The song incorporates a sample of the hook from "Blind Alley" by the Emotions—previously used in "Ain't No Half-Steppin'" (1988) by Big Daddy Kane—into its melody and instrumentation.

"Dreamlover" marked a more pronounced attempt on Carey's part to incorporate hip hop into her music, as was seen in her decision to work with Hall, who had previously produced What's the 411?

[3] This was partly in light of the mixed reception to her previous studio effort Emotions (1991), which featured gospel and 1960s soul influences.

Lyrically, the song pictures a protagonist calling for a perfect lover, her "dreamlover," to whisk her away into the night and not "disillusion" her like others in the past.

"Dreamlover" received positive reviews from contemporary music critics, many of whom praised the song's incorporated sample, as well as Carey's carefree vocal style.

The song was the first of several of her lead singles that sampled older tunes as a musical bed, as seen in "Fantasy" (1995), "Honey" (1997), "Heartbreaker" (1999), and "Loverboy" (2001).

It peaked at number one in Canada and Panama, and became a top-ten hit in Australia, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Portugal and the United Kingdom.

[7] Carey and Afanasieff agreed to the change and began writing and recording material for her third studio effort, Music Box (1993).

While recording Music Box, Carey began to alter her songwriting style and genre choices, most notably in "Dreamlover".

[10] In an interview with Fred Bronson, Carey described working with Hall: "I wanted to do something that had a happy feeling, something that was more open and released, and that's really not Dave.

After having completed the song, Hall complimented Carey's work ethic and form of writing, calling her a "perfectionist" and "very professional.

[10] Hall said Carey works in a unique fashion, usually developing the song's instrumentals and hook prior to the lyrics and title.

[11] The song was written and produced by Carey and Hall, with additional work done by Afanasieff, who added a slightly altered instrumentation.

"[12] Cummings felt Afanasieff's usage of the Hammond B3 organ added "an old school vibe" to "Dreamlover", as it harmonizes with the "extremely catchy musical hook.

"[12] Cummings called the second verse's first lines "Don't want another pretender / To disillusion me one more time / Whispering words of forever / Playing with my mind" an "interesting mix of innocence and very grown-up cynicism and world-weariness.

"[12] Wayne Robins from Newsday compared the vocals to "Motown and Philly soul singing," while praising Afansieff's inclusion of the Hammond B-3 for the way the "riffs provide a nice organic contrast to the synthesizers that dominate the record.

In reference to the common criticism that Carey over-sings and over-uses her upper registers, Cummings wrote "truth is, she is never crass in the use of her amazing instrument.

[18] J. D. Considine from The Baltimore Sun called its melody "breezy",[19] while The Buffalo News's reviewer described it as "a sassy, pop rocker with a dance beat".

"[21] Troy J. Augusto from Cash Box named it Pick of the Week, stating that Carey "tones down the vocal histronics [sic] here, her seductive, captivating voice flowing smoothly and beautifully on this sprite, sparsely produced love song".

[22] David Browne from Entertainment Weekly felt the singer's soft singing and lack of volume was hurtful to the song, saying she "lost herself.

"[24] Blogger Roger Friedman from Fox News named "Dreamlover" and "Vision of Love" Carey's best, calling them "the original hits.

"[26] In his weekly UK chart commentary, James Masterton noted, "This new track debuts strongly then, and being far more catchy and original than most Mariah Carey material may well breach the Top 10 at least.

"[27] Chris Roberts from Melody Maker praised Carey, who "sings with consummate power, grace and range over a Janet-swing lagoon of a track, both languorous and sassy.

"[29] Jeff Silberman from The Network Forty described it as "a delicious midtempo pop gem, bolstered by in-the-pocket instrumentation, Carey's pristine vocals and a velvet production sound".

[32] The Plain Dealer noted that it "starts out with one of those upper-register vocal runs that can make dogs howl and shatter glassware in neighboring states.

"[33] In a retrospective review, Pop Rescue stated that Carey's vocals "are confident, strong, and also perfectly partnered to this chilled out track", adding it as "wonderful" song.

[34] While reviewing Butterfly (1997), Rich Juzwiak of Slant Magazine praised the song's incorporation of the "Blind Alley" hook, saying it was done "as sweetly as possible.

The song was certified gold by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA), denoting shipments of over 35,000 units throughout the country.

[59] It features scenes of Carey swimming in a small pond by a waterfall, boarding a colorful hot air balloon, and dancing alongside several shirtless male dancers.

The song was performed on June 1, 2003, at The Today Show as part of a three-song set alongside "Yours" and "Bringin' On the Heartbreak" as a promotion for Carey's 2002 album, Charmbracelet.