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Dreams Come True (band)

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Dreams Come True
OriginJapan
Genres
Years active1988 (1988)–present
LabelsEpic/Sony Records (1988–1997)
EMI Music Japan/Virgin (1997–2002)
Universal Music Japan (2003–present)
DCT records (2002–present)
MembersMasato Nakamura
Miwa Yoshida
Past membersTakahiro Nishikawa
Websitewww.dreamscometrue.com

Dreams Come True (Japanese: ドリームズ・カム・トゥルー, Hepburn: Dorīmuzu Kamu Turū) is a Japanese pop band formed in 1988 by Miwa Yoshida (lead vocals), Masato Nakamura (bass) and Takahiro Nishikawa (keyboards). Nishikawa left in 2002 to pursue a solo career.

Dreams Come True has sold more than 50 million records worldwide.[1] Their fifth album, The Swinging Star (1992), was the first Japanese album to sell more than three million copies, and for several years was the highest-selling Japanese-language album of all time.[2] Nakamura composed the music for the Sega Mega Drive games Sonic the Hedgehog (1991) and Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (1992).[3]

History

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Dreams Come True was formed in 1988 by Miwa Yoshida (lead vocals), Masato Nakamura (bass) and Takahiro Nishikawa (keyboards).[2] The band is commonly known as DCT and sometimes referred to as "Dorikamu" (ドリカム). Their first album, Dreams Come True, sold more than one million copies in Japan.[4] Their fifth, The Swinging Star (1992), was the first Japanese album to sell over three million copies, and for several years was the best-selling Japanese-language album of all time.[2]

Nakamura composed the music for the Sega Mega Drive games Sonic the Hedgehog (1991) and Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (1992).[3] In 1993, Dreams Come True recorded "Winter Song" for the opening theme of the Japanese version[5] of the film Sleepless in Seattle[6][7] and the following year recorded the song "Eternity" for the animated film The Swan Princess by New Line Cinema. In Japan, they recorded theme songs for programs produced by Tokyo Broadcasting System. The Walt Disney Company hired the band to create themes for their television shows, and attractions at the Tokyo Disney Resort. In 2001, the band performed "Crystal Vine", the theme song for the Japanese version of Atlantis: The Lost Empire, and Yoshida performed the dub of Audrey Rocio Ramirez.[citation needed]

Yoshida started a solo music career in 1995, and the following year appeared on the cover of Time.[6] She has also appeared in advertisements for Sony, Visa, Honda, Shiseido, Lotte, Vodafone, and Coca-Cola. Nakamura was hired to compose the music for several television commercials, and around the same time compiled various Dreams Come True songs for Konami to be used in the game Dancing Stage featuring Dreams Come True, a spin-off of the Dance Dance Revolution series.

On April 1, 1996, Dreams Come True released Love Unlimited, their final album for Sony Music. News of their departure caused Sony Music shares to drop severely on the Tokyo Stock Exchange.[8] They later signed with Virgin Music America and Toshiba-EMI in Japan, due to that label's promises to break the group into the American market—something Sony was unwilling to do. Their first album under the new contract, Sing or Die (a title that half-jokingly described the band's relationship with their former label, according to Nakamura), was released in an English-language version, but received little promotion or airplay.

Part of the failure of the Virgin-DCT relationship can be laid at the label's attempt to renovate the band into something the American audiences could relate to. Yoshida took the stage name "Miwa", Nakamura became "King Masa," but Nishikawa remained the same, and only received a passing mention on Sing or Die's liner notes. Musically, the album veered away from the classic DCT formula and deeper into the hip-hop dance theme begun on Delicious and Love Unlimited. The combination was not well received by American audiences, nor DCT's legion of loyal Japanese fans.[citation needed] Dreams Come True left Virgin after the failure of Sing or Die.

Nishikawa departed in 2002 to pursue a solo career.[9] Following his departure, he was arrested for assault and drug possession and received a suspended sentence. After a second arrest for possession in 2006, he was sentenced to prison.[10]

Following 2001's Monkey Girl Odyssey, DCT severed all ties with Virgin and Toshiba-EMI, and set up shop with Universal Music Japan. More recent albums such as The Love Rocks and And I Love You have returned to the classic DCT sound, and have been received more warmly.[citation needed]

The band released one more English-language album on Universal called Love Overflows, which were re-recorded versions of songs from Love Goes On to Monkey Girl Odyssey.

