Lee was a musical prodigy and by the time she was two she would hear songs on the radio once and be able to whistle the complete tune. She was five years old when she started to gain wider attention when she won a local singing contest sponsored by the elementary schools. At age 11, she was offered a recording contract with Decca Records and released the song “Dynamite,” leading to her lifelong nickname, “Little Miss Dynamite.”
Lee was popular in the UK very early in her career, and her 1961 rockabilly release “Let’s Jump the Broomstick” did not chart in the US, but went to #12 in the UK. Her biggest hits during this time include a rockabilly version of the country classic “Jambalaya (On the Bayou),” “Sweet Nothin’s,” “I Want to Be Wanted,” “All Alone Am I,” and “Fool #1.”
In 1960, she recorded her signature song, “I’m Sorry,” which hit number one on the Billboard pop chart and was her first gold single. Her last top-10 single on the pop charts was 1963’s “Losing You,” while she continued to have other chart songs such as her 1966 song “Coming On Strong” and “Is It True?” in 1964.
During the early 1970s, Lee re-established herself as a country music artist, and earned a string of Top 10 hits on the country charts. Her biggest selling track of her career is, oddly enough, a Christmas song: “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree.” It was released in 1958, but it sold only 5,000 copies. However, it eventually sold over five million copies and remains a perennial radio favorite each December. In December 2023, Lee became the oldest artist to ever top the Hot 100, when "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" topped the chart 65 years after its release.
Over the ensuing years, Lee has continued to record and perform all around the world, previously cutting records in four different languages. She is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Country Music Hall of Fame, the Rockabilly Hall of Fame, and the Hit Parade Hall of Fame. In 1992, she recorded a duet with Willy DeVille; Chuck Berry also wrote a song about her. Lee has been married to Ronnie Shacklett since 1963, and they have two daughters and three grandchildren. She is the second recipient of the Jo Meador-Walker Lifetime Achievement award.
Throughout her career, Brenda Lee has released 41 studio albums, 12 compilation albums, and over 100 singles. She has had numerous top twenty hits on the Billboard Hot 100, Country, and AC charts in the US, UK, and Canada.
Just Let Me Dream
Brenda Lee Lyrics
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Let me keep feelin' the way I feel
I'm bubblin' over, with love supreme
And if I'm dreamin', just let me dream.
Aha please don't wake me if I'm asleep
Just give the angels my soul to keep
I'd be so happy if I could speak
My heart is jumpin', up and down the street
If this ain't love, it's the next best thing
So keep on doing what your doing to me
If I'm your prisoner don't set me free
Your red hot kisses, warm me like steam
And so if I'm dreamin', just let me dream.
So keep on doing what your doing to me
If I'm your prisoner, don't set me free
Your red hot kisses, warm me like steam
So if I'm dreamin', just let me dream
Just let me dream
In Brenda Lee's song Just Let Me Dream, the singer expresses a desire to remain in a state of blissful ignorance, asking whoever she is singing to not to tell her if they are not real. She is caught up in a feeling of love that is so intense that she does not want anything to disrupt it. Even if it turns out that she is dreaming, she pleads to be allowed to continue in her reverie, declaring that she is "bubblin' over, with love supreme." Her love is so potent that it even affects her physical body, as her "heart is jumpin', up and down the street."
Despite being content in her dream state, the singer still expresses a longing to communicate her happiness. She would be "so happy if [she] could speak," but she knows that her enjoyment of the moment is fragile, and she does not want anything to disrupt it. Even if her love turns out to be nothing more than an illusion, she prefers to remain in this state, where she is "your prisoner." The singer is so overwhelmed by the intensity of her partner's affections that she likens their kisses to warming steam.
In summary, the song Just Let Me Dream expresses the intensity and fragility of blissful, dreamlike love. Though the singer acknowledges that they may be living in an illusion, they plead to continue experiencing the happiness that comes with it.
Line by Line Meaning
Please don't tell me if your not real
Please do not tell me that you are not real because I want to continue to believe in you.
Let me keep feelin' the way I feel
Allow me to continue experiencing the intense emotion that I am feeling right now.
I'm bubblin' over, with love supreme
I am filled to the brim with an intense, all-consuming love.
And if I'm dreamin', just let me dream.
If this is all just a dream, please let me continue dreaming and enjoying this moment for as long as possible.
Aha please don't wake me if I'm asleep
If I am currently sleeping and dreaming, please do not try to wake me up because I want to keep dreaming.
Just give the angels my soul to keep
If I die in my sleep, please deliver my soul to heaven.
I'd be so happy if I could speak
I am so happy that I wish I had the ability to express it in words.
My heart is jumpin', up and down the street
I am filled with so much joy that it feels like my heart is literally jumping with happiness.
If this ain't love, it's the next best thing
This feeling is so intense and incredible that even if it is not love, it is the next best thing.
So keep on doing what your doing to me
Please continue to do whatever it is that is making me feel this way.
If I'm your prisoner don't set me free
Even if I am your prisoner, please do not set me free because I never want to lose this feeling.
Your red hot kisses, warm me like steam
Your passionate kisses make me feel so warm and loved that it is as if steam is rising from my body.
So if I'm dreamin', just let me dream
Once again, if this is all just a dream, please let me continue dreaming and enjoying this moment for as long as possible.
Just let me dream
I never want this feeling to end, so please just let me keep dreaming and experiencing this happiness.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: CHARLES SINGLETON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind