If I Can Dream

"If I Can Dream" is a song made famous by Elvis Presley, written by Walter Earl Brown[1] and notable for its direct quotations of Martin Luther King, Jr.[2] The song was published by Elvis Presley's music publishing company Gladys Music, Inc. It was recorded by Presley in June 1968, two months after King's assassination. The recording was first released to the public as the finale of Presley's '68 Comeback Special.

This article is about the song. For the reality series, see If I Can Dream (web series). For the album, see If I Can Dream (album).
"If I Can Dream"
Single by Elvis Presley
from the album Elvis
B-side"Edge of Reality"
ReleasedNovember 5, 1968
RecordedJune 1968
GenreRock, soul, gospel
Length3:08
LabelRCA Records
Songwriter(s)Walter Earl Brown
Producer(s)Mac Davis
Elvis Presley singles chronology
"Almost in Love" / "A Little Less Conversation"
(1968)		 "If I Can Dream" / "Edge of Reality"
(1968)		 "Memories" / "Charro"
(1969)
"If I Can Dream"
Song by Elvis Presley
from the album Elvis
ReleasedNovember 22, 1968
RecordedJune 1968
GenreRock, soul, gospel
Length3:10
LabelRCA Records
Songwriter(s)Walter Earl Brown

History

Brown was asked to write a song to replace "I'll Be Home for Christmas" as the grand finale on NBC's "Elvis", from June 20-23, 1968 (now also known as ‘68 Comeback Special). Knowing about Presley’s fondness for Martin Luther King, and about his devastation related to his then-recent assassination, he wrote "If I Can Dream" with Presley in mind. When Presley heard the demo, he was known to have proclaimed "I'm never going to sing another song I don't believe in. I'm never going to make another movie I don't believe in." And he, in the nine short years remaining for his life to end, kept his promise. [3]

The song was published by Presley's company Gladys Music, Inc.

When Colonel Tom Parker heard the demo of the song sent by Earl Brown, he said: "This ain't Elvis' kind of song." Elvis was also there, and he countered Parker’s argument, then he pleaded: "Let me give it a shot, man." Earl Brown said that when Elvis recorded the song, he saw tears rolling down the cheeks of the backing vocalists. One of them whispered to him: "Elvis has never sung with so much emotion before. Looks like he means every word."[4]

Recording success

A false start by Elvis prevented the first take from becoming the master one. After filming for the TV special was completed with its eventual editing, then broadcast in December the same year, the song was released as a single with “Edge of Reality” as the flip side in November 1968. It charted on Billboard's Hot 100 for 3 months and a week, peaking at #12, with more than one million sales;[3] though the RIAA has only certified the song as gold (500,000 units shipped) as of March 27, 1992.[5] In Canada the song peaked at #6 on RPM's top singles chart, maintaining that position for more than several weeks.[6]


Compilations

The song has appeared in many Presley compilations since its release, a number of which are related to the '68 Comeback Special or Inspirational meshes.[7] Sony BMG remastered the song in 2004, for future compilations. The song is referred to as stereo mix (as opposed to the 2004 remaster honorific) in '68 Comeback Special releases after 2004. Other compilations, such as Platinum - A Life In Music, include alternative takes on the song that are not as polished as the official takes. For instance, the background vocalists are not present in most of these takes, specifically with "If I Can Dream". It is rumoured that Presley had hit the nail on the head with the perfect take after the backing vocalists had gone home.[8]

See also

References
  1. "IF I CAN DREAM". ACE Title Search. American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. Retrieved 2008-10-21.
  2. "If I can dream: The Elvis tribute to Martin Luther King, Jr". The Conversation. Retrieved 31 October 2018.
  3. "Elvis-TheKingsCourt".
  4. Barry Manilow The Complete Collection and Then Some... booklet, page 42, 1992 Arista Records - text edited by Maureen Lasher.
  5. "RIAA - Gold & Platinum Searchable Database - December 25, 2015". www.riaa.com.
  6. "Search: RPM".
  7. "Elvis Presley - Elvis Inspirational - Amazon.com Music".
  8. "Amazon.com: Platinum - A Life In Music: Elvis Presley: MP3 Downloads".
  9. "Songs From A Stolen Spring". Valley Entertainment. Retrieved 14 November 2014.
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