The song Crosses, from Crosses EP and the later Veneer, appeared on the finale of the second season of the popular American television comedy-drama The O.C.. His cover of Heartbeats (also from Veneer) was used in a popular Sony BRAVIA TV commercial featuring coloured bouncing balls in San Francisco and an episode of Zach Braff's Scrubs
His song Far Away was also prominently featured in the Rockstar video game Red Dead Redemption.
His trademark sound is solo acoustic guitar with soft melody. His work, although mostly original, does include acoustic covers of great hits such as Love Will Tear Us Apart, Born in the U.S.A., and Teardrop.
González also appears in the Zero 7 album The Garden, in which he sings on three tracks and on a re-worked version of Crosses.
#9 Dream
José González Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Was it in a dream, was it just a dream?
I know, yes I know
Seemed so very real, it seemed so real to me
Took a walk down the street
Thru the heat whispered trees
I thought I could hear (hear, hear, hear)
Two spirits dancing so strange
Ah! b'wakawa pouss?, pouss?
Ah! b'wakawa pouss?, pouss?
Ah! b'wakawa pouss?, pouss?
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
Thru 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! b'wakawa pouss?, pouss?
Ah! b'wakawa pouss?, pouss?
Ah! b'wakawa pouss?, pouss?
Ah! b'wakawa pouss?, pouss?
Ah! b'wakawa pouss?, pouss?
Ah! b'wakawa pouss?, pouss?
Ah! b'wakawa pouss?, pouss?
Ah! b'wakawa pouss?, pouss?
Ah! b'wakawa pouss?, pouss?
Ah! b'wakawa pouss?, pouss?
Ah! b'wakawa pouss?, pouss?
Jose Gonzalez’s song ‘#9 Dream’ is a song that speaks directly to the power of dreams and its ability to transcend our physical reality. The song begins with the phrase “So long ago, was it in a dream? Was it just a dream?” It sets the tone for the rest of the song, questioning whether the events or memories are actually real, or if they are just a figment of the singer’s imagination. The dream in the song seems so very real to the singer, he seems to have been walking down the street through the heat-whispered trees and can hear someone calling out his name as it starts to rain. He goes on to describe two spirits dancing so strangely, possibly representing the conflict between his conscious and subconscious.
The lyrics in the song are accompanied by a unique melody, and the chorus features the line “Ah! b’wakawa poussé, poussé”. It is a nonsensical phrase inspired by John Lennon, who put the same phrase into his song “Nobody Told Me”. It is meant to add to the dreamlike quality of the song, almost like a chant or mantra.
Overall, the song speaks to the idea that dreams can feel just as real as waking life, and that the feelings and emotions experienced in dreams can be just as powerful as the ones experienced in real life. It’s a reminder of the complexity of our minds and how they can shape our experience of the world.
Line by Line Meaning
So long ago
The memory that comes back to me seems to be from a long time ago
Was it in a dream, was it just a dream?
I question whether the memory I have is something I actually experienced in the real world or if it was just a dream.
I know, yes I know
Even though I'm not completely sure if the memory was real or a dream, I feel confident that it did happen.
Seemed so very real, it seemed so real to me
The memory felt extremely vivid and lifelike, almost as if it was a real experience.
Took a walk down the street
I went for a walk outside.
Thru the heat whispered trees
I walked through a wooded area during a hot day when the wind was barely strong enough to rustle the trees.
I thought I could hear (hear, hear, hear)
It seemed like I was hearing something, or perhaps someone calling out to me.
Somebody call out my name as it started to rain
As it began to rain, it sounded like someone was calling my name
Two spirits dancing so strange
I saw two otherworldly spirits dancing in a bizarre and unusual way
Ah! b'wakawa pouss?, pouss?
The strange, otherworldly spirits danced, making unidentifiable sounds like 'Ah! b'wakawa pouss?, pouss?'
Dream, dream away
I shift my attention back to the memory I was having, encouraging it to continue as if it were a dream.
Magic in the air, was magic in the air?
The memory was accompanied by a feeling of magic or enchantment that still lingers with me.
I believe, yes I believe
I believe that there was something truly magical happening during the memory.
More I cannot say, what more can I say?
I feel like I've said everything I could about the memory, but there's still an unexplainable feeling that comes along with it.
On a river of sound
I felt as though I was riding a musical river or wave.
Thru the mirror go round, round
As the river of sound flowed, it was reflected back to me in a way that caused everything to go round and round in circles.
I thought I could feel (feel, feel, feel)
During the experience, I genuinely felt like the music was touching me on some kind of deeper, fundamental level
Music touching my soul, something warm, sudden cold
The music was almost a spiritual experience for me, both warming and cooling my soul as I listened.
The spirit dance was unfolding
As all of these experiences were happening to me, I felt like I was watching a great, magical performance by some sort of spirit.
Ah! b'wakawa pouss?, pouss?
As the spiritual dance happened, it was accompanied by a strange, hard-to-explain sound like 'Ah! b'wakawa pouss?, pouss?'
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: John Winston Lennon
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind