Green was born in Forrest City, Arkansas. He started performing at age ten in a Forrest City quartet called the Greene Brothers; he dropped the final "E" from his last name years later as a solo artist. They toured extensively in the mid-1950s in the South until the Greenes moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan, when they began to tour around Michigan. His father kicked him out of the group because he caught Green listening to Jackie Wilson.
In 1967 at the age of 16, Al formed an R&B group, Al Green & the Creations, with several of his high-school friends. Two Creation members, Curtis Rogers and Palmer James, founded their own independent record company, Hot Line Music Journal, and had the group record for the label. By that time, the Creations had been re-named the Soul Mates. The group's first single, "Back Up Train," became a surprise hit, climbing to number five on the R&B charts early in 1968. The Soul Mates attempted to record another hit, but all of their subsequent singles failed to find an audience. In 1969, Al Green met bandleader and Hi Records vice president Willie Mitchell while on tour in Midland, Texas. Impressed with Green's voice, he signed the singer to Hi Records, and began collaborating with Al on his debut album
He was perhaps the ideal complement to the orchestral, syrupy, strong soul production work of Hi Records wizard Willie Mitchell, who also helmed 70s classics for Syl Johnson, Ann Peebles, and himself.
On October 18, 1974, Mary Woodson, a woman who was his longtime girlfriend, threw a large pot of sticky boiling grits on him as he was preparing to shower, because he didn't want to get married. She committed suicide in minutes, which deeply affected Green to turn to God and religion. This assault from behind caused third-degree burns on his back, stomach and arm. Deeply shaken, Green continued to reaffirm and grow closer to his deeply held love for God, and became an ordained pastor of the Full Gospel Tabernacle in Memphis in 1976.
Continuing to record R&B, Green saw his sales start to slip and drew mixed reviews from critics. 1977's The Belle Album was critically acclaimed but did not regain his former mass audience. In 1979 Green injured himself falling off the stage while performing in Cincinnati and interpreted this as a message from God. He then concentrated his energies towards pastoring his church and gospel singing, also appearing in 1982 with Patti Labelle in the Broadway musical Your Arms Too Short to Box with God. According to Glide Magazine, "by the late 70s, he had begun concentrating almost exclusively on gospel music." His first gospel album was The Lord Will Make a Way. From 1981 to 1989 Green recorded a series of gospel recordings, garnering eight "soul gospel performance" Grammys in that period. In 1985, he reunited with Willie Mitchell along with Angelo Earl for He Is the Light, his first album for A&M Records. In 1984, director Robert Mugge released a documentary film, Gospel According to Al Green, including interviews about his life and footage from his church. In 1989, Green released "I Get Joy", again with producer/guitarist Angelo Earl. In 2001, he appeared in the movie and soundtrack of On the Line featuring Lance Bass.
After spending several years exclusively performing gospel, Green began to return to Rhythm & Blues. First, he released a duet with Annie Lennox, "Put a Little Love in Your Heart" for Scrooged, a 1988 Bill Murray film. In 1989 Green worked with producer Arthur Baker writing and producing the international hit "The Message Is Love". In 1991 he created the introductory theme song for the short-lived television series Good Sports featuring Ryan O'Neal and Farrah Fawcett. In 1992, Green recorded again with Baker, the Fine Young Cannibals, and reunited with his former Memphis mix engineer (this time functioning as producer) Terry Manning, to release the album Don't Look Back. His 1994 duet with country music singer Lyle Lovett blended country with R&B, garnering him his ninth Grammy, this time in a pop music category. Green's first secular album in some time was Your Heart's In Good Hands (1995), released to positive reviews but disappointing sales, the same year Green was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
In 2000, Green published Take Me to the River, a book discussing his career. Green received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2002.
In 2001, Green's live cover of Sam Cooke's "A Change Is Gonna Come" was released on the soundtrack to Will Smith's film Ali (the song plays when Muhammad Ali learns of the death of close friend Malcolm X).
By 2003 Green released a non-religious (secular) album entitled I Can't Stop, his first collaboration with Willie Mitchell since 1985's He is the Light. In March 2005 he issued Everything's OK as the follow-up to I Can't Stop. Green also collaborated with Mitchell on this secular CD.
The title of Al Green's latest album Lay It Down released May, 2008, truly tells it like it is. Conceived as a collaboration between the soul legend and a handful of gifted young admirers from the worlds of contemporary R&B and hip hop, the album is drawn from a series of inspired sessions that yielded the most high-spirited, funky and often lushly romantic songs of Green's latter-day career.
The project features the sophisticated R&B voices of singer-songwriters John Legend, Anthony Hamilton and Corinne Bailey Rae, and it was co-produced with Green by two of hip-hop's most innovative players, drummer Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson from the Roots and keyboardist James Poyser , the go-to guy for high-profile artists ranging from Erykah Badu to Common. Add in Brooklyn's celebrated Dap-King Horns (Sharon Jones, Amy Winehouse), guitarist Chalmers "Spanky" Alford (Mighty Clouds of Joy, Joss Stone) and bassist Adam Blackstone (Jill Scott, DJ Jazzy Jeff), among others, and you've got a modern soul-music dream team, fronted by the most expressive voice in the business.
