57 Great Songs About Dreams

Dreaming is one of the most fascinating aspects of life to me and many others.

And probably one of the least understood as well. 

Sure, there are plenty of theories in psychology that tell us they are like a playground for our subconscious, allowing us to explore things that we don’t allow ourselves to think about during the day. 

And they are often picked apart and psychoanalyzed because of this.

But part of me thinks that there is a lot of speculation and we will never really know their true function. Some things are best left as mysteries. 

But they sure can be fun and many people like to keep dream diaries, tell their dreams to friends, and more. 

Another way to approach them, which interests me a lot, is lucid dreaming. 

This is remaining “conscious” while you are dreaming and being aware that what you’re experiencing is a dream. 

And when you reach that level, then you can start to exercise control over your dreams. 

In a series of books about training with a Native American shaman by Carlos Castaneda, it is suggested that a good first step is that you should try to make yourself look down at your hands in a dream. 

I’ve never been able to do it but whatever… It’s still interesting. 

And in music, dreams can also represent hopes (or false hopes), pipedreams, daydreams, and more. 

I hope you didn’t think that I forgot about nightmares because those are a popular theme in music as well. 

So before you drift off to your own nighttime fantasy you should check out some of these interesting songs about dreaming. 

1. Dream Weaver – Gary Wright

One of the catchiest songs that focus on dreams offers a rather simple take on the subject.

Because Gary just wants “the dream weaver” to help him forget about his bad day and stop worrying about tomorrow too.

But maybe it is more complicated than it seems at first. 

In fact, R.E.M. (rapid eye movement) sleep, the deep sleep when you enter the dream state, is considered a big factor in keeping us healthy and sane. 

This is a scenario that has been explored in film and television shows like Star Trek: The Next Generation, where in one episode people lose the ability to dream and can’t function normally anymore.

Or then again, maybe it’s just an awesome song to put a smile on your face every time you hear it.

• Written by: Gary Wright
• Year Released: 1975
• Album: The Dream Weaver

2. Dream a Little Dream of Me – Doris Day

This tune goes all the way back to the 1930s but there have been many different covers of it over the years. 

Simple and romantic, the lyrics don’t merit too much examination but it really does remind me of days gone by.

Of course, people have always been more or less the same (behind closed doors at least) and I’m not saying that I support censorship but…

Comparing this song to some music that is popular today, like pretty much anything by Cardi B., is like trying to mix water and oil. 

There have been plenty of songs that weren’t so “clean” in the past but at least they used some kind of euphemism like B. B. King’s Sweet Little Angel.

But Dream a Little Dream of Me is just a pure expression of unadulterated love and I think there’s some value in that. 

• Written by: Wilbur Schwandt, Gus Kahn, and Fabian Andre
• Year Released: 1957
• Album: Day by Night

3. The Dream Police – David Byrne featuring Kirsty MacColl

This smooth track has a Latin music flavor that I can’t quite pin down, but my guess is Rumba music.

And the concept of the song is quite interesting given the time that it came out. 

Because it deals with a landscape where what happens in your dreams can be illegal (“crimes that you committed while you were lying asleep”). 

The concept probably goes back to George Orwell’s classic 1949 novel 1984 (the one with Big Brother) about a totalitarian government that punishes people for “thought crime”.

But Orwell’s books have a way of becoming more and more realistic. 

And with the advances in technology it sometimes seems like “dream crimes” and “thought crimes” are getting closer if they aren’t already here. 

So a cool song but a scary topic!

• Written by:  David Byrne
• Year Released: 1989
• Album: Rei Momo

4. Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me – The Smiths

Haunting but beautiful… I consider this to be one of the Smiths’ best songs and there are a lot of strong contenders.

It features a long intro that somehow doesn’t feel pretentious and when the main part of the song kicks in, I’m instantly drawn in.

Dreams can seem very real when they’re happening and when they’re good dreams, you can feel a horrible sense of disillusionment when you wake up to find you’re back in the actual world.

And if you try to fall asleep to return to the dream, it just doesn’t work. 

Sure, the Smiths’ music can be bleak but it really works well on this one, and if you can’t personally relate to it, you can at least empathize. 

And the album it’s from is good from beginning to end so I recommend checking it out if you’ve never listened to it. 

• Written by:  Johnny Marr and Morrissey
• Year Released: 1987
• Album: Strangeways, Here We Come

5. A Dream Is All I Need to Get By – Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds

Although Nightmare on Elm Street is thankfully still fictional (inspired by Gary Wright’s Dream Weaver) sometimes dreams do bleed over into reality.

