New Jersey Stage logo
New Jersey Stage Menu


?>

 

INSIDE MUSIC: Hit Songs Inspired by Dreams


By Rosemary Conte

originally published: 02/26/2018


Don’t discount the value of dreams to your conscious life  –  and livelihood.  Dreams have served Billy Joel, Paul McCartney, Johnny Cash, David Bowie, Jimi Hendrix, Taylor Swift, and hundreds of other songwriters well.

In a Psychology Today interview,  Billy Joel tells that as he was sleep walking -- in a dream within a dream -- he heard the song that became his 1994 hit and Grammy nominated Song of the Year, “The River of Dreams.” Sometimes dreams are forgotten the moment we wake up. Joel says he often gets song ideas in his dreams and struggles to remember them.  “The River of Dreams,” however, was an ear worm; it wouldn’t go away. “I tried NOT to write it.”  He even questioned that he, an atheist, should write it.  

On a The Howard Stern Show Joel said, “I thought, who the hell am I to try to pull off this gospel song, so I took a shower to wash the song away. But as I sang it in the shower I knew I had to write it down.”  The biblical imagery in “The River of Dreams” references Psalm 23:4, “Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.”  And in the song there are images of people being baptized in the water.  The phrase “river of dreams” is a play on the phrase “stream of consciousness.” 

Dreams come from our deeper minds, referred to as the subconscious or unconscious state where we are mind only -- higher mind -- as the body is left dormant, waiting for the spirit re-entry when the alarm clock rings.  Just look at the word inspiration…and you see in spirit. John Lennon’s “#9 Dream” came to him via such inspiration. 

 Last Mother’s Day, I performed “Let It Be” for Unity by the Shore’s Mother’s Day service. I prefaced the performance with a story I heard McCartney tell and that I love.  He said that growing up, when he had problems worrying him, his mother would tell him to “let it go,” and that if he took his mind away from the problem, the solution would reveal itself.  




New Jersey Stage provides affordable advertising for the arts, click here for info



“I was going through a really difficult time around the autumn of 1968,” said McCartney. “The Beatles began making the White Album and were starting to have problems.  I sensed we were breaking up… and I was staying up too late at night, drinking, doing drugs, clubbing…and in the back of my mind was the thought that it was about time I found someone. It was before I got together with Linda.

“ I was exhausted! Then one night, I had the most comforting dream about my mother who died when I was only 14.  She was a hard working nurse and a very comforting presence in my life.  And it was difficult…that as the years went by, I couldn’t recall her face so easily.  So in this dream 12 years later, my mother appeared, and there was her face, completely clear, particularly her eyes. And she said to me very gently, very reassuringly, ‘Let it be.’  It was lovely.

“I woke up with a great feeling. It was really like she had visited me at this very difficult point in my life and gave me this message: Be gentle, don’t fight things. Just try and go with the flow and it all will work out. ‘The answer will come.’ I went to the piano and started writing: ‘When I find myself in times of trouble, Mother Mary comes to me’-- Mary was my mother’s name -- ‘Speaking words of wisdom, Let It Be. There will be an answer, Let It Be.’

“Those three little syllables had so much value to me. And when something happens like that (dream inspired) as if by magic, I think it has a resonance that other people notice, too.  Not very long after the dream, I got together with Linda, which was the saving of me.  Later though, the song became more like a hymn and we sang it at Linda’s memorial service.”

Trust your dreams. “They come to serve your health and wholeness,” teaches Rev. Dr. Jeremy Taylor, known by many for his timeless book on dreams, Where People Fly and Water Runs Uphill.  You can learn to interpret the symbolism in your dreams. Therein, may be your next great idea, a song, or your invention that will help the world. 

It’s a good idea to keep a notebook and pen next to your bed so that immediately upon awakening you can write your dream…and if you recall only snippets or a word or two, they would be the most significant pieces of the dream that you can chew on.



Rosemary Conte is a singer, voice teacher, and freelance writer. She coaches people on how to get started in music and in interpreting dreams. 




