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Sweet Dreams (Beyoncé song)

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"Sweet Dreams"
Song

"Sweet Dreams" is a song by American R&B singer Beyoncé Knowles from her third studio album, I Am… Sasha Fierce (2008). Written and produced by Knowles, James Scheffer, Wayne Wilkins, and Rico Love, the track was released as the album's sixth single. It was solicited to U.S. Top 40[1] and rhythmic contemporary[2] radios on June 2, 2009.

As of June 25, 2009 "Sweet Dreams" has been the number-one most added song at Australian radio.[3]

Background

The song was leaked before the release of I Am… Sasha Fierce under the title "Beautiful Nightmare". With the release of the album, the song name was changed to its current title, "Sweet Dreams". This song was selected as the sixth single from the album as a last-minute replacement for "Broken-Hearted Girl". The song is used in the commercial Knowles did for Crystal Geyser.[4][5]

Critical reception

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"Sweet Dreams"
The electronic bassline of "Sweet Dreams" has earned frequent comparison to Michael Jackson's earlier, rock-influenced work.[6][7]
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Template:Sample box end "Sweet Dreams" was critically lauded, with critics praising its dark tone and its electropop sound. The Times was impressed with the song: "Sweet Dreams, with its deep bass, and disturbed lyrics, is thrilling."[8] Digital Spy gave the song a positive review, writing that the song is Beyonce's "first electropop tune. What's more, it's a bit of a corker. Built on a bassline that wouldn't sound out of place on Thriller or Bad, 'Sweet Dreams' snares you with its irresistible chorus hook, then keeps you intrigued by placing a hint of darkness ("You could be my sweet dream, or my beautiful nightmare...") just beneath the shiny, synthy surface... she's just named her first electropop tune after one of the most famous electropop tunes ever ["Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)"]... and pulled it off."[6]

MTV calls the song "great," commenting that "The gnarly low end (which kind of sounds like Michael Jackson's "Beat It" for about half a second), the spare snare kicks, the expansive-yet-molecular chorus — sonically, it's as adventurous as anything she's ever released. And her vocals — icy and cool, slippery like mercury — are nothing to scoff at either. All in all, it's another undeniable smash ... sort of unsettling, kind of crazy, totally unlike anything anyone else is doing right now (sorry Gaga). There's truly no one else in the game like Beyoncé."[7]

Music video

File:SweetdreamsBeyonce.jpg
Knowles with her back-up dancers in the video for "Sweet Dreams"

The video was not included on Above and Beyoncé - Video Collection & Dance Mixes as it was not finished by the time the CD/DVD collection was made. However, a behind-the-scenes look of the "Sweet Dreams" video was included in the B-roll footage, along with a remix to "Sweet Dreams" on the remix disc. This video is the 1st of the many of this album to have complete color through out.

The music video was directed by Adria Petty (who also directed Duffy's video for "Mercy") and shot in Brooklyn, New York City. The video is expected to "take Sasha to the next level" and be a more "graphic" video than the others, as stated by Knowles in the B-roll footage of Above and Beyoncé - Video Collection & Dance Mixes.[9] The video premiered on July 9, 2009 on MTV, VH1, and MSN.[10][11]

The video opens with Knowles tossing and turning in her bed as she tries to stay asleep, a lullaby plays softly in the background. She then levitates off her bed as her dream unfolds. In her dream Knowles is transported to a desert, and her two back-up dancers (Saidah Fishenden and Ashley Everett) appear as the music begins. Throughout the video Knowles and her dancers perform various dance routines in front of a plain white background. Special effects are used predominantly in this video such as the mirror reflections and duplicates of Knowles and her dancers during most of the video. Knowles breaks through these mirrors as she sings the chorus after the second verse of the song. During the bridge, Knowles appears in a gold robot suit designed by French fashion designer Thierry Mugler. The video briefly fades to black and white while Knowles and her back-up dancers finish the last dance routine of the video. The video ends as Knowles says: "Turn the lights out."

The version of the video that airs in Belgium and Germany is edited to the Steve Pitron & Max Sanna Remix.

Chart performance

The single entered the UK Singles chart on July 18, 2009 at #52 due to heavy airplay and download sales. The following week it soared to #13 after a massive increase in radio and video airplay. In it's third week on the chart it rised again, 4 places, to #9, making it her 14th solo UK top 10 single[12], and 26th overall (including Destiny's Child singles).[13]

It has peaked at #8 so far in the UK R&B Chart and #12 in the Download Chart.

Track listing

US CD single [citation needed]
  1. Sweet Dreams - 3:29
  2. Sweet Dreams (OK DAC Club Remix) - 5:14
  3. Sweet Dreams (Karmatronic Club Remix) - 6:36
iTunes digital single [citation needed]
  1. Sweet Dreams - 3:27
  2. Sweet Dreams (Steve Pitron & Max Sanna Remix) [Radio Edit] - 3:35

Charts

Chart (2009) Peak
position
Australian ARIA Singles Chart[14] 9
Dutch Top 40[14] 26
Eurochart Hot 100[15] 47
Irish Singles Chart[14] 9
UK Singles Chart[14] 9
UK R&B Chart [16] 8
UK Download Chart [17] 12
U.S. Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 12
U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs[18] 24

Release history

Country Date Format
United States[2] June 2, 2009 Top 40 and rhythmic radio
Australia[19] July 24, 2009 CD single
United Kingdom[20] August 3, 2009

References

  1. ^ Top 40 – Week Of: June 2, 2009
  2. ^ a b Rhythmic – Week Of: June 2, 2009
  3. ^ http://www.beyonceonline.com/au/news/vote-beyonces-new-single-sweet-dreams
  4. ^ http://www.crystalgeyser.jp/
  5. ^ http://www.crystalgeyser.jp/main.html
  6. ^ a b "Beyoncé: 'Sweet Dreams'". Digital Spy. July 19, 2009 Cite error: The named reference "Digi" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  7. ^ a b Beyonce Gets Crazy, Sexy, Cool In 'Sweet Dreams' Video. (7-9-2009). MTV. Retrieved July 19, 2009 Cite error: The named reference "MTV" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  8. ^ http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/music/cd_reviews/article5129698.ece
  9. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=il2SqkJ78NE
  10. ^ http://www.beyonceonline.com/us/news/sweet-dreams-video-premiere-thursday-709
  11. ^ http://www.beyonceonline.com/fr/home
  12. ^ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beyonce_discography
  13. ^ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Destiny's_Child_Discography
  14. ^ a b c d "Beyoncé – Sweet Dreams – Music Charts". αCharts.us. Retrieved 2009-06-14.
  15. ^ http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/charts#/charts/european-hot-100?begin=41&order=position
  16. ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/chart/rnbsingles.shtml
  17. ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/chart/downloads.shtml
  18. ^ "Hot Dance Club Play". Billboard. Retrieved 2009-07-16.
  19. ^ AU release
  20. ^ http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/music/singlesreviews/
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