Prologue
[Orchestra] Lyrics
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There lies another time
Where darkness and light are one
And as you tread the halls of sanity
You feel so glad to be unable to go beyond
I have a message from another time
The prologue of [Orchestra]'s song sets the stage for a narrative about dreams and their eventual fulfillment. The singer introduces the listener to differing perspectives on life's ambitions; some individuals have grand plans for their future and personal legacy, while others opt to avoid the vulnerability of hope altogether. The singer refrains from assigning judgment to one perspective over the other, instead simply orienting the listener to the themes at hand. The implication is that, although the song may follow the storyline of one particular protagonist, the broader message is meant to apply to all who encounter it.
The second half of the prologue focuses on the universality of dreaming. The singer suggests that dreaming, in and of itself, is akin to reality. If an individual can envision a particular outcome with enough conviction, that outcome can become a tangible, lived experience. "You are what you feel" encapsulates this idea-- that personal perception is powerful enough to shape one's exterior circumstances. With this concept firmly established in the listener's mind, the singer segues into the story of a young dreamer who managed to make his aspirations a reality. In doing so, the listener is asked to consider the possibility that they, too, could be the singer of the story.
Line by Line Meaning
Some folks dream of the wonders they'll do
There are people who dream big and aspire to do great things in their lifetime
Before their time on this planet is through
They want to achieve these wonders before their life comes to an end
Some just don't have anything planned
There are others who lack any specific goals or plans for their lives
They hide their hopes and their heads in the sand
They are afraid to dream or express their ambitions and instead avoid confronting them altogether
Now I don't say who is wrong, who is right
The artist acknowledges that there is no right or wrong way to approach one's dreams and ambitions
But if by chance you are here for the night
Assuming that the listener is present and listening to the singer's words
Then all I need is an hour or two
The singer only needs a short amount of time to tell the story of a dreamer
To tell the tale of a dreamer like you
The artist wants to share the inspiring story of a dreamer with the listener, who they assume is also a dreamer
We all dream a lot-- some are lucky, some are not
Dreams are universal, but some people are able to realize them while others may not have the opportunity
But if you think it, want it, dream it, then it's real
If you have a dream and believe in it, then it can become real and achievable
You are what you feel
You become what you believe and feel about yourself
But all that I say can be told another way
The artist acknowledges that there are different perspectives and ways to tell the story
In the story of a boy whose dream came true
The singer is referring to a specific story of a boy who was able to achieve his dream
And he could be you
The singer wants to inspire the listener by suggesting that they could also achieve their dreams, just like the boy in the story
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Jeff Lynne
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Greg McNeish
My favourite movie prologue is one that you mentioned (and showed) in passing but didn't get into: Jurassic Park. It accomplishes so much in a delightfully short amount of time. That the cinematography is absolutely perfect certainly helps (as it does throughout the film, which I contest is Spielberg's masterpiece).
In a movie that will take HALF its runtime to become the monster survival flick we know and love (the iconic shot of the T-Rex roaring beside the cars, the first full-body look at a predator in the film, comes EXACTLY 50% of the way through), and will consist mostly of philosophical speeches and discussions, the prologue does ALL the heavy lifting of establishing genre to prepare us for the incredibly slow-paced build. Jurassic Park simply would not function without the prologue hanging over our heads to remind us that dinosaurs are enormous, terrifying beasts that can kill and eat us almost without trying, if given the chance. It's that knowledge that allows us to get behind every single one of our protagonists as they lecture Hammond on precisely why and how this is a colossally bad idea. It's the counterweight to all the majesty and wonder that fills the first half of the film, as we bask in the magic of seeing dinosaurs in all their glory, paired with possibly the greatest film score of all time.
All of that - ALL of that - is balanced by a couple dark minutes in the rain, where we see just the eyes of a single raptor for only a second, as a man is slowly pulled into a giant box, while a minor character screams "SHOOT HER!"
That's the tension. That's why the power outage works. Why the lawyer running to the outhouse and abandoning the kids works. It's why the ripples in the water works. We've understood the REAL danger behind the facade the whole time, because we saw it in the prologue.
In case you hadn't guessed, Jurassic Park is my favourite movie XD
Writer Brandon McNulty
Positive note I want to add about Batman v Superman (SPOILERS FOR THE ENDING):
BvS begins and ends with a death/funeral. This helps bring the movie full-circle, which works in that regard.
Dennis Castello
I see the failure of the BvS prologue as a failure of editing, not writing or directing. Watching it the first time in the cinema it was clear to me that the message the prologue was trying to convey was that Bruce Wayne, an adult man in his 40s, is still having nightmares about the murder of his parents, it's still affecting him on a daily basis. The nightmare scenes should have been much shorter and punchier to make this clear. All they really needed to be were flashes and moments before he woke up in a panic and we would have gotten the message very clearly. My guess is that the editor wanted to cut it down, but lost this fight with the director.
Writer Brandon McNulty
@Dennis Castello That’s actually a great take. Your way would’ve worked much better
HaalandFilms
@Dennis Castello I had no issues with the length of the nightmares, I feel they got the message across pretty easily.
There is technically only one long nightmare and the one that is a vision of the future, the other ones are fairly short
Warren Blyth
I think the point of the BvS prologue is to show how broken bruce wayne was by his parents falling. He says something about "things that fall stay fallen... on earth." it's all setting up his broken contrast to perfect unbreakable superman.
And it leads right into bruce running into 9/11 to save his corporate "family." (This is what breaks him and kicks off his unreasonable rage at superman. if he was so angry at the accident that killed his 2 family members, what happens to his sanity/reason when superman accidentally kills dozens of his surrogate family? It's his worst nightmare)
(+lex luthor's comments on the flipped painting also echo this idea of the lie that comes from above)
Marcilla Smith
The thing to remember about a prologue, I think, is that it's not part of the first act, it's the opening act.
What I mean is that giving a local prop comic a short set to open for Carrot Top would work fine, but let the comic go too long or try to have them open for a metal band, and it's like what are you thinking???
Galantski
The Dark Knight has easily one of the most memorable and near perfect openings, as it combines action, crime, shock, chaos, betrayal, all to introduce the psychotic, anarchic, master villain Joker in a prologue that doesn't wear out its welcome, coming in at just around five minutes.
MajorMlgNoob
Inglorious Basterds similarly introduced its villain in a very effective way, though the scene is a bit longer as it's mainly dialogue
Writer Brandon McNulty
Yep, love Dark Knight's prologue. Gripping stuff
c4tubo
Agreeing that it's excellent, it's not really a prologue. That scene is part of the main story, the beginning of it actually.