If I Can Dream by Elvis Presley (1968)

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If I Can Dream Cover

If I Can Dream is a song written by Walter Earl Brown for its direct quotations by one of Black important figures, Martin Luther King Jr’s 1863 “I Have a Dream” speech. The song was performed by famous singer Elvis Presley and published by Gladys Music, Inc, which released on November 5, 1968, two months after King’s assassination. [1]

Original soundtrack recording of his NBC-TV ‘68 Comeback Special’

Key Lyrics

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 [2]

Black Empowerment

The song was based entirely upon the famous speech of Martin Luther King Jr, “I Have a Dream.” The first line of the song provides insights that the Presley wishes to discuss: There must be peace and understanding sometime

For contrast, this is one of MLK’s “dreams”: "I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: “We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.”

When Elvis heard it, he announced “I’m never going to sing another song I don’t believe in. I’m never going to make another picture I don’t believe in”. However, and despite Elvis' manager Colonel Tom Parker saying “This ain’t Elvis' kind of song”, he performed it, and during the recording, Brown noted that one of the backup singers had begun crying, claiming “Elvis has never sung with so much emotion before. He means every word”. [3]

References

  1. If I Can Dream. wikipedia.org. Retrieved January 28, 2021
  2. If I Can Dream Elvis Presley. genius.com. Retrieved January 28, 2021
  3. If I Can Dream Elvis Presley. genius.com. Retrieved January 28, 2021