If I Can Dream
| "If I Can Dream" | |
|---|---|
| Song by Elvis Presley | |
| Recorded | June 1968 |
| Length | 3:10 |
| Writer | Walter Earl Brown |
"If I Can Dream" is a song made famous by Elvis Presley, written by Walter Earl Brown[1] and notable for its direct quotations of Martin Luther King, Jr. It was recorded by Presley in June 1968, two months after King's assassination. The recording was first released to the public as the finale of Presley's '68 Comeback Special.
Although the song is not technically gospel music, Presley performed the song with the intensity and intonations of southern gospel. It has since appeared on various Presley gospel and/or inspirational compilations.
Contents |
[edit] History
Brown was asked to write a song to replace "I'll Be Home For Christmas" as the grand finale on NBC's "Elvis" (June 20–23, 1968). He wrote "If I Can Dream," and when Presley heard it he proclaimed "I'm never going to sing another song I don't believe in. I'm never going to make another picture I don't believe in."[citation needed]
[edit] Recordings
Band-related errors prevented the first take from becoming the master. After filming for the TV special was completed for its eventual editing, then broadcast in December of the year, the song was released as a single - If I Can Dream/Edge Of Reality - in November 1968. It charted on Billboard's Hot 100 for 13 weeks, peaking at #12, with more than one million sales.
[edit] In popular culture since
- Della Reese sang the song as a spiritual ode to God in a 1995 episode of "Touched By An Angel", entitled "In the Name of God".
- Robson and Jerome covered the song in 1995.
- Canadian Idol 3 runner-up Rex Goudie sang "If I Can Dream" during Top 4 - Elvis Night.
- American Idol 5 contestant and second runner up Elliott Yamin sang "If I Can Dream" during Elvis night.
- On American Idol 6, Celine Dion sang "If I Can Dream" as a duet with Presley, using special effects.
- In the jukebox musical All Shook Up Chad sings it to one of the couples. Cheyenne Jackson and the show's cast sang it at a Broadway benefit for Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
- Swedish singer Carola Häggkvist recorded a cover on the album Guld, platina & passion.
- In the 2005 CBS mini series Elvis, Jonathan Rhys Meyers lip-synched the song at the end of the film.
- The Elvis Presley version is also used as the title song for the new 2010 reality based television series of the same title created by Simon Fuller and produced by 19 Entertainment and CKX, Inc. CKX, Inc. owns 85% of Elvis Presley Enterprises.
- In 2010 Terry Venables recorded a cover of the song in association with British newspaper The Sun. It featured the 60-piece Royal Philharmonic Orchestra with Harry Redknapp and Ian Wright filmed at Wembley Stadium
- In 2010, Jason Lee playing the character Det. Dwight Hendricks in the TNT’s fledgling series Memphis Beat, 'sung' (actually the voice belongs to Mark Arnell) this song, in the end of the pilot episode (aired 06/22/2010).
