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Sweet Dreams (Beyoncé song)

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"Sweet Dreams"
Song
B-side"Ego"

"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. An unofficial remix featuring Lil Wayne and Nicki Minaj was included on the No Ceilings mixtape.

The single has peaked at number one in New Zealand.[3] The song has also peaked inside the top five in the United Kingdom, Australia, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Greece, Ireland, Russia and Hungary and the top ten in the United States, Germany, Spain, Turkey and Norway.[4]

Background

The song was leaked in March 2008, many months before the release of I Am… Sasha Fierce under the title "Beautiful Nightmare". With the release of the album, the song's name was changed to its current title, "Sweet Dreams". The song is used in the commercial Knowles did for Crystal Geyser.[5][6]

"Broken-Hearted Girl" was supposed to be released alongside the US-Only single "Ego". However, at the last minute, the release of "Broken-Hearted Girl" was scrapped, and "Sweet Dreams" was released instead. Both tracks were taken from the Sasha Fierce disc. This goes in contrast to the other joint-releases from this album where one track is taken from each disc.

Promotion

Knowles was due to perform the song at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards on September 13.[7] For unknown reasons, the performance was changed to "Single Ladies", she only did one verse of the song to start her performance with, then she turned over to "Single Ladies". On the first show of her "I Am... Tour" Knowles performed the songs with a rendition of "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)", however she removed it from the setlist the day after. She also performed another version while doing a week long show in Las Vegas.

Knowles performed "Sweet Dreams" at the MTV Europe music awards 2009. It was announced by the MTV on November the 4th 2009 "We've just announced that Beyoncé is going to take the stage at the 2009 MTV Europe Music Awards and perform her hit 'Sweet Dreams'!" The international superstar is also up for a staggering four EMAs" the MTV continued "and has a history of stunning live performances (the 2008 EMAs' 'If I Were a Boy' immediately comes to mind, of course)."

At the final London Show of her 'I Am...Tour' on November, 2009, Beyonce sung the full version of Sweet Dreams on the B-Stage for the first time, instead of a snippet or an acoustic version.[8]

Beyoncé is currently launching a cover contest with OurStage for "Sweet Dreams." Both artists and fans can win.[9]

Critical reception

"Sweet Dreams"
The electronic bassline of "Sweet Dreams" has earned frequent comparison to Michael Jackson's earlier, rock-influenced work.[10][11]
Problems playing this file? See media help.

"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.".[12] 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)".[11]

Dotmusic said that "Only the club-flavoured "Sweet Dreams" rivals "Single Ladies" for genuine spark and energy".[13] Bill Lamb of About.com said that "Sweet Dreams heads heavily into synthesized electronic pop territory. The haunting lyric and Beyonces' self-assured vocals make this track another solid success....The vocal performance here possesses an elegantly gliding tone that perfectly maintains the tension in the lyric and arrangement. Beyonce has kept the ability to ratchet up the excitement level of a song by rising into her upper range from the time of her first megahit "Crazy In Love." However, she tempers it with a stunning sense of control. Each time she climbs into agitation here it is almost as if she takes a quick breath then settles herself back to a slightly less tense state. The expertise in the sound is breathtaking". Even though he praised the song, Lamb also said "[It] misses that intangible element of pure magic".[14] Pitchfork Media said that the song sounds like Rihanna.[15] Digital Spy wrote that "The best song [on the 'Sasha Fierce disc], a dark(ish) electropop track called 'Sweet Dreams', actually sounds like the cousin of Rihanna's Disturbia".[16] 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 a sweet dream, or a 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."[10] "Sweat Dreams" is one of beyonce's biggest selling singles selling over 2,830,000 copies worldwide.

