Dreams (The Cranberries song)

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. 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

1. "Dreams" – 4:15
2. "What You Were" – 3:41 Note: Both formats were re-released in 1994 and contain the same tracks

• UK 12-inch and CD single

1. "Dreams" – 4:32 (4:15 on CD)
2. "What You Were" – 3:41
3. "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)

1. "Not Sorry" (live at The Record Plant, Hollywood)
2. "Wanted" (live at The Record Plant, Hollywood)
3. "Dreams" (live at The Record Plant, Hollywood)
4. "Liar" (live at The Record Plant, Hollywood)

• US CD single

1. "Dreams" – 4:32
2. "What You Were" – 3:41
3. "Waltzing Back" (live at The Record Plant, Hollywood) – 4:01
4. "Pretty" (live at The Record Plant, Hollywood) – 2:11

• US cassette single

1. "Dreams" – 4:32
2. "What You Were" – 3:41

• Canadian CD single

1. "Dreams" – 4:32
2. "Linger" – 4:34

Personnel

The Cranberries

• Dolores O'Riordan – vocals, acoustic guitar
• Noel Hogan – guitar, background 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

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

Dario G version

• Noel Hogan
• Dolores O'Riordan
• Scott Rosser
• Paul Spencer
• Scott Rosser
• Paul Spencer 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

1. "Dream to Me" (radio edit) – 3:09
2. "Dream to Me" (Airscape remix) – 8:38
3. "Dream to Me" (Warrior mix) – 7:48
4. "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

1. "Dream to Me" (radio edit) – 3:09
2. "Dream to Me" (Airscape remix) – 8:38

• European CD single

1. "Dream to Me" (radio edit) – 3:09
2. "Dream to Me" (Airscape remix) – 8:38

• European maxi-CD and Australian CD single

1. "Dream to Me" (radio edit) – 3:09
2. "Dream to Me" (Airscape remix) – 8:38
3. "Dream to Me" (Warrior mix) – 7:48
4. "Dream to Me" (Ian Wilkie mix) – 8:05

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Release history

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.
• 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, 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.

References

References

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