"A Dream's a Dream" is a song by British

musical collective Musical collective is a phrase used to describe a group of musicians in which membership is flexible and creative control is shared.Liisa Ladouceur"Collegjthk ctive Souls" ''This Magazine'', November/December 2004. The concept is distinct from th ...

Soul II Soul Soul II Soul are a British musical collective formed in London in 1988. They are best known for their two major hits; 1989's UK number five and US number eleven " Keep On Movin'", and its follow-up, the UK number one and US number four " Back to ...

, released in 1990 by

Virgin Virginity is the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. The term ''virgin'' originally only referred to sexually inexperienced women, but has evolved to encompass a range of definitions, as found in traditional, modern ...

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 Victoria Wilson-James is an American-born British singer, songwriter and record producer. Born and raised in Gary, Indiana, she performed in various theatre plays and musicals as a teenager. Following the release of her debut single "I Want You ...

and received favorable reviews from music critics. It was successful all over Europe, reaching number-one in Greece and the top 10 in Finland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway and the UK. Additionally, it was a top 20 hit in Austria, Belgium, Germany, Ireland, Sweden and Switzerland. Outside Europe, it peaked at number three on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

Dance Club Songs Dance Club Songs is a chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine in the United States. It is a national look over of club disc jockeys to determine the most popular songs being played in nightclubs across the country. It was launched as t ...

chart in the US, number eight in New Zealand and number 27 in Australia.

Critical reception

Alex Henderson from

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

described the song as "haunting". Bill Coleman from ''

'' named it one of the "special moments" from '' Vol. II: 1990 – A New Decade''. He called it a "seductive, sleaze-speed club track with

house A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...

overtones

hat A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...

is (gratefully) less derivative of previous efforts. Vocals by

excite." Ernest Hardy from ''

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', was an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...

'' complimented the "operatic touch" of the song. Ian Gittins from ''

Melody Maker ''Melody Maker'' was a British weekly music magazine, one of the world's earliest music weeklies; according to its publisher, IPC Media, the earliest. It was founded in 1926, largely as a magazine for dance band musicians, by Leicester-born ...

'' 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 ''Music Week'' is a trade publication for the UK record industry distributed via a website and a monthly print magazine. It is published by Future. History Founded in 1959 as '' Record Retailer'', it relaunched on 18 March 1972 as ''Music W ...

'' 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 In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

-African-operatic single". Paolo Hewitt from ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

'' remarked Wilson-James' "operatic technique". Davydd Chong from ''

Record Mirror ''Record Mirror'' was a British weekly music newspaper between 1954 and 1991 for pop fans and record collectors. Launched two years after the ''NME'', it never attained the circulation of its rival. The first UK album chart was published in ''Re ...

'' felt that only one track from the album, "A Dream's a Dream", "warded off the bite of the critic, with a garland of garlic and a majestic arrangement." Tom Doyle from ''

Smash Hits ''Smash Hits'' was a British music magazine aimed at young adults, originally published by EMAP. It ran from 1978 to 2006, and, after initially appearing monthly, was issued fortnightly during most of that time. The name survived as a brand fo ...

'' complimented the singer's voice as "marvellous". Steven Daly from ''

Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning * Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis * Spin (propaganda), an intentionally b ...

'' concluded that it "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.)"

Music video

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

was produced to promote the single. It was later published on Soul II Soul's official

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

channel in 2009 and had generated more than 345,000 views as of December 2022.

Track listing

* 12" single, US (1990) #"A Dream's a Dream" (A Night at the Opera Mix) — 5:45 #"A Dream's a Dream" (Club Dub) — 4:25 #"Courtney Blows" — 4:32 * CD single, UK (1990) #"A Dream's a Dream" — 4:13 #"A Dream's a Dream" (A Night at the Opera Mix) — 5:49 #"A Dream's a Dream" (Club Dub) — 4:28 #"Courtney Blows" — 4:33 * CD single, Europe (1990) #"A Dream's a Dream" — 4:13 #"A Dream's a Dream" (A Night at the Opera Mix) — 5:49 #"A Dream's a Dream" (Club Dub) — 4:28 #"Courtney Blows" — 4:33

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dream's a Dream 1990 songs 1990 singles New jack swing songs Number-one singles in Greece Soul II Soul songs Songs written by Jazzie B Songs written by Simon Law Song recordings produced by Nellee Hooper Virgin Records singles