Pieces of a Dream first started playing throughout the Tri-State area, and were soon featured on Temple University’s pioneering jazz radio station, WRTI-FM. Long before the “Young Lions” era of Wynton Marsalis, Lloyd and Harmon were swinging so hard as teenagers that the great Count Basie once proclaimed them “a tough act to follow.” But it was another jazz legend, the late Grover Washington Jr., the sax man who made Philadelphia his home, who helped Pieces of a Dream become the internationally known stars they are today.
After quickly becoming popular around Philadelphia, the trio landed a spot as the house band for a local television show called City Lights. Their experience widened as they played backup on the broadcasts to a wide variety of artists, and that’s where Washington first heard them. One day while the teenagers were playing at the Bijou (where Grover had recorded his Live at the Bijou album), he sat in with them to play “Mr. Magic.” Soon Washington announced that he was starting a production company and that Pieces of a Dream would be his first act. Lloyd was only a senior in high school when his first record came out.
From 1981 to 1984, Pieces of a Dream built their reputation with three albums on Elektra that would come to define the musical essence of the smooth jazz radio explosion: Pieces of a Dream, We Are One and Imagine This. Those seminal records yielded some of their earliest hits, including “Warm Weather,” “Mount Airy Groove” and “Fo Fi Fo.” Soon after completing Joyride, their last effort for Elektra, Pieces of a Dream moved to EMI/Blue Note and went on to record seven more albums. During this period, the group amicably parted ways with long time friend Cedric Napoleon.
In 2001, Pieces of a Dream signed with Heads Up International and celebrated their 25th anniversary with what was undoubtedly their best album in years, Acquainted with the Night. The group’s silver anniversary release featured guitarist Ronny Jordan, vocalist Maysa Leak, and saxophonists Gerald Albright and Kenny Blake. Highlights included compositions from Albright and Michael Bearden, along with remakes of “Mahogany” and “Upside Down.” Acquainted with the Night generated two top-five singles on R&R's NAC chart. The follow up album Love's Silhouette also scored top radio chart positioning and Billboard Contemporary Jazz Chart top 10 status. Their April 2004 release, No Assembly Required, is sure to be another hit album in their long and illustrious career.
One of their former singers Norwood Young is now a cast member on the E! Cable channel's TV show High Maintenance 90210.
Addition - May 9,2009
Formed: 1975 in Philadelphia, PA
Styles: Crossover Jazz, Urban, Smooth Jazz
Group Members: Curtis Harmon, Ron Kerber, James K. Lloyd, Cedric A. Napoleon
Biography
Comprised of bassist Cedric Napoleon, drummer Curtis Harmon, and keyboardist James Lloyd, Pieces of a Dream were founded in 1975 in Philadelphia when the principal members were all teenagers. Originally somewhat jazz-oriented, Pieces of a Dream have mostly emphasized R&B, although they usually include a few jazz numbers in their performances. Grover Washington, Jr. produced their first three albums (all for Elektra during 1981-1983); they have since recorded for Manhattan and Blue Note. Saxophonist Ron Kerber became a member in the 1990s, preceding the four varied releases that appeared throughout the decade. A collection appeared at the turn of the century, but the band proved to still be going strong with 2001's Acquainted with the Night and 2002's Love's Silhouette. No Assembly Required was released in 2004 on Cleveland's Heads Up label, followed by 2006's Pillow Talk, also on Heads Up. ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide
Winning Streak
Pieces Of A Dream Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
An angel with a shotgun, shotgun, shotgun.)
Get out your guns, battle's begun.
Are you a saint or a sinner?
If love′s a fight then I shall die
With my heart on a trigger.
You better know what you're fighting for.
Well, baby, you are all that I adore.
If love is what you need, a soldier I will be.
I'm an angel with a shotgun,
Fighting ′til the war′s won,
I don't care if heaven won′t take me back.
I'll throw away my faith, babe, just to keep you safe.
Don′t you know you're everything I have?
And I wanna live, not just survive tonight.
Sometimes to win, you′ve got to sin.
Don't mean I'm not a believer.
And major Tom will sing along.
Yeah, they still say I′m a dreamer.
They say before you start a war,
You better know what you′re fighting for.
Well, baby, you are all that I adore.
If love is what you need, a soldier I will be.
I'm an angel with a shotgun,
Fighting ′til the war's won,
I don′t care if heaven won't take me back.
I′ll throw away my faith, babe, just to keep you safe.
Don't you know you're everything I have?
And I wanna live, not just survive tonight.
Oh, oh whoa whoa oh whoa
I′m an angel with a shotgun.
Fighting ′til the war's won.
I don′t care if heaven won't take me back.
I′m an angel with a shotgun,
Fighting 'til the war′s won,
I don't care if heaven won't take me back.
I′ll throw away my faith, babe, just to keep you safe.
Don′t you know you're everything I have?
(I′m an angel with a shotgun)
And I want to live, not just survive
(Live, not just survive)
And I'm gonna hide, hide, hide my wings tonight.
They say before you start a war,
You better know what you′re fighting for.
Well, baby, you are all that I adore.
If love is what you need, a soldier I will be.
The lyrics to Pieces Of A Dream's song, Winning Streak, revolve around the idea of fighting for love and the lengths one is willing to go to keep their loved one safe. The opening line, "I’m an angel with a shotgun," suggests that the singer is willing to fight for and protect their loved one by any means necessary. The repeated phrase "Fighting 'til the war's won" emphasizes the determination of the singer in his pursuit of love.
The second verse, "Sometimes to win, you've got to sin," suggests that the singer is willing to break the rules in order to achieve his goal. However, this doesn't necessarily mean that he is not a believer or that he is a bad person, as he is still willing to fight for his loved one and risk everything he has, including his faith, to do so.
Overall, the song is a powerful anthem about the strength of love and the lengths people will go to protect it. It is a passionate and emotive piece that explores the idea that sometimes you have to do what it takes to win, even if it goes against everything you believe in.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm an angel with a shotgun, shotgun, shotgun,
I am a warrior who will protect you at all cost.
Get out your guns, battle's begun.
Prepare yourself to fight for what you love.
Are you a saint or a sinner?
What side are you on in this battle?
If love's a fight then I shall die, with my heart on a trigger.
I am willing to fight for love, even if it means putting my life on the line.
They say before you start a war, you better know what you're fighting for.
It's important to know the reason behind why you are fighting.
Well, baby, you are all that I adore.
You are the reason why I am fighting.
If love is what you need, a soldier I will be.
I am willing to be a soldier for love.
I'm an angel with a shotgun, fighting 'til the war's won, I don't care if heaven won't take me back.
I am a warrior who will fight to the end, even if it means going against what is expected of me.
I'll throw away my faith, babe, just to keep you safe.
I am willing to give up everything I believe in to protect you.
And I wanna live, not just survive tonight.
I want to keep fighting to live, not merely survive for another day.
Sometimes to win, you've got to sin.
To reach your victory, you might have to do something unethical.
Don't mean I'm not a believer.
Just because I might break rules doesn't mean I don't have faith.
And major Tom will sing along.
Even those who may not understand my motives will still support me.
Yeah, they still say I'm a dreamer.
Despite what they say, I will continue to fight for love.
And I'm gonna hide, hide, hide my wings tonight.
I will not reveal who I truly am, but I will still fight for what I believe in.
Writer(s): Garry Dewayne Glenn
Contributed by Nora V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.