"A Dream" is a song by

DeBarge DeBarge was an American musical recording group composed of several members of the DeBarge family. In addition to various solo projects completed by members of the family, DeBarge was active between 1979 and 1989. The group originally consisted ...

. Written by Bunny DeBarge and produced by El DeBarge, the song is from their hit album ''

In a Special Way ''In a Special Way'' is the third studio album by American R&B group DeBarge, released by Gordy Records on September 24, 1983. It was recorded at Kendun Records in Burbank and Westlake Audio in West Hollywood; written and produced by lead vocal ...

''. Although the track was not released as a single, the song has been popular over the years on R&B radio and has been sampled by several artists in the hip-hop and urban contemporary genres.

Background

"A Dream" was one of the few songs in which DeBarge member, sister

Bunny DeBarge Etterlene "Bunny" DeBarge (born March 10, 1955) is an American soul singer–songwriter and the lone female sibling of the Motown family group DeBarge. She was the lead vocalist on the R&B ballad " A Dream", from the group's ''In a Special Way'' ...

, played a role as both its songwriter and its lead vocalist while her four brothers (

Mark Mark may refer to: Currency * Bosnia and Herzegovina convertible mark, the currency of Bosnia and Herzegovina * East German mark, the currency of the German Democratic Republic * Estonian mark, the currency of Estonia between 1918 and 1927 * Fi ...

Randy Randy is a given name, popular in the United States and Canada. It is primarily a masculine name. It was originally derived from the names Randall, Randolf, Randolph, as well as Bertrand and Andrew, and may be a short form (hypocorism) of the ...

, El and

James DeBarge James Curtis DeBarge (born August 22, 1963) is an American R&B/soul singer. He was one of the members of the singing family vocal group DeBarge who became famous with their mid-1980s songs " All This Love", "Love Me in a Special Way", " Rhythm ...

) sang in the background. The song talked of a woman's dose of reality when she realizes the happiness she thought she felt with a suitor wasn't real, recalling how at one point she and her lover "danced to a melody" of a song, then when "the music stops", she realizes the dream is "haunting (her) again".

Samples, covers and other use

• In the following years, the song would be used as a sample for some R&B and hip-hop songs, mainly used in the basis of hit singles for

Blackstreet Blackstreet (often stylized as BLACKstreet) is an American R&B group founded in 1991 by record producers Chauncey "Black" Hannibal, and Teddy "Street" Riley. The group has released four albums with Interscope Records until 2003. They achieved ...

(their 1997 hit, " Don't Leave Me"),

2Pac Tupac Amaru Shakur ( ; born Lesane Parish Crooks, June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), also known as 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper. He is widely considered one of the most influential rappers of all time. Shakur is among the b ...

(his 1996 single, " I Ain't Mad At Cha"),

Children of the Corn "Children of the Corn" is a short story by Stephen King, first published in the March 1977 issue of ''Penthouse'', and later collected in King's 1978 collection '' Night Shift''. The story is about a couple who end up in an abandoned Nebraska t ...

("American Dream"), and

Fifth Harmony Fifth Harmony, often shortened to 5H, was an American girl group based in Miami, composed of Ally Brooke, Normani, Dinah Jane, Lauren Jauregui, and previously Camila Cabello until her departure from the group in December 2016. The group signe ...

("We Know" song off their 2015 album,

Reflection Reflection or reflexion may refer to: Science and technology * Reflection (physics), a common wave phenomenon ** Specular reflection, reflection from a smooth surface *** Mirror image, a reflection in a mirror or in water ** Signal reflection, in s ...

).
• In 1997, R&B singer

Mary J. Blige Mary Jane Blige ( ; born January 11, 1971) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Often referred to as the " Queen of Hip-Hop Soul" and " Queen of R&B", Blige has won nine Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, four American Music Award ...

covered the song for the soundtrack to the

Chris Tucker Christopher Tucker (born August 31, 1971) is an American actor and comedian. Tucker made his debut in 1992 as a stand-up performer on the HBO comedy series ''Def Comedy Jam'', where he frequently appeared on the show during the 1990s. He app ...

film, '' Money Talks''.
• In 1997, during a scene in the film ''

Soul Food Soul food is an ethnic cuisine traditionally prepared and eaten by African Americans, originating in the Southern United States.Soul Food originated with the foods that were given to enslaved Black people by their white owners on Souther ...

