The group scored British and American hits in 1964 with "She's Not There". In the US, two further singles—"Tell Her No" in 1965 and "Time of the Season" in 1968—were also successful. Their 1968 album Odessey and Oracle is ranked number 100 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. The Zombies were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2019.
The Zombies signed to Decca and recorded their first hit, "She's Not There" after winning a beat-group competition sponsored by the London Evening News. "She's Not There" was released in mid-1964 and peaked at number twelve in the U.K., where it would be their only top-forty hit. It was first aired in the United States in early August 1964, on New York City rock station WINS by Stan Z. Burns, who debuted the song on his daily noontime "Hot Spot" segment during which new songs were played. The tune began to catch on in early Autumn and eventually climbed to number two.
In early 1965, "Tell Her No" became another big seller in the United States but had failed to make the Top 40 in the band's native U.K Subsequent recordings such as "I Love You" (which became a hit for People! in 1968), "Indication", "Whenever You're Ready", and "Is This the Dream" failed to achieve the success of the previous two singles.
Their first LP, Begin Here (1965), was a collection of early singles, half a dozen original songs combined with several R&B covers. The Zombies signed to CBS Records for one final LP in 1967. The resulting album, Odessey and Oracle, was one of the very first to utilise a Mellotron keyboard, as the band's budget did not allow for the hiring of session musicians. The band discovered too late that "odyssey" had been misspelled by the cover designers and were reportedly deeply embarrassed.
By the time Odessey and Oracle was released in April 1968, the band had broken up. The album sold little, and was only released in the U.S. because musician Al Kooper vouched for it. It has since gone on to be recognized as one of the greatest albums of all time, with Rolling Stone ranking it eightieth on its 500 Greatest Albums list. An album track called "Time of the Season" was released as a single. and eventually (1969) it became a huge nationwide hit (Billboard number three) after a radio DJ discovered it and put it on heavy rotation.
After The Zombies disbanded, Rod Argent formed a band called Argent; Colin Blunstone started a solo career. In1991 Blunstone, Grundy, and White briefly reunited as The Zombies with guitarist Sebastian Santa Maria, and recorded the album New World.
Iconic British psychedelic pop legends The Zombies have returned to celebrate the release of their latest Billboard-charting album, Still Got That Hunger, lead by founding and current members, vocalist Colin Blunstone and keyboardist Rod Argent, alongside bassist Jim Rodford (formerly of ARGENT and The Kinks), Rodford’s son Steve Rodford on drums, and renowned session guitarist Tom Toomey.
The band’s live performances, described by Rolling Stone as “absolutely triumphant”, take fans on a journey through time, from their early hits…their 1968 masterpiece Odessey & Oracle…post-Zombies solo favorites…right to today with Still Got That Hunger.
The second U.K. band following the Beatles to score a #1 hit in America, The Zombies infiltrated the airwaves with the sophisticated melodies, breathy vocals, choral back-up harmonies and jazzy keyboard riffs of their 1960’s hit singles “She’s Not There” and “Tell Her No.” Ironically, the group broke-up just prior to achieving their greatest success – the worldwide chart-topping single “Time of the Season,” from their swan-song album Odessey & Oracle, ranked #100 in Rolling Stone’s ‘500 Greatest Albums of All Time.’ To this day, generations of new bands have cited The Zombies’ work as pop touchstones, and the band continues to be embraced by new generations of fans.
Following the break-up of the original band, lead vocalist Colin Blunstone went on to develop an acclaimed solo career (with hits including "Say You Don't Mind," "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted", and “Old & Wise” with Alan Parsons Project) and keyboardist/songwriter Rod Argent rocked ‘70’s arenas with his eponymous band ARGENT (“Hold Your Head Up,” “God Gave Rock ‘n’ Roll To You”), but the legend of The Zombies continued to take on a life of its own. By the start of the new Millennium, Blunstone and Argent were inspired to resurrect The Zombies.
The explosive release of Still Got That Hunger proved that Zombies fever is stronger than ever, with premieres at Rolling Stone, Mojo, The Wall Street Journal, The Guardian Speakeasy, and Spin, alongside special broadcast performances, including Later…With Jools Holland, The Late Show With Stephen Colbert and AOL Sessions. Moreover, it marked a historical moment on the Billboard charts, as The Zombies’ critically acclaimed album Odessey And Oracle re-entered the Billboard 100 forty-eight years later at the same time as Still Got That Hunger!
The Zombies look forward to an even busier 2017, with a major world tour, table-top book release and other exciting projects to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the recording of Odessey And Oracle.
