This song has a Rolling Stones connection in the lyrics. I love the first line “She had hair like Jeannie Shrimpton back in 1965.” Shrimpton dated Mick Jagger before he was with Marianne Faithful. The second reference is an odd one to Bill Wyman, the Stones’ bass player.
The song was on their debut album Especially for You released in 1986. They had released a couple of EP’s before this album. Pat DiNizo wrote the song and was influenced by the title of the H.P. Lovecraft short story, “Beyond the Wall of Sleep.” The song was about Kim Ernst. She was the bass player of The Bristols.
Pat DiNizo: “We’d done a gig with The Bristols, four fabulous women who looked, sounded and dressed like Roger McGuinn’s The Byrds, Kim had black hair, really long: ‘She [had hair like] like Jeannie Shrimpton back in 1965, she had legs that never ended, I was halfway paralyzed. She was tall and cool and pretty, and she dressed as black as coal. If she asked me to I’d murder, I would gladly lose my soul.’ Our first two hits were ‘Blood And Roses,’ about suicide, and this one, ‘If you’d ask me to I’d murder’—very dark material [laughs].”
In 1985 they recorded the album at The Record Plant, the famous recording studio that hosted John Lennon and Bruce Springsteen among others. They had to save up gig money to record.
Drummer Dennis Diken: “Those sessions actually almost didn’t happen, we had recorded Beauty and Sadness in Studio B. That was the room where Springsteen recorded The River, and a lot of other big stuff was done there. Studio A was also famous for historic sessions; John Lennon worked there. But we were the low guys on the totem pole, so we got a call on the afternoon of Good Friday 1985—when we were supposed to go in that night—saying, ‘Sorry, but we have a more important session booked in B now. We’re going to have to kick you upstairs to C,’ which was a much smaller room.
“We got on the phone with each other and said, ‘Hey, this ain’t too cool. Maybe we should wait until larger rooms become available again,’ but in the end, reluctantly, we went for it.”
The album peaked at #51 in the Billboard Album Charts. The song peaked at #23 in the Mainstream Rock Play charts.
Behind The Wall Of Sleep
She had hair like Jeannie Shrimpton back in 1965
She had legs that never ended
I was halfway paralyzed
She was tall and cool and pretty and she dressed as black as coal
If she asked me to I’d murder, I would gladly lose my soul
Now I lie in bed and think of her
Sometimes I even weep
Then I dream of her behind the wall of sleep
Well she held a bass guitar and she was playing in a band
And she stood just like Bill Wyman
Now I am her biggest fan
Now I know I’m one of many who would like to be your friend
And I’ve got to find a way to let you know I’m not like them
Now I lie in bed and think of her
Sometimes I even weep
Then I dream of her behind the wall of sleep
Now I lie in bed and think of her
Sometimes I even weep
Then I dream of her behind the wall of sleep
Got your number from a friend of mine who lives in your hometown
Called you up to have a drink
Your roommate said you weren’t around
Now I know I’m one of many who would like to be your friend
And I’ve just got to find a way to let you know I’m not like them
Now I lie in bed and think of her
Sometimes I even weep
Then I dream of her behind the wall of sleep
Behind the wall of sleep
Behind the wall of sleep
Behind the wall of sleep
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Great song! A fave of mine, their first 2 albums were among the best of the 80s. Never knew there was a real or ‘known’ Jeannie Shrimpton though…that’s a cool backstory.
She was a looker… I like their stuff also… another one that should have been wider known.
yeah, I just looked her up, apparently she was one of the first ‘super models’
Micked bumped her for Marianne Faithfull… he couldn’t lose any way he went
She was, all too obviously lazily and easily nicknamed ‘the Shrimp.’ And she was part of that trendy 60s swingin’ 60’s Brit scene for a while. There is a lot of backstory learnings coming along in these posts of late, including your Turntable talk Dave.
Twiggy was part of that group I would assume.
On the periphery of my listing I must say but an interesting back story!
Thanks for reading!
I have heard of The Smithereens, and I may have even listened to this song before, but I appreciated it more after you provided the background information on it.
Thanks Jim
This was my introduction to the Smithereens as this tune got them video play on MuchMusic. Good track and it still stands the test of time today. Drummer reminds me as if Bun E Carlos had a brother lol same kind of vibe
Hard charging pop. The Smithereens always rock; rarely do they disappoint.
Good band. Loved learning the backstory on those lyrics. Always surprised they weren’t more popular than they came to be.
Yea a lot of the power pop bands I like I have the same surprise.
Don’t (didn’t ) know much about The Smithereens – even though I have a 12″ single ‘Blue Period’ that they diid with Belinda Carlisle. From the video posted, am I right in thinking they sound a bit like Australian band get Men at Work …. or someone like that? Just can’t put my finger on it. 😀
The album that single ‘Blue Period’ came off of is excellent!
They have some songs that are jangly…. they can sound like a modern Byrds…or REM on some things.
Oh dear! I was almost tempted … then you mentioned REM. 😀 😀
LOL…
Hey what is your favorite Stones album? I wrote a post last Saturday with you in mind. My top ten favorite Stones albums…so which one is yours?
Definitely not like Men At Work. They were into flutes & saxophones. The Smithereens are closer to Gin Blossoms. Both are early 90s alt-pop-rock.
Ah OK … defo sound a bit familiar. 🙂
Favourite Stones album? Sorry – must have missed that one … been swapping in and out of all my blogs and trying to keep up! 😉
Difficult to say … I think I probably go back to Exile on Main Street more than any other. Yeah. Exile it is. 🙂
Ok… mine was Beggar’s Banquet… they are hard to rank because of the difference of the decades but it was a lot of fun.
Love this song. First time hearing it. Great poetic lyricism going on here. The Smithereens are a talented bunch of guys!
You and I like their Beatle cover albums.
Great song. I miss hearing The Smithereens on the radio.
I do also…wow…2 days in a row!!!!!!
You are on a roll. 😉🙃
Their name sounds familiar, but I’m not sure I had ever heard any of the Smithereens’ songs, at least not knowingly. If “Behind the Wall of Sleep” is representative of their sound, they are right up my alley!
They had some good songs and did two Beatle cover albums…Meet The Smithereens…really good. Their big song was “A Girl Like You”
Good song good band
Yes they were.
Just this morning I passed your suggestion down … I recommended the movie
Bring Me The Head Of Alfredo Garcia after they reviewed I Walk The Line from 1970.
Oates driving around with Al’s head is classic.
I have never heard of the ‘I Walk the Line’ film. Directed by Frankenheimer and I love the guys work. Send the review if able. Thanks Max.
Here you go Deke! I was trying to explain why I liked that era’s movies but she put it into words better than I did.
https://allthingsthriller.com/2022/11/04/worth-another-look-i-walk-the-line-1970-a-film-directed-by-john-frankenheimer-drama/
Thanks
Great song!