 2:11
US cassette single "Dreams" – 4:32 "What You Were" – 3:41
Canadian CD single "Dreams" – 4:32 "Linger" – 4:34
Personnel The Cranberries Dolores O'Riordan – vocals, acoustic guitar Noel Hogan – guitar, backing vocals Mike Hogan – bass guitar Fergal Lawler – drums, percussion
Additional personnel Mike Mahoney – backing vocals and additional sounds
Production Stephen Street – production, engineering Aiden McGovern – additional engineering
Charts
Weekly charts Chart (1993–1994)PeakpositionCanada Retail Singles (The Record)12Europe (European Hit Radio)33UK Airplay (Music Week)10US Cash Box Top 10037
Chart (2018)Peakposition
Year-end charts Chart (1994)PositionUK Airplay (Music Week)30
Certifications
Release history RegionDateFormat(s)Label(s)United Kingdom5 October 1992IslandAustralia4 October 1993United Kingdom (re-release)25 April 19942 May 1994CD2Australia (re-release)9 May 1994Cassette23 May 1994CD
Dario G version
English electronic music trio Dario G covered the song as "Dream to Me", with vocals provided by Ingrid Straumstøyl. O'Riordan's vocals were originally used for the track, but Dario G were not permitted to use them, so they had to re-record the song. Released on 22 January 2001 as the lead single from their second album, In Full Colour, "Dream to Me" reached number one in Romania and the top 10 in Austria, Germany, and the United Kingdom.
Track listings UK CD single "Dream to Me" (radio edit) – 3:09 "Dream to Me" (Airscape remix) – 8:38 "Dream to Me" (Warrior mix) – 7:48 "Dream to Me" (video)
UK 12-inch single A. "Dream to Me" (Airscape remix) – 8:38 B. "Dream to Me" (Warrior mix) – 7:48
UK cassette single "Dream to Me" (radio edit) – 3:09 "Dream to Me" (Airscape remix) – 8:38
European CD single "Dream to Me" (radio edit) – 3:09 "Dream to Me" (Airscape remix) – 8:38
European maxi-CD and Australian CD single "Dream to Me" (radio edit) – 3:09 "Dream to Me" (Airscape remix) – 8:38 "Dream to Me" (Warrior mix) – 7:48 "Dream to Me" (Ian Wilkie mix) – 8:05
Charts
Weekly charts Chart (2001)PeakpositionEurope (Eurochart Hot 100) 38Ireland Dance (IRMA) 5Romania (Romanian Top 100) 1
Year-end charts Chart (2001)PositionAustria (Ö3 Austria Top 40) 64Germany (Media Control) 55Romania (Romanian Top 100) 7Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade) 88UK Singles (OCC) 170
Release history RegionDateFormat(s)Label(s)United Kingdom22 January 2001ManifestoAustralia9 April 2001CD
Other covers A Cantonese cover of the song, "Dream Lover" (), with backing vocals by herself, was a hit single for Chinese singer Faye Wong. It was included in her 1994 album Random Thoughts, and the song was prominently featured in the same year's film Chungking Express, in which Wong starred. Wong also recorded a Mandarin version, "Elude" (), on Sky. Both versions are popular in the Chinese media, and was used in the release date trailer of the 2027 video game Ananta. On April 13, 2010, Passion Pit released a cover of the song as part of the deluxe edition reissue of Manners (album). The song was covered by American singer Liza Anne in 2018. It was featured in a teaser trailer for the 2022 film Aftersun. In 2020, an Irish collective of female singers and musicians called Irish Women in Harmony, including Allie Sherlock, Caroline Corr, Erica Cody, Imelda May, Lisa Hannigan, Loah, Moya Brennan, Orla Gartland, Tolü Makay, Sibéal, Soulé, Una Healy and Wyvern Lingo recorded a version in aid of the charity Safe Ireland, which deals with domestic abuse which had reportedly risen significantly during the COVID-19 lockdown. Mexican singer Iran Castillo made a music video covering the song in 2020 with her sister Mónica Castillo and releasing it as a single. Canadian musician Rachel Bobbitt released a cover in 2023. The Woodgies, an Irish-Swiss sister duo, released a cover in May 2024. Sufjan Stevens and Meg Lui released a cover in April 2026.
See also List of Romanian Top 100 number ones of the 2000s
References