Step into a world where dreams and reality blur, set to a classic rock anthem.
The Song
"Street Of Dreams" is a powerful rock ballad by the English rock band Rainbow, released in 1983 as the first single from their seventh studio album, Bent Out of Shape. Co-written by guitarist Ritchie Blackmore and vocalist Joe Lynn Turner, the song showcases a slightly softer, more commercial rock sound than some of Rainbow's earlier, heavier material. Roger Glover, also Rainbow's bassist and a long-time collaborator with Blackmore, produced the track, which runs approximately 4 minutes and 28 seconds.
Joe Lynn Turner famously stated that the entire song was inspired by a dream he had, where he literally woke up, wrote down sketches, and then pieced the full song together the next morning. This mystical origin story perfectly aligns with the song's introspective lyrics about longing, memory, and the blurred lines between fantasy and reality. Blackmore himself has cited "Street Of Dreams" as one of his favorite Rainbow songs.
The Artist
Rainbow was founded in 1975 by former Deep Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore. Over its various incarnations, the band saw numerous lineup changes, becoming a significant vehicle for Blackmore's musical explorations. The Bent Out of Shape era (1983) featured Joe Lynn Turner on lead vocals, Ritchie Blackmore on guitars, Roger Glover on bass, David Rosenthal on keyboards, and Chuck Burgi on drums.
This lineup was known for a more accessible, AOR (Album-Oriented Rock) sound, particularly evident in tracks like "Street Of Dreams," which helped them gain traction on rock radio and even pop charts. Joe Lynn Turner's powerful yet melodic vocals were a key component of this more commercial sound, positioning him as the "MTV-face" for Rainbow during this period.
Chart Performance
"Street Of Dreams" achieved notable chart success upon its release. In the UK, the single peaked at No. 52 on the Official Singles Chart in August 1983. In the United States, it performed strongly on rock radio, climbing to No. 3 on the Top Rock Tracks chart. This placed it just behind major hits like Huey Lewis & the News' "Heart and Soul" and Pat Benatar's "Love Is A Battlefield."
The song also made it onto the Billboard Hot 100, reaching No. 60 during a ten-week run in 1983. While not a massive pop crossover, its strong rock radio performance and Hot 100 entry were significant for Rainbow during this phase of their career, contributing to the parent album Bent Out of Shape reaching No. 34 on the Billboard Top LPs & Tape chart.
Cultural Impact
The music video for "Street Of Dreams" left a distinct mark, largely due to its controversial nature and its director, Storm Thorgerson. Thorgerson, famous for his iconic album artwork for Pink Floyd and others, brought his signature surrealist vision to the video. The video's narrative, involving a woman being gagged and locked away, and her boyfriend being hypnotized by an "evil psychiatrist," garnered attention and eventually led to it being banned by MTV, though only after some initial airplay.
Despite (or perhaps because of) the ban, the video became a memorable piece of 80s rock visual culture. The themes of dreams, memory, and the subconscious, interwoven with a mystery narrative, resonated with the song's lyrics. The song itself became a flagship track for Rainbow on rock radio, demonstrating their ability to blend hard rock with a more melodic, commercially appealing sound that defined a segment of the 1980s rock landscape.
Fun Facts
- The music video for "Street Of Dreams" was directed by Storm Thorgerson, renowned for his work on Pink Floyd's album covers.
- The video features a surreal storyline where a man named Mark recounts a dream to a psychiatrist, only to find his girlfriend has disappeared in real life.
- MTV famously banned the video due to its "controversial hypnotic video clip," although it had already received some airplay. A critic from the National Coalition on Television Violence specifically criticized MTV for airing it.
- Joe Lynn Turner claimed the entire lyrical concept for the song came to him in a dream.
- Ritchie Blackmore revisited the song in 2006, recording two versions for his Blackmore's Night album, The Village Lanterne, including a duet with Joe Lynn Turner himself.
- Some viewers have noted an uncanny resemblance between the actor playing "Mark" in the video and actor Alexander Siddig, known for his role as Dr. Julian Bashir in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.