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"Dream I Had Last Night" started as a very specific bass riff that I taped by itself. Then I thought of the c# minor-A Major-f# minor-A Major-B Major turnaround and was very happy. I especially liked singing the tonic note (E) over the chords A then B, then dropping the melody down to C# then B. Bob Dylan does this in "Sooner or Later (One of us Must Know)". Does the way he sings "Goooooooood" at about 1:05 in this song sound familiar? It shoooooooooould.
Dylan is obviously the inspiration for this song. Like "Rio Grande", this was a song that a fan interpreted for me after I wrote it. I thought I was just writing about a bunch of crazy, dreamlike, whimsical characters, but once it was heard and explained to me, it was clearly about specific very important people in my life, including some I hadn't even met yet when I wrote it! Like I said in "the blame", sometimes I have visions and sometimes they come true.
Much like "the blame" reaching its apex in Jubilant Dogs, or "Small Town" with GUH, "Dream I Had Last Night" was most perfect and alive with Urban Rust: Carla on acoustic guitar, Ben on drums, Justin on electric and octave vocals, and me on bass. As I was singing this on the livestream I was hearing Justin's octave vocals on many of the lines and tried to recreate the guitar riff between verses on strings 1 and 2 while maintaining the rhythm part on the other strings. I feel so fortunate to have had many of my songs realized to their fullest potential.
If you don't have Urban Rust's "Leave This Place" CD, message me at the Memphis Evans Music fb page and I will send you one for free while supplies last.
In my original version, I "intervened and helped his keeper keep him in his cage" but decided later that was not very rock and roll and changed it. When we were recording this in Winona for the Urban Rust CD, I wanted to be absolutely certain the vocal was being recorded dry - no effects, no compression, no reverb, nothing, just the raw feed from my microphone. I was assured this was the case. It was not the case, so there is irremoveable reverb on the lead vocal, which went against my original vision for the song but is actually not so terrible. I don't know what I had against reverb in the '90s.
Funny story from recording the Urban Rust version: We decided we would do the backing track live in one take, for sure, no backsies, no corrections. We were all playing our instruments in separate rooms and only I had a view of the control room through a window. I was singing a guide vocal we had no intention of using just to lead us through the song. We started the epic, single take to which we were all committed and got to verse 5 or so, then I started laughing and laughing, ruining the take. My bandmates were confused and frustrated I had reneged on our commitment until I told them that our epic, super rock and roll commitment to one take had been ruined when the producer's cat jumped up on the control table, hitting the space bar and stopping the recording! We locked the cat upstairs and got it on take two.
Lyrics:
I dreamed I saw the king last night alive as you or me
but really when you think about it how alive are we
I've picked out my headstone and I know what it should say
but if I told you what it was you might want to set it up today
Dream I had last night
Dream I had last night
I dreamed I saw the Virgin Jane alive as me or you
I tried to sneak away from her but then she saw me too
I left my meal half finished as she chased me through the street
I guess that only goes to show you never know who you'll meet
in the dream I had last night
Dream I had last night
I dreamed I saw a duck they taught to sing and not to waddle
First he married his manager and then he married a model
Now he lives in Malibu and summers in Chelsea Bluff
And if you've never heard of that it's because you're not rich enough
for the Dream I had last night
Dream I had last night
I dreamed I met a little boy I think his name was Schools
Askin' everybody that he saw, "why should I make time for fools?"
Of course no one could answer him and he flew off in a rage
I intervened and killed his keeper, Ben destroyed his cage
Dream I had last night
Dream I had last night
I dreamed I met an evil man he said he was the king of thieves
I said, "how did you know I wasn't home?"
He said, "we watched you leave" huh
So that's when they robbed me and took everything they stole
It might have helped me spiritually but financially now I'm in a hole
Dream I had last night
Dream I had last night
I dreamed I saw a shooting star like the night couldn't take anymore
And now the sun is breaking down because its light fell onto my floor
At times I have been tempted and at times I've given in
But in the end it's like a game and you know who's gonna win
Dream I had last night
Dream I had last night
I dreamed up all these people but they weren't alive or real
I lied to you but is the taste a lie if you like the meal
They needed me to stay with them so more of them I could make up
I said, "I can't think of any more" and they finally let me wake up
from the dream I had last night
Dream I had last night
So now I'm thinking back on them I wonder if they're alright
Have they got things to do today or do they only live at night
Either way I'll see them soon or something like them instead
'Cause no matter what happens here I've got to go back to bed
and the dream I had last night
Dream I had last night
I'd give you all more verses but they get to be like old jokes I fear
Everybody wants to tell them but nobody wants to hear
So at this point in the story it's time for me to close my eyes
It might go on all by itself but I admit I'd be surprised
Dream I had last night
Dream I had last night
Whooohooo...
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