Month: August 2019

Song Lyric Sunday — “Your Wildest Dreams” — Moody Blues

Sunday 8/25 is gone, but I can’t let it pass without contributing to Song Lyric Sunday. This week Jim Adams has challenged us with the topic “Dream/ Lullaby/Sleep.” Truthfully, I wasn’t going to post this week because any songs I love and fit the topic I’ve already posted about in the past year. But when I started reading the SLS posts, I was amazed the the Moody Blues’ 1986 song “Your Wildest Dreams” wasn’t anyone’s pick. This bittersweet song, written by lead singer Justin Hayward, is about first love lost told from the point of view of a mature adult. I think those of us of a certain age can relate to the sentiment.

The song charted at number 1 on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart and peaked at number 9 on Billboard’s Hot 100. Not too shabby for a song released 22 years after this progressive rock band first got together. One of the most successful prog rock groups, they were finally inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2018, some 28 years after they first became eligible. (Side note: I think it’s criminal the the RRHOF has snubbed prog groups, including seminal bands like King Crimson; Emerson, Lake, and Palmer; and Jethro Tull.)

After you enjoy the Moodies’ song, check out my SLS contribution from June 27, 2018, Emerson, Lake, and Palmer’s “Watching Over You.”

 

 

“Your Wildest Dreams”

Once upon a time
Once when you were mine
I remember skies
Reflected in your eyes
I wonder where you are
I wonder if you think about me
Once upon a time
In your wildest dreams

Once the world was new
Our bodies felt the morning dew
That greets the brand new day
We couldn’t tear ourselves away
I wonder if you care
I wonder if you still remember
Once upon a time
In your wildest dreams

And when the music plays
And when the words are touched with sorrow
When the music plays
I hear the sound I had to follow
Once upon a time

Once beneath the stars
The universe was ours
Love was all we knew
And all I knew was you
I wonder if you know
I wonder if you think about it
Once upon a time
In your wildest dreams

Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah
Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah
Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah
Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah

And when the music plays
And when the words are touched with sorrow
When the music plays
And when the music plays
I hear the sound I had to follow
Once upon a time

Once upon a time
Once when you were mine
I remember skies
Mirrored in your eyes
I wonder where you are
I wonder if you think about me
Once upon a time
In your wildest dreams (ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah)
In your wildest dreams (ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah)
In your wildest dreams (ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah)
In your wildest dreams (ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah)

Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah
Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah
Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah
Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah

 

Freddie Mercury’s “Time Waits for No One”

Did you know Freddie Mercury had solo recordings? I didn’t. Diving into the YouTube rabbit hole this morning, I discovered a 1986 London musical, “Time, The Musical.” It was developed by Dave Clark (yes, THAT Dave Clark), who co-wrote the book, lyrics, and music. Loosely based on Dr. Who’s Time Lord character,  the show featured the last performance of Sir Laurence Olivier as a floating big-head hologram narrator. A concept double album released at the time is often mistakenly referred to as a “cast album,” although only two cast members — Cliff Richard and Sir Laurence Olivier — appeared on it. Most of the songs were performed by various non-cast members, including Freddie’s performance of  “Time.”  To commemorate the show’s 25th anniversary, in 2012 Clark released on iTunes the only digital recording of the double album, encompassing all of the musical’s songs and additional material.

As for Freddie Mercury’s solo oeuvre, he released two studio albums and multiple singles. Posthumous releases number at least seven compilations, as well as the comprehensive 12 disc “Solo Collection.” His latest posthumous release (June 20, 2019) is a recently-discovered video of the original recording session for the 1986 concept album. In it, Freddie performed “Time Waits for No One” with only a piano accompaniment. Dave Clark International released the song on July 26 as a single CD; it was scheduled to be released as a 7″ vinyl picture disk on July 27. (Note: As of this writing, the CD appears to have been released only in the UK; it’s not clear whether the picture disk has been released.)

 

Compiled from Time The Musical Fan Site, Theatrecrafts.com, Wikipedia pages (The Dave Clark Five, Time: Dave Clark album, Time: Freddie Mercury Song, and Freddie Mercury Discography), FreddieMercury.com, UDiscoverMusic, Queen News on brianmay.com, NME, and Amazon.

Photo: Sunset near the Freddie Mercury statue in Montreux, Switzerland (Wikimedia Commons)