New Jersey Stage provides affordable advertising for the arts, click here for info



Her column appears here monthly.  Contact Rosemary to learn how you or your business can become a sponsor of her monthly Inside Music column with a text box in the column announcing your support. Or, consider buying an ad to appear in Rosemary’s column at a discounted rate. Details at RConte9@verizon.net or call 732-583-4959.

 


FEATURED EVENTS

ART | COMEDY | DANCE | FILM | MUSIC | THEATRE | COMMUNITY

To narrow results by date range, categories,
or region of New Jersey
click here for our advanced search.


Blues

Blues People with Special Guest: Jeff Levine

Saturday, July 05, 2025 @ 7:30pm
Lizzie Rose Music Room
217 E. Main Street, Tuckerton, NJ 08087
category: music


 

Straight

Straight No Chaser - Summer: The 90’s Part 2

Tuesday, July 08, 2025 @ 7:00pm
Bergen Performing Arts Center (bergenPAC)
30 North Van Brunt Street, Englewood, NJ 07631
category: music


 

Frisson

Frisson Winds

Thursday, July 10, 2025 @ 7:30pm
The Morris Museum Back Deck
6 Normandy Heights Road, Morristown, NJ 07960
category: music


 

Three

Three American Troubadours: A Tribute to James Taylor, Carly Simon, and Carole King

Thursday, July 10, 2025 @ 7:30pm
Axelrod Performing Arts Center
100 Grant Avenue, Deal Park, NJ 07723
category: music


 

Candlelight

Candlelight Concert: Tribute to Queen and The Beatles

Friday, July 11, 2025 @ 7:00pm
Monmouth University - Pollak Theatre
400 Cedar Avenue, West Long Branch, NJ 07764
category: music


 


 

EVENT PREVIEWS

Jazz

Jazz Concert at Trenton City Museum will Feature the Joe Baione Vibraphone Experience

(TRENTON, NJ) -- Trenton City Museum will present a free jazz concert Friday, July 18, 2025 at the museum's Ellarslie Mansion in Cadwalader Park. Featuring world-renowned vibraphonist Joe Baione, the Joe Baione Vibraphone Experience is the first group to perform in a series of jazz events leading up to the museum's 2026 TRENTON MAKES JAZZ exhibition, in collaboration with the City of Trenton.



The

The Newton Theatre presents Tonight's the Night - a tribute to Rod Stewart

(NEWTON, NJ) -- Tonight's the Night - a tribute band that celebrates the music of Rod Stewart - will perform at The Newton Theatre on Saturday, September 27, 2025 at 8:00pm.



Hoboken's

Hoboken's Sinatra Park to Host Concert by Freedy Johnson and Karyn Kuhl and the Gang

(HOBOKEN, NJ) -- Local events organizer, Geri Fallo, who retired last year, is inviting you to celebrate with her, as she embraces new and exciting endeavors. Come enjoy a free evening of music in Hoboken's Sinatra Park (525 Sinatra Drive) on Thursday, July 17, 2025. The evening is presented by Mayor Ravi Bhalla, The Hoboken Division of Cultural Affairs, and Geri Fallo. The event is free, and music starts at 6:30pm. Come early for the best seating.



An

An Interview with Dan Kurtz of The New Deal

Formed in 1999, Toronto, Canada based trio The New Deal, is a pioneer in jam-based electronic music. The group was founded by remaining members Dan Kurtz (bass) and Jamie Shields (keys), along with Darren Shearer (drums) who left tND in 2011. Since its inception, tND has remained committed to its improvisational roots and has served as a model for other jamtronica bands bridging the gap between multiple music genres as well as the border between Canada and the United States.



Two

Two NJ Jazz Musicians Will Play with The Jazz Ambassadors in Morristown

Pianist Anthony Pocetti grew up in Hamilton, NJ, studying piano, "doing sort of traditional piano lessons. I have an uncle who was always encouraging me to get into the jazz thing. He gave me the (Miles Davis) Kind of Blue CD, and he knew that the jazz pianist Jim Ridl was living in Hamilton."