"If I Can Dream" is widely regarded as one of Elvis Presley's most significant artistic achievements, serving as the emotional finale to his 1968 NBC television special (known as the "'68 Comeback Special").
The recorded version used in the special is famous for its raw, unpolished intensity. Elvis Presley - If I Can Dream
: Director Steve Binder commissioned the song to replace "I'll Be Home for Christmas" as the show's finale, defying Colonel Tom Parker's wishes for a standard holiday ending. "If I Can Dream" is widely regarded as
: November 5, 1968, as a single (peaked at #12 on the Billboard Hot 100). : November 5, 1968, as a single (peaked
: In the TV special, Elvis performed the song standing alone in a white suit against a backdrop of his name in towering red lights, a stark departure from the leather-clad "sit-down" segments earlier in the show.