My Acolyte Journey: 2014.38

Dreams

John Legend. Lyrics by Kanye West, yet! As I unpack them, there's actually enough meaning there to sustain me. The whole conceit rotates around the first four lines:

Every time I close my eyes Visions of you come to life, And I see What we could be

 While the character is asleep, he's with the girl. The song doesn't bother to explain why they can't be together. That's either to keep things simple and easy or because the writer wanted to appeal to a broad audience. Either way, it's not got the depth of Baby's In Black, if I'm honest. Unattainable, chaste women are a thing. But there's a wonderful beauty in the simplicity and the waiting. The singer won't chase her unless she wants to be chased. He's torn up about it, but he's not going to make her miserable. So, I guess based on his actions during the wait, he'll either be creepy or commendable.
Next step: listen to the music and free-write during.

[He burns the candles in his window every night. The neighbors shake their heads as they walk past, pull their collars and turn from his sadness. They all know through whispers what happened those years ago. He hasn't been out much since (his lawn has gone trash) and they certainly aren't dropping by during Halloween.] I couldn't finish my metaphor with the nightly candles he lights for her because the song is actually mercifully short. I dislike my effort.

The first time I listened to this song, I decided I would mark my least favorites as a one-star so I could avoid them in the future. There were only six, and they're the next four and Fancy. This song prompted a method to keep track of the awful songs. This song. I'm not sure if it's the production or the interminable repetition of the word "dream," but I really just do not like this song. The sound is atmospheric and what most hacks would describe as "dream-like" (as if no one in the world has ever had a sharp, cutting dream-not-nightmare). The manipulation of the vocals takes John Legend's defining quality and throws it repeatedly into a blender. And, as discussed before, the lyrics aren't enough to save it.
I wouldn't buy this.