In 1998, Paul Durham and his rock band, Black Lab, released their Geffen Records debut Your Body Above Me to critical acclaim. The album yielded the top 10 rock and alternative single "Wash it Away," and the top 40 ac and pop track "Time Ago."
Paul Durham grew up in Twin Falls, Idaho before moving to San Francisco to pursue his passion for musical invention. He recorded and toured with a group of friends under the moniker “Durham,” and made an acoustic-based singer/songwriter record with celebrated jazz producer Lee Townsend. (now available at blacklabworld.com under the title Ten Million Years: songs from the nineteen nineties).
“Durham” split, but a deal with Geffen Records followed, a new band was built, and Black Lab's debut was tagged as "one of this year's breakout records" (Billboard). Hollywood called, and the band contributed songs to the soundtracks for Can't Hardly Wait, Varsity Blues, Permanent Midnight, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. After a year of touring, Black Lab was poised to fulfill their destiny as "the American U2" (San Francisco Chronicle) when their record label was quickly shuttered. Over the next two years, Durham left his band, fired his manager and moved to LA. "In the end, all I had were my guitars and the songs I was writing." Durham wanted to control the sound around his voice, so he bought a computer and learned to use it. "I had to get back to how it was in high school -- just me and my four-track."
The resulting demos got Durham a new deal with Epic Records. "The first thing I did was buy a giant ProTools system." The only problem was, he didn't know how to install the software. On advice from a friend, Durham hired Andy Ellis to set up his studio. "So, we're sitting around waiting for the computer to reboot," remembers Durham, "And this guy picks up my guitar, without asking. I was cringing inside, afraid of what he would play. But he was great. I wanted to sing over the top of everything he played. Pretty soon, we were writing together."
At 23, Ellis was already an accomplished guitarist, keyboard player and programmer. He had been working as an assistant to some of the best engineers in the business and knew how to twiddle some serious knobs. Durham had found the missing link between what he heard in his head and what came out of the speakers. "Working with Andy is the first time collaboration has ever been easy," says Durham. "Instead of the whole hell-is-other-people thing, we have a blast just making sounds.
See the Sun has a depth and emotional range that broadens with each listen. Much of the album was mixed by Tom Lord-Alge (Live, Blink 182, Avril Lavigne). What shines brightest is the band's pop sensibility – the liquid swirl of "Remember," the epic sweep of "See the Sun," the raging loss of "Without You," and the open-armed surrender of "Lonely Boy."
“Learn to Crawl” was tapped as the fourth track on the platinum Spider-Man soundtrack. Produced by Durham and veteran mixer/producer Tom Lord-Alge, the song wraps an aggressive guitar riff around what Rolling Stone calls "Black Lab's tightly spun, highly melodic rock."
The title of "Ecstasy," a pulsing shadow that wakes to full rock glory, was inspired by Durham's experience recording: "The freedom to do what I wanted – in the studio across the hall from my bedroom – was amazing. I would get up late, go to the beach, then work until four or five in the morning. I got to record this album the same way I wrote it."
While See the Sun represents a zenith in Black Lab’s songwriting and production, the band continues to push and expand its sound into uncharted territory, contributing a vicious techno track called “This Blood” to the worldwide hit movie Blade : Trinity. Black Lab also continues to produce music for television (MTV’s Real World, “What I Like About You,” “The Days”) as well as the upcoming film Lovewrecked.
The third Black Lab album, entitled "Passion Leaves A Trace" was released on January 16th, 2007. Highlights include the majestic "Mine Again", the jet-black remorse of "This Night" (featured in the trailer for The Shield Season 6, and on the episode "Out of the Chute" of House), the hook-laden driving force that is "The Real You", and the achingly beautiful "Ghost In Your Mind".
All things Black Lab, including streaming and free downloads from the new and past albums, can be found at blacklabworld.com.
Dream In Color
Black Lab Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Well, you think it's love or something close
Do you recall?
You say I was sleeping
But I know what I saw
There were nights, I swear we flew
Dreaming in color
Now the sky has gone to gray
The colors have blurred
In this picture we made
Ask me once or twice
Well, they ring them bells
They're throwing rice at you and me
But it wasn't enough
Say what more could I be?
