Near its inception, Sleeping At Last's amateur debut album, Capture, was noticed by Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan, who helped expose the music to the major-label world. Soon after, the band signed to Interscope Records and released 2003's Ghosts , their first official full-length album. Two independently-released full-length records followed: 2006's Keep No Score and 2009's Storyboards . In between the writing and recording of albums, the band has established a reputation for a pitch-perfect live show, successfully headlining several U.S. tours and sharing the stage with such artists as Switchfoot, Yellowcard, Something Corporate, Billy Corgan's Zwan, Alanis Morrisette, Lifehouse, and Phantom Planet, just to name a few. The creative process has always been protected, as the band self-produced each record, working with respected mixers such as John Goodmanson and Alan Moulder.
After the departure of drummer Chad O'Neal in 2011, the remaining duo embarked on the ambitious Yearbook project, in which O'Neal and Perdue released three songs on the first of every month in individual EPs. After its completion, all EPs were compiled into an LP and published independently. However, upon the final release of the Yearbook series, Perdue stepped down from the duo, leaving Ryan O'Neal a solo artist under the group's pre-existing moniker.
On December 10, 2012, O'Neal announced his largest project to date: the Atlas series, a three-part project approaching the themes of the origins of the universe and human development. Similar to 2011's Yearbook compilation, each set of new songs would be released as individual EPs until each part's completion, at which time the compilation of songs would be released as an LP. Up to now, 2014's Atlas I and 2019's Atlas II remain as stellar examples of O'Neal's accomplishments as a solo independent artist. Production on Atlas III is in progress, and its first two songs, "Overture III" and "Awake" have been released as singles.
Besides the Atlas series, O'Neal has kept busy with other projects, including three albums of covers commissioned by ABC's "Grey's Anatomy", in which Sleeping At Last has appeared a whopping 77 times. Sleeping At Last also produced the scores for the documentaries Many Beautiful Things (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) and charity:water's The Spring (Original Score). Finally, O'Neal has released multiple singles surrounding significant astronomical events, published as a compilation in 2020 under the title of Astronomy, Vol. 1.
Sleeping At Last has long been a beacon shining brightly on behalf of independent artists. In the ever-changing climate of the music industry, the quest for a successful independent career seems evermore difficult to attain. From his new home in L.A., O'Neal pursues this challenge relentlessly through his commitment to musical integrity in his songwriting, and in this way nurtures a unique and personal relationship with his listeners. He has remained true to the things that brought him to music in the first place: his love of melody and the power of words. His music and lyrics emerge from a place that is honest, raw, and spiritual: Says Ryan, "Our faith is a big part of who we are, but we have always intended our music to be for anyone that cares to listen, no matter who they are or what they believe in. Everyone hears a song in a different light."
In keeping with this, Ryan's lyrics ask every important question that occurs. While he promises no fast, sure answers, he somehow always offers hope as the consistent, overarching theme.
Rainbow Connection
Sleeping at Last Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And whats on the other side?
Rainbows are visions, but only illusions.
And rainbows have nothing to hide.
So we've been told and some choose to believe it.
I know theyre wrong, wait and see.
Someday we'll find it, the rainbow connection, the lovers, the dreamers, and me
Who said that every wish, would be heard and answered, and wished on the morning star?
Somebody thought of it, and someone believed it. And look what its done so far.
What's so amazing that keeps us stargazing?
What do we think we might see?
Someday we'll find it, the rainbow connection. The lovers, the dreamers, and me.
All of us, under its spell. We know that its probably magic.
Have you been half-asleep, and have you heard voices?
I've heard them calling my name.
Is this the sweet sound, to call the young sailors?
The voice might be one and the same.
I've heard it too many times to ignore it.
Its something that I'm s'posed to be...
Someday we'll find it the rainbow connection, the lovers, the dreamers, and me.
The opening lines of Sleeping at Last’s “Rainbow Connection” pose a question that we have all asked ourselves at one point, why are there so many songs about rainbows? We’re immediately drawn into a world of illusion and wonder as the lyrics suggest that rainbows themselves are mere visions, an idea that is contradicted by the line “but rainbows have nothing to hide.”
The song is an attempt to capture the magic of childhood, a time when anything was possible and dreams seemed attainable. The line “Who said that every wish, would be heard and answered, and wished on the morning star?” seems to be a reference to the innocent belief that many of us held growing up. It’s a reminder of a time when imagination was enough to make anything seem possible, and there was no limit to what we could achieve.
As the song progresses, it becomes clear that the rainbow connection is both a metaphor for the wonder of the world around us and a literal search for something magical that we can all connect to. The song speaks to our desire to find a deeper meaning in the universe around us, a desire that persists even after childhood has ended.
Line by Line Meaning
Why are there so many, songs about rainbow?
Why do people often sing about the rainbow?
And whats on the other side?
What lies beyond the other end of the rainbow?
Rainbows are visions, but only illusions.
Rainbows are only illusions, even though they seem like visions of beauty.
And rainbows have nothing to hide.
Rainbows have nothing to conceal from us.
So we've been told and some choose to believe it.
Many people have heard this and some believe it to be true.
I know theyre wrong, wait and see.
But I know that they are mistaken and time will prove it.
Someday we'll find it, the rainbow connection, the lovers, the dreamers, and me.
One day, I believe that we will find the rainbow connection - a bond that unites lovers and dreamers alike.
Who said that every wish, would be heard and answered, and wished on the morning star?
Who came up with the notion that every wish would be granted by wishing on a star?
Somebody thought of it, and someone believed it. And look what its done so far.
Someone came up with the idea and someone else believed it, and the practice has persisted.
What's so amazing that keeps us stargazing?
What is it about looking up at the stars that captivates us?
What do we think we might see?
What are we hoping to find or discover through stargazing?
All of us, under its spell. We know that its probably magic.
We are all spellbound by the stars and know that there must be something magical about them.
Have you been half-asleep, and have you heard voices?
Have you ever been half-awake and heard unexplainable sounds or voices?
I've heard them calling my name.
I have heard mysterious noises that seemed to be calling me.
Is this the sweet sound, to call the young sailors?
Could this be the charming melody that beckons to young sailors?
The voice might be one and the same.
Perhaps these sounds are all coming from the same source.
I've heard it too many times to ignore it.
I have heard it too many times to dismiss it as mere coincidence or imagination.
Its something that I'm s'posed to be...
It is something that I feel drawn or called to...
Someday we'll find it the rainbow connection, the lovers, the dreamers, and me.
One day, all of us - lovers and dreamers - will discover the magical connection that binds us together.
Contributed by Nathaniel C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.