They have also been involved in charity events. Including the collaboration "Zero Landmine" with Ryuichi Sakamoto in 2001 to help raise funds for land mine removal agencies, and taking part in the Live 8 benefit concert in 2005.

On November 12, 2008, their single "Tsuretette Tsuretette" was released. "Tsuretette Tsuretette" debuted a top on the Oricon weekly charts, nine years ten months since their last number-one single "Asa ga Mata Kuru".[11] The song also appears on the band's most recent album, Do You Dreams Come True?. The album is available in three versions: A single disc version, containing the main album; a second that adds Greatest Hits: The Soul 2, a sequel to their 2000 greatest-hits package; and a third that adds a live DVD, "Winter Fantasia 2008."

Their DVD and Blu-ray of their 20th Anniversary tour is one of the first concert videos to be filmed with the RED One high-definition camera.[citation needed]

In 2010, they released their download only single "Godspeed", where the title is meant to be an even stronger wish of "Good Luck" for everyone to listen to it.[12] In November, they released their 23rd album, Love Central, their second on Universal Music Japan's Nayutawave label. In 2016, Dreams Come True released their first complete greatest hits album, Dreams Come True the Ura Best! Watashi Dake no Dorikamu.

Reception

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In a 2006 survey of people between 10 and 49 years of age in Japan, Oricon Style found the number-one selling song "Love Love Love" (2,488,630 copies) the second most popular Valentine's Day song in Japan. The most popular song was Sayuri Kokushō's 1986 debut single "Valentine Kiss", which sold only 317,000 copies. The other songs in the top five were "Valentine's Radio" from Yumi Matsutoya (1,606,780 copies), "Happy Happy Greeting" from Kinki Kids (608,790 copies), and "My Funny Valentine" by Miles Davis.[13]

Band members

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Current members

Former members

Discography

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Main article: Dreams Come True discography

Studio albums

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "DREAMS COME TRUE WONDERLAND 2007特集" (in Japanese). Yahoo! Japan. 2007-02-13. Archived from the original on 2007-07-03. Retrieved 2008-11-22.
  2. ^ a b c Irene M, Kunii (14 October 1996). "Her Dreams Come True". Time.
  3. ^ a b "Masato Nakamura (Person) - Giant Bomb". Giant Bomb. Retrieved 2017-01-22.
  4. ^ "GOLD ALBUM 他認定作品 1996年09月度" [Gold Albums, and other certified works. September 1996 Edition] (PDF). The Record (Bulletin) (in Japanese). Chūō, Tokyo: Recording Industry Association of Japan. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 16, 2014. Retrieved January 26, 2015.
  5. ^ "Various – Winter Song～Sleepless In Seattle (Special Soundtrack) = Winter Song〜めぐり逢えたら（スペシャル・サウンドトラック）". Discogs.com. 7 January 1994. Retrieved 4 July 2018.
  6. ^ a b "DREAMS COME TRUE". Dreamscometrue.com. Retrieved 2019-12-04.
  7. ^ McClure, Steve (14 January 1995). "Dreams Come True Makes U.S. Debut Via Film". Billboard. pp. 35, 37.
  8. ^ "Sony's Dreams come through for Virgin. (Dreams Come True; Virgin Records America)". September 8, 2009. Archived from the original on September 8, 2009. Retrieved 2019-12-04.
  9. ^ McClure, Steve (2002-04-03). "Still chasing their dream". The Japan Times. Archived from the original on 2019-01-07. Retrieved 2021-03-25.
  10. ^ 元ドリカム西川隆宏の現在！脱退理由・交通事故や薬逮捕・結婚や嫁の噂まとめ [Former Dreams Come True member Takahiro Nishikawa now! Reasons for leaving include a car accident and a drug arrest, rumors of marriage and settling with wife.] (in Japanese). Matomedia. 29 February 2020. Archived from the original on 12 September 2023. Retrieved 12 September 2023.
  11. ^ ドリカム、約10年ぶりのシングル首位獲得 (in Japanese). Oricon. 2008-11-18. Retrieved 2008-11-22.
  12. ^ "DREAMS COME TRUE's "GODSPEED!" for Download Available!". Musicjapanplus. 2010-02-15. Archived from the original on 2017-12-03. Retrieved 2010-02-16.
  13. ^ 大公開！『バレンタインソング』といえばこの曲！ [The Great Exhibition! When speaking of a "Valentine song", this is the song!] (in Japanese). Oricon Style. February 3, 2006. Archived from the original on February 16, 2010. Retrieved March 17, 2010.
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