Kahn was born in Koblenz, Germany in 1886. The family immigrated to the United States and moved to Chicago, Illinois in 1890. After graduating from high school, he worked as a clerk in a mail order business before launching one of the most successful and prolific careers from Tin Pan Alley. Kahn married Grace LeBoy in 1916 and they had two children, Donald and Irene.
In his early days, Kahn wrote special material for vaudeville. In 1913 he began a productive partnership with the well-established composer Egbert van Alstyne, with whom he created several notable hits of the era, including "Memories" and, along with Tony Jackson, "Pretty Baby." Later, he began writing lyrics for composer and bandleader Isham Jones. This partnership led to one of Kahn's best-known works, "I'll See You in My Dreams," which became the title of a movie based on his life.
Throughout the 1920s, Kahn continued to contribute to Broadway scores such as Holka Polka (1925), Kitty's Kisses (1926), Artists and Models (1927), Whoopee! (1928), and Show Girl (1929). He went on to write several movies, mainly for MGM.
By 1933, Kahn had become a full time motion picture songwriter contributing to movies such as Flying Down to Rio, Thanks a Million, Kid Millions, A Day at the Races, Everybody Sing, One Night of Love, Three Smart Girls, Let's Sing Again, San Francisco, Naughty Marietta, and Ziegfeld Girl.
He also collaborated with some of the finest composers including, Grace LeBoy Kahn (his wife), Richard A. Whiting, Buddy DeSylva, Al Jolson, Raymond Egan, Ted Fio Rito, Ernie Erdman, Neil Moret, Vincent Youmans, George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin, Harry Akst, Harry M. Woods, Edward Eliscu, Victor Schertzinger, Arthur Johnston, Bronislaw Kaper, Jerome Kern, Walter Jurmann, Sigmund Romberg and Harry Warren, though his primary collaborator was Walter Donaldson.
Kahn died in Beverly Hills, California on October 8, 1941 where he was interred in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California.
His catalog contained some of the greatest collections of songs from the first half of the 20th century and it is for this very reason that he was inducted in the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1970, nearly 30 years after his death. On April 11, 2008 at his home in Beverly Hills, California, Donald Kahn died at the age of 89 years old.
His most famous songs include "It Had To Be You" (1924) with music by Isham Jones, "Side by Side" (1927) with music by Harry M. Woods, and "Makin' Whoopee!" (1928) with music by Walter Donaldson. Kahn was also the lyricist for the Ted Healy/Three Stooges short film Beer and Pretzels (1933), with music by Al Goodhart. Danny Thomas played Kahn in the 1951 biographical film I'll See You in My Dreams.
Dream A Little Dream Of Me
Gus Kahn 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"
Just say goodnight and kiss me
Oh, hold me tight and tell me you 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, my 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
Say nighty-night and kiss me
Oh, hold me tight and tell me you miss me
While I'm alone and blue as can be
Dream a little dream of me
Dream A little dream of you and me
Repeat
Dream a Little Dream of Me is a song composed by Fabian Andre, Wilbur Schwandt and Gus Kahn in 1931. It is a love song sung from the perspective of one person who wants their loved one to dream of them. The song talks about how the stars are shining bright above you, the night breezes seem to whisper "I love you" and birds are singing. The singer asks the lover to dream a little dream of them, to just say goodnight and kiss them, hold them tight and tell them they miss them, and to dream of them while the singer is alone and blue as can be.
The lyrics go on to say that the stars are fading but the singer is still craving the lover's kiss, and is longing to linger till dawn. The song ends with sweet dreams till sunbeams find you, and the singer asks the lover to dream a little dream of them again, saying goodnight and kissing them, holding them tight and telling them they miss them while they are alone and blue.
The song has been interpreted in different ways by different people. Some see it as a simple love song between two people, while others interpret it as a song about longing for someone who is gone or deceased. The lyrics and music have been used in various films and TV shows, making it one of the most iconic and enduring love songs of all time.
Line by Line Meaning
Stars shining bright above you
The stars in the sky above you are shining with all their brilliance
Night breezes seem to whisper "I love you"
The gentle night breeze gives you the impression of a soft, affectionate whisper
Birds singing in the sycamore tree
The happy sound of birds singing in a tree is heard
"Dream a little dream of me"
The singer invites the listener to dream a dream with them
Just say goodnight and kiss me
Just tell me goodnight with a kiss
Oh, hold me tight and tell me you miss me
Embrace me tightly and tell me that you long for me
While I'm alone and blue as can be
The singer is feeling lonely and melancholy
Dream a little dream of me
The singer wants the listener to share a dream with them to ease their loneliness
Stars fading, but I linger on, dear
The stars may be disappearing, but the singer wants to remain with their beloved
Still craving your kiss
The singer very much desires a kiss from their loved one
I'm longing to linger till dawn, my dear
The singer wants to stay with their companion until the break of dawn
Just saying this
The singer is expressing their deepest desires to their lover before they must part
Sweet dreams till sunbeams find you
The singer wishes their loved one sweet dreams until the morning sun finds them
Sweet dreams that leave all worries behind you
The singer hopes that the listener's dreams will free them from any worries or anxieties
But in your dreams whatever they be
The singer invites the listener to dream of anything they desire
Dream a little dream of me
Once again, the singer requests that the listener dream with them
Say nighty-night and kiss me
Say goodnight to me with a kiss
Oh, hold me tight and tell me you miss me
Take me in your arms and tell me you're longing for me
Dream a little dream of me
The singer repeats their request to share a dream with their beloved
Dream A little dream of you and me
Once again, the singer expresses the desire for them and their loved one to share a dream
Contributed by Allison G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.