"Lucid Dreams" is a song by American rapper Juice Wrld. It was officially released by Grade A Productions and Interscope Records on May 11, 2018, after having been previously released on SoundCloud in June 2017. The song was produced by Nick Mira and debuted at number 74 on the BillboardHot 100, peaking at number two on the chart. The song has also amassed more than one billion streams on Spotify, being one of the most streamed songs on the platform.
Background
Juice said the song was made to be a "therapy session" during a period of relationship problems he was encountering. "Lucid Dreams" was initially released for free streaming on SoundCloud as part of Juice's EP, 9 9 9 on June 15, 2017 after he graduated from high school. It eventually accumulated 2.5 million plays, leading to an official release as a single on May 4, 2018. In November 2018, producer Clayton Joseph Clark said that Sting owned 85% of the rights to “Lucid Dreams,” which features a sample of his 1993 hit “Shape of My Heart.” In October 2019, members of the now defunct pop punk bandYellowcard sued Juice Wrld for $15 million, claiming that "Lucid Dreams" copied the melody of their song "Holly Wood Died". Following Juice Wrld's death in December 2019, the band extended "a deadline for defendants to respond to the lawsuits" into February 2020. Yellowcard's law firm King & Fallow issued a statement disputing the $15 million figure in the lawsuit as "falsely reported" with the final figure yet to be determined. While expressing sympathies for Juice Wrld's sudden death, the firm said the action would be pursued despite "incredible mixed emotions" from the band and firm.
Composition
"Lucid Dreams" runs for four minutes. The meter is common time and the key is F minor. The tempo is 84 BPM. The song is structured around a sample of Sting's 1993 song "Shape of My Heart".
Music video
A video for "Lucid Dreams" was released on May 11, 2018 and was directed by fellow Illinois resident, Cole Bennett. It features Juice WRLD trapped up to his head in a floor, with his body tied down and has been described by Milca P. of HotNewHipHop as "psychedelic and abstract". The music video has currently amassed more than 500 million views.
Commercial performance
In the United States, "Lucid Dreams" was a sleeper hit. The song debuted at number 74 on the Billboard Hot 100 on the week ending May 17, 2018, with 10 million US streams and 4,000 digital downloads. The song went to number 35 the following week and then number 15. When it ascended to number nine, "Lucid Dreams" became Juice Wrld's first top 10 song on June 12, 2018 with 35.9 million US streams and 9,000 downloads. Initially, it reached number three on the chart for a week in June, and lingered in the top 10 for months until it peaked at number two, blocked from the top spot by Maroon 5 and Cardi B's "Girls Like You". "Lucid Dreams" later re-entered the Billboard chart at number eight on the issue dated December 21, 2019, shortly after Juice Wrld's death, becoming its 26th nonconsecutive week in the top ten.
