Born in Liverpool, Lennon became involved in the skiffle craze as a teenager. In 1956, he formed The Quarrymen, which evolved into the Beatles in 1960. Sometimes called "the smart Beatle", Lennon initially was the group's de facto leader, a role he gradually ceded to McCartney. Through his songwriting in the Beatles, he embraced myriad musical influences, initially writing and co-writing rock and pop-oriented hit songs in the band's early years, then later incorporating experimental elements into his compositions in the latter half of the Beatles' career as his songs became known for their increasing innovation. Lennon soon expanded his work into other media by participating in numerous films, including How I Won the War, and authoring In His Own Write and A Spaniard in the Works, both collections of nonsense writings and line drawings. Starting with "All You Need Is Love", his songs were adopted as anthems by the anti-war movement and the larger counterculture of the 1960s. In 1969, he started the Plastic Ono Band with his second wife, multimedia artist Yoko Ono, held the two-week-long anti-war demonstration Bed-ins for Peace and left the Beatles to embark on a solo career.
Between 1968 and 1972, Lennon and Ono collaborated on many works, including a trilogy of avant-garde albums, several more films, his solo debut John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band and the international top-10 singles "Give Peace a Chance", "Instant Karma!", "Imagine", and "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)". Moving to New York City in 1971, his criticism of the Vietnam War resulted in a three-year deportation attempt by the Nixon administration. Lennon and Ono separated from 1973 to 1975, during which time he produced Harry Nilsson's album Pussy Cats. He also had chart-topping collaborations with Elton John ("Whatever Gets You thru the Night") and David Bowie ("Fame"). Following a five-year hiatus, Lennon returned to music in 1980 with the Ono collaboration Double Fantasy. He was murdered by a Beatles fan, Mark David Chapman, three weeks after the album's release.
As a performer, writer or co-writer, Lennon had 25 number-one singles in the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Double Fantasy, his best-selling album, won the 1981 Grammy Award for Album of the Year. That year, he won the Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music. In 2002, Lennon was voted eighth in a BBC history poll of the 100 Greatest Britons. Rolling Stone ranked him the fifth-greatest singer and 38th greatest artist of all time. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame (in 1997) and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (twice, as a member of the Beatles in 1988 and as a solo artist in 1994).
Studio albums
John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band (1970)
Imagine (1971)
Some Time in New York City (with Yoko Ono, 1972)
Mind Games (1973)
Walls and Bridges (1974)
Rock 'n' Roll (1975)
Double Fantasy (with Yoko Ono, 1980)
Milk and Honey (Posthumous with Yoko Ono, 1984)
Experimental studio albums with Yoko Ono
Unfinished Music No. 1: Two Virgins (1968)
Unfinished Music No. 2: Life with the Lions (1969)
Wedding Album (1969)
#9 Dreams
John Lennon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Was it in a dream?
Was it just a dream?
I know, yes I know
It seemed so very real
Seemed so real to me
Took a walk down the street
I thought I could hear
Hear
Hear
Hear
Somebody call out my name (John)
As it started to rain
Two spirits dancing so strange
Ah! Bowakawa, pousse pousse
Ah! Bowakawa, pousse pousse
Ah! Bowakawa, pousse pousse
Dream, dream away
Magic in the air
Was magic in the air?
I believe, yes I believe
More I cannot say
What more can I say?
On a river of sound
Through the mirror go round, round
I thought I could feel
Feel
Feel
Feel
Music touching my soul
Something warm, sudden cold
The spirit dance was unfolding
Ah! Bowakawa, pousse pousse
Ah! Bowakawa, pousse pousse
Ah! Bowakawa, pousse pousse
Ah! Bowakawa, pousse pousse
Ah! Bowakawa, pousse pousse
Ah! Bowakawa, pousse pousse
Ah! Bowakawa, pousse pousse
Ah! Bowakawa, pousse pousse
Ah! Bowakawa, pousse pousse
Ah! Bowakawa, pousse pousse
Ah! Bowakawa, pousse pousse
Ah! Bowakawa, pousse pousse
The lyrics to John Lennon's song #9 Dream delve into the realm of dreams and the subconscious. The singer reflects on a dream where they are walking down a street and hear their name being called out before encountering two mysterious spirits that begin to dance. The dream then transitions to a river of sound and music touching the singer's soul before abruptly ending with a repetition of the phrase "Ah! Bowakawa, pousse pousse".
Overall, the song seems to be a reflection on the power of dreams and the ways in which they can transport us to other worlds and experiences. The repetition of the phrase "Ah! Bowakawa, pousse pousse" seems to represent the dream state itself, a nonsensical yet somehow meaningful phrase that embodies the strange logic of dreams.
