"Dream Weaver" is a song by the American singer

Gary Wright Gary Malcolm Wright (born April 26, 1943) is an American musician and composer best known for his 1976 hit songs " Dream Weaver" and " Love Is Alive", and for his role in helping establish the synthesizer as a leading instrument in rock and po ...

, released as the first single from his third studio album ''

The Dream Weaver ''The Dream Weaver'' is a solo album by Gary Wright released in July 1975. The album was said by Wright to be the first-ever all-keyboard album (though there were many all-synthesizer LPs before this, including ''Switched-On Bach'' by Wendy C ...

'' in December 1975.

Origins and instrumentation

The track features Wright on vocals and keyboards and

Jim Keltner James Lee Keltner (born April 27, 1942) is an American drummer and percussionist known primarily for his session work. He was characterized by Bob Dylan biographer Howard Sounes as "the leading session drummer in America".Howard Sounes. ''Down ...

on drums. According to Wright, the song was inspired by ''

Autobiography of a Yogi ''Autobiography of a Yogi'' is an autobiography of Paramahansa Yogananda (5 January 1893 – 7 March 1952) first published in 1946. Paramahansa Yogananda was born as Mukunda Lal Ghosh in Gorakhpur, India, into a Bengali Hindu family. '' ...

'', which was given to him by

George Harrison George Harrison (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) was an English musician and singer-songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Sometimes called "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Indian c ...

Paramahansa Yogananda Paramahansa Yogananda (born Mukunda Lal Ghosh; January 5, 1893March 7, 1952) was an Indian Hindu monk, yogi and guru who introduced millions to the teachings of meditation and Kriya Yoga through his organization Self-Realization Fellows ...

's poem "God! God! God!" made reference to "the idea of the mind weaving dreams". The expression "Dream Weaver" was popularized by

John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...

in 1970 in his song "

God In monotheism, monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator deity, creator, and principal object of Faith#Religious views, faith.Richard Swinburne, Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Ted Honderich, Honderich, Ted. (ed)''The Ox ...

", taken from his solo album ''

John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band ''John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band'' is the debut solo album by English musician John Lennon. Backed by the Plastic Ono Band, it was released by Apple Records on 11 December 1970 in tandem with the similarly titled album by his wife, Yoko Ono. At th ...

''. This song depicts Lennon's declaration that he was the dream weaver of the 1960s, breaking away from the influences and dogmas that influenced his life. All instrumentation was created using keyboards except for Keltner's percussion. Gary Wright re-recorded "Dream Weaver" twice, first in 1986 (spelled "Dreamweaver" this time) for the '' Fire and Ice'' movie soundtrack, then a longer version for the ''

Wayne's World "Wayne's World" was originally a recurring sketch from the NBC television series ''Saturday Night Live''. It evolved from a segment titled "Wayne's Power Minute" (1987) on the CBC Television series '' It's Only Rock & Roll'', as the main characte ...

'' movie soundtrack in 1992.

Personnel

- lead vocals, ARP Solina String Ensemble, Minimoogs, drum machine *

David Foster David Walter Foster (born November 1, 1949) is a Canadian musician, composer, arranger, record producer and music executive who chaired Verve Records from 2012 to 2016. He has won 16 Grammy Awards from 47 nominations. His music career spans mor ...

- Fender Rhodes electric piano *

- drums Instrumental credits taken from Mixonline.

Chart performance

In 1976, the song became a hit in the US; it peaked at #2 on the ''Billboard'' chart. It was kept from #1 by both "

December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night) "December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night)" is a song originally performed by the Four Seasons, written by original Four Seasons keyboard player Bob Gaudio and his future wife Judy Parker, produced by Gaudio, and included on the group's album, ''Who Lov ...

" by The Four Seasons and "

Disco Lady "Disco Lady" is a 1976 single by American singer Johnnie Taylor that went on to become his biggest hit. It spent four weeks at No. 1 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and six weeks on the ''Billboard'' R&B chart in the U.S. It was also the first singl ...

" by

Johnnie Taylor Johnnie Harrison Taylor (May 5, 1934 – May 31, 2000) was an American recording artist and songwriter who performed a wide variety of genres, from blues, rhythm and blues, soul, and gospel to pop, doo-wop, and disco. In 2022, Taylor was ...

. "Dream Weaver" did get to #1 on '' Cashbox''.

Weekly singles charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

In popular culture

The song has been heard in many films and television programs. According to

Wes Craven Wesley Earl Craven (August 2, 1939 – August 30, 2015) was an American film director, screenwriter, producer, actor, and editor. Craven has commonly been recognized as one of the greatest masters of the horror genre due to the cultural imp ...

, the song (and its keyboard intro/outro) inspired the concept behind the 1984 film ''

A Nightmare on Elm Street ''A Nightmare on Elm Street'' is a 1984 American supernatural slasher film written and directed by Wes Craven and produced by Robert Shaye. It is the first installment in the ''A Nightmare on Elm Street'' franchise and stars Heather Langenkamp ...

''. Wright re-recorded the song for the soundtrack of the 1992 film ''

''. He performed the song on an episode of '' The Midnight Special''. The song also appeared in the movies ''

The People vs. Larry Flynt ''The People vs. Larry Flynt'' is a 1996 American biographical drama film directed by Miloš Forman, chronicling the rise of pornographer Larry Flynt and his subsequent clash with religious institutions and the law. It stars Woody Harrelson, Cour ...

'', '' Ice Age: Collision Course'' and ''

Toy Story 3 ''Toy Story 3'' is a 2010 American computer-animated comedy-drama film produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures. It is the third installment in the ''Toy Story'' series and the sequel to ''Toy Story 2'' (1999). It was d ...

''.

References

External links

Stadia – Official Launch Trailer
!-- Licensed lyrics provider --> * {{Authority control 1975 songs 1975 singles Gary Wright songs Warner Records singles Songs written by Gary Wright Cashbox number-one singles RPM Top Singles number-one singles Indian mythology in music Progressive pop songs Songs about dreams Songs about outer space Paramahansa Yogananda