When there were nights, I swear we flew
Dreaming in color
I was dreaming beside you
Now the sky has gone to gray
The colors have blurred
In this picture we made
I sleep all day and watch TV all night
The pictures play in black and white
I close my eyes
I close my eyes 'cause
There were nights, I swear we flew
Dreaming in color
I was dreaming beside you
Now the sky has gone to gray
The colors have blurred
In this pictures we made
The lyrics of "Dream In Color" by Black Lab describe a romantic relationship that has faded away. In the first verse, the singer reminisces about their past dreams, where they used to fly and dream in vivid color alongside their lover. However, in the present, the sky has turned grey and the colors of their shared picture have blurred. The singer seems to be questioning whether or not their love was real or just a fantasy. They recall a specific memory where they were sleeping, but they know what they saw, implying that they are unsure about the reality of their past experiences.
In the second verse, the singer talks about how other people were celebrating their love (ringing bells and throwing rice), but it wasn't enough to save their relationship. There is a sense of regret in the line "Say what more could I be?" suggesting that they wish they could have done more to save the relationship. The singer then describes their current state of mind, where they spend their days sleeping and their nights watching TV in black and white. The positive vibrant dreams they once had have now become a distant memory.
Overall, "Dream In Color" is a reflective song that explores the theme of lost love and the pain of reminiscing about a past relationship that once held so much promise and hope.
Line by Line Meaning
Kiss me once just once
Give me one brief moment of affection
Well, you think it's love or something close
You're not sure if your feelings are truly love, but they're close enough
Do you recall?
Do you remember when we were together?
You say I was sleeping
You claim I was unaware of what was happening
But I know what I saw
But I know that I witnessed something important
There were nights, I swear we flew
There were nights when we felt free and untethered
Dreaming in color
Imagining a world that was vivid, vibrant, and full of life
I was dreaming beside you
I was dreaming of sharing these experiences with you
Now the sky has gone to gray
Now life feels mundane and colorless
The colors have blurred
The vibrancy of our past experiences has faded away
In this picture we made
In the memories that we created together
Ask me once or twice
Challenge me to prove my commitment to you
Well, they ring them bells
The occasion of our love and commitment is celebrated by others
They're throwing rice at you and me
We are the center of attention as people celebrate our love
But it wasn't enough
Even amidst the celebration, our love didn't feel entirely fulfilling
Say what more could I be?
I'm asking what else I could do to fully express my love for you
I sleep all day and watch TV all night
I've become complacent and unambitious in life
The pictures play in black and white
The world around me feels bland and devoid of color
I close my eyes
I try to escape this monotony by closing myself off from reality
I close my eyes 'cause
I'm afraid of what I might see if I keep them open
There were nights, I swear we flew
Looking back on our past, I remember when we felt truly alive
Dreaming in color
Filled with excitement and possibility
I was dreaming beside you
Sharing these experiences with you made them even more special
Now the sky has gone to gray
But those moments feel like a distant memory
The colors have blurred
The vibrancy of our past experiences has faded away
In this pictures we made
Leaving only sepia-toned memories of a love that was once bright and colorful
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: PAUL DURHAM
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Black Lab
Thank you for your support! You can hear the new Black Lab album at http://BlackLabWorld.com/music/raven
Leandro Kim
Love this song, this band, from Brazil.
MeikVFischer
And yet ANOTHER great song from this awesome band.
jamesdmiller
Its an injustice that this band are relatively unknown, they are awesome and deserve a lot more exposure.
heyporcelain
Gotta be my favorite song by them :)
Bobby Clarke
I love this group!
Lenny Allmon
Black Lab has to be the most underexposed & underrated band around. 'This Night' may be the most powerful song to me personally I've ever heard. Thank you guys for putting great fucking music out there.
Clara Kreysing
Love that song!!!!
lyravega25
this is so awesome. love it
13RoxyD
They are like if Matchbox 20 was REALLY good!!! Injustice!!! Screw you Rob Thomas