In Dreams (Roy Orbison song)

"In Dreams"
Picture sleeve for "In Dreams" 45 RPM single
Single by Roy Orbison
from the album In Dreams
B-side"Shahdaroba"
PublishedFebruary 13, 1963 (1963-02-13) Acuff-Rose Publications, Inc.[1]
ReleasedFebruary 1963
RecordedJanuary 4, 1963[2]
StudioRCA Victor Studio B, Nashville[2]
GenrePop, Rock
Length2:48
LabelMonument
Songwriter(s)Roy Orbison
Producer(s)Fred Foster
Roy Orbison singles chronology
"Working For The Man"
(1962)
"In Dreams"
(1963)
"Falling"
(1963)

"In Dreams" is a song composed and sung by singer Roy Orbison. An operatic rock ballad of lost love, it was released as a single on Monument Records in February 1963. It became the title track of the album In Dreams, released in July of the same year. The song has a unique through-composed structure in seven movements in which Orbison sings through two octaves, beyond the range of most rock singers.

The song peaked on the Billboard Hot 100 charts at number 7, and charted in the United Kingdom for five months while Orbison toured with the Beatles. It gained notability again in 1987 when Orbison released a re-recorded anthology of his greatest hits; the year prior director David Lynch had used the song provocatively in his film Blue Velvet, helping to revive interest in Orbison's music. The theme of the song was interwoven in similar compositions throughout his tenure as a musician; as a result, several collections of Orbison's music share the title of the song. Rolling Stone listed "In Dreams" at number 319 of their "500 Greatest Songs of All Time" in 2012.[3]

  1. ^ Library of Congress. Copyright Office. (1963). Catalog of Copyright Entries 1963 Music Jan-June 3D Ser Vol 17 Pt 5. United States Copyright Office. U.S. Govt. Print. Off.
  2. ^ a b Weize, Richard (2001). Orbison 1955-1965 (7-CD Deluxe Box Set) (booklet). Bear Family Records. BCD16423. Retrieved 2021-10-11.
  3. ^ 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, Rolling Stone. Retrieved on September 12, 2012.