Remember When: Dokken Scared Up an Anthem to Battle Freddy Krueger

Back in 1987, both Dokken and the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise were hot properties. The L.A. metal quartet had scored a second Platinum disc in 1985 with Under Lock and Key, and unleashed their fourth album Back for the Attack while maniacal movie murderer Freddy Krueger landed his biggest movie yet with A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors. But it was the combination and confrontation of these two forces (one good, one evil) that helped lead both to further success that year.

A Fateful Call

In January 1987, Dokken’s manager received a call saying the producers of Nightmare 3 were looking for a theme song. It was a great opportunity, and the group jumped on it even though they had yet to record their next album. Guitarist George Lynch and bassist Jeff Pilson co-write the track. According to Pilson, the music took them a day to write, and the lyrics and melodies another day. The song was recorded in January before the Back for the Attack sessions, and the video was shot the next month. Time was of the essence as the movie was released on February 27, with the single arriving on February 18. The band and Robert Englund (aka Freddy) appeared on MTV to promote it.

Pilson and Lynch did not work off of any footage, but they had been given a copy of the script. The story featured Nancy Thompson (Heather Langenkamp), who survived the first movie and is now a psychiatrist. She bands together with teen patients at a psychiatric hospital being stalked by Krueger, who kills young people in their dreams. One of the patients is a psychically gifted girl who can pull them all into her dreams, where they seek to battle Krueger together.

“We took lyrics from there for the song—ain’t gonna dream no more,” Pilson tells American Songwriter. “It helped a lot and gave us a focus to write to—challenging but fun. I don’t remember every little minute, but I know it was the first thing George and I wrote on our new 12-track machine. We were stylin’! I’m sure we started with George coming up with the main riff, then we built the song around that. I’d say both of us did the music based around George’s initial idea, and we certainly worked on the lyrics together pretty extensively. We wanted to get it right.”

I lie awake and dread the lonely nights
I’m not alone
I wonder if these heavy eyes, can face the unknown
When I close my eyes I realize
You’ll come my way
I’m standing in the night alone
Forever together, oh

We’re the dream warriors
Don’t wanna dream no more
We’re the dream warriors
And maybe tonight
Maybe tonight you’ll be gone

Get it right they did. The song would become a successful rock radio cut, rising to No. 22 on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock charts, while the video received substantial airplay on MTV. The single featured two bonus tracks, including the previous unreleased “Back for the Attack” which, oddly enough, was not included on the next album despite using its title. It would emerge as a CD bonus track years later.

Screen Screams

The video for “Dream Warriors” integrated a lot of footage from the Nightmare sequel, but it also incorporated new footage of the band saving star Patricia Arquette from the clutches of the razor-clawed Krueger. They fend him off with their loud music, and he awakens, shaken, declaring, “What a nightmare! Who were those guys?”

Pilson recalls the group shot their scenes in one day at a huge Southern California warehouse in Castaic, north of Santa Clarita, “where New Line Cinema stored their sets.” The bassist has fond memories of that long day, including star Robert Englund.

“Robert was great,” Pilson declares. “I only remember seeing him one time after that, but he was so damn funny and stayed in character. He just made smart-ass comments all day in the Freddy Krueger voice and mask—hysterical! What a trip!”

Mutual Satisfaction

It’s safe to say both Dokken and Krueger benefited from the mutual, if antagonistic association. Released in November 1987, Back for the Attack became the group’s third consecutive Platinum album without even having a high-charting single on the Hot 100. (“Burning Like a Flame” peaked at No. 72.) Sadly, the group broke up two years later, but they reunited in 1995 for the Dysfunctional album.

Directed by Chuck Russell and co-written by Krueger creator Wes Craven, A Nightmare On Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors became the highest-grossing entry yet of the original series domestically, pulling in nearly $45 million against a $4.6 million budget. Only Part 4 (The Dream Master) made more.

Dokken’s quickly crafted rocker made a long-lasting impression. Don Dokken performed it acoustically in 2017 at a 30th anniversary event for the horror film at Underground Arts in Philadelphia. A year later, the cast of Riverdale recreated the video for a Season 3 episode the show. The Fred Heads performed the song during a drug-induced Halloween party sequence. Younger listens were now exposed to Dokken.

“Dream Warriors” is still one of Dokken’s most streamed tracks, and plenty of fans fondly remember it. “People still ask all the time about that song,” Pilson says. “It was a big move for Dokken.”

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