‘I Dreamed I Dream’: The song Sonic Youth wrote at “random”
The vast and extraordinary influence of Sonic Youth on the world of alternative rock is as difficult to succinctly pinpoint as the band itself. Arising from the vibrant underground no wave scene of New York, the group became one of noise rock’s most recognisable names. Penning such incredible tracks as ‘Kool Thing’ and ‘Catholic Block’, the band’s process for writing and recording was often fearlessly organic and spontaneous.
For the band’s eponymous debut EP, released in 1982, they remained firmly rooted in their New York no wave roots. Released on the Neutral label and operated by avant-garde composer Glenn Branca, Sonic Youth is one of their few releases to feature standard guitar tuning and a fairly run-of-the-mill post-punk production style. The music contained within the EP, however, was anything but run-of-the-mill.
Imbued with a sense of nonconformity and spontaneity, the EP is expectedly primitive in comparison to the group’s later work. Mind you, it would not be until the following decade that the group finally witnessed some degree of mainstream success with their sixth studio effort, 1990’s Goo. One of the stand-out tracks from the group’s debut EP is the second track, ‘I Dreamed I Dream’.
Originally composed as an instrumental song entitled ‘Where the Red Fern Grows’, the brooding darkness of the song saw Sonic Youth embrace their experimental influences. The effects of their mentor, Glenn Branca, are particularly evident within this track, which features vocals from both Kim Gordon and guitarist Lee Ranaldo.
Despite the clear influence of the avant-garde and no wave scene which birthed the group, Sonic Youth reportedly took inspiration from the optimistic new wave revolution of The B-52’s when changing ‘Where the Red Fern Grows’ into ‘I Dreamed I Dream’. The Athens new wavers were noted for their lyrical experiments, often arriving at their prose in fairly unconventional manners. Having a go at this themselves, Sonic Youth constructed the lyrics of ‘I Dreamed I Dream’ entirely at random.
As songwriter Kim Gordon details in her 2015 memoir Girl In A Band, devising the lyrics for the track was a quick and experimental process, recalling, “All of us. I remember, wrote down lines on a piece of paper, and when it came time to overdub the vocals, I randomly cherry-picked from the list. It’s a way of working. I sometimes still use.”
Adding that the song’s dark atmosphere was the result of the production style, Gordon explained: “We told the sound engineer we wanted a big bass sound, like Johnny Rotten’s post Sex Pistols band, Public Image Ltd. I whispered my vocals and Lee Ranaldo added his own vocal accompaniment.”
Although the band’s early material may have been somewhat overshadowed by the likes of Goo and 100%, their incredible no wave period remains popular among die-hard fans of the New York noise outfit. Seemingly, their technique for devising lyrics to ‘I Dreamed I Dream’ followed Gordon into her solo career, which has seen her produce some truly unforgettable material, including 2019’s No Home Record.
