Blondie – Dreaming

Dreamin’, dreamin’ is free
In the late seventies early eighties for a short window, Blondie couldn’t lose. Blondie only had 10 songs in the top 100 but they made the best of it. Out of those 10 songs were four number one hits. This one wasn’t of the number ones but it’s a great song nonetheless. It peaked at #27 in the Billboard 100 in 1979.

Blondie guitarist Chris Stein wrote the music for this song and came up with the line “dreaming is free.” Lead singer Debbie Harry wrote the other lyrics to the songs like she did on their other songs.

When I think of Blondie the image of Debbie Harry comes to mind of course…but as a band, they were really good. Chris Stein was a very good musician but my favorite member…other than Debbie is the drummer Clem Burke who is exceptionally good. He is a huge Keith Moon fan and when Keith died he destroyed his drum kit in Keith’s honor. He also thanked Keith Moon and the Beatles at Blondie’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame acceptance speech.

From Songfacts

The song starts out with a coherent story – Harry getting propositioned in a restaurant – but it quickly veers off in many directions, simulating a dream where one idea jumps to the next with no real rhyme or reason. It works well with the theme and with the track, including the bridge where Harry repeats the first word of each line:

Feet feet, walking a two mile
Meet meet, meet me at the turnstile

A similar structure can be heard in the 1982 Kim Wilde song “Kids In America.”

Chris Stein said this song was “pretty much a cop” of “Dancing Queen” by ABBA.

Perhaps is was just a convenient word to rhyme with “pleasure,” but when Harry sings “A movie or a measure,” the word “measure” could be interpreted a few different ways. It might mean a plan of action, as in taking some kind of trip, or possibly a measure in the musical sense, meaning the rhythm.

Dreaming

When I met you in the restaurant you could tell I was no debutante
You asked me what’s my pleasure, “A movie or a measure”?
I’ll have a cup of tea and tell you of my dreamin’
Dreamin’ is free
Dreamin’, dreaming is free

I don’t want to live on charity
Pleasure’s real or is it fantasy?
Reel to reel is living verite
People stop and stare at me, we just walk on by
We just keep on dreamin’

Beat feet, walking a two-mile
Meet me, meet me at the turnstile
I never met him, I’ll never forget him
Dream dream, even for a little while
Dream dream, filling up an idle hour
Fade away, radiate

I sit by and watch the river flow
I sit by and watch the traffic go
Imagine something of your very own, something you can have and hold
I’d build a road in gold just to have some dreamin’
Dreamin’ is free
Dreamin’, dreamin’ is free

Dreamin’, dreamin’ is free
Dreamin’, dreamin’ is free

Author: Badfinger (Max)

Power Pop fan, Baseball, Beatles, old movies, and tv show fan. Also anything to do with pop culture in the 60s and 70s... I'm also a songwriter, bass and guitar player.

59 thoughts on “Blondie – Dreaming”

  1. My favorite Blondie song- I was disappointed it didn’t do better as a single than it did- maybe it was too rocking for the general public.

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      3. I’ve grown to really respect the guy…not because of the Moon mention but hearing a lot of them live…he was wild but in control…more control than Moon.

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  2. Blondie songs were hit and miss with me, but I loved this one. I liked Kids in America, too, but never tied the sound of the two together. I really didn’t guess the link to Dancing Queen. That’s wild.

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    1. Yea both of them never occurred to me at all. I liked Blondie…they were big and then after The Tide Is High they seemed to vanish.

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      2. Different band, but I know you like ’em…are you following the The Who’s releases from the new album? I’ve loved both songs I’ve heard so far. Today’s release is great, imo. Here it is.

        (Hopefully this link makes it through the spam filter.)

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      3. Thank You Thank You! I didn’t know.
        I really really like this! This sounds like vintage Who. I already like the sound better than better than Endless Wire…Roger’s voice sounds great!

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      4. My pleasure! I agree, the sound and lyrics are vintage Who. It was a thrill to hear it. I’ve listened to it several times already. It’s been a long time since I’ve been excited about a new album coming out…from anyone.

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      6. Roger’s voice is great, and there’s much going on in the lyrics. The line ‘I don’t mind other guys ripping off my songs’. Straight from The Kids are All Right. It has me wanting to decode every hidden reference and double entendre; and I’m never one who tries to decode songs.

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      7. I had a meeting and then listened to it 3 more times. It has the energy…I’m going to look up the lyrics now that you mention it.

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      8. I know I really am. I’m thinking about adding this to my power pop thing tomorrow unless you are going to post it then I won’t. …don’t know much about it but it doesn’t matter…it’s awesome!
        Thank you again.

        Off Topic….we are finally getting our puppy tonight…it is a Saint and I’m excited… 7 weeks old.

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      9. Definitely go ahead and post it. It doesn’t fit with anything I’m posting in the near future, but that wouldn’t matter anyway. I’ll look forward to your post.

        That’s great about the puppy! Wow, 7 weeks. You are in for months and months of puppy fun, haha. Looking forward to future puppy posts, too.

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      10. Thank you I will…good to get it out there.

        I should post something tomorrow…I’m going to see if I can work from home tomorrow. It will be interesting. It took all of us this long but we all are finally ready.

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      1. I spend a fair bit of time driving , at times take along a CD but spend good chunk of that time listening to 3 stations, a “classic rock” one, a “oldies” one and a “80-90s” one. I hear “Heart of Glass” every day – great song, but man, overplayed – “Call Me” almost every day, “One Way or Another” maybe once a week, and “Tide is High” maybe twice a month. Be knocked over with surprise if I heard them play another blondie song, which is a shame. Of course same is true of many other artists …. Wings? Oh yeah, that “Band on the Run” band who also did “Live And Let Die.” And absolutely nothing else, if you go by radio.

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      2. I know they act as if those bands did nothing else. Rolling Stones = Brown Sugar, Start Me Up… The Who = Won’t Get Fooled Again, Baba O’Riley, Behind Blue Eyes…
        It would not hurt in mixing them up.

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      3. Definitely. a DJ I know up in Canada just wrote a great blog/article on differences in radio between when he entered the field in the ’80s and now.Eye-opening and sad… think I might write something on the topic soon referring to it.

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      4. It is sad Dave. Satelite radio is the way to go now…they have scrubbed all of the personality out of radio now. I should not generalize like that but it is how I feel.

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  5. It was real nice to listen to this song again today, thanks for writing about it Max. I am writing a post about Won’t Get Fooled Again for my MM Music challenge tomorrow and it was nice to hear about Keith Moon.

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  6. For some reason when I pressed play on the youtube it took me to the end of the video and two guys were from the original band but weren’t allowed to play at the induction performance? Wassup with that? One of them looked like the songwriter/guitarist? I’m not a big Blondie fan, but I understand why all the guys think she’s hot. I did back the video up and listen to some of the drumming. The drummer is awesome.

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    1. That is odd about the video… Yea there was some arguing with some members and lawsuits. The main guitarist and songwriter is Chris Stein…He was fine…him, Debbie Harry, and the drummer still tour but the others no.
      Yea this 12 year old loved Debbie Harry.

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      3. ha ha ha ha And you buy Playboy for the articles, yes, I have heard this rationale a time or two. I’m sure you’ve seen her in Videodrome, haven’t you? That is one messed up movie!

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      4. No I never watched that. Hey she is talented! I have to like them to look lol. Madonna doesn’t do a thing for me. Debbie…yes she does.
        I did see her in Creepshow in the 80s…now I’m going to have to watch Videodrome

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      5. Have you seen any other David Cronenberg horror movies? He’s a Canadian director. Strap yourself in for this one as it is a mindbender. She has a fairly substantial role in it also.

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      12. Now Vic that wouldn’t make a difference…
        Oh who am I kidding! Yea I have a right to be pig lol… now it’s a must. Debbie in her prime.

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      2. Yes and Bailey named her Martha….do you know why?
        There is a song on the White album called Martha My Dear…about Paul’s sheepdog…our Martha is not a sheepdog but it fits her.

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      4. If I can get a good picture I’ll post something tomorrow. She moves quickly. She does have a perfect mask…
        After searching we finally found her…funny thing is today I also found a rescue Saint in Knoxville that we are going to try to get. He is 4 years old, housebroken…and needing a home.

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  7. I love this song. Always have. The drumming is incredible. But, after reading the lyrics, Oh BOY the mondegreens I’ve suffered from! LOL!

    “Imagine something of your very own, something you can have at home
    I build a boat and go, just to have some dreaming…” 😆

    Martha sounds cute!

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    1. WOW…I may love those lyrics better! You should have wrote it!

      She is cute…kept us up half the night…crying for her brothers and sisters. She had 5 brothers and 4 sisters. I’ll send a pic…

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      1. Awwww. I had a puppy for a short time as a kid (my mother was an off the charts neat freak so, puppy didn’t stay long) and I remember my dad putting a ticking clock in the box. He claimed it simulated a heartbeat.

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      2. My mom was the same…no dogs in the house period. No pets of any kind. That is probably the reason that I like the breed I like…dam it I’m going to have the biggest one in the house.

        That is a great idea…I may try that one. I have a few wind up alarm clocks.

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