Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)

For the album, see Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) (album).

"Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)"
Single by Eurythmics
from the album Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)
Released	21 January 1983 (UK) 2 May 1983 (US)
Format	7" single, 12" single
Genre	Synthpop new wave
Length	3:35 (7" single) 4:48 (12" single)
Label	RCA
Writer(s)	Annie Lennox David A. Stewart
Producer(s)	David A. Stewart
Certification	Gold (SNEP) Silver (BPI) Gold (RIAA)
Eurythmics singles chronology
"Love Is a Stranger" (1982) "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" (1983) "Who's That Girl?" (1983) "Love Is a Stranger" (1991 reissue) (1991) "Sweet Dreams '91" (Remix) (1991) "I Saved the World Today" (1999)
Music video "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" on YouTube

"Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" is a song written and performed by the British new wave music duo Eurythmics. The song is the title track of their album of the same name and was released as the fourth and final single from the album in early 1983. The song became their breakthrough hit, establishing the duo worldwide. Its music video helped to propel the song to number 2 on the UK Singles Chart and number 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100. It was the first single released by Eurythmics in the US.

"Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" is arguably Eurythmics' signature song. Following its success, their previous single, "Love Is a Stranger", was re-released and also became a worldwide hit. On Rolling Stone's The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time issue in 2003, "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" was ranked number 356. Eurythmics have regularly performed the song in all their live sets since 1982, and it is often performed by Lennox on her solo tours.

In 1991, the song was remixed and reissued to promote Eurythmics' Greatest Hits album. It re-charted in the UK, reaching number 48, and was also a moderate hit in dance clubs. Another remix by Steve Angello was released in France in 2006, along with the track "I've Got a Life" (peaking at number 10).

Background

The original recording's main instrumentation featured a sequenced analog synthesizer riff, which Stewart accidentally discovered in the studio when he played a bass track backwards. Apart from the synthesizer, the arrangement also uses a Movement Systems Drum Computer, a piano in the middle eight, and Lennox's multitracked harmony vocals.

Track listings

7"

• A: "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" (LP version) — 3:36
• B: "I Could Give You a Mirror" (Alternate version)* — 4:15

12"

• A: "Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)" (Extended version) — 4:48
• B1: "I Could Give You a Mirror" (Alternate version)* — 4:15
• B2: "Baby's Gone Blue" (Non-LP track) — 4:19

3" CD (1989 re-release)

1. "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" (LP version) — 3:36
2. "I Could Give You a Mirror" (Alternate version)* — 4:15
3. "Here Comes the Rain Again" (LP version) — 4:54
4. "Paint a Rumour" — 7:30

* - This version is different from the one found on the album Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This).

Music video

The music video for "Sweet Dreams" was directed by Chris Ashbrook and filmed in January 1983, shortly before the single and the album were released. The video received heavy airplay on the then-fledgling MTV channel and is widely considered a classic clip from the early-MTV era.

The music video begins with a fist (presumably Stewart's) pounding on a table, with the camera panning up to reveal Lennox in a boardroom, with images of a space launch projected on a screen behind her. Stewart is shown typing on a computer (actually an MCS drum computer). The camera cuts to Lennox and Stewart meditating on the table. Stewart is next shown playing a cello in a field. The scene then returns to the boardroom, with Lennox and Stewart lying down on the table, and a cow walking around them. Stewart is shown again typing on the computer, with the cow chewing something right next to him. The scene cuts to the duo in a field, with a herd of cows, and Stewart still typing. Lennox and Stewart are then seen floating in a boat, with Stewart again playing cello. The video ends with Lennox lying in bed, with the last shot being a book on a nightstand bearing a cover identical to the album. The screen then cuts to black as Lennox turns off the bedside lamp.

Lennox's androgynous visual image, with close-cropped, orange-coloured hair, and attired in a man's suit brandishing a cane, immediately made her a household name. Her gender-bending image would be further explored in other Eurythmics videos such as "Love Is a Stranger" and "Who's That Girl?".

There is also an alternative music video with the duo on a train.

Personnel

• Annie Lennox – vocals, keyboards, synthesisers
• David A. Stewart – keyboards, synthesisers, backing vocals
• Robert Crash – e-drums, synthesiser, robotic vocals
• Adam Williams – synthesiser
• Reynard Falconer – synthesisers

Chart performance

"Sweet Dreams" was Eurythmics' commercial breakthrough in the United Kingdom and all over the world. The single entered the UK chart at #63 in February 1983 and reached number two the following month.

"Sweet Dreams" was the first ever single release by Eurythmics in the United States when it was released in May 1983. The single debuted at #90 and slowly eased up the chart. By August, the single had reached number two and stayed there for four weeks, kept from the top by The Police's "Every Breath You Take" before "Sweet Dreams" took the number one spot.

Original release

Chart (1983)	Peak position
Australia (Kent Music Report)	6
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)	9
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)	3
Belgium (VRT Top 30 Flanders)	2
Canada (RPM 50 Singles)	1
France (SNEP)	1
Germany (Official German Charts)	4
Ireland (IRMA)	2
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)	9
Netherlands (Single Top 100)	10
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)	2
Poland (Polish Singles Chart)	14
South Africa (Springbok Radio)	5
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)	8
UK (Official Charts Company)	2
US Billboard Hot 100	1
US Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary	36
US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play	2
US Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks	16

1991 Reissue

Chart (1991)	Peak position
UK (Official Charts Company)	48

1995 Reissue

Chart (1995)	Peak position
UK (Official Charts Company)	136

Steve Angello Remix

Chart (2005)	Peak position
France (SNEP)	27

2006 Reissue

Chart (2006)	Peak position
France (SNEP)	19

2010 Reissue

Chart (2010)	Peak position
UK (Official Charts Company)	150

2016 Reissue

Chart (2016)	Peak position
Poland (Polish Airplay Top 100)	70

Sales and certifications

Region	Certification	Sales/shipments
Canada (Music Canada)	Gold	50,000
France (SNEP)	Gold	951,000
United Kingdom (BPI)	Silver	250,000
United States (RIAA)	Gold	1,000,000
*sales figures based on certification alone ^shipments figures based on certification alone xunspecified figures based on certification alone

Marilyn Manson cover

"Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)"
File:M. manson sweet dreams.jpg
Single by Marilyn Manson
from the album Smells Like Children
Released	1995
Format	CD-single
Recorded	1994
Genre	Industrial rock heavy metal
Length	4:53 (EP), 4:25 (single)
Label	Interscope
Writer(s)	Eurythmics Brian Hugh Warner Jeordie White Scott Putesky
Producer(s)	Marilyn Manson Trent Reznor
Marilyn Manson singles chronology
"Dope Hat" (1995) "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" (1996) "The Beautiful People" (1996)
Music sample "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" noicon

Marilyn Manson released a cover version of "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" as the first single from the 1995 EP, Smells Like Children. This version became an MTV staple and helped to establish the band in the mainstream. Their groundbreaking video was directed by Dean Karr and produced by Arthur Gorson. It also appears on the band's greatest hits album, Lest We Forget: The Best Of. This version is featured on the soundtracks to the 2005 documentary film Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room and the 2009 film Gamer. It is also featured in the films Trick 'r Treat, House on Haunted Hill, the trailer to Wrath of the Titans and in the pilot of The Following. In Manson's autobiography, The Long Hard Road out of Hell, he states that Nothing Records did not want to release this as a single. They wanted to release their cover of Screamin' Jay Hawkins' "I Put a Spell on You", which, according to Manson, "was far too dark, sprawling and esoteric, even for some of our fans."

Marilyn Manson added some extra lines to the lyrics that are not present in the Eurythmics version: "I wanna use you and abuse you/I wanna know what's inside you" along with "I'm gonna use you and abuse you/I gotta know what's inside you."

The video for Manson's cover contains several clips of Manson and bandmates in what appears to be an abandoned building. In between the clips are a number of surreal shots of Manson wearing a wedding gown, Manson wandering around an abandoned street in a tutu, birds fluttering around him and leaving droppings on his body, and of him riding a pig wearing a cowboy hat and covered with mud. In 2010 the music video was rated the "Scariest music video ever made" by Billboard, beating Michael Jackson's Thriller for the top spot. Dave Stewart has said he liked the Marilyn Manson version of his song and "the video was one of the scariest things I’d seen at the time."

