Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)

"Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)"
Single by Eurythmics
from the album Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)
B-side "Baby's Gone Blue"
Released 21 January 1983 (UK)
2 May 1983 (US)
Format 7" single, 12" single
Recorded 1982
Genre
Length 3:35 (7" single)
4:48 (12" single)
Label RCA Records
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s) David A. Stewart
Eurythmics singles chronology
"Love Is a Stranger"
(1982)		 "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)"
(1983)		 "Who's That Girl?"
(1983)

"Love Is a Stranger"
(1982)		 "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)"
(1983)		 "Who's That Girl?"
(1983)
"Love Is a Stranger" (1991 reissue)
(1991) String Module Error: Match not found1991
"Sweet Dreams '91" (Remix)
(1991) String Module Error: Match not found1991
"I Saved the World Today"
(1999) I Saved the World Today1999
Music video
"Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" on YouTube

"Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" is a song written and performed by the British new wave music duo Eurythmics. The song is the title track of their album of the same name and was released as the fourth and final single from the album in early 1983. The song became their breakthrough hit, establishing the duo worldwide. Its music video helped to propel the song to number 2 on the UK Singles Chart and number 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100. It was the first single released by Eurythmics in the US.

"Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" is arguably Eurythmics' signature song. Following its success, their previous single, "Love Is a Stranger", was re-released and also became a worldwide hit. On Rolling Stone's The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time issue in 2003, "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" was ranked number 356.[3] Eurythmics have regularly performed the song in all their live sets since 1982, and it is often performed by Lennox on her solo tours.

In 1991, the song was remixed and reissued to promote Eurythmics' Greatest Hits album. It re-charted in the UK, reaching number 48, and was also a moderate hit in dance clubs. Another remix by Steve Angello was released in France in 2006, along with the track "I've Got a Life" (peaking at number 10).

Background

Composition

Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart wrote the song after The Tourists had broken up and they formed Eurythmics. Although the two of them also broke up as a couple, they continued to work together. They became interested in electronic music, bought new synthesisers and started playing on it. According to Stewart, he managed to produce the beat and riff of the song on a synthesiser, and Lennox, on hearing it, said: "What the hell is that?" and started playing on another synthesiser, and beginnings of the song came out of the two duelling synths.[4]

According to Lennox, the lyrics reflected the unhappy time after the break up of The Tourists, when she felt that they were "in a dream world", and that whatever they were chasing was never going to happen. She described the song as saying: "Look at the state of us. How can it get worse?", adding "I was feeling very vulnerable. The song was an expression of how I felt: hopeless and nihilistic." Stewart however thought the lyrics too depressing, and added the "hold your head up, moving on" line to make it more uplifting.[4]

Commenting on the line "Some of them want to use you … some of them want to be abused", Lennox said that "people think it’s about sex or S&M, and it’s not about that at all".[4]

Recording

The original recording's main instrumentation featured a sequenced Oberheim OB-X analog synthesizer riff, which Stewart accidentally discovered in the studio when he played a bass track backward. Apart from the synthesizer, the arrangement also uses a Movement Systems Drum Computer, a piano in the middle eight, and Lennox's multitracked harmony vocals.

According to Stewart, the record company did not think the song to be suitable as a single as it lacks a chorus, and did not want to release it as a single. However, when a radio DJ in Cleveland kept playing the song from the album and it received a strongly positive audience reaction, the label then decided to release it.[4]

Chart performance

"Sweet Dreams" was Eurythmics' commercial breakthrough in the United Kingdom and all over the world. The single entered the UK chart at number 63 in February 1983 and reached number two the following month.[5]

"Sweet Dreams" was the first ever single release by Eurythmics in the United States when it was released in May 1983. The single debuted at number 90 and slowly eased up the chart.[6] By August, the single had reached number two and stayed there for four weeks, kept from the top by The Police's "Every Breath You Take" before "Sweet Dreams" took the number one spot.

