Dreams Come True

Biography

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. Their fifth album, The Swinging Star×The Swinging Star14 November 1992 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1The Swinging Star0:592あの夏の花火4:493DA DIDDLY DEET DEE4:054SAYONARA (Extended Version)6:015行きたいのは MOUNTAIN MOUNTAIN3:386眼鏡越しの空3:587決戦は金曜日 (Version of "THE DYNAMITES")5:398涙とたたかってる5:389HIDE AND SEEK4:5710太陽が見てる4:4911SWEET SWEET SWEET5:1312晴れたらいいね4:07 (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.
Nakamura composed the music for the Sega Mega Drive games Sonic the Hedgehog (1991) and Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (1992). In 1998, Dreams Come True released the English-language album Sing or Die×SING OR DIE15 November 1997 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1SING OR DIE〜Opening theme〜1:182AISURU KOKORO5:343AHAHA4:144PEACE!4:395KELOKELO4:176TANPOPO NO TEIBOU3:527SONNANO AIJANAI3:588YUWAKU〜album mix〜4:319MARRY ME?5:3810YOROKOBI NO UTA4:2911SOH-DAYO〜album mix〜4:4912GEKKOU / PEACE (WORLDWIDE VERSION)9:24, which was a commercial failure in the west.

Debut and first years

Dreams Come True was formed in 1988 by Miwa Yoshida (lead vocals), Masato Nakamura (bass) and Takahiro Nishikawa (keyboards). 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. 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.
Nakamura composed the music for the Sega Mega Drive games Sonic the Hedgehog (1991) and Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (1992); the latter featured the band's song "Sweet Sweet Sweet" from The Swinging Star as its closing theme. In 1993, Dreams Come True recorded "Winter Song×WINTER SONG7 January 1994 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracks1WINTER SONG4:462SWEET DREAM5:14" for the opening theme of the Japanese version of the film Sleepless in Seattle 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.
Yoshida started a solo music career in 1995, and the following year appeared on the cover of Time. She 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 Dreams Come True songs for Konami to be used in the video game Dancing Stage featuring Dreams Come True.

Sing or Die

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. In 1997, they signed with Virgin Music America and Toshiba-EMI in Japan and attempted to break into the American market. Their first album with Virgin, Sing or Die×SING OR DIE15 November 1997 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1SING OR DIE〜Opening theme〜1:182AISURU KOKORO5:343AHAHA4:144PEACE!4:395KELOKELO4:176TANPOPO NO TEIBOU3:527SONNANO AIJANAI3:588YUWAKU〜album mix〜4:319MARRY ME?5:3810YOROKOBI NO UTA4:2911SOH-DAYO〜album mix〜4:4912GEKKOU / PEACE (WORLDWIDE VERSION)9:24, was released in English in 1998. Yoshida took the stage name "Miwa" and Nakamura became "King Masa", but Nishikawa remained the same, and only received a passing mention on Sing or Die's liner notes.
Sing or Die was a commercial failure. According to The New York Times, the "brand of bright, uptempo pop just didn't hit the right chord with American listeners". In The Washington Post, Mark Jenkins wrote that Sing or Die was "global pop in the worst sense ... this is music that aspires to the depth of advertising jingles". Natalie Nichols of the Los Angeles Times wrote that the songs in the album "displayed a surprising lack of memorable hooks, however, and never quite overcame a vague sense of prefabrication".
Following 2001's Monkey Girl Odyssey, Dreams Come True left Virgin and Toshiba-EMI, and set up an independent label, DCT Records. It was the last work to credit Nishikawa.

Collaborations with Disney

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. They performed the song "Itoshi no Riley" for the film Inside Out (2015), originally thought as a separate song, but becoming its Japanese theme song.

Nishikawa's departure and return to major labels

Nishikawa departed in 2002 to pursue a solo career. 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.
Dreams Come True joined Universal Music Japan in 2003. They released one more English-language album on Universal called Love Overflows in 2004, which were re-recorded versions of songs from Love Goes On to Monkey Girl Odyssey. Albums such as The Love Rocks×THE LOVE ROCKS22 February 2006 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 13 tracks1愛がROCKするテーマ1:262PROUD OF YOU4:323また「つらい」が1UP4:494めまい5:345JET!!! (album version)4:576哀愁のGIジョー4:237SUNSHINE (album version)4:098ていうか4:229WIFEHOOD ステ奥伝説 PART1~主婦の精 妻の精~4:2410ウソにきまってる4:0111空を読む (album version)3:3612何度でも(album version)3:5313SPOON ME, BABY ME6:12 (2006) and And I Love You×AND I LOVE YOU12 December 2007 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 13 tracks1a little prayer1:342ア・イ・シ・テ・ルのサイン ～わたしたちの未来予想図～6:203大阪LOVER -ALBUM EDITION-4:534アピール4:445サヨナラ59ers! -ALBUM VERSION-4:516CARNAVAL ～すべての戦う人たちへ～4:147NOCTURNE 0015:398きみにしか聞こえない4:009今日だけは -ALBUM VERSION-4:5510UNPRETTY DAY!5:0311またね -ALBUM VERSION-5:3012もしも雪なら5:3413AND I LOVE YOU1:53 (2007) returned to the classic Dreams Come True sound.