'', Miles (portrayed by

Michael Beach Michael Anthony Beach (born October 30, 1963) is an American actor. He has appeared in films '' Lean on Me'' (1989), ''One False Move'' (1992), ''Short Cuts'' (1993), ''Waiting to Exhale'' (1995), ''A Family Thing'' (1996), ''Soul Food'' (1997), ...

) played a variation of the song's instrumental intro as rehearsal for his wife's cousin Faith (

Gina Ravera Gina Ravera is an American actress. She has appeared in the films ''Showgirls'' (1995), ''Soul Food'' (1997), '' Kiss the Girls'' (1997), and ''The Great Debaters'' (2007). She co-starred as detective Irene Daniels in the TNT crime drama series ' ...

) for a dance audition.
• In 2003

Keshia Chanté Keshia Chanté Harper (born June 16, 1988) is a Canadian singer, television host, actress, songwriter and philanthropist. As a teenager, Chanté gained recognition with the release of her singles "Unpredictable", "Bad Boy" and "Does He Love Me" " ...

used a sample of it in a song titled "

Unpredictable Unpredictable may refer to: Film and TV * "Unpredictable" (''Eureka''), an episode of ''Eureka'' Music Albums * ''Unpredictable'' (Classified album), 2000 * ''Unpredictable'' (Jamie Foxx album), 2005 * ''Unpredictable'' (Malik B. album), 2015 ...

".
• In 2005 it was sampled on Rihanna's debut album with the track "There's a Thug in my Life" •It was used in 2008 by

Lady Gaga Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta ( ; born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She is known for her image reinventions and musical versatility. Gaga began performing as a teenag ...

on the song "Paper Gangsta."
•

Z-Ro Joseph Wayne McVey IV (born January 19, 1977), better known by his stage names Z-Ro and the Mo City Don, is an American rapper from Houston, Texas. He was named one of America's most underrated rappers by ''The New York Times'' in 2007. Early li ...

used the sample for his song “I Don’t Give a Damn” from his 2009 album,

Cocaine Cocaine (from , from , ultimately from Quechuan languages, Quechua: ''kúka'') is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant mainly recreational drug use, used recreationally for its euphoria, euphoric effects. It is primarily obtained from t ...

• Victoria Beckham sampled "A Dream" in an unreleased song she recorded titled "Right Back To You" •South African artist

A-Reece Lehlogonolo Ronald Mataboge (born March 27, 1997), known professionally as A-Reece, is a South African rapper, songwriter and record producer. He was raised in Pretoria, Gauteng. A-Reece was under Ambitiouz Entertainment in 2015, but with no p ...

sampled “A Dream” in his song titled “Mgani”
• Sampled in " Whatever You Need" by

Meek Mill Robert Rihmeek Williams (born May 6, 1987), known professionally as Meek Mill, is an American rapper. Born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he embarked on his music career as a battle rapper, and later formed a short-lived rap group, ...

in 2017.
• Sampled in Lie To Me by

Queen Naija Queen Naija Bulls (; born October 17, 1995) is an American R&B singer and media personality. Born in Ypsilanti, Michigan, though she was raised majorly in Detroit, Michigan, she started out her career as a vlogger on YouTube and then participat ...

and

Lil Durk Durk Derrick Banks (born October 19, 1992), known professionally as Lil Durk, is an American rapper and singer. He is the lead member and founder of the collective and record label Only the Family (OTF). Durk garnered a cult following with the ...

in 2020.

Personnel

*Lead vocals by Bunny DeBarge *Background vocals by Bunny DeBarge, Randy DeBarge and El DeBarge *Written by Bunny DeBarge *Produced by El DeBarge

External links

DeBarge Album-In a Special Way
allmusic.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Dream (DeBarge song) 1983 songs 1997 singles DeBarge songs Mary J. Blige songs Gordy Records singles Songs about dreams