Hung Up on a Dream
The Zombies Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Just drifting slowly through a crowded street
With neon darkness shimmering through the haze
A sea of faces rippling in the heat
And from that nameless changing crowd
A sweet vibration seemed to fill the air
I stood astounded staring hard
A sweet confusion filled my mind
Until I woke up only finding everything was just a dream
A dream unusual of its kind
That gave me peace and blew my mind
And now I'm hung up on a dream
They spoke with soft persuading words
About a living creed of gentle love
And turned the arm to sounds unheard
And showed me strangest clouded sights above
Which gentle touched my aching mind
And soothed the wanderings of my troubled brain
Sometimes I think I'll never find
Such purity and peace of mind again
The Zombies’ Hung Up on a Dream is a psychedelic journey through a dream-like experience of the singer. The first verse paints a surreal setting of a crowded street with neon darkness shining through the haze. The second verse describes the singer's encounter with men wearing flowers in their hair, exuding a sweet vibration, and speaking of a creed of gentle love that touches the singer's aching mind and soothes the wanderings of their troubled brain. The chorus summarises the impact of the dream on the singer, admitting to being hung up on this dream and how it gave them peace and blew their mind.
The lyrics of Hung Up on a Dream allude to the flower power movement and the hippie counterculture of the 60s that sought to embrace love, peace, and harmony. The men with flowers resting on their hair allude to flower children or "hippies" who used flowers and symbols to promote their peaceful values. The song reflects the impact of the counterculture movement on young people at the time who were searching for meaning and purpose beyond traditional norms.
The dream-like quality of the song’s lyrics allows for multiple interpretations. The dream sequence can be seen as a metaphor for the desire to escape from the chaotic present into a peaceful and harmonious future. It can also represent the search for enlightenment and higher consciousness, which was a fundamental goal of the counterculture movement.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, I remember yesterday
The singer is reflecting back on a past experience.
Just drifting slowly through a crowded street
The singer was wandering aimlessly, with no clear direction or purpose.
With neon darkness shimmering through the haze
The city surroundings were dimly lit and hazy.
A sea of faces rippling in the heat
There were many people around, possibly in the midst of a summer day.
And from that nameless changing crowd
The people around the artist remained unknown and unknown.
A sweet vibration seemed to fill the air
An intangible energy was present in the environment.
I stood astounded staring hard
The singer was in awe of what was happening around them.
At men with flowers resting in their hair
There were men around the artist with flowers in their hair.
A sweet confusion filled my mind
The artist was overwhelmed by the situation.
Until I woke up only finding everything was just a dream
The experience the artist had was only a dream.
A dream unusual of its kind
The dream was unique and not like any other the singer had experienced.
That gave me peace and blew my mind
The dream gave the artist a sense of calm and awe-inspiring amazement.
And now I'm hung up on a dream
The singer is still thinking about the dream and its impact.
They spoke with soft persuading words
Others involved in the dream used a calm and convincing tone when speaking.
About a living creed of gentle love
The subject matter of the conversation was centered on love and peace.
And turned the arm to sounds unheard
The people demonstrated or directed the artist's attention to something that was previously unknown.
And showed me strangest clouded sights above
The artists showed the artist an eerie and mysterious scene above them.
Which gentle touched my aching mind
The experience and teachings had a soothing effect on the singer's mind, which may have previously been troubled.
And soothed the wanderings of my troubled brain
The experience brought peace to the singer's mind and eased any turmoil they may have been dealing with.
Sometimes I think I'll never find
The artist is unsure if they will ever be able to replicate or find a similar experience.
Such purity and peace of mind again
The artist is yearning for the same sense of innocence and tranquility that they felt during the dream.
Lyrics © MUSIC SALES CORPORATION
Written by: R. ARGENT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Eleazar Beltran
I honestly think this is the greatest song of all time
NessjustNess
Me too
NessjustNess
Any time my anxiety spikes anytime something bad happens I listen to this and it pulls me straight out of whatever funk I'm in
Dominic Tosh
One of my favourite songs of that era and it is massively underrated. Shame they have dropped it from recent setlists.
memento mori
Odessey and Oracles is my 1# favourite album of all time
J F
It is an incredible song. Indeed.
Haley Watterson
My favourite Zombies song. This is one of the most beautiful songs in the psychedelic genre.
miraculeine
in my opinion this is the best Zombies song and deserves to be more recognized
BilisNegra
The whole Odessey and Oracle holds true recognition among music lovers.
Preston Coleman
That passage at 1:45 is sublime. The Zombies have a knack for finding those perfect chords and harmonies.