What is a dream? An expression of our deepest desires? As Shakespeare said “the very substance of the ambitious”? Or is it merely some evolutionary byproduct of some biological need for sleep? As Freud called it, “the guardian of sleep”? Scientists are still debating the origin and purpose of dreams to this day. But perhaps we can look to the American Songbook for some artistic interpretations of dreams. And that’s what I’ll be doing on this episode. Ahead, we’ll hear jazz standards about dreaming, including “You Stepped Out Of A Dream,” “Deep In A Dream,” “This Time The Dream’s On Me,” and many more.
Songs featured this hour:
- Ella Fitzgerald, "This Time The Dream's On Me" (Arlen/Mercer)
- Bing Crosby, "I've Got a Pocketful of Dreams" (Monaco/Burke)
- Tony Bennett, "Baby, Dream Your Dream" (Coleman/Fields)
- Louis Armstrong, "A Kiss To Build A Dream On" (Hammerstein/Kalmar/Ruby)
- Fred Astaire, "Dream Dancing" (Porter)
- Nancy Wilson, "Darn That Dream" (Van Heusen/DeLange)
- Julie London, "Dream Of You" (Oliver)
- Frank Sinatra, "Deep In A Dream" (Van Heusen/DeLange)
- Frank Sinatra, "Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams (and Dream Your Troubles Away)"" (Barris/Koehler/Moll)
- Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong, "Dream A Little Dream Of Me" (Schwandt/Andree/Kahn)
- Ink Spots, "Street Of Dreams" (Lewis/Young)
- Sarah Vaughan, "Day Dream" (Strayhorn/Ellington/LaTouche)
- Sarah Vaughan, "It Shouldn't Happen To A Dream" (Ellington/George/Hodges)
- Nat King Cole, "You Stepped Out of a Dream" (Brown/Kahn)
- Beverly Kenney, "I Had the Craziest Dream" (Warren/Gordon)
- Frank Sinatra, "Put Your Dreams Away (for Another Day)" (Lowe/Mann/Weiss)