"A Dream" is a 1983 song performed and recorded by the famed Motown

Motown Records

Motown is a record label originally founded by Berry Gordy, Jr. and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation in Detroit, Michigan, United States, on April 14, 1960. The name, a portmanteau of motor and town, is also a nickname for Detroit...

 singing family, DeBarge

DeBarge

DeBarge was a sibling music group of American origin whose repertoire included R&B, soul, funk, and later gospel. Active as a professional recording group from 1979 and 1989, the group was one of the few recording acts to bring success to the Motown label during the 1980s.-Background:Hailing from...

, for their album, In a Special Way

In a Special Way

In a Special Way is the third studio album released by family singing group DeBarge released on the Gordy label on September of 1983.-Reception:...

. Though the song was not released as a single and was not a hit, the song's key legacy derives from the fame it received from the interpolation of its melody being utilized in hit R&B and Hip-Hop tunes recorded in 1996, thus making "A Dream" a hidden staple in R&B and urban contemporary

Urban contemporary

Urban contemporary is a music radio format. The term was coined by the late New York DJ Frankie Crocker in the mid 1970s. Urban contemporary radio stations feature a playlist made up entirely of hip hop/rap, contemporary R&B, pop, electronica such as dubstep and drum and bass and Caribbean music...

 radio throughout the close of the 20th century.
"A Dream" was one of the few songs in which DeBarge member and lone female member, sister Bunny DeBarge

Bunny Debarge

Etterlene "Bunny" DeBarge is an American soul singer-songwriter, best known as the lone female sibling of the Motown family group DeBarge...

 played a role as both its songwriter and its lead vocalist while her four brothers (Mark

Mark DeBarge

Mark "Marty" DeBarge is an American R&B/soul singer-songwriter, trumpeter and flugelhorn player best known for his work as member of 1980s Motown singing family group DeBarge...

, Randy

Randy DeBarge

William Randall "Randy" DeBarge is an American R&B/soul singer and bass guitarist, best known for being one of the original members of the popular Motown singing family group DeBarge...

, El

El DeBarge

Eldra Patrick "El" DeBarge is an American R&B/pop falsetto singer and was the focal point and lead singer of the family group DeBarge throughout the early to mid-1980s....

 and James DeBarge

James DeBarge

James Curtis DeBarge is an American R&B and soul singer. He was one of the members of the singing family group DeBarge, who became stars with their 1980s songs "All This Love", "In a Special Way", "Rhythm of the Night", and "Who's Holding Donna Now?".DeBarge is also known for his 1984 marriage to...

) sung in the background.