"Blue Dreams" is a song by American actress and singer Sofia Carson. It was released on March 8, 2019 through Capitol Records as the lead single from her upcoming second studio album. A remix featuring Nicki Minaj was released on May 3, 2019.
Background and promotion
In late 2018, Carson announced that her upcoming second studio album would be released in 2019 and that it would be "very experimental". She revealed the title, release date and cover art of "Blue Dreams" on February 23, 2019. The song was made available for pre-save upon announcement. Carson performed the song for the first time at the 2019 iHeartRadio Music Awards, on March 15, 2019. The single was then performed on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on March 21, 2019.
Composition
"Blue Dreams" is a soul and electropop song written solely by Carson and produced solely by Finneas O'Connell. According to Carson, the song "is about a recurring dream, one that causes a sad feeling in somebody's heart". It also deals with the topic of a breakup.
Critical reception
Rania Aniftos at Billboard referred to the song as a "heartbreaking ballad", and pointed out that the song "tends to delve into subject matter which Carson hasn't explored previously". Writing for Idolator, Mike Nied noted that the track was "simply beautiful".
Music video
The song release was supported by a lyric video, featuring a still image of Carson looking through a window with animated raindrops and occasional lightning. The official music video was released on March 15, 2019, and features Carson in the loft from the television series, New Girl. A section of the set was recreated strictly for the music video, as the show is Carson's favourite according to various sources. Throughout the video, Carson sits on a stool and sings the song. Near the end of the video, the song transitions into a live acapella version of the track sung by Carson herself.
Live performances
Carson performed the song for the first time at the 2019 iHeartRadio Music Awards, on March 15, 2019. The single was then performed on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on March 21, 2019. The song was also performed at the 2019 Billboard Music Awards on May 1, 2019.
Commercial performance
The song debuted at number 34 on the Billboard Hot 100. The following week, with support from the song's official music video and the iHeartRadio Music Awards performance, the song reached number 24 on the chart. Weeks into the song's chart run, after the release of the remix featuring Nicki Minaj, the song vaulted from number 73 to number 27. The song spent a total of fifteen weeks on the chart before departing.
The song faired better internationally, reaching number 17 in Canada and number 19 in Australia. In the United Kingdom, the song peaked at number 27 and spent twelve weeks in the top forty of the UK Singles chart.
Charts
| Chart (2020) | Peak
position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA) | 19 |
| Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40) | 20 |
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders) | 31 |
| Belgium (Ultratip Wallonia) | 10 |
| Canada (Canadian Hot 100) | 17 |
| Czech Republic (Singles Digitál Top 100) | 21 |
| Denmark (Tracklisten) | 36 |
| Germany (Official German Charts) | 25 |
| Hungary (Stream Top 40) | 10 |
| Ireland (IRMA) | 12 |
| Italy (FIMI) | 65 |
| Netherlands (Single Top 100) | 40 |
| New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ) | 15 |
| Norway (VG-lista) | 34 |
| Portugal (AFP) | 70 |
| Scotland (Official Charts Company) | 9 |
| Singapore (RIAS) | 18 |
| Slovakia (Singles Digitál Top 100) | 25 |
| Sweden (Sverigetopplistan) | 31 |
| Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade) | 28 |
| UK Singles (Official Charts Company) | 27 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 | 24 |
| US Adult Top 40 (Billboard) | 10 |
| US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard) | 12 |
| US Rolling Stone Top 100 | 15 |