TESTING BAD HEADINGS
Dream on!
A story about 5 songs
It was 1978, and I was living in Oklahoma City at the time. There were three of us sharing a three-bedroom apartment. Two guys and a girl, all international students. Well, the other two were students, I had dropped out of college, and working at Pizza Hut as a manager.
It was a Sunday afternoon and I was listening to the American Top 40 with Casey Kasem. Here was a guy who almost lost his job as a late-night DJ because they were losing the market share. One night in sheer boredom he takes out a magazine from the trash can in his studio and learns some odd bits and pieces about the songs he played and starts sharing the stories with his audience. He got a great response, and it became his calling card, so to speak.
On that particular Sunday, I heard him say that Kenny Nolan said that he turns his dreams into songs, and sometimes he dreams of the lyrics to his songs. His first AT40 solo was a song that he claimed he literally dreamed and wrote it down when he woke up. The song? I Like Dreaming.
Why am I telling you this? Like Casey, I also love the silly trivia.
Did you know that his first name was actually Kemal and not Casey and that he was born to Lebanese immigrants in Detroit, MI? And did you also know that he was the original voice of Shaggy in Scooby-Doo Where are You?
The other reason why I am sharing this is that, like Gary, I like dreaming too.
Dreams have played a very important role in my life, both daydreams and night-time dreams. I have written several stories on Medium about my dreams. I will link to them at the end of this one.
Speaking of trivia, here is a story I read in the Coffee News, a weekly publication available for free in many restaurants. It is a franchised concept where the content is provided by the parent company and the franchisees sell local advertisements. They focus on small communities and include upcoming local events.
The story I was referring to was about a Fleetwood Mack song. During the production of their Rumors album, the band members were going through personal issues. Once while in session, Stevie Nicks stormed out there, and returned an hour later. The result of that anger and frustration induced break was the song Dreams.
In the early 1980s after I quit drinking and smoking, both cigarettes and pot, I started listening to the oldies instead of the usual stuff which is now referred to as the Classic Rock.
It was also the period when I was seriously thinking of finding a mate and settling down. There were a few songs from the 50s and 60s that were my favorites in those days. Here is one of them by The Everly Brothers.
Are you sensing a pattern here?
If so, it’s because I am blatantly following a theme. As I said before, I am a dreamer. I love to weave my dreams into hope, plans, and fantasies. I think of the things I want to do, and would one day love to say it is because I dreamed of them, and that I pursued my dreams to their fulfillment.
The next song on my list takes me back to Oklahoma. I don’t remember where or when I heard it first, but when I listen to it with my eyes closed, I can see the patterns on the wall panels in the backroom of Pizza Hut in Moore, Oklahoma. Was it this song or was it Baker Street? Either way, they’re both Gary Wright songs, and it was around that time when I first heard this song. Every time I hear it, I am taken back to those good old days.
And finally, my all-time favorite dream song, and my inspirational anthem by Aerosmith.
I found many different versions of it on YouTube from the original 1973 version to the 2014 live version. That’s a span of forty years plus. I had a hard time deciding which one to choose. Eventually, I chose the one with the lyrics on the screen.
Even though the song originally came out in 1973, before I came to the US and before I was introduced to the classic rock, I was not a big Aerosmith fan. It wasn’t until the early to mid-2000s when I realized that if I wanted to be happy in life I am going to have to make some serious changes to follow my dreams.
One day, as I was driving around listening to the radio, this song came on the radio and these words —
“Dream on, Dream on, Dream until your dream comes true,”
made a solid impression on me, mostly because I had been listening to the sarcastic “dream on” for way too long. The words, “Dream on” took on a new meaning for me. From then on, they meant “Dream until your dream comes true.”
Like Steven Tyler, regarding the meaning of the song explained,
“It’s about the hunger to be somebody: Dream until your dreams come true.” He added, “This song sums up the s — t you put up with when you’re in a new band.” (source)
I can honestly say that this song changed my life when I focused on the lyrics.
Today, while I am enjoying my life following my dreams, many of which have come to pass, I am constantly seeking new dreams to pursue. In that regard, I am being challenged by the writers on ILLUMINATION to expand my horizons. Henery X (long) said, “Wake Up.” Michele Thill challenges to describe the “New You.” Kathryn A. LeRoy, Ph.D. is constantly asking, “What if?” Gurpreet Dhariwal keeps reminding me that there is more to dreams than meets the eye. Amy Marley keeps reminding me to “Be Yourself,” and Trista Ainsworth prods me to live with Joy!
Helen Cassidy Page, Rosennab, and Julia E Hubbel challenge me to take care of my physical self by shaming me, (even though that is not their intent).
Simran Kankas and Diana C. keep me spiritually grounded. Holly Jahangiri is relentlessly pushing my limits by giving me too much credit for everything, and Bob Jasper reminds me that you’re never too old to find the courage to dust off your old dreams and make a difference in the world.
Many others keep me humble by including my name in their list of writers whose work they admire or follow. Of course, Dr. Mehmet Yildiz has made all this diversity and serendipity possible by starting this beautiful community we love so much.
It brings me to where I have gained somewhat of a reputation as the pied piper.
I have presented five songs on a theme that signifies personal meaning in my life. I would like to invite you to do the same.
So how about it? I am going to tag a few people here, but just because I didn’t tag you, it doesn’t mean you cannot jump right in. No, you don’t even need a permission slip to do so either.
Timothy Key P.G. Barnett Tom Byers Paul Myers MBA Annelise Lords Priyanka Srivastava Desiree Driesenaar Salam Khan Elisabeth Khan Sherry McGuinnTim Maudlin Harley King Ryan Frawley Saloni Joshi Hurriya Burney Agnes Louis George J. Ziogas Kristi Keller Roz Warren Tree Langdon ♾️ Chris Hedges Charles Roast Michelle Marie Warner Marilyn Flower Diane Overcash
And here are a couple of stories about dreaming that I mentioned. The second one will guide you to three more if you’re interested.
As always, thank you for reading and responding.
More about me:
Rasheed Hooda is a published author and a regular contributor to ILLUMINATION, a writers’ community on Medium where writers support each other.
He is a self-proclaimed weirdo who lives a Freedom Lifestyle and writes about related topics — Travel (a top writer), Personal Growth, Freedom, and entrepreneurship. (Get the Newsletter)
“You can let others tell you what it means to be successful, or you can decide it for yourself.”