One interesting note about the song is that Lennon reportedly began writing it during his time at a transcendental meditation retreat in India, and elements of Indian spirituality and mysticism can be heard in the song's instrumentation and lyrics. Additionally, the phrase "Ah! Bowakawa, pousse pousse" was actually a phrase John Lennon had heard in a dream and wrote down as soon as he woke up, not knowing what it meant but recognizing its potential significance.
Line by Line Meaning
So long ago
Reflecting on a distant memory
Was it in a dream?
Wondering if the memory was a dream or reality
Was it just a dream?
Questioning the validity of the memory
I know, yes I know
Being certain of the memory's impact
It seemed so very real
Recalling the vividness of the memory
Seemed so real to me
Affirming the authenticity of the memory
Took a walk down the street
Describing a specific moment in the memory
Through the heat whispered trees
Depicting the setting of the memory
I thought I could hear
Remembering auditory sensations
Hear
Emphasizing the importance of the sound
Hear
Reiterating the auditory memory
Hear
Continuing to focus on the sound
Somebody call out my name (John)
Recalling a specific event in the memory
As it started to rain
Adding another sensory detail to the memory
Two spirits dancing so strange
Observing a peculiar event in the memory
Ah! Bowakawa, pousse pousse
Expressing the unique quality of the dance
Ah! Bowakawa, pousse pousse
Repeating the phrase for emphasis
Dream, dream away
Encouraging the listener to escape with their memories
Magic in the air
Suggesting a mystical quality to the memory
Was magic in the air?
Asking if the listener also felt the magic
I believe, yes I believe
Affirming the power of the memory
More I cannot say
Acknowledging the limitations of words to describe the memory
What more can I say?
Rhetorically questioning the inadequacy of words
On a river of sound
Metaphorically describing the sensation of the memory
Through the mirror go round, round
Adding to the metaphorical description of the memory
I thought I could feel
Recollecting haptic sensations in the memory
Feel
Emphasizing the significance of the tactile memory
Feel
Continuing the focus on the touch sensation
Feel
Reiterating the importance of the tactile memory
Music touching my soul
Depicting the profound impact of the memory
Something warm, sudden cold
Infusing the memory with contrasting emotions
The spirit dance was unfolding
Revisiting the peculiar dance observed earlier
Ah! Bowakawa, pousse pousse
Evoking the memory of the unique dance once again
Ah! Bowakawa, pousse pousse
Repeating the phrase for emphasis
Ah! Bowakawa, pousse pousse
Continuing to evoke the strange dance
Ah! Bowakawa, pousse pousse
Repeating the phrase for emphasis
Ah! Bowakawa, pousse pousse
Continuing to evoke the dance
Ah! Bowakawa, pousse pousse
Repeating the phrase for emphasis
Ah! Bowakawa, pousse pousse
Continuing to evoke the dance
Ah! Bowakawa, pousse pousse
Repeating the phrase for emphasis
Ah! Bowakawa, pousse pousse
Continuing to evoke the dance
Ah! Bowakawa, pousse pousse
Repeating the phrase for emphasis
Ah! Bowakawa, pousse pousse
Continuing to evoke the dance
Ah! Bowakawa, pousse pousse
Finishing with the final repetition of the dance phrase
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: John Winston Lennon
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@aryashah4131
Man.. I wasn't even born when the Beatles were hitting the charts , not when they broke , not when Lennon and Harrison died .. Somehow I feel the deep connection between these Fab four and my soul..
And gradually speaking I've listened so many Beatles early recorded song (Quarrymen) but this Dream song had different alterations in my heart and soul , For the first time I felt John Lennon is dead while listening the song.. and for the first time I've cried while listening the song
What he has given to me I can't repay in any Form
Everyday he helped me
I cherished every moment 💞.
Love you John and will always do..
@tonybusen
One of the most beautiful songs ever written.
@chrispolo840
Hey you might like a band called The Doublejumps if you like this dreamy style of music
@adamdorgant9454
Agreed!!!!
@patpol6244
This song is just his gift to human kind. I am having a panic attack . This is calming me down. I never met you, but I love you just the same John Lennon.
@lellul760
I love John Lennon very much, too.
@elizabethmcleod246
It’s such a soothing song. It calms me to Pat.
@craigeverett6199
Ditto
@lisaparsons4124
Love John Lennon awesome singer and song writer
@dethyl
breathe my friend <3
@bobdrollinger7830
John's finest solo work in my humble opinion! Too bad many young people wont ever hear this one!