Dreaming by Blondie

Album: Eat To The Beat (1979)

Charted: 2 27

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Songfacts®:

Blondie guitarist Chris Stein wrote the music for this song and came up with the line "dreaming is free." Lead singer Debbie Harry would often write lyrics after hearing the tracks for the songs, and that's what she did here.

The song starts out with a coherent story - Harry getting propositioned in a restaurant - but it quickly veers off in many directions, simulating a dream where one idea jumps to the next with no real rhyme or reason. It works well with the theme and with the track, including the bridge where Harry repeats the first word of each line:

Feet feet, walking a two mile
Meet meet, meet me at the turnstile

A similar structure can be heard in the 1982 Kim Wilde song "Kids In America."
Chris Stein said this song was "pretty much a cop" of "Dancing Queen" by ABBA.
Perhaps is was just a convenient word to rhyme with "pleasure," but when Harry sings "a movie or a measure," the word "measure" could be interpreted a few different ways. It might mean a plan of action, as in taking some kind of trip, or possibly a measure in the musical sense, meaning the rhythm.
Harry recalled to EW that this originated like many Blondie songs with Chris Stein coming up with "a track or a feel" and passing it on her. He told her, "I was thinking 'Dreaming. Dreaming is free," and then Harry filled out the story line.
The recording of "Dreaming" captured Clem Burke's thunderous drumming in one take. Burke thinks producer Mike Chapman used reverse psychology on him. "We were just running through the song and that's why I was playing so over-the-top on it," he told Mojo magazine. "Then, after the take, Mike said that was it. It was quite surprising because it was the antithesis of his approach on Parallel Lines."

Comments: 14

Phil from UkAs much as we are loved Debbie Harry the group wouldn't have been half as good without Clem on the drums. This is him at his finest.
How Dare They from Upstate New YorkI thought "measure" was a drink, like a "pint" as the English would say, or a mixed drink which is carefully measured.
Tom V. from New YorkMeasure is a sexual term as in Shakespeare's play Measure for Measure!
Jonathan from Milwaukee, WiA measure is a sexual reference. He's asking her if she wants to see how well endowed he is.
Tabatha from CaliforniaListen "a measure" goes with the next line. She'd like a cup of tea... to stay where they are and not go off with him... He wants to take her to a movie but she just wants to sit and have tea and be more cautious...

I miss roller skating to this and other Blondie songs... met Deborah Harry in the 90s... glad I went to hear her...
Peter William Nott from Cheshire United KingdomWow am not a punk fan but music is my Bain Blondie got my attention with dreamin that’s how I lived all my life their intensity showed to me new wave was now the era and this band was the top nothing compares to how much went into the record dreamin drums is godly to say the least and the end shot is STATEMENT MADE LOL if only everyone gave it their all
Lisa from Merseyside''a movie or a measure'' means a movie? or a drink ? (in a bar/alcohol). In reality, she has a cup of tea
Marvrlous from South GeorgiaBlondie song Dreaming, what is meant by the word a movie or a (Measure? )
Lionheart from Newport Richey Florida.Dreaming could be a mind dream happening in yr mind. Well you know dreaming is free. The music sorta gets yr mind to drift, then the words make u dream in another direction.
Mark from Swindon UkThis song is based on the film "Brief Encounter" .
AnonymousMate, ‘measure’ just means a shot.
Is why she chooses a cup of tea
Alex from London This was a live take, movie or a measure is clearly an offer of movie or a drink. Open-ended enough, measure is from the days of spirits measured out ..... But said awesome drumming! Long live Keith!
Marc from UdmurtiyaHaving played music in school for 9 years, I took "...movie or a measure..." to be that she was asked to a film or to a music show, concert, live jazz bar or dance hall etc. ...something with music.
Steve from OttawaThe pounding drums of Dreaming make it almost unique. A fabulous song. The video is a scream, with a bunch of embarrassed new wavers sitting in a wall.

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