Dreams

Dreams have sat waiting to be written about for a while now and they are getting impatient. The problem is I only ever remember snatches of dreams and these never seem enough to write about. Some budding writers keep a notebook by their beds and scribble down dreams throughout the night as and when they awake, because the theory is that a dream is forgotten forever if you fall back asleep. The only way to remember a dream is to give it some focused attention directly after waking. With actual dreams lacking material, I have turned to songs that feature dreams and come up with a top seven songs involving dreams.

1. Purple Haze - Jimi Hendix

Apparently this euphoric track featuring knee-crumbling guitarmanship was inspired by a dream where Hendrix found himself wandering around under the sea in a purple mist. He only survived the engulfing purple haze through Jesus' intervention.

2. Ernold Same - Blur

This track from Blur's The Great Escape album starts with the lyrics, "Ernold Same awoke from the same dream in the same bed at the same time." Blur's narrative songs were some of their best and this juxtaposition of Ernold's dream life and his dull day-to-day existence show "Poor Old Ernold's" repetitive life in post-modern monotony.

3. Daydream Believer - The Monkees

I struggle to hear this song without thinking of Peter Reid and rude lyrics, but whether it is sung by a Geordie crowd or monkeys who struggle to spell, it is a fantastic song.

4. California Dreaming - Mammas and Poppas

The Beach Boys are the perfect summer time band and whilst delving into who they really were reveals some slightly odd truths, their music stands for innocent and utter summer joy.

5. Gone the Dream - Ash

Ash's big nonsense rock numbers are what I really love them for, but Gone the Dream is a listenable quieter track.

6. Number 9 Dream - The Beatles

This is actually a pretty appalling track, but the fact that it nestles in the Beatles' untitled album dubbed The White Album somehow makes it fascinating as you wonder what was wandering through John Lennon's dreamworld that night.

7. Dreams - The Everly Brothers

This is the first song that comes to mind when I think of dreams. The cooing repetitive "Dre-ee-ee-ee-eams" lulls the listener into bliss or perhaps rage.