Classic Pop Icons

Roy Orbison’s “In Dreams” is Song of the Week on Classic Pop Icons.

“In Dreams” was released on single in February 1963, backed with “Shahdaroba,” and was the title track of the “In Dreams” album five months later.

In 2009, during the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 25th Anniversary concert, Bruce Springsteen said of Roy Orbison:

“Not only was Roy one of rock’s great crooners, but he reinvented the way a pop song could be structured. You were no longer tied down to ‘verse/chorus/verse/chorus’. His greatest music were all these mini arias featuring one of the most beautiful voices that rock ever produced”.

One of the songs that Springsteen’s observation most applies to is “In Dreams.” Instead of simply writing a catchy tune, complete with radio-friendly hook, Orbison crafted a highly imaginative and varied pop masterpiece structured over seven separate but seamless musicial movements, with no repetition.

Roy Orbison claimed that the lyrics for “In Dreams” came to him, rather appropriately, in a dream, and that he began to work on the music for the song when he woke. The song begins with introductory lyrics that wouldn’t have been out of place in an LSD-induced psychedelic rock song:

A candy-colored clown they call the sandman
Tiptoes to my room every night
Just to sprinkle stardust and to whisper
Go to sleep. Everything is all right.

The listener is then told how the singer’s dreams are dominated by thoughts of his lover – “In dreams you’re mine all of the time/ We’re together in dreams.” The music then takes a more dramatic turn as the singer tells us that once awake he realises that the relationship is over and that his closeness with this woman now only takes place in dreams. Orbison communicates his frustration with a typically intense vocal crescendo – “It’s too bad that all these things/Can only happen in my dreams/Only in dreams/In beautiful dreams”.

The use of “In Dreams” in a memorable scene in the 1986 David Lynch movie “Blue Velvet” was an important factor in Orbison’s career resurgence in that period. It was while listening to “In Dreams” on the “Blue Velvet” soundtrack album that Bono of U2 was inspired to write “She’s a Mystery to Me” for Orbison.

In 2004, Rolling Stone placed “In Dreams” at number 319 on their list of the “500 Greatest Songs of All Time”.

“In Dreams” – Roy Orbison

“In Dreams” was one of the songs that Orbison performed during his acclaimed “Roy Orbison and Friends – A Black and White Night” television special, filmed in September 1987.

“In Dreams” – Roy Orbison

Authorship

“In Dreams” was written by Roy Orbison.

Recording date/location

“In Dreams” was recorded in early 1963 at the Monument Records recording studio, Hendersonville, Tennessee.

Musicians

The following musicians appeared on “In Dreams”:

• Roy Orbison – vocals
• Harold Bradley – guitar
• Joe Tanner – guitar
• Ray Edenton – guitar
• Bob Moore – bass
• Floyd Cramer – piano
• Buddy Harman – drums
• John Greubel – drums.

Chart performance

“In Dreams” peaked at number seven on the Billboard Hot 100 for the week ending March 30, 1963.

The song reached number six on the UK singles chart.

Cover version

“In Dreams” – Tom Jones

Although “In Dreams” is a classic song, it hasn’t been covered often, perhaps because most singers don’t relish the prospect of being compared to Roy Orbison. Tom Jones rose to the challenge when he recorded a cover of the song for his 1971 album “Tom Jones Sings She’s A Lady”. Jones followed Orbison’s lead, starting sedately and building the intensity of the song until nearly raising the roof at the end.

Here’s a live version from Jones’ television show, which gets very similar treatment to the studio recording.

“In Dreams” is available on the excellent “Roy Orbison – The Monument Singles Collection (1960-1964)”. The excellent “Roy Orbison and Friends – A Black and White Night” is out on DVD and Blu-ray, and is well worth picking up.

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Roy Orbison – The Monument Singles Collection (2 CDs/1 DVD)	Buy Now	Buy Now	Buy Now	Buy Now
Roy Orbison – Monument Singles: A Sides (CD)	Buy Now	Buy Now	Buy Now	Buy Now
Roy Orbison and Friends – A Black and White Night (DVD)	Buy Now	Buy Now	Buy Now	Buy Now
Roy Orbison and Friends – A Black and White Night (Blu-ray)	Buy Now	Buy Now	Buy Now	Buy Now