In 1979, Cheap Trick had a major hit with the song “Dream Police,” but it was about a year overdue. The song had a delayed release amid the surprise success of the band’s At Budokan album the previous year.
Written by Rick Nielsen, “Dream Police” featured a driving guitar riff, synthesized orchestral strings, and frantic lyrics about late-night paranoia, including a theatrical mid-song spoken word by the songwriter himself. It had all the makings of a hit record.
But during the recording of the Dream Police album in 1978, Cheap Trick went on tour in Japan, causing a frenzy that was captured on a live album. The concerts at Nippon Budokan were so successful that plans for a Japan-only album expanded to an international release. Because of the massive success of the At Budokan album, the release of “Dream Police” was postponed by nearly a year.
“Dream Police was ready to go when …Budokan came out,” Nielsen once said, per Classic Rock magazine. “We held it back because Budokan was so successful.”
Once it was finally released, “Dream Police” peaked at No. 26 on the Billboard Hot 100 and became one of Cheap Trick’s highest-charting studio songs. A bizarre MTV music video featuring bandmates Nielsen, Robin Zander, Tom Petersson, and Bun E. Carlos gave the power-pop hit new attention two years later.
Nielsen wrote “Dream Police” from the point of view of a paranoid man who believed his dreams were being monitored.
“Lyrically, the song was about Big Brother watching you," the rocker confirmed in the liner notes of the remastered edition of the album, per Ultimate Classic Rock.
Of the music, Nielsen also told Classic Rock, “When I wrote it, it needed more instrumentation, more than just guitar, bass, and drums. So it had that keyboard… It’s an orchestral part that I wrote.”
Session keyboardist Jai Winding was brought in to add layers to the iconic track.
Decades after its release, “Dream Police” is a staple of Cheap Trick’s live set list and remains a beloved anthem. Nielsen, now 77, still channels his paranoid alter ego, while fans chant along to the wild lyrics.
In 2026, Cheap Trick is on the road for the All Washed Up Tour.
Related: Iconic '70s Rock Band’s Breakout Hit Started Out as a Joke
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