Chart performance

The single entered Billboard Hot 100 at #97, giving Knowles her 20th solo entry on the chart. It reached the top 40 in early September 2009, becoming Knowles' 20th solo top 40 single. It is also the 4th single from I Am... Sasha Fierce to enter the top 10 and Knowles' 11th number-one Billboard Hot Dance Club single. The single has so far peaked at number 48 on the Billboard Mainstream R&B/Hip Hop Chart, making I Am… Sasha Fierce the first album of the 21st century to have seven entries on the chart ("Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)", "If I Were A Boy", "Diva", "Halo", "Ego", "Sweet Dreams", and "Video Phone"). "Sweet Dreams" was certified Gold on October 28, 2009 selling over 500,000 units digitally. It was later certified Platinum on January 5, 2010 selling over 1,000,000 units digitally.

The single entered the UK Singles chart on July 18, 2009 at #52, peaking at #5, making it her ninth solo top 5 single. It stayed at its peak of #5 for three consecutive weeks.

On the August 3 chart in Australia, "Sweet Dreams" rose from #9 to its peak of #2, to become the fourth song from I Am... Sasha Fierce to peak inside the Top 5, and the highest charting of the 4. It stayed within the top 10 for 9 consecutive weeks.

On August 23, 2009 "Sweet Dreams" debuted and peaked at number 8 in Germany.

In New Zealand, "Sweet Dreams" debuted at number 39 and climbed to number one after just four weeks on the chart, staying there for three consecutive weeks.[17]

In Ireland, "Sweet Dreams" debuted at number 17 on July 16, 2009 and quickly climbed to its peak position of number 4 after only four weeks on the chart. The single stayed in top 10 for 8 weeks and has so far been charting for nineteen weeks in the chart.

In Norway, "Sweet Dreams" debuted at number 19 on September 1, 2009 being the highest debut of that week. The single kept on alternating between number 13 and number 15 for the next seven weeks. However, after eight weeks on the chart, the song began to rise again and has so far peaked at number 6. It was certified "Greatest Gainer" for one week there and spent 14 consecutive weeks in the chart.

On January 22, 2010, "Sweet Dreams" debuted at number 44 on the French Digital Singles Chart (Six months after its release in France as a "Digital Download"),[18] later peaking at #30.[19]

Music video

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 second of the many of this album to have complete color throughout; "Halo" was the first.

The video premiered on July 9, 2009 on MTV.[20] The music video was directed by Adria Petty (who also directed Duffy's video for "Mercy") and shot in Brooklyn, New York City. Sweet Dreams and The Video Phone extended remix with Lady Gaga were both mixed by Destiny's Child/Beyonce Pro Tools Engineer William "Vybe Chyle" Burke at Vybe Chyle Studios in Atlanta, GA. The video was said 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.[21] Portions of the "Sweet Dreams" music video were inspired by a video in which British designer Gareth Pugh presented his autumn/winter 2009 show.[22][23][24]

The video opens with Knowles tossing and turning in her bed. As she tries to stay asleep; Brahms's 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 in a black Roberto Cavalli outfit, and her two back-up dancers (Saidah Fishenden and Ashley Everett) appear as the music begins. The cut after the desert sequence starts by showing Beyoncé inscribed with a circle and square just like in Da Vinci's Vitruvian Man, symbolizing Beyonces ideal human proportions. On the first chorus, she wears a silver silver one shouldered minidress. The Second chorus shows Knowles in another silver ensemble, a lined body suit while smashing mirrors. During the bridge, Knowles appears in a gold robot suit designed by French fashion designer Thierry Mugler, as well as gold and diamond nail rings valued at $36,000 by Bijules designer Jules Kim.[25] Then the gold Thierry Mugler outfit is reused, this time in color. Beyoncé says "Turn the lights out" and the video ends.

There's also an alternate version of the video which is edited to the Steve Pitron & Max Sanna Remix.

