"If I Can Dream" is a song made famous by Elvis Presley, written by Walter Earl Brown and notable for its direct quotations of Martin Luther King, Jr. It was recorded by Presley in June 1968, two months after King's assassination.
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Martin Luther King Jr. was shot in April 1968, Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated in June 1968,
and later in June Elvis is recording his '68 "comeback special" TV show - his first public
performance after years of filming. The song "If I can dream" was written to be the closing
number for this TV show, and is alluding back to the recent events.
Quote Courtesy of ElvisTribute.us
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Elvis Presley's '68 "comeback special" TV show (December 3, 1968) You can feel the shock waves the show made. Elvis looks gorgeous and he knows it;
you see joy, command, and a certain slyness. In moments he reminds you of Sean Connery's
James Bond. He takes that 007 you-must-be-kidding- me grin as his own, and it serves him perfectly.
The persona adds a kind of weight to the last song of the show;
when Elvis sings If I Can Dream, acknowledging the murders, only weeks and days before,
of Martin Luther King, Jr., and Robert F. Kennedy, and in a way refusing their deaths,
his passion seems to come from experience, not a script.
Song
"If I Can Dream"
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