Now you may not realize you do it if you live alone but I’m pretty sure everyone talks in their sleep occasionally. 

And that can be rather embarrassing sometimes. Or it could incriminate you to David Byrne’s dream police.

This song’s lyrics may not be as cohesive as I’d like them to be and it’s not on the level of early Oasis songs but I like the chill sound and mixing on it.

• Written by:  Noel Gallagher
• Year Released: 2019
• Album: This Is the Place EP

6. In Dreams – Roy Orbison

This one starts out with a reference to the magical children’s character Sandman: “The candy-colored clown”. 

And Roy sings of spending time with his lover while he is dreaming and experiencing a sense of loss upon waking in the morning.

And this song is also a good showcase for how high his voice could actually go, which always impresses me.

Unless he was actually really skilled at lucid dreaming, to me these seem more like daydreams that he is describing. However, I’m not mad and I really love Roy Orbison.

But wait, there’s more…

This song was featured in David Lynch’s 1980s film Blue Velvet with some very disturbing juxtapositions. 

I mean he absolutely defiled this song but it somehow still works. 

Maybe the thought of clowns being scary was more popular by the 80s and if you’ve seen this movie, you can probably still remember Dennis Hopper shouting for the “Candy Colored Clown” as things get violent. 

Which is a great transition from normal dreams to nightmares. 

• Written by:  Roy Orbison
• Year Released: 1963
• Album: In Dreams

7. Welcome to My Nightmare – Alice Cooper

I usually like my Alice Cooper in small doses but I’m always in the mood for this song because it’s a classic and it still rocks.

And in Alice’s vocal performance I can hear an influence of the Doors’ Jim Morrison as well as  Alice’s own influence on later Rock singers like Marilyn Manson.

The lyrics contain some great phrases like “A nocturnal vacation, unnecessary sedation”.

And while I love this song I’m not sure if I want to “feel at home” in Alice Cooper’s nightmare. 

But if you do, that’s cool. I’m not going to judge.

• Written by:  Alice Cooper and Dick Wagner
• Year Released: 1975
• Album: Welcome to My Nightmare

50 More Great Songs About Dreams

Title	Artist
California Dreamin’	The Mamas and the Papas
Dream On	Aerosmith
Dreaming of Me	Depeche Mode
Bad Dreams	Swollen Members
Pipe Dreams	MxPx
Can’t Afford Psychoanalysis	Last Dinosaurs
Kyoto Song	The Cure
Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair	Bing Crosby
Daydream Believer	The Monkees
Suicidal Dream	Silverchair
Dream Police	Cheap Trick
All We Need Is a Dream	Cheap Trick
Dreams	Fleetwood Mac
Dream Weaver	Judy Collins
Wild Horses	The Rolling Stones
Enter Sandman	Metallica
Mr. Sandman	The Four Aces
Deep End	Swollen Members
A Dream within a Dream	The Alan Parsons Project
Recurring Dream	Crowded House
All a Dream	Norah Jones
All a Dream	Mobb Deep featuring The Lox
Stay Awake (Dreams Only Last For A Night)	All Time Low
Imagine	John Lennon
Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)	Eurythmics
Nightmare	Eve 6
I Dreamed a Dream	Susan Boyle
Last Night I Dreamed of Heaven	Hank Williams
December Song (I Dreamed Of Christmas)	George Michael
NIGHTMARE	Halsey
I Dreamed I Saw St. Augustine	Bob Dylan
Sweet Dreams	Beyonce
I Dreamed I Dream	Sonic Youth
I Dreamed Of My Old Lover Last Night	Elvis Costello
Song to the Siren	Tim Buckley
Nightmare	Avenged Sevenfold
I Have Dreamed	Frank Sinatra
Get Outta My Dreams, Get into My Car	Billy Ocean
Just a Dream	Nelly
Sweet Dreams	Air Supply
A Head Full of Dreams	Coldplay
Last Night I Dreamed	Blues Traveler
Boulevard of Broken Dreams	Green Day
Don’t Dream It’s Over	Crowded House
Had a Dream (For the Heart)	The Judds
The River of Dreams	Billy Joel
All I Have to Do Is Dream	The Everly Brothers
Dream Baby Dream	Bruce Springsteen
Dream	Imagine Dragons
Sweet Dreams	Patsy Cline