Dreams (Van Halen song)

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“Dreams”

Single by Van Halen from the album 5150 (album)
Released	1986
Genre	Rock
Length	04:50
Label	Warner Bros. Records

"Dreams" is a song by Van Halen released in 1986 from the album 5150. It was the second single from that album, and it reached #22 in the Billboard Hot 100 chart that year. "Dreams" also appeared on the soundtrack to Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie almost 10 years later, which introduced Van Halen to a new generation of potential fans. "Dreams" was written during the Hagar era of the band and has become a staple at concerts. It was performed in all tours featuring Sammy Hagar, including the most recent Hagar reunion tour. Even the Gary Cherone-headed tour supporting Van Halen III featured the song in their set-list. The song was also used to close the 2004 Democratic National Convention, played after the acceptance speech of John Kerry. It was also used as the campaigns theme song at rallies across the country in 2004. The song's melodic and inspirational theme has proved to be popular with fans judging by the amount of applause that the band receives on the initial notes.

Eddie Van Halen played both guitar and keyboards on the studio version of this song. During live performances on the 5150 tour, Eddie Van Halen played the keyboards and would switch to the guitar during the first solo. On later tours, he would play guitar only, while the keyboard piece was either played "off-stage" by a hired performer (such as Alan Fitzgerald of Night Ranger during the For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge Tour), or pre-recorded material was used. Another interesting note; during live performances on the verse "We'll get higher and higher, who knows what we'll find", bassist Michael Anthony sings the second "higher", but on the studio version, Sammy Hagar sings them both. This became a standard part of the song's live performances and Eddie Van Halen would also join in the singing.

There were technically three music videos made for the song. The most well known version was shot in 1986 and featured the Blue Angels performing a variety of aerial stunts. The other two videos were shot in 1993 from a live performance at the Whisky a Go Go in West Hollywood, California, to celebrate the band's return to the venue after 15 years. (They last played at the venue in 1978.) One version of the video features newscasters and interviews with fans lining up outside the venue before the performance. The second version features far less commentary and more focus on the performance itself. The first version is available on Van Halen: Video Hits, Vol. 1. The second version can be seen at VH1Classic.com