Her album "In My Dreams" is a stunningly accomplished and exciting follow-up to her 2012 much-decorated and universally-acclaimed self-titled debut. Released on New Scotland Records/Pheromone Recordings on September 30, 2014, In My Dreams showcased an artist who has grown in every facet of her craft - as a singer, songwriter, guitarist and performer. The record made 2014 best of lists and won a 2015 ECMA for Pop Recording of the Year. In My Dreams was released in the UK, Ireland, and Germany in the fall of 2015.
The album reunites Kenney with her key creative collaborator and musical mentor, Joel Plaskett. The East Coast rock icon produced, played on, and co-wrote some of the material on her first record, and the two were clearly on the same page in terms of a sonic mandate for In My Dreams. "I knew it would be more of a production in terms of using a band," says Kenney. "I'm playing a lot more with a band live now, so I wasn't afraid to go in that direction and make it less acoustic-based."
Even though there's a full band sound to some of the material on In My Dreams, most of the instrumentation came from Kenney and Plaskett themselves, Kenney explains. "Joel did all the drums and bass and he played some of the organ. I did all the electric guitars [Kenney's ability to shred sets her apart from folkier peers] and I played some Wurlitzer and Rhodes."
The album was recorded in Plaskett's previous more basic space, and Kenney loved working in his new facility, New Scotland Yard, in Dartmouth, NS. "He has a super hi-fidelity Neve board now, so the difference in the sound quality in the studio was really noticeable," she says. "It has plenty of analog equipment, and I love the sound of tape."
This recording method and the prominent use of vintage keyboards has paid real dividends in the warm and rich sound of In My Dreams, one that remains built around Kenney's emotionally eloquent voice. Listen to “Untouchable" (featuring a powerhouse vocal performance Neko Case or Adele would be happy to claim) and "Mountains to the Mess" and you won't dare to disagree. The rich harmonies on the record are all Kenney's own, and they add a real resonance to such other tunes as "Field Song" and "Pretty Things."
An early version of "I Faked It" was written by Kenney, Gordie Sampson and Willie Stratton at Sampson's renowned songwriting retreat, The Gordie Sampson Songcamp, and a revised version (featuring input from Plaskett) is the sizzling first cut on In My Dreams. Three other Plaskett-Kenney co-writes ("Untouchable," "Take Me Outside," and "In My Dreams") nestle neatly alongside five solo Kenney compositions and one cover, and the first single, "Telephones." That latter song was originally written and recorded by East Coast rockers Mardeen for their 2008 album Read Less Minds. "I fell in love with it immediately," Kenney says. "I loved the melody and the catchy chorus."
In My Dreams takes the listener on a memorable emotional rollercoaster ride. The journey ends on an up note with "Dancing": "you're the sweetest dream cos' I don't have to sleep." Sweet dreams are indeed made of this enchanting record.
Déjà Vu
Mo Kenney Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Better not stare too long
It'll burn bright, into the night
Are we ever gonna get along?
Calling me baby, you must be crazy
Walking in and out of my door
Oh my, my, is that a tear in your eye?
Is it ever gonna hit the floor?
Oh baby I'm bored
Have we been here before?
It could be déjà vu
But I'm finished with you
Gonna take my bad luck
Turn it into good luck
Gonna take your heart
And turn it into something nice
Gonna take a train wreck
Bounce it like a bad cheque
Send you on your way
And I won't think about it twice
I won't think twice for the boys
Once for the girls
Underneath the big blue sky
Let's not pretend
It's the end of the world
It's the end of a little white lie
(A little white lie)
Lie to me baby, you must be crazy
Walking in and out of my door
(In and outta my door)
You're gonna fly with a tear in your eye
Is it ever gonna hit the floor?
Oh baby I'm bored
Have we been here before?
It could be déjà vu
But I'm finished with you
Gonna take my bad luck
Turn it into good luck
Gonna take your heart
And turn it into something nice
Gonna take a train wreck
Bounce it like a bad cheque
Send you on your way
And I won't think about it twice
Gonna take my bad luck
(Turn it into good luck)
Gonna tell you now
I can't take it anymore
Fire in the sky
(A little white lie)
I open my eyes, and baby I'm sure
(We have been here before)
It could be déjà vu
(Now I'm finished with you)
We're through
Gonna take my bad luck
Turn it into good luck
Gonna take your heart
And turn it into something nice
Gonna take a train wreck
Bounce it like a bad cheque
Send you on your way
And I won't think about it twice
No I won't think twice
In "Déjà Vu," Mo Kenney sings about a tumultuous relationship with a partner who keeps coming in and out of her life. The opening lines "Fire in the sky, that's not the sun, better not stare too long, it'll burn bright, into the night" could symbolize the intensity and passion of their relationship, but also a warning to not get consumed by it. Kenney questions whether they will ever get along, and wonders if they have experienced this before. She takes control of the situation, declaring that she's finished with her partner and taking her bad luck and turning it into good luck.
The repetition of the chorus, "Gonna take my bad luck, turn it into good luck, gonna take your heart, and turn it into something nice, gonna take a train wreck, bounce it like a bad cheque, send you on your way and I won't think about it twice" shows that Kenney has learned from this relationship and is moving on. She won't look back or second-guess her decision to leave.
Line by Line Meaning
Fire in the sky, that's not the sun
Something's wrong, and we both recognize it
Better not stare too long
We know this is bad, but we can't seem to look away
It'll burn bright, into the night
The issue won't go away, even when it's dark and we can't see it
Are we ever gonna get along?
We keep clashing, and it doesn't seem like it's going to stop
Calling me baby, you must be crazy
You're using endearments, but that doesn't change the situation
Walking in and out of my door
You keep coming and going, but we aren't making any real progress
Oh my, my, is that a tear in your eye?
We both know how this is going to end, and it's not a happy ending
Is it ever gonna hit the floor?
We're both waiting for the inevitable, but it's not happening yet
Oh baby I'm bored
We've been through this before, and I'm tired of it
Have we been here before?
This feels very familiar and not in a good way
It could be déjà vu
This situation feels like a repeat of a past event
But I'm finished with you
I'm done with this cycle, and I'm ready to move on
Gonna take my bad luck
I'm going to take my misfortunes and turn them around
Turn it into good luck
I'm going to use my hardships to my advantage
Gonna take your heart
I'm going to take your emotional attachment
And turn it into something nice
And make it into something beautiful
Gonna take a train wreck
I'm going to take this disaster
Bounce it like a bad cheque
And make it go away, like a bad check that bounces back
Send you on your way
I'm going to send you away from me
And I won't think about it twice
I'm not going to second guess my decision to leave this behind
Once for the girls
This isn't just about us, it's about all of us
Underneath the big blue sky
In the grand scheme of things, none of this really matters
Let's not pretend
We don't need to fake our way through this
It's the end of the world
This isn't the apocalypse, and life will go on
It's the end of a little white lie
Finally, we're putting an end to our false narrative
Lie to me baby, you must be crazy
Don't try to keep up the charade, it's pointless
You're gonna fly with a tear in your eye
You're going to leave, but not without sadness
Now I'm finished with you
This is the end, and we're both moving on
Gonna tell you now
I'm going to make it clear
I can't take it anymore
I'm at my limit, and I need to make a change
I open my eyes, and baby I'm sure
I'm seeing things clearly now, and I know what I have to do
We're through
This is the end of our relationship
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Mo Kenney
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Kaylie McGraw
Love this song. Love these two. Love being Nova Scotian.
Jeremy Boudreau
Great Voice ! Love this song..
Ryan Marshall
Heard this on CBC radio the other day when I was really stoned, loved it but didn't know who it was. Stumbled upon it today when watching some matt mays videos... what a find!
blondemonalisa
Caught a show in Alberta two weeks ago where she opened for Joel. Gained a fan :) Love this tune!
Diane Ridaeus
LOVE LOVE LOVE this artist.
Christine Latter
SO GOOD!!!
Hollie Green
Beautiful girl , Beautiful voice .
Venture with Vanessa
shes an icon
Zach Young
Is this album on Itunes?
Drew Ryan
hey i lov this song i live 5 min from where u worked before nice god singing <3 have fun singing go us canandians !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11