Wallinger recorded the first two World Party albums (Private Revolution and Goodbye Jumbo) practically single-handed. The former reached the US Top 40 and the single ‘Ship Of Fools’ broke into the Top 30 (it was hastily dropped by radio in his native Great Britain because of the Zeebrugge ferry disaster). Goodbye Jumbo took equal amounts of inspiration from the eco movement and the Beatles, and the highly catchy single ‘Message In The Box’ provided Wallinger with his first UK Top 40 hit.
Wallinger’s muse, a relaxed and melancholic take on mid-period Beatles, has not so much been updated as revitalized on his subsequent, sterling work, although a minor breakthrough was made with 1993’s Bang!, which featured Wallinger’s only UK Top 20 hit to date, ‘Is It Like Today’, and reached number 2 on the album charts. On Bang!, Wallinger was joined by Chris Sharrock (drums, ex-Icicle Works) and Dave Catlin-Birch (guitars/keyboards). Some of the reviews for 1997’s Egyptology were unnecessarily cruel (especially the New Musical Express). It was by his standards another good album, which, although still locked into the Beatles’ sound (this time circa 1968), featured some great moments, notably the gentle ‘She’s The One’ and the meatier ‘Curse Of The Mummy’s Tomb’. The former indirectly gave Wallinger a worthy chart-topping single, when Robbie Williams’ cover version reached the top of the UK singles chart in November 1999 (Williams’ songwriting partner Guy Chambers (b. 12 Jan 1963, England) was at one time a member of World Party).
The next World Party album, 2000’s Dumbing Up, retreated from the ambitions of Egyptology, and found Wallinger resorting to his pick ‘n’ mix style of songwriting. He is one of the best magpie songwriters around, and the strong influence of ELO, Bob Dylan (‘Bob Dylan’s 115th Dream’ in the shape of ‘Who Are You?’) and even Rare Bird (shades of ‘Sympathy’ in ‘All The Love That’s Wasted’) could be heard, in addition to strong memories of the Beatles’ ‘Dear Prudence’ and ‘Baby You’re A Rich Man’ in ‘Another 1000 Years’.
Source: The Encyclopedia of Popular Music by Colin Larkin.
Sweet Soul Dream
World Party Lyrics
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Abandon that beatiful girl
Take my books
My choicest looks
And burn them all today
I've got rare '61 Beatles
I got a feilm of my dreams
But I'd lose them all
Go along without all of it
Give up the chances I see
If you'd take me up
Raise me up
Let me know the heart of it
Give me your sweet soul dream
Give me your sweet soul dream
I don't need a body
A body's nobody to me
It's just a cell
And I'm leaving well
When I get you to give me the key
You can take all my postcards and letters
My loves and my good memories
Well I'd lose them all
Burn them all
Go without all of it
Give up the chances I see
If you'd raise me up
Take me up
Let me know the heart of it
Give me your sweet soul dream
Give me your sweet soul dream
I'm trying to learn understanding
Against the hell I can win
If you'd hold me up
Grow me up
Let me be a part of it
Give me the chance that I see
I could take me up
Raise me up
Get to know the heart of it
Give me your sweet soul dream
Give me your sweet soul dream
Give me your sweet soul dream
The song "Sweet Soul Dream" by World Party is a moving piece about giving up everything that one has in order to attain true love and understanding. The lyrics begin with the singer stating that they would give up all the things that bring them joy, such as rare Beatles memorabilia and film of their dreams, if it meant they could have the person they love. They are willing to give up their possessions and their appearance, represented by "my choicest looks," and burn them all to be with this person.
The singer emphasizes that physical things are not important to them, even going as far as to say that they do not need a body. However, they are stretching towards understanding and peace, and this requires a significant sacrifice. The lyrics suggest that the only thing the singer truly wants is to be with their beloved and to experience their sweet soul dream. They ask to be raised up and held in love, to have the chance to learn understanding and become a part of something larger than themselves.
In essence, the song is about giving up everything to receive love, empathy, and hope for a better future. The words are powerful and poignant, and the melody is soulful and emotional, building throughout the song to an ultimate crescendo of yearning and desire.
Line by Line Meaning
I'd give you all my money
I am willing to give away all of my money to be with you.
Abandon that beautiful girl
Leave the woman who is considered beautiful by society.
Take my books
You can take away my books.
My choicest looks
The most attractive physical appearances that I possess.
And burn them all today
Destroy all that I value to be with you now.
I've got rare '61 Beatles
I own rare editions of The Beatles songs released in 1961.
I got a feilm of my dreams
I have a film that depicts my dream.
But I'd lose them all
I am willing to abandon everything I have for you.
Burn em all
Willing to destroy everything that is of importance to me.
Go along without all of it
I am willing to leave behind everything that I have for you.
Give up the chances I see
I am willing to give up all the opportunities I have for you.
If you'd take me up
If you choose me, I will accept you.
Raise me up
Elevate me from where I am right now.
Let me know the heart of it
Help me understand the reason behind everything.
Give me your sweet soul dream
Give me the dream of your heart and soul.
I don't need a body
I don't require a physical body to feel alive.
A body's nobody to me
The physical presence of someone doesn't matter to me.
It's just a cell
A human body is equivalent to just a tiny cell.
And I'm leaving well
I am confident in the knowledge that I am leaving behind everything for something that truly matters.
When I get you to give me the key
Once you choose me and give me the chance, I will be able to understand the truth.
You can take all my postcards and letters
You can take everything that I have in the form of letters and postcards.
My loves and my good memories
All the things that I have loved and all the good memories associated with them.
Well I'd lose them all
I am willing to leave behind everything that I have stored in my memories.
Go without all of it
I am willing to let go of all my memories and not let them hinder me.
If you'd raise me up
If you choose me, I am willing to be elevated to new heights.
Let me know the heart of it
I want to understand the reason behind everything.
Give me the chance that I see
I want to be given the opportunity to achieve my dreams.
I could take me up
I have the potential to achieve great things.
Raise me up
Elevate me to new heights.
Get to know the heart of it
Help me understand the reason behind everything.
Give me your sweet soul dream
Help me achieve the dream of your heart and soul.
Give me your sweet soul dream
Help me achieve the dream of your heart and soul.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: KARL EDMOND DE VERE WALLINGER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind