Sadly, I found Mr. McLain's voice a bit irritating, so I couldn't finish this. I also thought that this song would have fit in better if released a few years earlier, which is not surprising: it was originally written and recorded by Don Gibson in 1955 and then was a hit for Faron Young in 1956. Both of these fine gentlemen recorded this as a traditional country music song.
Tommy McLain (1940-2025) started his musical career as a member of The Vel-Tones in the late 1950s and the Boogie Kings in the 1960s. His version of "Sweet Dreams" reached #15 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #7 nationally in Canada.
McLain continued plugging away at his musical career until near the end of his life. He released an album in 2022 titled I Ran Down Every Dream. "Sweet Dreams" has been recorded by a number of artists, including Reba McEntire, Emmylou Harris, Tammy Wynette, and Elvis Costello and The Attractions.
Created May 6, 2026.