In 1986, he was among the first batch to get inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame. "Ain't That A Shame" and "Blueberry Hill" were named part of The Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame's 500 Songs That Shaped Rock & Roll. In 2004, "Blueberry Hill" was named #81 and "Ain't That A Shame" was named #431 on Rolling Stone's Top 500 Songs Of All Time. In 2004, he was named #25 on Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Artists Of All Time.
In the wake of Domino's rescue from his 9th ward home during 2005's Hurricane Katrina, the Tipitina's Foundation organized a tribute album to the elder artist featuring Robert Plant, Norah Jones, Paul McCartney and numerous other acts that owe a creative debt to this seminal rock n roll pianist.
Did You Ever See A Dream Walking
Fats Domino Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Well I did
Did you ever hear a dream talkin'
Well I did
Did you ever have a dream to thrill you
With will you be mine
Oh it's so grand
And it's too too divine
Well I did
Did you ever see a dream romancin'
Well I did
Did you ever find heaven
Right in your arms
Sayin' I love you I do
Well the dream that was walkin'
In the dream that was talkin'
In the heaven in my arms was you
Fats Domino's song, "Did You Ever See A Dream Walking," is a romantic love song that refers to the idea of a dream as a living thing that one can see, hear, and touch. The lyrics describe the singer's experience of dreaming about someone they love, and how the dream feels so real that it's almost like they are physically in the presence of that person.
Throughout the song, the singer asks a series of questions that are designed to draw the listener into the experience of the dream. They ask if the listener has ever seen a dream walking or heard a dream talking before describing their own experience of doing so.
The song romanticizes the idea of falling in love with someone in a dream and waking up still feeling the euphoria of that experience, encapsulating the feeling of when one has a wonderful dream in which they fall in love, and upon waking up, they feel a sense of sadness that it wasn't real. The singer describes finding heaven in their arms and hearing the dream say "I love you I do," meaning the dream character they fell in love with reciprocates their feelings for them.
One interesting thing to note about Fats Domino's song is that it was written by Harry Revel and Mack Gordon for the 1933 film "Sitting Pretty," where it was performed by Bing Crosby. It has since been covered by numerous artists, including Sarah Vaughan, Nat King Cole, and Bobby Darin, among others. In addition, the song has been featured in various films and TV shows, including "the Wolf of Wall Street" and "Moulin Rouge."
Another interesting fact is that Fats Domino, also known as Antoine Domino Jr., was a pioneer of rock and roll music and one of the most popular artists of the 1950s. He was one of the first African American musicians to gain mainstream success, with hits like "Blueberry Hill" and "Ain't That a Shame."
Chords: The chords for the song are as follows:
Verse:
C Edim Dm7 G7
Did you ever see a dream walking?
C Edim Dm7 G7
Well, I did. Did you ever hear a dream talking?
C Edim Dm7 G7
Well, I did. Did you ever have a dream thrill you,
Em A7 D7 E7
With Will you be mine?
Am Am7/G Am7 D7
Oh, it's so grand and it's too, too divine.
Chorus:
G7 C Gm7 C
Did you ever see a dream dancing?
G7 C Gm7 C
Well, I did. Did you ever see a dream romancing?
G7 C Gm7 C
Well, I did. Did you ever find heaven right in your arms,
G7 A7 D7 G7
Saying, 'I love you, I do'? Well, the dream that was walking,
C Edim Dm7 G7
And the dream that was talking,
C Edim Dm7 A7 D7 G7
And the heaven in my arms, well, that was you.
Line by Line Meaning
Did you ever see a dream walkin'
Have you ever come across a dream that appears to have physical form and is walking on its own?
Well I did
Yes, I have personally observed such a phenomenon.
Did you ever hear a dream talkin'
Have you ever witnessed a dream speak words?
Well I did
Yes, I have indeed heard a dream communicate verbally.
Did you ever have a dream to thrill you
Have you ever experienced a dream that causes excitement or strong emotions?
With will you be mine
The dream includes a question or suggestion of being romantically involved.
Oh it's so grand
The feeling of the dream being thrilling or exciting is exceptionally intense.
And it's too too divine
The dream feels exceptional or heavenly.
Did you ever see a dream dancin'
Have you ever seen a dream engaging in physical movement, such as dancing?
Well I did
Yes, I have witnessed a dream that danced.
Did you ever see a dream romancin'
Have you ever seen a dream that included a romantic situation or love interest?
Well I did
Yes, I have seen such a dream on my own.
Did you ever find heaven
Have you ever experienced a state of extreme bliss or contentment?
Right in your arms
This feeling was brought about by an embrace or physical touch.
Sayin' I love you I do
A declaration of love was made, affirming the depth of this contentment.
Well the dream that was walkin'
The dream that was previously mentioned, which had taken physical form and was walking on its own.
In the dream that was talkin'
The same dream that had verbally communicated earlier.
In the heaven in my arms was you
This dream ultimately represented the individual the singer loved, who was present in their arms at that moment.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: MACK GORDON, HARRY REVEL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Colin Hugh Abbott
Great stuff! I bought this single all those years ago. Haven't heard it for years. Fats is wonderful. Greetings to you, xboilermaker - from Jarrahnut in beautiful Western Australia.
Elvin Bobinger
Truly great music you can under stand every word they say
Willy Verstraeten
Genial record from he one and only Fats. I hope that he sings now in heaven for everybody. Love you - Fats - forever.
Lon Landis
1933 tune written by Mack Gordon & Harry Revel...Fats brings to life this Oldie in a great long version!!
Di Lynn Vee
Love this version the most!
sauquoit13456
On this day in 1962 {September 30th} Fats Domino's "Did You Ever See A Dream Walking" entered Billboard's Top 100 chart at position #97, three weeks later it peaked at #79, the following week it remained at #79 and that was also it's fifth and final week on the Top 100...
Mr. Domino had three other 'Walk' records make the Top 100 chart, and all three also made the Top 10, "I'm Walkin'" {#4 in 1957}, "I Want To Walk You Home" {#8 in 1959}, and "Walking to New Orleans" {#6 in 1960}...
Antoine Domino Jr. passed away at the age of 89 on October 24th, 2017...
May he R.I.P.
And from the 'For What It's Worth' department, in 1963 he released another 'Walk' record, "When I'm Walking (Let Me Walk)", it reached #114 on Billboard's Bubbling Under the Top 100 chart, and of course it's available on You Tube...
Personal note: I was a teenager in the late 1950s, I had five idols, Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Fats Domino, & Elvis. And now sadly, only Richard remains...
ray green
All Great, Great artists. Thanks for the years of
Beautiful Song.
Mary Pé Sansterre
Fats didn’t have to do much walking in New Orleans ‘cause he did the cookin’!
Manolo Pérez-Aranda Pérez-Aranda
Gran mito del rock and rol Fats Domino. Es quizás el pionero de dicho movimiento musical.
RetroJenny
I love this version too. They are just different styles.