Th… Read Full Bio ↴Aztec Camera was a Scottish Indie pop/New Wave band from Glasgow.
The line-up of the band changed several times over the years, but the constant member had been guitarist/vocalist/songwriter Roddy Frame. Founding members included Campbell Owens (bass) and Dave Mulholland (drums). Ex-Bluebells bassist Craig Gannon was a member from 1983 through 1985, before joining The Smiths. Guitarist Malcolm Ross (formerly of Josef K and Orange Juice) also joined in 1983, and appeared on the Knife album.
Aztec Camera first gained recognition as part of the Scottish post-punk scene along with bands like Orange Juice and Josef K, all of which released singles on the influential Glasgow-based label Postcard records. The band's first UK 7" single was released by Postcard in 1981, containing the songs "Just Like Gold" and "We Could Send Letters". The latter was included on the NME's C81 compilation, which pointed strongly towards the future C86 indie pop movement in the United Kingdom.
Though most commonly remembered generally as part of the 80s New Wave era, Aztec Camera has gone through numerous stylistic changes throughout their career, ranging from stripped-down, almost pastoral post-punk to slicker, more sophisticated pop rock as well as jazz and latin influenced acoustic ballads. As Roddy Frame's guitar playing has always been the signature of the band's music, guitar pop might be a more succinct description.
Aztec Camera's debut album, High Land, Hard Rain, was released in 1983. However, Owens and Mulholland left the group before the release, leaving Frame to complete the album alone. The album was quite successful, gathering significant critical acclaim for its well-crafted, multi-layered pop. The band went on to release a total of six albums, although most of these were essentially written and played by Frame. The albums included Knife (1984), Love (1987), Stray (1990), Dreamland (1993) and Frestonia (1995).
After the release of their sixth album, Frestonia, Frame finally dissolved the band to go solo.
Popular songs by Aztec Camera include "Oblivious", "Somewhere in My Heart", and "Good Morning Britain" (a duet with former Clash guitarist Mick Jones).
The group have also done cover versions of Blue Orchids "Bad Education", and a slowed-down version of Van Halen's Jump.
A 'Best of' collection was released in 1999.
Dream Sweet Dreams
Aztec Camera Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Coppin' unworldly sights
Searchin' and stoppin'
Bangin' the world to rights
Can't let kilometres
Or colours defeat us try
For something so sweet
We'll never be beat
And sail the deep blue sky
I dream a dumb dream
The fires are blazin' bright
The faces of famine
Are fed in the flames
Sweet light
The guns are a burnin'
The bullets are silent shells
The hands are a turnin'
The times are a changin'
The lovers are learnin'
Ringing out the bells
Hold tight
All night
Always alright
We're on a wave
of light
In "Dream Sweet Dreams" by Aztec Camera, the singer discusses the unifying and powerful nature of love. The opening lines describe love as a sort of dreamlike state, where one is "sleepwalkin'" and experiencing otherworldly sights. Despite any obstacles that may arise, the singer encourages perseverance in the pursuit of love by asserting that "something so sweet" should never be defeated. This sentiment is emphasized in the final stanza, where the singer imagines a time of unity, where the flames of conflict are used to feed the hungry and the weapons of war are no longer necessary. Throughout the song, the lyrics offer a sense of hope, encouraging persistence and unity in love and the eventual achievement of a peaceful world.
Line by Line Meaning
Love is sleepwalkin'
Love makes us feel like we're in a trance
Coppin' unworldly sights
Experiencing things beyond our normal scope
Searchin' and stoppin'
Looking for something and then pausing to reflect
Bangin' the world to rights
Trying to make things right in the world
Can't let kilometres
We can't allow distance to separate us
Or colours defeat us try
We shouldn't let differences divide us
For something so sweet
For love, which is so wonderful
We'll never be beat
We can overcome anything with love on our side
We'll conquer the seas
We'll overcome obstacles
And sail the deep blue sky
We'll reach great heights
I dream a dumb dream
I have a silly dream
The fires are blazin' bright
There is a lot of passion and energy around me
The faces of famine
People who are hungry and suffering
Are fed in the flames
The fire represents a source of hope and sustenance
Sweet light
A calming or reassuring presence
The guns are a burnin'
Violence is happening
The bullets are silent shells
The impact and harm caused by violence is not always obvious
The hands are a turnin'
Time is passing
The times are a changin'
The world is evolving
The lovers are learnin'
Those who are in love are growing and improving themselves
Ringing out the bells
Celebrate the accomplishments of love and life
Hold tight
Stay close to me
All night
Until morning comes
Always alright
Everything will be fine
We're on a wave
We're riding high on life and love
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: RODDY FRAME
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Claudio Concha
Suena a crowded house , que gran canción
framodcole
Sakamoto and Roddy. Tightest AC album period. Roddy hated him but Roddy has done nothing better since. North Star was so over-layered. Western Skies and Seven Dials was a bit soulless. His fret-work is always great. He is just in an odd stage. For us, I am allowed to grow and develop but I still want my songwriters to be to me what they were 20 years ago. I don't give them that courtesy. Which is why we don't like "new." Regardless, Ryuichi did a fantastic job.
Jim T
He said in an interview that he chose to ask Sakamoto to produce the album.
URANXX1
GREAT!!!
Sergio Prudencio
Beautiful...
Zetep
The woman in the 80’s were so beautiful……
Summer G
It's called "Dream Sweet Dreams."