"A Dreams a Dream" (no apostrophe in "Dreams") is a song by British musical collective Soul II Soul, released in April 1990 by 10 Records as the second single from the collective's second album, Vol. II: 1990 – A New Decade (1990). The song features American-born British singer Victoria Wilson-James and received favorable reviews from music critics. It was written by Jazzie B and Simon Law, and produced by the first with Nellee Hooper. The song reached number one in Greece, number six on the UK Singles Chart and was a top-10 hit also in Finland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Norway.

Critical reception Alex Henderson from AllMusic described the song as "haunting". Bill Coleman from Billboard magazine named it one of the "special moments" from Vol. II: 1990 – A New Decade. He also called it a "seductive, sleaze-speed club track with house overtones [that] is (gratefully) less derivative of previous efforts. Vocals by Victoria Wilson-James excite." Ernest Hardy from Cash Box complimented its "operatic touch". Ian Gittins from Melody Maker wrote, "It's no 'Back to Life', never so entrancing or alluring, but still there's that loping, dance-compulsory beat which lets them get away with anything before Jazzie muzzles in to growl his hopeful, dreamy creed." David Giles from Music Week stated, "All the trademarks are there — shuffling rhythm, sweeping strings and wailing female vocals — and these should ensure another substantial hit for Jazzie B and his crew."

A reviewer from The Network Forty described it as "Jazzy B's soul-jazz-African-operatic single". Paolo Hewitt from NME remarked Wilson-James' "operatic technique". Davydd Chong from Record Mirror felt that only one track from the album, 'A Dreams a Dream', "warded off the bite of the critic, with a garland of garlic and a majestic arrangement." Tom Doyle from Smash Hits complimented the singer's voice as "marvellous". Adam Higginbotham from Select viewed the song as "insubstantial fluff". Steven Daly from Spin concluded, "'Dream' won't dictate this summer's tempo the way 'Movin'' did last year, but this gentle house sway will nonetheless build a little birdhouse in your soul. (In case you were concerned, yes, Jazzie manages to stop by for his usual lecture.)"

Chart performance "A Dreams a Dream" was successful on the charts in Europe, reaching number one in Greece and the top 10 in Finland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway and the UK. In the latter country, the song peaked at number six on the UK Singles Chart as well as number one on both the UK Dance Singles chart and the UK Club Chart. Additionally, it was a top-20 hit in Austria, Belgium, West Germany, Ireland, Sweden and Switzerland. On the Eurochart Hot 100, it reached number 13 in May 1990. Outside Europe, "A Dreams a Dream" peaked at number three on the US Billboard Dance Club Play chart, numbers eight and 27 in New Zealand and Australia, and number 12 in Israel.

Track listings

7-inch, UK (1990) A. "A Dreams a Dream" — 4:08 B. "A Dreams a Dream" (instrumental) — 4:08

12-inch, Greece (1990) A1. "A Dreams a Dream" (A Night at the Opera mix) — 5:45 B1. "A Dreams a Dream" (club dub) — 4:25 B2. "Courtney Blows" — 4:32

12-inch vinyl, US (1990) A1. "A Dreams a Dream" (A Night at the Opera mix) — 5:45 B1. "A Dreams a Dream" (club dub) — 4:25 B2. "Courtney Blows" — 4:32

12-inch single, Australia (1990) A1. "Dreams a Dream" (A Night at the Opera mix) B1. "Get a Life" (12-inch mix) B2. "Back to Life" (12-inch mix club)

CD single, UK (1990) "A Dreams a Dream" — 4:13 "A Dreams a Dream" (A Night at the Opera mix) — 5:49 "A Dreams a Dream" (club dub) — 4:28 "Courtney Blows" — 4:33

CD single, Europe (1990) "A Dreams a Dream" — 4:13 "A Dreams a Dream" (A Night at the Opera mix) — 5:49 "A Dreams a Dream" (club dub) — 4:28 "Courtney Blows" — 4:33

Cassette single, US (1990) "A Dreams a Dream" (7-inch A) "A Dreams a Dream" (7-inch B)

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1990)PeakpositionEurope (Eurochart Hot 100) 13Finland (Suomen virallinen lista) 7Israel (Israeli Singles Chart) Search "A Dream's a Dream" for Israeli chart history. 12Italy (Musica e dischi) Set "Tipo" on "Singoli". Then, in the "Artista" field, search "Soul II Soul". 10Luxembourg (Radio Luxembourg)Radio Luxembourg Singles. 29 April 1990. 2UK Dance (Music Week) 1UK Club Chart (Record Mirror) 1US Billboard Hot 100 85US 12-inch Singles Sales (Billboard) 1US Dance Club Play (Billboard) 3US Hot Black Singles (Billboard) 19US Cash Box Top 100Cash Box Chart Entries 1990-1996 81

Year-end charts Chart (1990)PositionNetherlands (Dutch Top 40) 78Netherlands (Single Top 100) 80UK Club Chart (Record Mirror) 10US 12-inch Singles Sales (Billboard) 20US Dance Club Play (Billboard) 44

Release history RegionDateFormat(s)Label(s)United Kingdom199010Australia30 April 1990Japan6 June 1990CD

References