A Nightmare to Remember
| "A Nightmare to Remember" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Song by Dream Theater from the album Black Clouds & Silver Linings | ||||
| Released | June 23, 2009 | |||
| Genre | Progressive metal, gothic metal | |||
| Length | 16:10 | |||
| Label | Roadrunner | |||
| Writer(s) | John Petrucci | |||
| Composer(s) | John Petrucci, Mike Portnoy, John Myung, Jordan Rudess | |||
| Producer(s) | John Petrucci, Mike Portnoy | |||
| Black Clouds & Silver Linings track listing | ||||
| ||||
"A Nightmare to Remember" is a progressive metal song written and performed by the American band Dream Theater. It is the first track on the band's tenth studio album, Black Clouds & Silver Linings, released in 2009. The song was written by the band's guitarist, John Petrucci who tells about a car crash that he was involved in when he was a child. The music of the song is dark as the band's keyboardist Jordan Rudess talked about Black Clouds: "We've been entering into the Gothic domain quite a bit on this album." The song's length is 16 minutes, making it the second longest track on the album.[1][2]
Lyrics
The lyrics which are based on a car crash that Petrucci was involved when he was a child, tell how Petrucci felt before the incident, when it happened, and about being taken care of in hospital by a man whom he describes in the lyrics as "faceless", the feeling that this incident is haunting his dreams, and how he feels a relief that he and all the others who were involved survived.
Music
The music of the song has an overall dark feel. It begins and ends with a storm sample, from where it leads to the piano which plays the motif, which after is played by the rest of the band. In the song, the band's keyboardist Jordan Rudess plays samples of a choir), continuum and a lap steel guitar. The song has many changes in its chords and tone. The song also includes sound effects that illustrate the incident, such as the storm in the beginning and end, the car crash, the police siren and the heartbeat in the middle. Also when vocalist James LaBrie sings about what the "faceless" man that took care Petrucci said, there is a sample of a man speaking the same lines that Labrie sings. From 11:19 to 11:56 drummer Mike Portnoy sings in the style of a death growl.
Trivia
- The band chose the song along with "The Spirit Carries On" and "The Dance of Eternity" to be the audition songs for drummers applying to replace Portnoy after he left the band.
Personnel
- John Petrucci - guitar, backing vocals
- John Myung - bass guitar
- Mike Portnoy - drums, percussion, death growl vocals
- James LaBrie - lead vocals
- Jordan Rudess - piano, keyboards, continuum, lap steel guitar
References
- ↑ "Black Clouds & Silver Linings". metalarchives.com. Retrieved 9 October 2013.
- ↑ "Dream Theater Album Review: 'Black Clouds And Silver Linings' Track-By-Track". metalhammer.com.uk. Retrieved 9 October 2013.