Give Me Back My Dreams

I will often listen to a song I like and think, “How was that written?” Did the artist come up with the melody first? The lyrics first? Was another song the inspiration? Was it written on a piano? On a guitar?

Some songs sound as though they simply started as a groove. The band or artist just started playing a few chords, found a nice rhythm, a cool drum beat, a little bass lick, whatever, then later weaved a fitting melody into it.

And that is how “Give Me Back My Dreams”, my latest solo effort, was born. As with a lot of my musical ideas, the groove of this tune popped into my head during one of my daily dog walks (thanks again, Bernie!), and I continued to add layers to it in my head during subsequent walks. After a few days, I felt like I had something worth capturing, so I spent a bit of time in the studio one evening recording a quick demo. It’s a very simple song — only two chords — but I was still afraid I’d forget what I had conceptualized.

This song is the first release in what I am calling my “Obsession Trilogy”. I find the concept of obsession (specifically, one’s obsession with another person) fascinating and fertile ground for musical exploration. I’m not the first to venture down this path. “Run For Your Life” (The Beatles), “Every Breath You Take” (The Police), “You Oughta Know” (Alanis Morissette), and “One Way or Another” (Blondie) are great examples. I’ve written two songs about obsession, this one being the second one written but the first recorded in earnest. I plan to record the other in the near future, and then someday add a third (why not?) to complete the trilogy.

Here, the narrator is so obsessed with another that he is no longer able to dream about anything else and is afraid to fall asleep, or perhaps even go on living, because of it. Of course, as the true obsessive he is, he blames this other person for his affliction. I use the terms “he” and “his” here because I’m the one singing, but the lyrics are gender-neutral (take note, Shakira, if you happen to stumble upon this).

The song started its life as “Give Me My Dreams Back”, which is how I wrote it down on my notepad and how I named the first Garage Band project file. I didn’t consciously switch it to “Give Me Back My Dreams”. I just started singing it that way during one of my studio sessions. I only realized the change a few days later.

This tune starts with a bass line played (on my Squier Classic Vibe ’60s Jazz bass) over a set of “vocal percussion” tracks. The drums that kick in after the first verse I programmed using native Garage Band drum samples. The guitar tracks come courtesy of my Rickenbacker 620 being piped directly into Garage Band and through its Vox amp emulator. There’s a bit of piano I banged out on my Roland RD-88 as well as some live percussion and LOTS of vocal effects.

Thanks to Pam, Peter, and Brian for their helpful feedback and suggestions.

As I noted in an early blog post, my original recordings can now be streamed via all the major streaming services^*, and I’ve started including cover art and lyrics for each original tune I post to this site. The cover art for this release is at the top of this page, and the lyrics follow the additional audio formats, below.

^* About a week after I post the song here.

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Lyrics

Riding the wave
I know where it will take me
I try to be brave
Though you’ll certainly break me

I want to see old friends and long-lost lovers
And get control beneath these covers
But I can’t get through the night
I don’t know what to do
There’s no escaping my plight
‘Cause I’m addicted to you

Straddlin’ the line
Between unconscious and lucid
As if by design
Though I didn’t choose it

My old amusement park full of music and mirrors
Has been exchanged for panic and fear
As you can see I’m distraught
My anxieties run deep
You’re in every damn thought
Even when I’m asleep

Oh, give me back my dreams
Give me back my dreams
Give me back my dreams

Now it’s dawn
I lie here exhausted
Is it worth going on
When each night I’m accosted

That surreal space that hides in the darkness
Reveals itself in malevolent starkness
I just need a release
Let my mind roam free
All I ask for is peace
But you keep torturing me

Oh, give me back my dreams
Give me back my dreams
Give me back my dreams …