The second track and fourth single from Green is a real
mixed bag. On one hand you have a fairly standard pop song that sticks very
close to convention with a sing-songy two-chord verse structure and no-risk
lyrics. I’m shocked that the cutesy “dreams they complicate/compliment my life”
made it past the notebook and into the microphone. High School yearbook “senior
quotes” tend to be more clever. On the other hand, there are some keenly
original elements here. One gets the feeling that they refused to let this song
die in the studio. The final moments of the song are among the strongest as a sonic
wall builds to a crescendo. Almost
Sgt. Pepper-esque.
One of the other great elements, of course, is the break
with a chorus of music boxes playing a hodge-podge of chimey tunes. Apparently
this came (appropriately enough) from a dream Bill had. I recall in an interview
in 1988 Bill saying that for the tour they were going to do something live to
represent the music boxes on this song. I went to a show on that tour, but can’t
remember what they did. Anyone?