2008: 20th anniversary

On November 12, 2008, Dreams Come True released the single "Tsuretette Tsuretette". It debuted a top on the Oricon weekly charts, nine years ten months after their last number-one single, "Asa ga Mata Kuru". The song also appears on the album Do You Dreams Come True?×DO YOU DREAMS COME TRUE?21 March 2009 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1a song for you 〜opening theme of dydct?〜1:272MERRY-LIFE-GOES-ROUND4:033連れてって 連れてって5:134TO THE BEAT, NOT TO THE BEAT4:265あぁもう!!3:476大っきらい でもありがと5:467サヨナラメーター/タメイキカウンター4:448TRUE, BABY TRUE. - EXTENDED VERSION6:159MIDDLE OF NOWHERE4:1010ALMOST HOME5:5411GOOD BYE MY SCHOOL DAYS4:3912a love song3:49. The album is available in three versions: A single disc version, containing the main album; a second that adds Greatest Hits: The Soul×THE SOUL14 February 2000 · Album · CompilationSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 32 tracks · 2 discsDisc 11A theme of the WONDERLAND1:432うれしい！たのしい！大好き！ （'EVERLASTING' VERSION）4:193あの夏の花火4:484決戦は金曜日 （Version of "THE DYNAMITES"）5:375薬指の決心4:356笑顔の行方 （ORIGINAL VERSION）4:237あはは4:1387月7日、晴れ4:129LAT.43°N 〜forty-three degrees north latitude〜6:0110なんて恋したんだろ4:1511Ring! Ring! Ring! （S･H･H VERSION）4:3112うれしはずかし朝帰り4:2113あなたにサラダ3:4914晴れたらいいね4:0615よろこびのうた4:2916朝がまた来る4:13Disc 21LOVE LOVE LOVE3:432すき 〜ALBUM VERSION〜3:373愛してる 愛してた4:324悲しいKiss5:515三日月4:146WINTER SONG （“雪のクリスマス”WORLDWIDE VERSION）4:447The signs of LOVE 〜ETERNITY"DELICIOUS"VERSION+〜4:378未来予想図5:239未来予想図 II7:2010星空が映る海5:5011サンキュ.3:4212琥珀の月4:0813LOVE GOES ON …4:4414眼鏡越しの空3:5715時間旅行4:2116HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY1:14 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.

2010 -- present

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. In November, they released their 23rd album, Love Central×LOVE CENTRAL30 November 2010 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 13 tracks1LOVE CENTRAL2その先へ4:423LIES, LIES. -ALBUM VERSION-4ANOTHER JUNK IN MY TRUNK5POISON CENTRAL6FALL IN LOVE AGAIN7ねぇ4:558せつなくなぃ？9生きてゆくのです♡10GODSPEED!11風切って行こう！12MY DARLIN' DOGGYS♪13THE ONE, their second on Universal Music Japan's Nayutawave label. Their song "Itoshi no Riley" is the Japanese theme song of Inside Out. The music video is sandwiched in between the Lava short and the actual film itself on the theatrical release. In 2016, Dreams Come True released their first complete greatest hits album, Dreams Come True The Ura Best! Watashi Dake no Dorikamu.
In the tour event that the group celebrates around every 4 years, "Dreams Come True Wonderland", for the 2019 event, Nishikawa appeared as a surprise guest. Nakamura often visits Nishikawa at the bar he runs in Hokkaido, where he works as a DJ.
In September 2021, Dreams Come True released the single "Tsugi no Se~no! De - On the Green Hill", a new version of Nakamura's theme for Green Hill Zone from Sonic the Hedgehog. On July 2, 2025 it was announced that the group would be create the theme song for TV Asahi's drama The Big Chase: Tokyo SSBC Files, titled "Beacon×BEACON30 July 2025 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1BEACON3:35".

Charity events and participation

DCT has been involved in charity events, including the collaboration work "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.

Reception

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×LOVE LOVE LOVE24 July 1995 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracks1LOVE LOVE LOVE3:242嵐が来る4:14" (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.

Band members

Current members

Miwa Yoshida – vocal, songwriter
Masato Nakamura – bass guitar, composer, record producer
Former members

Takahiro Nishikawa – keyboards, synthesizer programmer (1988–2002)

Studio albums

Dreams Come True (1989)
Love Goes On... (1989)
Wonder 3 (1990)
Million Kisses (1991)
The Swinging Star (1992)
Magic (1993)
Delicious (1995)
Love Unlimited∞ (1996)
Sing or Die (1997)
The Monster (1999)
Monkey Girl Odyssey (2001)
Diamond 15 (2004)
The Love Rocks (2006)
And I Love You (2007)
Do You Dreams Come True? (2009)
Love Central (2010)
Attack 25 (2014)
The Dream Quest (2017)
The Black Album (2026)