Dream Weaver

"Dream Weaver"
Single by Gary Wright
from the album The Dream Weaver
B-side	"Let It Out"
Released	December 1975
Recorded	1975
Genre	Progressive pop[1] soft rock[2]
Length	4:17 (Album version) 3:15 (Single version)
Label	Warner Bros.
Writer(s)	Gary Wright
Producer(s)	Gary Wright
Certification	Gold (RIAA)
Gary Wright singles chronology
"Dream Weaver" (1976) "Love Is Alive" (1976)

"Dream Weaver" is a song by Gary Wright that was a hit single in the US, reaching #2 in the Billboard charts^[3] while it reached #1 in the Cash Box charts in 1976.^[4] Taken from the album The Dream Weaver released the previous year, it features Wright on vocals and keyboards, and Jim Keltner on drums. In 1992, Gary Wright re-recorded a longer version of "Dream Weaver" for the Wayne's World movie soundtrack.

According to Gary Wright, the song was inspired by Autobiography of a Yogi, which was given to him by George Harrison.^[5] Paramhansa Yogananda's poem "God! God! God!" made reference to "the idea of the mind weaving dreams." The expression "Dream Weaver" was popularized by John Lennon in 1970 in his song "God", taken from his solo album John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band. This song depicts Lennon's declaration that he was the dream weaver of the 1960's, breaking away from the influences and dogmas that influenced his life.

The song is widely considered the first synthpop hit song, with all instrumentation created by synthesizer except for the Keltner percussion.

In popular culture

While the original inspiration for "Dream Weaver" was spiritual, a brief snippet of the chorus has become a Western pop-cultural cliché following its serious, and later comically parodic, use as the soundtrack for sudden infatuation or love at first sight.^[6]

In advertising

• The song was used in a 2015 Cici's Pizza TV commercial.

In films

• This song, and its keyboard intro/outro, according to Wes Craven, inspired the concept behind the film A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984).^[7]
• The song was later re-recorded for the soundtrack of the film Wayne's World (1992).
• The song has also appeared in films such as: The People vs. Larry Flynt (1996), Daddy Day Care (2003), and in Pixar film Toy Story 3 (2010), when Ken first meets Barbie.

In television

• Portions of "Dream Weaver" were first sampled in a short film appearing in the 1990 Wayne's World episode of Saturday Night Live, in which guest star Wayne Gretzky appears, and Wayne is picturing that song playing as he imagines himself defeating Gretzky in street hockey and then winning his wife, Janet Jones.
• "Dream Weaver" was featured over the closing credits of the sixth episode of the fourth season of the classic HBO sketch comedy series
• Dream Weaver was also featured in the fifth season episode of Nip/Tuck, "Dawn Budge II"
• "Dream Weaver" was featured in the Fox That '70s Show episode, "The First Time".

Use by other musical artists

"Dream Weaver" and "Love Is Alive" are sampled in "Wordz of Wisdom", a single from 3rd Bass's release, The Cactus Album (1989).

Dance artist Erin Hamilton covered it for her album One World (1999).

It was featured prominently in the gay love story film Trick (1999).

Crowbar recorded a doom metal version of "Dream Weaver" for their album Equilibrium (2000).

Electronic rock artist JES covered it as a single release (2015).

Chart performance

Weekly singles charts Chart (1975–76) Peak position Australia [8] 24 Canada (RPM)[9] 1 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[10] 31 US Billboard Hot 100[11] 2 US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[12] 14 US Cash Box Top 100 [13] 1

Year-end charts Chart (1976) Position Australia 124 Canada 24 US Billboard Hot 100 [14] 37 US Cash Box [15] 17

Certifications

Region	Certification	Sales/shipments
United States (RIAA)[16]	Gold	1,000,000
^*sales figures based on certification alone ^^shipments figures based on certification alone ^xunspecified figures based on certification alone

References

1. Breithaupt, Don; Breithaupt, Jeff (2000), Night Moves: Pop Music in the Late '70s, St. Martin's Press, p. 67, ISBN 978-0-312-19821-3
2. "Explore: Soft Rock | Top Songs | AllMusic". Web.archive.org. 2011-11-12. Archived from the original on November 12, 2011. Retrieved 2014-03-11.
3. Gary Wright Biography – Billboard.com
4. Cash Box Top Singles – 1976
5. The Dream Weaver Inspiration – Gary Wright's homepage5
6. "Main/Standard Snippet - Television Tropes & Idioms". Tvtropes.org. 2010-01-12. Retrieved 2014-03-11.
7. Craven, Wes. "DVD audio commentary". A Nightmare on Elm Street.
8. http://australian-charts.com/forum.asp?todo=viewthread&id=35092
9. "Top Singles – Volume 25, No. 01 April 03 1976". RPM. Retrieved November 2, 2012.
10. "Charts.org.nz – Gary Wright – Dream Weaver". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved November 2, 2012.
11. "Gary Wright – Chart history" Billboard Hot 100 for Gary Wright. Retrieved October 28, 2012.
12. "Gary Wright – Chart history" Billboard Adult Contemporary for Gary Wright. Retrieved October 28, 2012.
13. http://50.6.195.142/archives/70s_files/19760327.html
14. http://www.musicoutfitters.com/topsongs/1976.htm
15. http://50.6.195.142/archives/70s_files/1976YESP.html
16. "American single certifications – Gary Wright – Dream Weaver". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved November 6, 2012. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH

External links

• CASH BOX TOP SINGLES – 1976
• Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics