One of the few white singers to come out of the New Orleans R&B/rock & roll sound (he was known as the "swamp pop R&B teenage idol"), he rode the crest of the popular teen music wave in the 1950s and '60s with such songs as 'Just a Dream' and 'Venus in Blue Jeans'. He even continued to release hits after he was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1961 and served for two years.
Clanton became a disc jockey in the 1970s and performed in an oldies revue, The Masters of Rock 'n' Roll, with Troy Shondell, Ray Peterson, and Ronnie Dove. He is reputed to have had a religious conversion in the 1980s. In the 1995 Jazz Fest in New Orleans, Clanton performed with Ray Charles, Chuck Berry, and Frankie "Sea Cruise" Ford.
Clanton starred in a rock 'n' roll movie produced by Alan Freed called "Go Johnny Go," and later starred in "Teenage Millionaire."
Just a Dream
Jimmy Clanton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
All our plans and all our schemes (all our schemes)
How could I think you'd be mine (you'd be mine)
Those lies I'd tell myself each time
I know that we could never last (never last)
You just can't seem to in the past (in the past)
Just a dream I dream in vain (dream in vain)
Your picture is always with me
I can still hear that same mournful song
And now I sit here crying, oh yeah
Please leave me alone
Why, why do I love you (I love you)
How can I live in misery (misery)
I know that I won't forget you (forget you)
But now I know it's too late for me (too late for me)
Play it, boy
Your picture is always with me
I can still hear that same mournful song
And now I sit here crying, oh yeah
Please leave me alone
Why, why do I love you (I love you)
How can I live in misery (misery)
I know that I won't forget you (forget you)
But now I know it's too late
No, it's never too late
With folks like you around
For me
Oh, oh, oh, yeah-yeah-yeah, yeah-yeah
The song "Just a Dream" by Jimmy Clanton is a heart-wrenching tale of unrequited love. Clanton sings about a past love, which he acknowledges was never meant to be. He reflects on his foolishness in believing that they could be together despite all the warning signs. He admits that his plans and schemes were just a dream, and that he only told himself lies every time he believed that she could be his.
As the song progresses, the pain of Clanton's heartbreak becomes more apparent. He knows that their relationship would never have lasted, and yet he can't seem to let go of her memory. He reminisces about her constantly, with her picture always with him and a mournful song constantly playing in his head. Despite the agony, he can't help but wonder why he still loves her, and how he can bear to live in the misery of his unrequited love.
Overall, the lyrics of "Just a Dream" speak to the universal experience of a broken heart. Clanton's honest portrayal of his pain and longing resonates with anyone who has been in love and lost.
Line by Line Meaning
Just a dream, just a dream
My hopes for a relationship with you are nothing more than a fantasy
All our plans and all our schemes
The ideas and future we talked about will never come to fruition
How could I think you'd be mine
I was foolish to believe that you could ever belong to me
Those lies I'd tell myself each time
I deceived myself with false promises to believe we had a future
I know that we could never last
I realize that our love would never survive
You just can't seem to in the past
You can't let go of past hurts and move forward with our relationship
Just a dream I dream in vain
My thoughts of us together are hopeless wishes and illusions
With you I'd only live in pain
If we stayed together, life would bring me only sorrow and suffering
Your picture is always with me
I keep a physical reminder of you close at hand to remember you by
I can still hear that same mournful song
Every memory I have of you is steeped in sadness and heartache
And now I sit here crying, oh yeah
I can't hold back my tears as I lament our lost love
Please leave me alone
I need to be by myself to deal with this pain
Why, why do I love you
I question why I still have feelings for someone who doesn't reciprocate
How can I live in misery
My unrequited love for you has left me feeling hopeless and despondent
I know that I won't forget you
You will always be a significant part of my life and memories
But now I know it's too late for me
I understand that our chance at a relationship is gone
No, it's never too late
I still hold out hope that love can be rekindled
With folks like you around
As long as people like you exist, I will continue to hope for love
For me
I will always want a special someone to love and hold dear
Lyrics © MUSIC SALES CORPORATION, Songtrust Ave, Hipgnosis Songs Group
Written by: Jimmy Clanton
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@rwpauli
My story too. Loved this song when it came out. The girl for me in this song, Linda, came along later in December 1964. She died in 2007 from cancer. I looked up her husband this year, 55 years later, to give him her pictures and a couple harmless letters. He was kind enough to tell me, a perfect stranger interested in his late wife, all about her and their life together. That was an amazing act of mercy on his part and brought me tremendous healing, as I had dumped her unceremoniously over nothing, not realizing then the harm to her (she was devastated at the time) and the lifelong pain to me. Healed at last.
@847777
When you suddenly fall out of love for what ever reason, and then for the longest period of your life you still latch on to the guilt of your fond relationship, really tells a part of you, through the corner depths of your heart you hold a love for Linda. I'm glad you are healed. I truely believe there's two paths to a person life in every decision moment they choose to take. So, somewhere out there in the vast Cosmo there's Linda and yourself living a life together in an alternate parallel World - The alternat path. Now, enjoy your surroundings with the people you hold true and so dearly love.
@johnbryan9134
Same for me some what
I am stell in love with à girl named Lyn from Hampton Iowa . If you read this hope you Rember me
... Johnny Bryan the grison of John Hampton
Ps. Hop to hear from her be for I die.😢
@kenmiller5776
I was dating a beautiful sweet girl In 1963 and I loved her with all my heart and Jean and her parents moved away to Florida, It took a long time for me to ever get over that. She was 15 and I was 17, that kind of love lasts for ever no matter If you do move on with your life. I will always love you Jean !!!!
@whydoihavetowait90daystoch6
Very nice story Ken. Sad to hear about this
@janetbrown4190
Ken, I'm so sorry.
@noogieboy555
all due respect, but every male from South Louisiana in the 50's has these same memories. I've heard thousands of them; all equally sincere, but all the same. Check out the James Lee Burke novels that feature Dave Robicheaux, for some representative stories,
Again, no disrespect.
Matt
@honey_bee65
Have you tried reconnecting with her online? Try Facebook
@henryrussell3494
😢
@nathaniel6071
I'm only 12 years old and I love songs like this