Music video

The music video for "Sweet Dreams" was directed by Chris Ashbrook and filmed in January 1983, shortly before the single and the album was released. The video received heavy airplay on the then-fledgling MTV channel and is widely considered a classic clip from the early-MTV era.

The music video begins with a fist (presumably Stewart's) pounding on a table, with the camera panning up to reveal Lennox in a boardroom, with images of a Saturn V launch projected on a screen behind her, which are later replaced by a shot of a crowd walking down a street. Stewart is shown typing on a computer (actually an MCS drum computer). The camera cuts to Lennox and Stewart meditating on the table. Stewart is next shown playing a cello in a field. The scene then returns to the boardroom, with Lennox and Stewart lying down on the table, and a cow walking around them. Stewart is shown again typing on the computer, with the cow chewing something right next to him. The scene cuts to the duo in a field, with a herd of cows, and Stewart still typing. Lennox and Stewart are then seen floating in a boat, with Stewart again playing a cello. The video ends with Lennox lying in bed, with the last shot being a book on a nightstand bearing a cover identical to the album. The screen then fades to black as Lennox turns off the bedside lamp. The video has more than 242 million views on YouTube as of September 2018.[7]

Lennox's androgynous visual image, with close-cropped, orange-coloured hair, and attired in a man's suit brandishing a cane, immediately made her a household name. Her gender-bending image would be further explored in other Eurythmics videos such as "Love Is a Stranger" and "Who's That Girl?".

A second video was also produced, featuring Lennox and Stewart on a train. A close-up shot of Lennox's lips is occasionally seen in the train car's window as she sings the song.[8]

Track listings

7" single

  • A: "Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)" (LP Version) – 3:36
  • B: "I Could Give You A Mirror" (Alternate Version) – 4:15

12" single

  • A: "Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)" (Extended Version) – 4:48
  • B1: "I Could Give You A Mirror" (Alternate Version) – 4:15
  • B2: "Baby's Gone Blue" (Non-LP track) – 4:19

3" CD (1989 re-release)

  1. "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" (LP version) – 3:36
  2. "I Could Give You A Mirror" (Alternate Version) – 4:15
  3. "Here Comes The Rain Again" (LP Version) – 4:54
  4. "Paint A Rumour" – 7:30

CD single (1991 re-release)

  1. Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This) ’91 - (3:35)
  2. Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This) (Nightmare Remix) - (7:27)
  3. Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This) (Hot Remix) - (5:21)
  4. Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This) (House Remix) - (3:34)

Credits and personnel

Charts

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/Sales
Canada (Music Canada)[40] Gold 50,000^
France (SNEP)[41] Gold 951,000[41]
Italy (FIMI)[42] Platinum 50,000*
United Kingdom (BPI)[43] Platinum 1,000,000double-dagger
United States (RIAA)[44] Gold 1,000,000^

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone
double-daggersales+streaming figures based on certification alone

Marilyn Manson cover

"Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)"
Single by Marilyn Manson
from the album Smells Like Children
Released 22 June 1996
Format CD single
Recorded Summer 1995
Genre
Length
  • 4:25 (single edit)
  • 4:53 (album version)
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Marilyn Manson singles chronology
"Lunchbox"
(1995)		 "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)"
(1996)		 "The Beautiful People"
(1996)

"Lunchbox"
(1995)		 "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)"
(1996)		 "The Beautiful People"
(1996)
Audio sample
  • file
  • help
Music video
"Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" on YouTube

Marilyn Manson released a cover version as the first single from Smells Like Children (1995), an EP of covers, remixes and interludes. In his 1998 autobiography, the band's eponymous vocalist said he fought their label to have this track released as a single, saying: "They didn't want to release [it], which I knew would be a song that even people who didn't like our band would like. [Nothing] wanted to release our version of Screamin' Jay Hawkins' 'I Put a Spell on You', which was far too dark, sprawling and esoteric, even for some of our own fans. We battled the label this time, and learned we could win. ... It was a disheartening experience, but it didn't hurt half as much as the fact that no one at our label ever congratulated us on the success of the song."[48]

The track became the band's first legitimate hit. The music video was directed by American photographer Dean Karr,[49] and featured images of the vocalist self-mutilating while wearing a tutu,[50] as well as scenes of him riding a pig.[51] It was placed on heavy rotation on MTV,[52] and was nominated for Best Rock Video at the 1996 MTV Video Music Awards.[53] In 2010, Billboard rated it the "scariest music video ever made", beating Michael Jackson's "Thriller".[50][51] The video also appeared at number three in the publication's 2013 list of "The 15 Scariest Music Videos Ever".[54] Dave Stewart has said that he liked this version of his song, and that "the video was one of the scariest things [he]'d seen at the time."[55]

The song went on to appear on the band's 2004 greatest hits album, Lest We Forget: The Best Of. It also featured on soundtracks to the films Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room (2005),[56] Gamer (2009),[57] and A Perfect Day (2015),[58] in movies such as House on Haunted Hill (1999),[59] and Trick 'r Treat (2007),[60] as well as the trailer for Wrath of the Titans (2012),[61] in the pilot episode of The Following,[62] and on the BBC drama Luther.[63] Britney Spears created a music video using Manson's version of the song.[64] This video – also directed by Chris Ashbrook – was used as an interlude on her 2009 concert tour "The Circus Starring Britney Spears".[65]

Track listing

  1. "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" – 4:25
  2. "Dance of the Dope Hats" (Remix by Anthony Valcic, Dave Ogilvie and Joseph Bishara) – 4:46
  3. "Down in the Park" (Gary Numan cover) – 4:58
  4. "Lunchbox (Next Motherfucker)" (Remix by Charlie Clouser) – 4:47

Charts

Other cover versions

See also

References

  1. ↑ Judith A. Peraino (2005). University of California Press, ed. Listening to the Sirens: Musical Technologies of Queer Identity from Homer to Hedwig. p. 241. ISBN 978-0520215870. "Marilyn Manson entered the mainstream in 1995 with a cover song of the 1980s synth-pop hit "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" by the Eurythmics"
  2. ↑ Larry Starr, Christopher Alan Waterman (2007). Oxford University Press, ed. American popular music: from minstrelsy to MP3, Vol. 1. ISBN 978-0195300536. ""Sweet Dreams" is a good example of commercial new wave music of the early 1980s, an outgrowth of the 1970s new wave/punk scene promoted by major record labels."
  3. ↑ "The RS 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". RollingStone.com. Retrieved 8 June 2009.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Simpson, Dave (11 December 2017). "Eurythmics: how we made Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)". The Guardian.
  5. 1 2 3 "Eurythmics: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 25 July 2013.
  6. ↑ "Billboard #1s for the Week Ending May 14, 1983". Rbhsjukebox.wordpress.com. WordPress. Retrieved 12 October 2013.
  7. ↑ EurythmicsVEVO (24 October 2009), Eurythmics - Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This) (Official Video), retrieved 11 March 2017
  8. ↑ Eurythmics - Sweet Dreams HQ (1983, Bananas) - "alternative video clip". YouTube. Retrieved 25 July 2013.
  9. ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives: Australian Chart Book. p. 105. ISBN 0-646-11917-6. N.B. The Kent Report chart was licensed by ARIA between 1983 and 19 June 1988.
  10. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Eurythmics – Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 25 July 2013.
  11. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Eurythmics – Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 25 July 2013.
  12. ↑ "Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This) - EURYTHMICS". VRT (in Dutch). Top30-2.radio2.be. Archived from the original on 9 April 2012. Retrieved 26 July 2013. Hoogste notering in de top 30 : 2
  13. ↑ Lwin, Nanda (2000). Top 40 Hits: The Essential Chart Guide. Mississauga: Music Data Canada. p. 389. ISBN 1-896-594-13-1.
  14. ↑ "Top Singles - Volume 39, No. 2, September 10, 1983". Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 25 July 2013.
  15. 1 2 "InfoDisc : Tous les Titres par Artiste". Dominic DURAND / InfoDisc (in French). InfoDisc.fr. 25 July 2013. Retrieved 25 July 2013. You have to use the index at the top of the page and search "Eurythmics"
  16. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Eurythmics – Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 25 July 2013.
  17. ↑ "The Irish Charts - All there is to know". IRMA. Retrieved 25 July 2013. 5th result when searching "Sweet dreams"
  18. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Eurythmics - Sweet Dreams - Are Made Of This" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 25 July 2013.
  19. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Eurythmics – Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 25 July 2013.
  20. ↑ "Charts.nz – Eurythmics – Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 25 July 2013.
  21. ↑ "SWEET DREAMS (ARE MADE OF THIS) - Eurythmics". Nowe Media, Polskie Radio S.A. LP3.polskieradio.pl. Retrieved 25 July 2013.
  22. ↑ "South African Rock Lists Website SA Charts 1969 - 1989 Acts (E)". Rock.co.za. John Samson. Retrieved 25 July 2013.
  23. ↑ Salaverri, Fernando. Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959-2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  24. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Eurythmics – Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 25 July 2013.
  25. ↑ "Eurythmics Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 25 July 2013.
  26. ↑ "Eurythmics Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved 25 July 2013.
  27. ↑ "Eurythmics Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 25 July 2013.
  28. ↑ "Eurythmics Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved 25 July 2013.
  29. ↑ "Cash Box Top 100 9/10/83". tropicalglen.com.
  30. ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (doc)|format= requires |url= (help). Australian Chart Book, St Ives, N.S.W. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  31. ↑ "Top 100 Singles of 1983 – Volume 39, No. 17, December 24 1983". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 9 April 2017.
  32. ↑ "End of Year Charts 1983". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 16 July 2017.
  33. ↑ "Top 50 Singles of 1983". Music Week. London, England: Spotlight Publications: 25. 25 December 1983.
  34. ↑ Scaping, Peter, ed. (1984). "Top 100 singles: 1983". BPI Year Book 1984. British Phonographic Industry. pp. 42–43. ISBN 0-906154-04-9.
  35. ↑ "Top 100 Hits of 1983/Top 100 Songs of 1983". www.musicoutfitters.com.
  36. ↑ "Cash Box YE Pop Singles - 1983". tropicalglen.com.
  37. 1 2 "Chart Log UK: E-40 – E-Z Rollers". Zobbel.de. Retrieved 23 June 2012.
