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If I Can Dream

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(Brown)

Information:
Colonel Tom Parker originally wanted the 1968 TV special Elvis to end with a Christmas song, but producer Steve Binder had a musical director W. Earl Brown write If I Can Dream for Elvis’s closing number. The instrumental track was recorded on June 20 or 21, 1968, at Western Recorders in Hollywood. Elvis’s vocal track was recorded at NBC-TV on June 29. The single was released shortly before the December 3, 1968, telecast of the special. Because of the added exposure on the program, If I Can Dream climbed to # 12 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart and became a million-seller. It had a total stay on the chart of 13 weeks.

Lyrics:

There must be lights burning brighter somewhere
Got to be birds flying higher in a sky more blue
If I can dream of a better land
Where all my brothers walk hand in hand
Tell me why, oh why, oh why can't my dream come true, oh why

There must be peace and understanding sometime
Strong winds of promise that will blow away the doubt and fear
If I can dream of a warmer sun
Where hope keeps shining on everyone
Tell me why, oh why, oh why won't that sun appear

We're lost in a cloud with too much rain
We're trapped in a world that's troubled with pain
But as long as a man has the strength to dream
He can redeem his soul and fly

Deep in my heart there's a trembling question
Still I am sure that the answer's, the answer's gonna come somehow
Out there in the dark there's a beckoning candle, yeah
And while I can think, while I can talk
While I can stand, while I can walk
While I can dream, please let my dream
Come true, oh, right now
Let it come true right now
Oh yeah
Oh yeah

Where it was released:

Released for the fist time on single »

Singles:

- If I Can Dream / Edge of Reality (RCA 47-9670) November 1968. Standard release. The original picture sleeves read, “As Featured on His NBC-TV Special.” In January 1970 the phrase was deleted. A few cardboard picture sleeves were manufactured as an experiment  »

- If I Can Dream / Edge of Reality (RCA 447-0668) December 1970. Gold standard series reissue.

- America The Beautiful (2001)

- Patriot (2001)

LPs/CDs:

- Elvis NBC TV Special (1968) »

- Worldwide 50 Gold Award Hits, Volume 1 (1970) »

- Elvis - A Legendary Performer, Volume 2 (1976) »

- Elvis: His Songs of Inspiration (1977) »

- He Walks Beside Me (1978) »

- Elvis: Memories (1978) »

- Worldwide Gold Award Hits, Parts 3 & 4 (1978) »

- Elvis! His Greatest Hits (1979) »

– Elvis NBC TV Special (1981) »

- The Collection, Volume 4 (1986)

- The Great Performances (1990)

- All Time Greatest Hits (1997)

- Platinum – A Life in Music (1997)

- Elvis’ Golden Records, Volume 5 (1997)

- A Touch of Platinum, Volume 2 (1998)

- Memories, The ‘68 Comeback Special (1998)

- Artist of the Century (1999)

- Burbank '68 (1999) – FTD »

- The 50 Greatest Hits (2000)

- The Best of Elvis Presley (2001)

- Elvis 60’s (2001)

- Junichiro Koizumi Presents My Favourite Elvis Songs (2001)

- 50 Years 50 Hits (2001)

- 2^nd to None (2003)

- Elvis Forever (2004)

- Elvis By The Presleys (2005)

- Elvis NBC TV Special – The Vinyl Classic Edition (2005)

- Hitstory (2005)

- Love, Elvis (2005)

- Let Yourself Go (2006) - FTD »

- This is Elvis (2015) - FTD »

– NBC-TV Special (2016) - FTD »

– His Songs of Praise, Volume 1 (2016) - FTD »

Bootleg Releases:

- Eternal Elvis (1978) – sem etiqueta

- The ’68 Comeback, Volume 2 (1978) – Amiga Records

- The Burbank Sessions, Volume 2 (1979) – Audifon Records

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