Young also records under the names Sky Sailing, Port Blue, Color Therapy, Insect Airport, Seagull Orchestra and his own name, Adam Young.
Young started out making music in 2007 in his basement in his hometown of Owatonna, Minnesota, United States, later developing a following through his MySpace profile before being signed to Universal Republic. Young has released seven albums under the Owl City moniker: "Maybe I'm Dreaming" (2008), "Ocean Eyes" (2009), "All Things Bright and Beautiful" (2011), "The Midsummer Station" (2012), "Mobile Orchestra" (2015), "Cinematic" (2018), and "Coco Moon" (2023). Young's 2009 single "Fireflies" reached #1 in the United States, United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia and The Netherlands. His second major hit, 2012's "Good Time" featuring Carly Rae Jepsen reached #8 in the US and #1 in New Zealand.
He was also once a member of Windsor Airlift and Swimming with Dolphins, both of which he is no longer involved with.
Lonely Lullaby
Owl City Lyrics
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Sing to me and sooth the ring in my ears,
Overcast these gloomy nights wear on,
But I'm holding fast because it's darkest just before the dawn.
I sang my princess fast asleep,
'Cause she was my dream come true,
Oh Annmarie, believe me, I loved you.
But now those lonely lullabies,
Just dampen my tired eyes,
Because I can't forget you.
Because I can't forget you.
I'll dissolve when the rain pours in,
When the nightmares take me,
I will scream with the howling wind,
'Cause it's a bitter world and I'd rather dream.
Dizzy love turned a star lily pink,
And hung above our lids too flushed to blink,
But icy blue froze the fairytale cold,
Though I treasured you and you sparkled with someone to hold.
I sang my princess fast asleep,
'Cause she was my dream come true,
Oh Annmarie, believe me, I loved you.
But now those lonely lullabies,
Just dampen my tired eyes,
Because I can't forget you.
Because I can't forget you.
I'll dissolve when the rain pours in,
When the nightmares take me,
I will scream with the howling wind,
'Cause it's a bitter world and I'd rather dream.
I'll dissolve when the rain pours in,
When the nightmares take me,
I will scream with the howling wind,
'Cause it's a bitter world and I'd rather dream.
And I'd rather dream.
Annmarie, I'll never forget you.
Annmarie, I'll never forget you.
Annmarie, remember me?
I'll never forget you.
Annmarie, remember me?
I'll never forget you.
Annmarie, remember me?
I'll never forget you.
The first verse of "Lonely Lullaby" by Owl City introduces the theme of the song. The singer begs for some form of relief from the constant ringing in his ears, asking the "symphony of silver tears" to sing him a lullaby to soothe the pain. The gloomy nights wear on, but he continues to hold steadfast, his hope lingering despite the darkest hour being just before the dawn. He then reminisces on his once-happy relationship with Annmarie, his "princess" who he sang fast asleep because she was his dream come true. But these memories now only serve to "dampen" his eyes and remind him of the love he has lost.
The second verse of the song paints a picture of a happier time when the singer still shared his life with Annmarie. The emotions of their love are compared to a star lily that turned pink with the dizzying sensation of being in love. But soon, the cold of reality set in and their relationship was frozen in the ice-blue of a fairytale gone wrong. As the song concludes, the singer continues to speak directly to Annmarie, begging her to remember him as he will never forget her. His reality is "a bitter world" but he would rather dream of the happiness of their past than live in the pain of his present.
Line by Line Meaning
Symphony of silver tears,
The beautiful sound of crying tears resembles a symphony to me
Sing to me and sooth the ring in my ears,
Sing to me to provide comfort since I hear a constant ringing in my ears
Overcast these gloomy nights wear on,
The cloudy and dark nights seem to never end and it affects me
But I'm holding fast because it's darkest just before the dawn.
I remain strong because I know things will get better soon
I sang my princess fast asleep,
I sang my love to sleep because she was precious to me
'Cause she was my dream come true,
She was everything I could have hoped for and more
Oh Annmarie, believe me, I loved you.
I want Annmarie to know that my love for her was genuine
But now those lonely lullabies,
The songs I used to sing to her now only make me feel more alone
Just dampen my tired eyes,
Those songs now make me cry myself to sleep
Because I can't forget you.
My love for Annmarie is still strong and I can't let go
I'll dissolve when the rain pours in,
I will become one with the rain as I feel helpless and vulnerable
When the nightmares take me,
My fears and anxieties will overwhelm me and I will be trapped in a bad dream
I will scream with the howling wind,
I will express my pain and sorrow to the world
'Cause it's a bitter world and I'd rather dream.
Reality is too painful so I prefer to escape and dream
Dizzy love turned a star lily pink,
Our love was so intense that it made the star lily flower turn pink in our eyes
And hung above our lids too flushed to blink,
We were so in love that our eyelids were heavy and we couldn't look away
But icy blue froze the fairytale cold,
Our love story ended suddenly and painfully
Though I treasured you and you sparkled with someone to hold.
Even though our love ended, I will always treasure the beautiful moments we had together
Annmarie, I'll never forget you.
I want Annmarie to know that she will always have a place in my heart
Annmarie, remember me?
I hope Annmarie never forgets the love we shared
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ADAM R. YOUNG
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind