If I Can Dream
"If I Can Dream" is a song made famous by Elvis Presley, written by Walter Earl Brown and notable for its similarities with Martin Luther King Jr.'s 1963 "I Have a Dream" speech. The song was published by Elvis Presley's music publishing company Gladys Music, Inc. It was recorded by Presley in June 1968, just two months after King's assassination. The recording was first released to the public as the finale of Presley's "'68 Comeback Special". History. Brown was asked to write a song to replace "I'll Be Home for Christmas  as the grand finale on NBC's Elvis", from June 20–23, 1968 (now also known as ‘68 Comeback Special). Knowing about Presley’s fondness for Martin Luther King Jr., and about his devastation related to his then-recent assassination, he wrote "If I Can Dream" with Presley in mind. After Presley heard the demo, he proclaimed "I'm never going to sing another song I don't believe in. I'm never going to make another movie I don't believe in." And he, in his nine years remaining, kept his promise. The song was published by Presley's company  Gladys Music, Inc. After Colonel Tom Parker heard the demo of the song sent by Earl Brown, he said: "This ain't Elvis' kind of song." Elvis was also there, and he countered Parker’s argument, then he pleaded: "Let me give it a shot, man." Earl Brown said while Elvis recorded the song, he saw tears rolling down the cheeks of the backing vocalists. One of them whispered to him: "Elvis never sung with so much emotion. Looks like he means every word." Recording success. After filming for the TV special was complete with its eventual editing, then broadcast  in December the same year, the song was released as a single with “Edge of Reality” as the flip side in November 1968. It charted on Billboard's Hot 100 for 3 months and a week, peaking at #12, with more than one million sales; although the RIAA certified the song as only gold (500,000 units shipped) as of March 27, 1992. In Canada, the song peaked at #6 on "RPM"s top singles chart, maintaining that position for two weeks. Compilations. The song appeared in many Presley compilations, of which many are related to the '68 Comeback Special or Inspirational  meshes. Sony BMG remastered the song in 2004. The song is referred to as stereo mix (as opposed to the 2004 remaster honorific) in '68 Comeback Special releases after 2004. Other compilations, such as Platinum - A Life In Music, include alternative takes on the song less polished than the official takes. For instance, the background vocalists are not present in most of these takes, specifically with "If I Can Dream". According to unsubstantiated rumors, Presley nailed the perfect take after the backing vocalists left the studio.