Dream
Al Green Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Night breezes seem to whisper "I love you"
Birds singing in the sycamore tree
Dream a little dream of me
Say "Night-ie night" and kiss me
Just hold me tight and tell me you'll miss me
While I'm alone and blue as can be
Stars fading, but I linger on, dear
Still craving your kiss
I'm longing to linger till dawn, dear
Just saying this
Sweet dreams till sunbeams find you
Sweet dreams that leave all worries behind you
But in your dreams whatever they be
Dream a little dream of me
Stars fading, but I linger on, dear
Still craving your kiss
I'm longing to linger till dawn, dear
Just saying this
Sweet dreams till sunbeams find you
Sweet dreams that leave all worries far behind you
But in your dreams whatever they be
Dream a little dream of me
The lyrics of "Dream a Little Dream of Me" by Al Green evoke the tenderness and longing of a lover. The first verse depicts the night sky and the natural world as if they are conspiring to express the singer's love for their partner. They urge their lover to dream of them amidst the stars, whispering sentiments of love and comfort.
The second verse speaks directly to the lover, requesting that they hold the singer tightly and express their longing in return. The singer is alone and sad without their partner and seeks the solace of their dreams. However, they admit to lingering in the night, unable to let go of their lover entirely.
The chorus is a repetition of the first verse with slight variation. The singer encourages their lover to have sweet dreams and let go of any worries, while still urging them to dream of the singer as well.
Overall, the lyrics convey a romantic longing and desire for a deep, intimate connection with a lover. The setting of the night sky, the whispering breezes, and the singing birds adds a poetic, dreamlike quality to the lyrics.
Line by Line Meaning
Stars shining bright above you
The stars are shining brightly in the sky above where you are.
Night breezes seem to whisper 'I love you'
The cool breezes of the night feel like they are quietly declaring their love for you.
Birds singing in the sycamore tree
The birds are chirping merrily in the sycamore tree.
Dream a little dream of me
Think about me a little bit while you are dreaming.
Say 'Night-ie night' and kiss me
Say 'Goodnight' to me and give me a kiss.
Just hold me tight and tell me you'll miss me
Wrap your arms tightly around me and promise me that you will miss me.
While I'm alone and blue as can be
I am feeling very lonely and sad right now.
Dream a little dream of me
Think about me a little bit while you are dreaming.
Stars fading, but I linger on, dear
The stars are starting to disappear, but I am still here with you.
Still craving your kiss
I still want to kiss you very badly.
I'm longing to linger till dawn, dear
I wish I could stay with you until the sun rises in the morning.
Just saying this
I just wanted to tell you how I feel.
Sweet dreams till sunbeams find you
I hope you have sweet dreams until the sun rises.
Sweet dreams that leave all worries behind you
May your dreams be peaceful and free from any worries or concerns.
But in your dreams whatever they be
No matter what your dreams may be about...
Dream a little dream of me
Think about me a little bit while you are dreaming.
Lyrics © DistroKid, TuneCore Inc., Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Songtrust Ave, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Fabian Andre, Gus Kahn, Wilbur Schwandt
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Rach
"Dream"
Dream that there will come a day
Dream that the Lord will make her wake
Dream, dream, dream
Wake up early and..
Dream the stars down from the sky
Dream without knowing the reason why
Just dream, just dream, oh dream
What I wanna do is..
Make it last forever
Make it last forever
Make it, make it, make it, make it
(Dream... Just dream
We can make it all come true)
Let me say this one thing..
Dream I'm the one that you know
Dream a new and different stroke
Just dream... dream
(We can make it all come true)
I wanna know, I wanna... Take me with you
(Make it last forever)
Make it last forever
Take me along with you
While you make it last forever
In a dream, you can make it...
Oh, I wanna go with you
Make it last forever
I wanna, I wanna, I wanna,
I wanna, I wanna...
(Dream... Just dream
We can make it all come true)
Everybody likes to...
Everybody wants to dream sometime
Dream... shh!... dream...
Shh!... dream
(We can make it all come true)
Dream. Shh!... Wontcha dream?
The stars are shining bright
Dream
Let your mind and you heart
Just melt, melt melt like ice
Dream
(Dream... Just dream
We can make it all come true)
Dream. Don't take it, Lord
Just dream
(We can make it all come true)
Al Green
Thank you to Tyler, the Creator for bringing all of you new listeners! Hope you enjoy. Feel free to stay a while. Love, Al
Monica
HI I LOVE YOU AND TYLER
prodbyhardier
thats so sweet
Choco Mint
💖💖💖
Somebody
always loved this song even before tyler sampled, thank you Al Green
Tyler The Creator
I LOVE THIS SONG AND TYLERS SONG
Veryneatguy-
This song makes me wanna still be friends
a1ourqa.
Ikr
Juipters junkmail
should we really though ?
charkra
@Juipters junkmail "only if you're OK with it"