The band was formed in 1991, when Chris Murphy and Andrew Scott met at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design (NSCAD) in Halifax. Patrick Pentland and Jay Ferguson joined soon after. In 1992, the band created their own record label, called Murderecords, for themselves and other Halifax area bands, and the outfit released the 'Peppermint EP' (the release also known as just 'Peppermint').
According to Sloan's official website, the band's name refers to a friend's nickname. Their friend, Jason Larsen, was called 'Slow One' by his French-speaking boss, which with the French accent sounded more like 'Sloan'. The original agreement was that they could name the band after their friend's nickname as long as he was on the cover of their first album. As a result, it is Larsen who appears on the cover of the 'Peppermint EP'.
Later in 1992, Sloan released their full-length debut, titled 'Smeared', on Geffen Records. Like many indie rock groups before them, the band found that major label dealings were basically as much trouble as they were worth. In 1994, Geffen did not promote their second album, called 'Twice Removed', due to artistic disputes, although it sold well in Canada. Spin named the album one of the "Best Albums You Didn't Hear" in 1994. A 1996 reader poll by Canadian music magazine Chart! ranked it as the best Canadian album of all time only two years after its release. The same poll in 2000 ranked the album third, behind Joni Mitchell's 'Blue' and Neil Young's 'Harvest', while the 2005 poll once again ranked the album first.
After the release of Twice Removed, the band went on hiatus and were rumoured to have broken up, as they had rejected Geffen's offer for their next album. In 1996, however, they released the widely praised One Chord to Another on their own Murderecords label. Following 1998's Navy Blues album, Sloan released their first live album 4 Nights at the Palais Royale in 1999. Those albums were followed by Between the Bridges in 1999, and Pretty Together in 2001.
Sloan made a concerted effort to break into the US market on their 2003 release Action Pact. Songs were recorded in L.A. with Tom Rothrock producing. The glossier, radio-ready sound failed to raise Sloan's profile in the US, though they continued to be highly popular in Canada.
Sloan's first compilation album A Sides Win: Singles 1992-2005, included two new songs, "All Used Up" and "Try to Make It". The Japanese release included two additional new tracks.
Now signed to Yep Roc Records for their US releases, they put out their eighth disc, Never Hear the End of It in 2006. The album contained 30 tracks with all the members of the band contributing new songs. It was met with widespread critical acclaim and became the highest charting Sloan album in the US up to that point.
In 2008, Sloan followed up their longest album with their shortest release Parallel Play.
In November 2009 Sloan added a digital music store to their website. The band released an online-only EP called Hit & Run to promote the store. The EP featured two songs by Chris Murphy, and one by each of the other band members. Murphy's Take It Upon Yourself was released as a free single. In February 2010, the band released another online exclusive, the compilation album B-Sides Win: Extras, Bonus Tracks and B-Sides 1992 - 2008.
In 2013, the band revealed plans for a double album, with each of the four sides featuring a solo suite by a different band member. In May 2014, it was announced that the new album would be titled "Commonwealth" and would be released in September 2014. On July 14, 2014, the band announced the official release date for the album (September 9, which turned out to be accurate) and the release of the album's first single, "Keep Swinging (Downtown)". The album cover portrays the band members as four-of-a-kind kings. The suits of these playing cards correspond to the titles of their solo sides: Jay Ferguson's side is called Diamond, Chris Murphy's is Heart, Patrick Pentland's is Shamrock, and Andrew Scott's is Spade.
Dreaming of You
Sloan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You, I wish I knew you better
Then again I can wait 'till next September
Slowly buying time
These conditions make me restless
Then again I admit that this will test us
'cause everywhere now
I wonder if a year or two will matter because I'm...
Dreaming of you, all day
Hardly seems appropriate
Just drifting through, all day
No one seems to notice it
You, I dreamt the seven towers
Were slowly falling down
And in the last remaining hours
Still everywhere now
I could see the number one followed by the nine
Just this once I think that I might cast the rules aside
Dreaming of you, all day
Hardly seems appropriate
Just drifting through, all day
No one seems to notice it
Everyone's behind us
We don't dare lead the blindest
Still the promise of the victory
Eliminates stakes against me
Dreaming of you, all day
Hardly seems appropriate
Just drifting through, all day
No one seems to notice it
You, I wish I knew you better
The song, "Dreaming of You" by Sloan, presents a tale of longing and anticipation. The singer sings about a person they wish they knew better but also acknowledges that waiting can be better than rushing things. They identify the passing of time as making them impatient, but they accept that it may also test them. The impending arrival of September, which could represent the ending of summer or the beginning of a new school year, brings about anxiety, and the singer finds themselves surrounded by the number 19, which could represent deadlines or impending changes.
The chorus references the singer's continual dreaming about this person, and how they feel that it may not be appropriate to do so all day, yet no one seems to notice their distraction. The second verse presents a dream where the seven towers fall, and the singer can still see the number 19. In this dream, the singer breaks the rules and chooses to live with the possibility of victory in spite of the stakes that are against them.
Line by Line Meaning
You, I wish I knew you better
I feel like I don't know you well enough
Then again I can wait 'till next September
But I'm willing to wait until next fall to get to know you better
Slowly buying time
I'm trying to be patient and not rush into anything
These conditions make me restless
But these circumstances are making me anxious and uneasy
Then again I admit that this will test us
However, I know that this situation will challenge us
'cause everywhere now
Because everywhere I look
I can see the number one followed by the nine
I keep seeing the digits 1 and 9 together, and I wonder if time is running out
I wonder if a year or two will matter because I'm...
I'm questioning whether waiting a year or two will make a difference, because I'm...
Dreaming of you, all day
Thinking about you constantly
Hardly seems appropriate
It doesn't feel appropriate to be preoccupied with thoughts of you
Just drifting through, all day
I'm going through the motions of my day while my mind is elsewhere
No one seems to notice it
It seems like no one else realizes I'm distracted by thoughts of you
You, I dreamt the seven towers
I dreamed about seven towers, and I associated them with you
Were slowly falling down
In my dream, the towers were collapsing
And in the last remaining hours
In the final moments of the dream
Still everywhere now
I keep seeing the digits 1 and 9 together, even in my dreams
Just this once I think that I might cast the rules aside
I'm considering breaking my own rules and taking a chance on you
Everyone's behind us
The support of others is behind us
We don't dare lead the blindest
We're hesitant to make a move without being certain of the outcome
Still the promise of the victory
But there's still the hope of success
Eliminates stakes against me
Which reduces the risk in pursuing a relationship with you
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, KAREN SCHAUBEN PUBLISHING ADMINISTRATION, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Tom Snow, Francine Vicki Golde
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Scott Collins
Just beautiful!
not me
this song is spooky, jay ferguson had a vision or something.
"next september" this was written in 2000, the year prior to 9/11.
lyrical reference to the number 9, the month, "next september"
lyrical reference to the number 1, the north tower, tower 1, was hit first .
"i admit that this will test us" the upheaval that followed.
"i wonder if a year or two will matter" the apathy and bleakness following the attacks.
"dreamt the seven towers, were slowly falling down", like the seven towers of the world trade center , and a reference to how long the collapse took (over an hour)
"and in the last remaining hours, still everywhere" the shock and prominence world wide of the events.
a side note but the way ferguson sings "number one followed by the nine" sounds eerily like "one fallen by the nine" as in, tower one, fallen by the 9, september.
"just drifting through, all day", oddly apathetic for a love song
"everyone's behind us", the perspective of america and their allies and the war on terror, despite massive protests, the leaders were all in
"promise of victory", furthering the war on terror metaphor and the wave of aggressive patriotism following the attacks
"eliminates stakes against me", the war seemed just at the time in the american conscience
"no one seems to notice it" the unexpected nature of the attacks, and the fact bush was informed on the likelihood of such an attack prior to it happening. maybe ferguson got a vision and saw how unexpecting everyone around him seemed...
another interesting thing to note is on the very same record, the closer, 'your dreams have come true' (pentland). is this a nod to ferguson's dream, or vision of the attacks coming true? the lyrics "you can't change what you lose", "It's time to let heal, the damage that you can feel, that sense of hope you steal"
odd for a song about a 'dream' coming true, isn't it?
or maybe it's all just a big coincidence. yeah, probably that.
great song