| "Dream Weaver" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Side A of the US single | ||||
| Single by Gary Wright | ||||
| from the album The Dream Weaver | ||||
| B-side | "Let It Out" | |||
| Released | December 1975 | |||
| Recorded | 1975 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 4:17 (album version) 3:15 (single version) | |||
| Label | Warner Bros. | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Gary Wright | |||
| Producer(s) | Gary Wright | |||
| Gary Wright singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Dream Weaver" is a song by the American singer Gary Wright, released as the first single from his third studio album The Dream Weaver in December 1975.
The track features Wright on vocals and keyboards and Jim Keltner on drums. According to Wright, the song was inspired by Autobiography of a Yogi , which was given to him by George Harrison. [3] Paramahansa 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 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 movie soundtrack in 1992.
Instrumental credits taken from Mixonline. [4]
In 1976, the song became a hit in the US; it peaked at #2 on the Billboard chart. [5] It was kept from #1 by both "December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night)" by The Four Seasons and "Disco Lady" by Johnnie Taylor. [6] "Dream Weaver" did get to #1 on Cashbox . [7]
Weekly singles charts
| Year-end charts
|
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA) [18] | Gold | 1,000,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
The song has been heard in many films and television programs. According to Wes Craven, the song (and its keyboard intro/outro) inspired the concept behind the 1984 film A Nightmare on Elm Street . [19] Wright re-recorded the song for the soundtrack of the 1992 film Wayne's World . [20] He performed the song on an episode of The Midnight Special . The song also appeared in the movies The People vs. Larry Flynt , Ice Age: Collision Course , Toy Story 3 and in the episode of The Really Loud House "The Blemish Dilemish".
Elephant's Memory was an American rock band formed in New York City in the late 1960s, known primarily for backing John Lennon and Yoko Ono from late 1971 to 1973. For live performances with Lennon and Ono, the band was known as the Plastic Ono Elephant's Memory Band.
Gary Malcolm Wright was an American musician and composer best known for his 1976 hit songs "Dream Weaver" and "Love Is Alive". Wright's breakthrough album, The Dream Weaver (1975), came after he had spent seven years in London as, alternately, a member of the British blues rock band Spooky Tooth and a solo artist on A&M Records. While in England, he played keyboards on former Beatle George Harrison's triple album All Things Must Pass (1970), so beginning a friendship that inspired the Indian religious themes and spirituality inherent in Wright's subsequent songwriting. His work from the late 1980s onwards embraced world music and the new age genre, although none of his post-1976 releases matched the same level of popularity as The Dream Weaver.
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"Shop Around" is a song originally recorded by the Miracles on Motown Records' Tamla subsidiary label. It was written by Miracles lead singer Smokey Robinson and Motown Records founder Berry Gordy. It became a smash hit in 1960 when originally recorded by the Miracles, reaching number one on the Billboard R&B chart, number one on the Cashbox Top 100 Pop Chart, and number two on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It was the Miracles' first million-selling hit record, and the first-million-selling hit for the Motown Record Corporation.
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"Whatever Gets You thru the Night" is a song written by John Lennon, released as a single in 1974 on Apple Records, catalogue number Apple 1874 in the United States and Apple R5998 in the United Kingdom. In the U.S. it peaked at No. 1 on all three record charts: Billboard Hot 100, Cashbox, and Record World, and at No. 36 in the UK. It was the lead single for Lennon's album Walls and Bridges; in the UK the single was released on the same day as the album. "Whatever Gets You thru the Night" was Lennon's only solo No. 1 single in the United States during his lifetime, making him the last member of the Beatles to finally reach the top of the charts. In Canada, the single spent two weeks at No. 2, and became the 30th biggest hit of 1974.
"Brother Louie" is a song by British soul band Hot Chocolate. Written by members Errol Brown and Tony Wilson and produced by Mickie Most, the song discusses an interracial love affair between a white man and a black woman, and the subsequent rejection of both by their parents because of it. Upon its release as a single, "Brother Louie" peaked at No. 7 on the UK Singles Chart in 1973. Alexis Korner has a spoken word part in this version of the song. Phil Dennys arranged the string section.
