A Million Dreams
by Ziv Zaifman (featuring Hugh Jackman)

Album: The Greatest Showman (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (2018)
Charted: 22 101
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Written by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul for The Greatest Showman soundtrack, "A Million Dreams" is sung by the young P. T. Barnum (Ziv Zaifman) to his future wife Charity Hallett (Michelle Williams). He tells her of his dreams for the future and explains his confidence that if they work hard for it, they will come true.

    Every night I lie in bed
    The brightest colors fill my head
    A million dreams are keeping me awake
    I think of what the world could be
    A vision of the one I see
    A million dreams is all it's gonna take
    A million dreams for the world we're gonna make
  • Later on in the song the adult Barnum (Hugh Jackman) recounts the same dreams. Justin Pau explained to Genius:

    "We wanted to show a couple of things. One, that this flame of a dreamer that is Barnum always has a vision. He always wanted life to be larger and colorful than it was. We wanted to show that's the kind of thing that ran through the character from when he was a kid to being an adult.

    But for the story, we thought it would also be interesting and ironic that he expresses this dream as a kid and when we meet Hugh Jackman as an adult now. He still has that same dream and he still hasn't found that thing. He still hasn't built the house, so to speak. He hasn't been good on the promise he makes to himself and Charity. So that dream is kept alive."
  • This was the first tune that Pasek and Paul wrote for The Greatest Showman and it served as their audition for The Greatest Showman. However, nothing was assured. "Every song in the movie we wrote in a competitive way, because we were never hired as the songwriters for the movie," Pasek told Billboard. "We had to submit a song for each song moment."
  • Pink covered this for The Greatest Showman – Reimagined, an album that enlists various recording artists for new versions of the movie's songs. It is followed by the American pop star's daughter Willow Sage Hart who makes her singing debut on a reprise of her mom's track.

    Pink's version peaked at #90 on the US Hot 100 and #11 on the UK singles chart.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Female Singers Of The 90s

Female Singers Of The 90sMusic Quiz

The ladies who ruled the '90s in this quiz.

Rick Springfield

Rick SpringfieldSongwriter Interviews

Rick has a surprising dark side, a strong feminine side and, in a certain TV show, a naked backside. But he still hasn't found Jessie's Girl.

Jack Blades of Night Ranger and Damn Yankees

Jack Blades of Night Ranger and Damn YankeesSongwriter Interviews

Revisit the awesome glory of Night Ranger and Damn Yankees: cheesily-acted videos, catchy guitar licks, long hair, and lyrics that are just plain relatable.

Boz Scaggs

Boz ScaggsSongwriter Interviews

The "Lowdown" and "Lido Shuffle" singer makes a habit of playing with the best in the business.

Randy Newman

Randy NewmanSongwriting Legends

Newman makes it look easy these days, but in this 1974 interview, he reveals the paranoia and pressures that made him yearn for his old 9-5 job.

Sugarland

SugarlandSongwriter Interviews

Meet the "sassy basket" with the biggest voice in country music.