Dreams

I wouldn’t say I listen to the Cranberries that much, but I do like a lot of their music, including “When You’re Gone.” (As I mention in a January 2020 post, that is one of the tracks on Sweety’s and my wedding CD because of memories associated with the song.)

Formed in 1989 in Limerick, Ireland, the band took a six-year hiatus starting in 2003. They reunited in 2009 and remained together until the death of their distinctive, mezzo-soprano lead singer, Dolores O’Riordan (1971-2018). They released their final album, In the End, in 2019 and formally disbanded.

The band’s official music videos continue to be viral on YouTube. For instance, in April 2020, the political protest song “Zombie” overtook a one-billion-view campaign and now sits at 1.1 billion. (It is a “banger” with an urgent beat and rhythm, scenes implying the military and paramilitary clashes from the 1960s to 1990s, and bold, mystical sequences representing religious aspects of the conflict.) “Linger” has 297 million views, while “Dreams” has been watched over 187 million times, and some other songs have about a hundred million views each. Not surprisingly, the Cranberries were one of the highest-selling alternative bands, with worldwide record sales of 50 million records up until 2019.

“Dreams” came up on my YouTube feed today, and I gave it a listen. It has a lightheartedness to it, which I think relates to the optimism and hope of new love. The video was shot cleverly to depict nighttime, infused with coexisting light and dark and the often disjointed elements of dreams.

Oh, my life
Is changing everyday
In every possible way

And oh, my dreams
It’s never quite as it seems
Never quite as it seems

I know I felt like this before
But now I’m feeling it even more
Because it came from you

Then I open up and see
The person falling here is me
A different way to be

Aaah, la-a-la-aaah
La la laaaa
La-a-la-aah
La-ah ah aaah

I want more
Impossible to ignore
Impossible to ignore

And they’ll come true
Impossible not to do
Impossible not to do

And now I tell you openly
You have my heart so don’t hurt me
You’re what I couldn’t find

A totally amazing mind
So understanding and so kind
You’re everything to me

Oh, my life
Is changing everyday
In every possible way

And oh, my dreams
It’s never quite as it seems
’Cause you’re a dream to me
Dream to me

(“Dreams,” by Dolores O’Riordan, Noel Hogan.
Unofficial lyrics are courtesy of AZLyrics.com.)

“Dreams” comes from the Cranberries’ 1993 album, Everybody Else’s Doing It, So Why Can’t We? It’s a song that stands up well, nearly thirty years after its release.

Now you know a little about why this is my Song of the Day for Today. Thanks for joining me here, and please enjoy.

Here’s the video for the song from TheCranberriesTV, the band’s official YouTube channel: