“In The Wee Small Hours” – 70 Years of a Masterpiece, Chapter 6. “Deep in a Dream”
Repertoire – “Deep in a Dream”
“Deep In A Dream” (Jimmy Van Heusen and Eddie DeLange, 1938) This song premiered on the stands of Bob Crosby’s orchestra, Bing’s brother. It was a very popular fox-trot for a couple of years and was part of the repertoire of several bands of the time, but like many other pre-World War II songs, it lived a long oblivion at the end of it. There were not many versions immediately prior to Frank Sinatra’s, and as a result of his reading, the theme became a highly appreciated piece that continues to be recorded and performed to this day.
The song describes a dream in which the protagonist reunites with his beloved. Sinatra’s interpretation is very expressive, and supported by Nelson Riddle’s arrangement, which enhances the key verses with imaginative orchestral motifs, allows us to easily visualize the artist in the solitude of his huge and empty house, consuming himself in each cigarette puff and each memory of Ava:
“I dim all the lights and sink in my chair
The smoke from my cigarette climbs through the air
The walls of my room fade away in the blue
And I’m deep in a dream of you
The smoke makes a stairway for you to descend
You come to my arms, may this bliss never end
For we love anew just as we used to do
When I’m deep in a dream of you
Then from the ceiling
Sweet music comes stealing
We glide through a lover’s refrain
You’re so appealing
That I’m soon revealing
My love for you over again
My cigarette burns me, I wake with a start
My hand isn’t hurt, but there’s pain in my heart
Awake or asleep, every memory I’ll keep
Deep in a dream of you”
Article written by Mahnuel Muñoz (Al Mal Tiempo, Frank Sinatra) https://www.facebook.com/groups/120950148274703/
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