Bill Lamb of About.com praised the video: "Watching the accompanying video is necessary for the full impact of "Sweet Dreams." By three minutes into the clip when she appears in a gold metallic outfit, it's clear we are watching another Beyonce classic. She is at the top of her form as an artist and taking chances that often only the hungriest of artists take".[26] MTV said that the video is "An eye-popping, herky-jerky, high-fashion video....So, once again, we get Beyoncé popping her pelvis in ways never imagined. We get Beyoncé strutting with her two doppelgängers (Ebony Williams and Ashley Everett). And we get Beyoncé wearing about a million flashy, asymmetrical costumes. She expands on her burgeoning robot fetish (which I think is supposed to symbolize her Sasha Fierce alter-ego), flashes the crazy eyes and contorts her body in downright unsettling ways. All of which is to say that "Sweet Dreams" is just like every amazingly crazy Beyoncé video from the past three years, which — to extend the point — also means that it's pretty great".[27]


Track listing

Official Versions and Remixes

Charts

Chart (2009) Peak
position
Australian Singles Chart[34] 2
Australian Urban Chart[35] 1
Austrian Singles Chart[34] 17
Belgian Singles Chart (Flanders)[36] 24
Belgian Tip Chart (Wallonia)[37] 4
Bulgarian Airplay Chart[38] 1
Canadian Hot 100[34] 17
Czech Airplay Chart[39] 5
Danish Singles Chart[34] 16
Dutch Top 40[34] 26
European Hot 100 Singles[40] 7
French Digital Singles Chart[41] 30
German Singles Chart[34] 8
Greek Singles Chart[42] 4
Hungarian Singles Chart [43] 4
Irish Singles Chart[34] 4
Italian Singles Chart[44] 19
Japan Hot 100[34] 30
New Zealand Singles Chart[3] 1
Norway Singles Chart[44] 6
Romanian Top 100[45] 9
Russian Airplay Chart 5
Slovak Airplay Chart[46] 5
Spanish Singles Chart[47] 9
Swedish Singles Chart[34] 14
Swiss Singles Chart[34] 16
UK Singles Chart[34] 5
U.S. Billboard Hot 100[48] 10
U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs[49] 1
U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs[50] 48

End Of Year Charts

End of year chart(2009) Position
Australian Singles Chart[51] 23
Canadian Hot 100[52] 82
European Hot 100 Singles[53] 86
German Singles Chart[54] 40
New Zealand Singles Chart[55] 9
RIAA Charts - Charts Year End - Billboard Top 100 Singles 2009[56] 66
RIAA Charts - Charts Year End - Billboard Hot Dance Club Play Songs 2009[57] 11
RIAA Charts - Charts Year End - Billboard Hot Radio Songs 2009[58] 53
UK Singles Chart[59] 31

Certifications

Country Certification Sales
Australia Platinum[60] 70,000+
New Zealand Platinum[61] 15,000+[62]
United States Platinum [63] 1,000,000+

Release history

Country Date Format
United States[2] June 2, 2009 Top 40 and rhythmic radio
Germany July 13, 2009[64] CD single
July 17, 2009[65] Digital download
France July 17, 2009[66] Digital Download
Australia[67] July 24, 2009 CD single
United Kingdom[29][30] August 10, 2009 CD single, digital download

References

  1. ^ Top 40 – Week Of: June 2, 2009
  2. ^ a b Rhythmic – Week Of: June 2, 2009
  3. ^ a b "RIANZ Top 40 Singles Chart". RIANZ. Retrieved 2009-09-01.
  4. ^ login or register to post comments. "Vote For Beyonce's New Single 'Sweet Dreams'! | The Official Beyonce Site". Beyonceonline.com. Retrieved 2009-11-30.
  5. ^ "CRYSTAL GEYSER｜大塚ベバレジ". Crystalgeyser.jp. Retrieved 2009-11-30.
  6. ^ "CRYSTAL GEYSER｜大塚ベバレジ". Crystalgeyser.jp. Retrieved 2009-11-30.
  7. ^ Montgomery, James (2009-08-27). "Beyonce To Perform At 2009 MTV VMAs - News Story | Music, Celebrity, Artist News | MTV News". Mtv.com. Retrieved 2009-11-30.
  8. ^ i-was-there
  9. ^ http://blog.mtvmusic.com/2010/01/25/ourstage-beyonce-cover-competition-win-a-trip-to-vegas/
  10. ^ 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).
  11. ^ 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).
  12. ^ [1][dead link]
  13. ^ "Beyoncé I Am...Sasha Fierce Album Review, New album reviews and latest album releases on Yahoo! Music". Uk.launch.yahoo.com. 2008-11-25. Retrieved 2009-11-30.
  14. ^ Bill Lamb. Beyoncé - Sweet Dreams About.com. Retrieved September 19, 2009.
  15. ^ "Album Reviews: Beyoncé: I Am... Sasha Fierce". Pitchfork. 2008-11-21. Retrieved 2009-11-30.
  16. ^ "Music - Album Review - Beyoncé: 'I Am... Sasha Fierce'". Digital Spy. 2008-11-17. Retrieved 2009-11-30.
  17. ^ "Beyoncé – Sweet Dreams". charts.org.nz. Retrieved 2009-09-22.
  18. ^ "SNEP". SNEP. Retrieved 2010-01-22.
  19. ^ "Charts in France". Charts in France. Retrieved 2010-01-29.
  20. ^ login or register to post comments. ""Sweet Dreams" Video - Premieres Today! | The Official Beyonce Site". Beyonceonline.com. Retrieved 2009-11-30.
  21. ^ 16 juni 2009 (2009-06-21). "making of sweet dreams". YouTube. Retrieved 2009-11-30.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  22. ^ "Beyoncé's love affair with Gareth Pugh". Thru Sawa's eyes. 2009-07-09. Retrieved 2009-08-22.
  23. ^ Manny (2009-08-14). "Gareth Pugh". Punchbowl Blog. Retrieved 2009-08-22. {{cite web}}: Text "Sweet Dreams or a Beautiful Nightmare..." ignored (help)
  24. ^ Jason Simone (2009-07-11). "Beyonce and Gareth Pugh, again..." BusDriverFierce. Retrieved 2009-08-22.
  25. ^ "Beyonce's Nail Rings For Sweet Dreams Video Are Worth $36,000".
  26. ^ "Beyonce - Sweet Dreams - Review of Beyonce's Sweet Dreams Single". Top40.about.com. 2009-11-25. Retrieved 2009-11-30.
  27. ^ Montgomery, James (2009-07-09). "Beyonce Gets Crazy, Sexy, Cool In 'Sweet Dreams' Video - News Story | Music, Celebrity, Artist News | MTV News". Mtv.com. Retrieved 2009-11-30.
  28. ^ "iTunes Store - Beyoncé - Sweet Dreams - single". Itunes.apple.com. Retrieved 2009-09-05.
  29. ^ a b "Sweet Dreams Remix EP (1)". iTunes. Apple Inc. Retrieved 2009-08-13.
  30. ^ a b "Sweet Dreams Remix EP (2)". iTunes. Apple Inc. Retrieved 2009-08-13.
  31. ^ "Sweet Dreams UK Vinyl". EIL accessdate=2010-02-27. {{cite web}}: Missing pipe in: |publisher= (help)
  32. ^ "Sweet Dreams EP". iTunes. Apple Inc. Retrieved 2009-08-13.
  33. ^ "iTunes Store - Beyoncé - Ego / Sweet Dreams Singles & Dance Mixes". Itunes.apple.com. Retrieved 2009-09-05.
  34. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Beyoncé – Sweet Dreams – Music Charts". αCharts.us. Retrieved 2009-06-14.
  35. ^ "Top 40 Urban Albums & Singles Chart - Australian Record Industry Association". Ariacharts.com.au. Retrieved 2009-11-07.
  36. ^ "Beyoncé - Sweet Dreams - Chart positions". Ultratop. Retrieved 2009-09-21.