"When a Man Loves a Woman" is a song written by Calvin Lewis and Andrew Wright and first recorded by Percy Sledge in 1966 at Norala Sound Studio in Sheffield, Alabama. It made number one on both the Billboard Hot 100 and R&B singles charts. Country singer John Wesley Ryles had a minor hit with his version of the song in 1976. Singer and actress Bette Midler recorded the song and had a Top 40 hit with her version in 1980. In 1991, Michael Bolton recorded the song and his version peaked at number one on both the Billboard Hot 100 chart and the Billboard Adult Contemporary Singles chart.
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"How Deep Is Your Love" is a pop ballad written and recorded by the Bee Gees in 1977 and released as a single in September of that year. It was ultimately used as part of the soundtrack to the film Saturday Night Fever. It was a number-three hit in the United Kingdom and Australia. In the United States, it topped the Billboard Hot 100 on 25 December 1977 and stayed in the Top 10 for 17 weeks. It spent six weeks atop the US adult contemporary chart. It is listed at No. 27 on Billboard's All Time Top 100. Alongside "Stayin' Alive" and "Night Fever", it is one of the group's three tracks on the list. The song was covered by Take That for their 1996 Greatest Hits album, reaching No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart for three weeks.
"Mind Games" is a song written and performed by John Lennon, released as a single in 1973 on Apple Records. It was the lead single for the album of the same name. The US single and album were released simultaneously on 29 October 1973. The UK single and album were issued simultaneously on 16 November 1973. In the US it peaked at No. 18 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 10 on the Cashbox Top 100. In the UK it peaked at No. 26.
"#9 Dream" is a song written by John Lennon and first issued on his 1974 album Walls and Bridges. It was released as the second single from that album months later, on Apple Records catalogue Apple 1878 in the United States and Apple R6003 in the United Kingdom. It peaked at number 9 on the Billboard Hot 100, and it hit number 23 on the British singles chart. A video for the song was made in 2003.
"Fly Like an Eagle" is a song written by American musician Steve Miller for the album of the same name. The song was released in the United Kingdom in August 1976 and in the United States in December 1976. It went to number two on the US Billboard Hot 100 for the week of March 12, 1977. The single edit can be found on Greatest Hits (1974–1978). It is often played in tandem with "Space Intro". On the album, the song segues into "Wild Mountain Honey".
The Dream Weaver is a solo album by American singer and musician Gary Wright released in July 1975.
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"I Just Want to Be Your Everything" is a song recorded by Andy Gibb, initially released in April 1977 as the first single from his debut album Flowing Rivers. It reached number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for three weeks, starting on the week ending 30 July 1977, and again for the week ending 17 September 1977. It was Gibb's first single released in the United Kingdom and United States. His previous single, "Words and Music" was only released in Australia. It is ranked number 26 on Billboard's 55th anniversary All Time Top 100.
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"Love Is Alive" is a song by Gary Wright taken from the 1975 album The Dream Weaver. It features Wright on vocals and keyboards and Andy Newmark on drums, with all music except for the drums produced on the keyboards. The album's title cut and "Love Is Alive" both peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. "Love Is Alive" spent 27 weeks on the chart, seven weeks longer than "Dream Weaver". Billboard ranked "Love Is Alive" as the No. 9 song of 1976.
"Help Me!" is a song by Marcy Levy and Robin Gibb. The song was recorded for the official soundtrack of Times Square, and released as the album's lead single, going on to peak at #50 on the Billboard Top 100. It was also considered as Levy's first single and her only song that was charted in the United States.
The Light of Smiles is the fourth album by American rock musician Gary Wright. It was released in January 1977 on Warner Bros. Records as the follow-up to his commercial breakthrough, The Dream Weaver. The album was produced by Wright and recorded in Los Angeles in 1976. Aside from drums and orchestral strings, the music was created entirely on synthesizers and other keyboard instruments. The lyrics reflect Wright's preoccupation with spirituality, particularly the teachings of Indian yogi Paramahansa Yogananda.