  38. ↑ "[Steve+Angello+Remix&cat=s Lescharts.com – Eurythmics – Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This) [Steve Angello Remix]"] (in French). Les classement single.
  39. ↑ "Listy bestsellerów, wyróżnienia :: Związek Producentów Audio-Video". Polish Airplay Top 100. Retrieved January 16, 2017.
  40. ↑ "CRIA Gold Sales Award". annielennox.com. Retrieved 12 February 2016.
  41. 1 2 "InfoDisc : Les Singles en Or". Dominic DURAND / InfoDisc (in French). InfoDisc.fr. 25 July 2013. Archived from the original on 24 September 2014. Retrieved 25 July 2013.
  42. ↑ "Italian single certifications – Eurythmics – Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 9 April 2018.
  43. ↑ "British single certifications – Eurythmics – Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)". British Phonographic Industry. Select singles in the Format field. Select Platinum in the Certification field. Type Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  44. ↑ "American single certifications – Eurythmics – Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH. 
  45. ↑ Fitzpatrick, Eileen (7 March 1998). "Marilyn Manson: Dead to the World". Billboard. Retrieved 10 January 2017.
  46. ↑ "Marilyn Manson Biography". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 21 February 2009. Retrieved 9 June 2015.
  47. ↑ McPadden, Mike (4 April 2015). "Leather, Denim, & Skinny Ties: The Top 10 Heavy Metal Covers of Classic New Wave Songs". VH1. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
  48. ↑ Manson, Marilyn; Strauss, Neil (14 February 1998). The Long Hard Road Out of Hell. HarperCollins. p. 190. ISBN 978-0-06-039258-1.
  49. ↑ "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)". MTV. Viacom. 17 July 1996. Archived from the original on 9 March 2009. Retrieved 3 March 2009.
  50. 1 2 "Billboard names Marilyn Manson's 'Sweet Dreams' as scariest music video". The Daily Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group. 30 September 2010. Retrieved 24 July 2018.
  51. 1 2 "The scariest music video ever made". The Age. Fairfax Media. 1 November 2010. Retrieved 25 July 2018.
  52. ↑ "Marilyn Manson Biography". Biography.com. Archived from the original on 4 April 2016. Retrieved 24 March 2016.
  53. ↑ Considine, J.D. (4 September 1996). "Video Music Awards offer stars and unpredictability". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 19 September 2016.
  54. ↑ Comer, M. Tye; Lipshutz, Jason; Mapes, Jillian (31 October 2013). "The 15 Scariest Music Videos Ever". Billboard. Retrieved 25 July 2018.
  55. ↑ Williams, Andrew (11 October 2013). "Dave Stewart: Copious amounts of vodka and a rocking boat gave the track that 'whoa' feel". Metro. DMG Media. Retrieved 25 July 2018.
  56. ↑ "Marilyn Manson Featured On 'Enron' Soundtrack". Blabbermouth.net. 17 May 2005. Retrieved 25 July 2018.
  57. ↑ "Gamer (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) by Various Artists on Apple Music". Apple Music. iTunes. Retrieved 25 July 2018.
  58. ↑ "A Perfect Day (2015)". Soundtrack.net. Retrieved 25 July 2018.
  59. ↑ "House on Haunted Hill (1999) - Soundtracks". IMDb. Retrieved 26 July 2018.
  60. ↑ Paquin, Anna (7 October 2009). "Trick 'r Treat DVD Review". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved 26 July 2018.
  61. ↑ Yamato, Jen (19 December 2011). "Wrath of the Titans Trailer: Sweet Dreams Are Made of CG". Movieline. Retrieved 26 July 2018.
  62. ↑ "The Following Soundtrack S1E1". Tunefind. Retrieved 26 July 2018.
  63. ↑ Tobias, Scott (12 October 2011). "Luther: "Series Two, Episode Three"". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 26 July 2018.
  64. ↑ Glazer, Eliot (15 November 2011). "Watch Britney Spear's Music Music Video for Marilyn Manson's 'Sweet Dreams'". Vulture.com. New York Magazine. Retrieved 26 July 2018.
  65. ↑ "Britney Spears Performs to 'Sweet Dreams' cover". Rolling Stone. 15 November 2011. Retrieved 26 July 2018.
  66. ↑ "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" (Australian, European Union and Israeli CD single). Marilyn Manson. Nothing Records, Interscope Records. 1995. IND–95504.
  67. ↑ "Australian-charts.com – Marilyn Manson – Sweet Dreams". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved July 25, 2018.
  68. ↑ "Rock/Alternative - Volume 63, No. 13, May 13, 1996". Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 25 July 2013.
  69. ↑ "Charts.nz – Marilyn Manson – Sweet Dreams". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved July 25, 2018.
  70. ↑ Zywietz, Tobias. "Chart Log UK: M - My Vitriol". Zobbel. Archived from the original on 21 July 2015. Retrieved 15 October 2017.
  71. ↑ "Marilyn Manson Chart History (Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 25 July 2018.
  72. ↑ "Marilyn Manson Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved 25 July 2018.
  73. ↑ "Lescharts.com – Marilyn Manson – Sweet Dreams" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved July 25, 2018.
  74. ↑ "Hot Dance Club Songs – September 10, 2016". Billboard. 10 September 2016. Retrieved 30 August 2016.


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