70. "Talking in Your Sleep" by The Romantics
This is a song I loved to play at school dances, and it topped the charts just about the time I got my second rejection slip, so it's tied to all those strong feelings of teenage desire and dejection. I also liked it because I remember having the most vivid dreams around that time, and I was always trying to figure out what in the hell they meant. I remember some dreams that felt so real that for the next few days I had to remind myself that I was remembering a dream and not something that actually happened.
In one dream I had a conversation with Ernie Garrett about dating his daughter. In my dream I was their home teacher, and in real life Hal Gunter and I had been their home teachers for a little while. And for the next few days I had to keep reminding myself that I actually hadn't spoken to Ernie about Ann Marie. Obviously, this dream had everything to do with how I felt about her rejection.
In another dream, I was wandering through this large mansion with lots of different rooms, and in one big long room there were seven canopy beds covered with gossamer fabric, and I was supposed to select one to sleep in. The catch was that there was also a girl in each bed, and I was supposed to choose which one to sleep with. But I never could see through the fabric hanging over the beds, so I couldn't know for sure which girl was in which bed, so I never chose any of them, and then it was too late to choose because I had to go into some other room. To this day I can still remember what those beds looked like. But I have no idea what or who the dream was about. It could have been about the girls from high school that I'd wanted to date but didn't have the guts to ask them. That makes the most sense. Yet, I can't help but think there's a small chance it was about Juice Newton. And an even smaller chance it was about Laura Branigan. There's zero chance it was about Sheena Easton.
In another dream I could fly. But only as long as I really believed I could fly. And there were these guys in my dream dressed in black that were making fun of me and saying that I really couldn't fly, but I just shot up into the sky, flew circles around them, and then kicked all their asses until they ran away screaming in fear. That one's definitely got to be about Kim Karnes.
I think all this dreamscape stuff came up then because it was around that time when I started to develop sleep apnea and would wake myself up gasping for air every now and then. Anyway, this song also reminds me of all those weird dreams I had as a teenager. And how I'd lay on my bed while listening to this song and wonder what all those high school girls would say if I could hear them talking in their sleep.
Before you start playing the video, I should warn you to not play it with small children around. It's less because of all the women standing around in their sleepy-time PJs and more because I don't think children should be exposed to these hairdos. (Quiche Lorraine?! Is that you?!) I don't remember ever seeing this video on Friday Night Videos when it came out, but maybe it's content was designed for the more racy MTV video fare. I shudder to think I may have once thought hair like that looked cool.
Beyond the lyrics, I really like the sound of this song. Lots of good bass lines. Great rhythm guitar. Dreamy synth sounds. I would say the song could have used a little cowbell, but after seeing the drummer's performance in the video, I'd say it was probably a good idea not to put a cowbell in front of him. It looks like he definitely was what Mr. Banyas would call a "cave man log beater." But that doesn't mean I don't like the drummer. I've like plenty of cave man log beaters. I get along with them just fine, as long as they don't beat the logs while I'm trying to sleep.
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