  37. ^ Steffen Hung. "Beyoncé - Sweet Dreams". lescharts.com. Retrieved 2009-11-30.
  38. ^ "Bulgarian Nielsen Airplay chart". Bulgarian Association of the Music Producers. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 2009-10-11. Retrieved 2009-10-13. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  39. ^ "RADIO TOP100 Oficiální". IFPI (in Czech). Retrieved 2009-08-14.
  40. ^ "Music Charts, Most Popular Music, Music by Genre & Top Music Charts". Billboard.com. Retrieved 2009-11-30.
  41. ^ "Classement des ventes de titres téléchargés en France du 25 janvier au 31 janvier 2010". Chartsinfrance.net. Retrieved 2010-02-05.
  42. ^ Greece - Sweet Dreams - Beyonce
  43. ^ ""Sweet Dreams" in Hungarian charts". vivatv.hu. Retrieved 2009-10-24.
  44. ^ a b "Beyoncé - Sweet Dreams - Music Charts". Acharts.us. Retrieved 2009-11-30.
  45. ^ S-a relansat RT 100!
  46. ^ "RADIO TOP100 Oficiálna". IFPI (in Slovak). Retrieved 2009-08-14.
  47. ^ [2][dead link]
  48. ^ http://www.billboard.com/#/charts/hot-100?begin=11&order=position
  49. ^ Up for DiscussionPost Comment. "Chart Beat Wednesday: Kiss, Beyonce, David Gray - Chart Beat". Billboard.com. Retrieved 2009-11-30.
  50. ^ "Music News, Reviews, Articles, Information, News Online & Free Music". Billboard.com. Retrieved 2009-11-30.
  51. ^ "ARIA Charts - End Of Year Charts - Top 100 Singles 2009". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 2010-01-09.
  52. ^ http://www.billboard.com/#/charts-year-end/canadian-hot-100?year=2009&begin=81&order=position}}
  53. ^ http://www.musicharts.net/index.php?cat=yechart&year=2009&chid=3}}
  54. ^ http://www.viva.tv/Charts/Detail/id/2187547/part/3/name/VIVA+Single+Jahrescharts+2009}}
  55. ^ http://www.rianz.org.nz/rianz/chart_annual.asp
  56. ^ http://www.billboard.com/#/charts-year-end/hot-100-songs?year=2009
  57. ^ http://www.billboard.com/#/charts-year-end/hot-dance-club-play-songs?year=2009&begin=11&order=position
  58. ^ http://www.billboard.com/#/charts-year-end/hot-radio-songs?year=2009&begin=51&order=position
  59. ^ http://www.musicharts.net/index.php?cat=yechart&year=2009&chid=4}}
  60. ^ "http://www.aria.com.au/pages/httpwww.aria.com.aupageshttpwww.aria.com.aupagesARIACharts-Accreditations-2009Singles.htm". Aria.com.au. 2009-10-31. Retrieved 2009-11-30. {{cite web}}: External link in |title= (help)
  61. ^ "September 13, 2009: New Zealand Gold Certification". radioscope.net.nz. Retrieved 2009-09-22.
  62. ^ "New Zealand Chart Facts". RIANZ. Retrieved 2009-07-22.
  63. ^ RIAA Gold & Platinum Searchable Database - "Sweet Dreams". RIAA.com. Retrieved 2009-11-20.
  64. ^ "Sweet Dreams: Beyonce: Amazon.de: Musik". Amazon.de. Retrieved 2009-11-30.
  65. ^ "Sweet Dreams: Beyonce: Amazon.de: MP3-Downloads". Amazon.de. 1970-01-01. Retrieved 2009-11-30.
  66. ^ "Sweet Dreams: Beyonce: Amazon.fr: Téléchargements MP3". Amazon.fr. 1970-01-01. Retrieved 2009-11-30.
  67. ^ AU release
Preceded by Australia Australian Urban Chart number-one single
July 27, 2009 - September 14, 2009 		Succeeded by
Preceded by New Zealand RIANZ Singles Chart number-one single
August 31, 2009 - September 20, 2009 		Succeeded by
Preceded by U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs number-one single
September 12, 2009 - September 19, 2009 		Succeeded by
Preceded by U.S. Billboard Rhythmic Top 40 number-one single
November 28, 2009 - December 5, 2009 		Succeeded by
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