Formats and track listings

Australian CD single

1. "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" — 4:25
2. "Dance of the Dope Hats" (Remix) — 4:46
3. "Down in the Park" — 4:58
4. "Lunchbox (Next Motherfucker)" — 4:47

US promotional CD single

1. "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" — 4:25

Chart positions

Chart (1996)	Peak position
Australia (ARIA)	28
Canada (RPM Alternative 30)	12
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)	50
US Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks	31
US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks	26

Chart (2012)	Peak position
France (SNEP)	154

Other cover versions

• Jazz organist Dr. Lonnie Smith released an instrumental cover version on his 2009 album Rise Up! and has performed it live as a regular part of his set ever since.
• Macedonian darkwave band Mizar recorded an Orthodox folk cover version in Macedonian for their second album Svjat Dreams. An early version from 1989 appears on the compilation Svedozhba.
• Diesel Disko, a well known Dutch band, covered the song in an Electropop way. It was their debut single and videoclip.
• Soul Rebels Brass Band covered the song on their Rounder Records debut record, Unlock Your Mind, released on 31 January 2012, and they performed the song on Later with Jools Holland in 2011.
• Italian-based Croatian singer Sharon C. covered the song for her same-titled debut single released in 1997, and since then it has been featured on many compilations including Dancemania 8.
• Polish band Moonlight covered the song for their 1999 EP Flos.
• French electroclash duo Miss Kittin & The Hacker covered the song for their 1999 EP Intimités.
• Actress Maria Bello performed the song in the movie Duets (2000), which is included on the soundtrack.
• "Sweet Dreams" was partially covered by Geri Halliwell as a medley with her song, "Scream If You Wanna Go Faster" in late 2004.
• Finnish a cappella group Club for Five recorded a cover of the song.
• Midnight by dutch Hardstyle producers The Beholder and DJ Zany from 2006 is based on this song.
• Brazilian singer Badi Assad covered the song for her 2006 album Wonderland.
• Brazilian singer Danni Carlos covered the song for her 2006 album Rock ´n´ Road Movies.
• German singer Thomas Anders (formerly of Modern Talking) recorded a jazzy, lounge music cover of the song for his 2006 solo album Songs Forever.
• Australian girlgroup Girlband recorded a cover of the song for their unreleased debut album.
• Tanghetto, the neo-tango band based in Buenos Aires recorded and released the song as part of their El Miedo a la Libertad album in 2008. Their cover is an instrumental version, where the bandoneon takes the "role" of the lead voice.
• American Christian rock singer Krystal Meyers covered the song on the 2008 Japanese release of her third album Make Some Noise.
• Ukrainian pop/rock band Lama covered the song as "Світ мрій" ("World of Dreams") for their 2008 album Світло і Тінь (Light and Shadow).
• German artist Señor Coconut covered the entire song as "Sweet Dreams" for his "Around the World" cover album as a Cha-Cha in 2008.
• The German Underground rapper Frauenarzt covered the sample of this song as "Feuchte Träume" on Feuchte Träume (Gastparts 3) in 2008.
• The melody was featured in the U96 featuring Das Bo single "Mr. DJ, Put on the Red Light" and was sung by Tryna Loules, who released it in 2006.
• Sylvie Vartan covered it in French (1983) under the title "Déprime", famous for its deep rhymes.
• In a 2002 episode of The Simpsons, "Half-Decent Proposal", at the end of the episode, Artie Ziff (Jon Lovitz) begins to sing the song through a speaker, culminating with the lyrics "I am watching you through a camera!"
• Doctor Steel covered the chorus of "Sweet Dreams" in the end of his song "Lullaby Bye".
• French singer Emily Loizeau covered jazz version of "Sweet Dreams" on her album Pays Sauvage (Track 15).
• The German/Greek a cappella band Five Live covered "Sweet Dreams" on their album Five Live live (track 4).
• Delta Goodrem covered "Sweet Dreams" on her 2008 Believe Again Tour. The cover was later released on the CD/DVD release of the tour.
• Tori Amos covered the song live in Boston, Massachusetts while on her Original Sinsuality Tour in 2005.
• The German pop-singer Judith Hildebrandt performed the song live on 23 April 2009 in the Ultimative Chart-Show.
• Japanese musician Tomoyasu Hotei covered it on his 2009 cover album Modern Times Rock'N'Roll.
• Allison Crowe recorded a stripped-down acoustic version of "Sweet Dreams" for a Hollywood movie project in mid-2010
• Korean girl group Girls' Generation covered this song on a music TV show in 2010.
• Actress Emily Browning made a slow version cover of this song for her movie Sucker Punch, accompanying a scene of Browning's character being taken to an institution and on the film's soundtrack.
• Singer Kitty Brucknell covered the song on the 4th live show in the eighth series of the UK X Factor.
• British singer Leona Lewis covered the song in her tour The Labyrinth.
• Danish group WhoMadeWho released a cover version of the song in 2012.
• The singer of the Belgium band Triggerfinger Ruben Block covered the song for the Dutch television show De Wereld Draait Door in 2011.
• Country singer Reba McEntire and Kelly Clarkson performed the song as the opening number of their 2 Worlds 2 Voices Tour mashed up with Patsy Cline's "Sweet Dreams".
• British group The Mend recorded a cover of the song.
• Singer-songwriter Tracy Bonham will release a cover version of the song on the 2014 multi-artist compilation album Here Comes The Reign Again: The Second British Invasion.
• In 2015 Holly Henry released an a cappella cover with three-part harmonies which gathered millions of views.
• Singer Selena Gomez covered the song in her Revival Tour.

Remixes and sampling

• American pop singer Britney Spears used a sample of the song on the song "Everybody" which appeared as an iTunes and Japan bonus track of her 2007 album Blackout. The song was produced by JR Rotem, and was used later as a B-side of her single "Break the Ice". Spears also used Marilyn Manson's version of the song in an interlude for The Circus Starring Britney Spears world tour.
• The American rapper Swing (later on known as Swingfly) released a europop version of the song featuring Dr Alban. It included additional rap verses but sampling greatly on the original song. The single had chart success in Sweden and in many European clubs.
• Rapper Nas uses an interpolation of the chorus from "Sweet Dreams" in his 1996 hit "Street Dreams".
• Pink and Redman used "Sweet Dreams" in a remix of Pink's 2001 hit, "Get the Party Started".
• Tricky used a sample in the track "You don't wanna" in the 2001 album Blowback.
• A eurodance remix of the song, "Sweet Dreams X-Clusive", was recorded for the 2001 compilation Dancemania Speed 7.
• Portions of the single was used in the remixes for the American eurodance duo La Bouche's unrelated single "Sweet Dreams".
• Faith Evans sampled the song for the remix of her single "You Gets No Love" featuring original collaborator P. Diddy and rapper G. Dep.
• Stefy's song "Chelsea" features a sample of "Sweet Dreams" and was featured in the soundtrack for the 2006 film John Tucker Must Die.
• Drum and bass group Noisia recorded a remix of the song.
• Petey Pablo samples "Sweet Dreams" in his song "Get Me Out of Jail".
• UK artist M.I.A. mashed "Sweet Dreams" with Pretty Tony's "Fix It in the Mix" and her own "10 Dollar" to produce the seventeenth track off Diplo and her Piracy Funds Terrorism mixtape.
• Play-N-Skillz sampled and sped up the famous riff in their song "Get Freaky", featuring Pitbull.
• Rapper Busta Rhymes uses as similar riff in his 2009 single "World Go Round" featuring Estelle.
• Freestyle singer Rockell sampled the bassline and intro in her 1997 single "I Fell in Love".
• British electropop group Sohodolls sampled the songs on their song "Trash the Rental" taken from their album Ribbed Music for the Numb Generation.
• Escape The Fate sampled the intro effect from the Marilyn Manson version, for their song "Lost in Darkness".
• The Black Eyed Peas used this song to mix it with their song "My Humps".
• Avicii sampled the song in his mix titled "Swede Dreams".
• Beyoncé Knowles used fragments of the song when singing "Sweet Dreams" in Glastonbury.
• Rapper Ludacris had mixed it with his song "Stand Up" in a faster tone with the music from the song in the background.
• Swedish House Mafia have performed and used a remix of this song in their Until One Documentary.
• Panamanian Spanish reggae singer Aldo Ranks uses an interpolation of this song in his song "Asesina".
• Paris Is Burning, from a sequence filmed in 1986, features this song during a live performance where Paris does a routine using the magazine Elle as a prop.

Appearances in other media

• The song was used on D-TV's Monster Hits on NBC in 1987.
• Soul Rebels Brass Band performed their version of "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" on Later with Jools Holland in 2011.
• Eurythmics performed the song at the 1984 Grammy Awards. The live performance of the song was released on the 1994 album Grammy's Greatest Moments Volume I.
• The Eurythmics version was used on Season 3 of So You Think You Can Dance, danced by Neil Haskell and Sabra Johnson, choreographed by Mandy Moore. It was nominated for an Emmy for outstanding choreography. The same routine was later used and made slightly longer for the finale of the UK version, danced by Lizzie Gough and Tommy Franzen.
• The song was used as the theme for NBC's 1996 made-for-TV thriller, Sweet Dreams, starring Tiffani Thiessen, using both the original Eurythmics version and the Manson cover.
• The Eurythmics version was used in the film Striptease.
• The Manson version was heard several times in the 1999 film House on Haunted Hill
• Used in the TV series The Simpsons in the 2002 episode "Half-Decent Proposal", and was sung by Artie Ziff (Jon Lovitz).
• It was used as the theme song for the 2005 TV reality series, The Apprentice: Martha Stewart.
• A rock cover performed by Theo Crous was used in a VW Golf GTI MkV commercial.
• The Marilyn Manson version was used in the intro of Gamer (film) 2009
• The Manson cover was used in a 2006 Fiat Grande Punto commercial.
• The song was used in the first episode of series three of the British drama Ashes to Ashes, on the series unveiling of Gene Hunt's Audi Quattro on Alex Drake's noting that "There's nothing for it – let's fire up the Quattro".
• The Marilyn Manson version was used in the horror film Trick 'r Treat during the iconic werewolf transformation scene.
• The original version of the song was used in Everybody Hates Chris.
• Used in American Pie: The Wedding during the dance off scene.
• The track was used in the Flynn's Arcade scene on Tron: Legacy.
• In the Parks and Recreation episode "Telethon", "Pawnee's most bookable personality" Denise Yermley sings the song during a telethon.
• Both the original and the Marilyn Manson cover version were used in the pilot of the 2011 TV series Grimm.
• It was used on the YouTube video for See No Evil, where it was sung by Jacob Goodnight (played by Glenn Jacobs), lip syncing Manson's lips; voices from the cast of the film can be heard as well, including Samantha Noble, Luke Pegler, Michael J. Pagan and other actors and actresses.
• The Manson cover was used for the credits in one of the episodes of Luther TV series.
• The song was used in the opening ceremony of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.
• This song was also covered by Emily Browning, and her cover of the song appeared in the movie Sucker Punch.
• This song was performed by a musical couple on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. The video became viral and got 15M+ views on YouTube.
• A version of the song was used in the commercial for Samsung Galaxy Note 3 directed by Paul Hunter
• The original version is used in promos for the period drama Halt and Catch Fire.
• A remix of the song was used for the Ukrainian rhythmic gymnastic group for its 3 balls 2 ribbons routine in 2013 and 2014.
• The Manson version was used in the 2015 Spanish film A Perfect Day.
• The original version is used in the 2016 film X-Men: Apocalypse, during the scene where Quicksilver uses his superhuman speed to evacuate the Xavier Mansion. The film is set in 1983, the same year as the song's release.

See also

• List of Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles of 1983

References

External links

• Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) at Discogs (list of releases)
• Live rehearsal 2007 on YouTube
• Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) by Marilyn Manson on YouTube
• Nitty Gritty – Sweet Dreams on YouTube
• Térez Montcalm – Sweet Dreams on YouTube
• IMDB – House on Haunted Hill Soundtrack

Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics

Preceded by "Every Breath You Take" by The Police	Billboard Hot 100 number-one single (Eurythmics version) 3 September 1983	Succeeded by "Maniac" by Michael Sembello
Preceded by "Our House" by Madness	Canadian RPM Singles Chart number-one single (Eurythmics version) 10 September 1983 – 17 September 1983	Succeeded by "Maniac" by Michael Sembello