[2] The song enjoyed its highest-charting success when it was covered in 1968 by Cass Elliot with the Mamas & the Papas, and followed the same year with a recording by Anita Harris.
More than 40 other versions followed, including by the Mills Brothers, Sylvie Vartan, Henry Mancini, the Beautiful South, Blind Guardian, Anne Murray, Ella Fitzgerald, Erasure, Michael Bublé, Tony DeSare, Eddie Vedder, MonaLisa Twins and Italian vocal group Blue Penguin.
Gus Kahn's sentimental, bucolic lyrics citing "birds singing in the sycamore tree", "stars shining" and "night breezes" are a lullaby, specifically a romantic one of parting lovers: "Say nighty-night and kiss me, just hold me tight and tell me you'll miss me", "Still craving your kiss" and "Now I'm longing to linger 'til dawn, dear."
In the summer of 1950, seven recordings of "Dream a Little Dream of Me" were in release, with the versions by Frankie Laine and Jack Owens reaching the US top 20 at respectively numbers 18 and 14: the other versions were by Cathy Mastice, Ella Fitzgerald with trumpet backing by Louis Armstrong, Louis Jordan, Vaughn Monroe, Dinah Shore and a duet by Bob Crosby and Georgia Gibbs.
By the time of the album's release, there were strong indications that the Mamas & the Papas were set to disband, a perception strengthened by the failure of their recent single, "Safe in My Garden".
Anita Harris' version of "Dream a Little Dream of Me", recorded at Olympic Studios in a session produced by Mike Margolis with Alan Tew as musical director, was released 26 July 1968, the week prior to the US Top 40 debut of the Cass Elliot version.
[24] A review in Pan-European magazine Music & Media praised the song stating: "Keep your eyes wide open, sings this French singer.
[25] Retrospectively, in 2021, Nathalie Lacube of French magazine La Croix wrote that "the singer's caressing voice and intimate phrasing worked wonders" on this song.
[27] It charted for five non-consecutive weeks on the pan-European Hot 100 Singles compiled by Music & Media, peaking at number 87 on 8 June 1991.