A Bad Dream

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“A Bad Dream”
Single by Keane
from the album Under the Iron Sea
Released Flag of the United KingdomJanuary 22, 2007
Format 7" vinyl
CD single
256 MB USB memory stick
Recorded Helioscentric Studios, Rye, East Sussex
The Magic Shop, New York
Genre Alternative rock, piano rock
Length 5:06
Label Island Records
Writer(s) Tim Rice-Oxley (Main writer)
Tom Chaplin
Richard Hughes
Producer Andy Green
Keane
Keane singles chronology
"Try Again"
(2007)
"A Bad Dream"
(2007)
"The Night Sky"
(2007)
Under the Iron Sea track listing
"Leaving So Soon?"
(4)
"A Bad Dream"
(5)
"Hamburg Song"
(6)

"A Bad Dream" , often mistitled as "Bad Dream", is a song performed and composed by English piano rock band Keane appearing as the fifth track on their second album Under the Iron Sea. It was released January 22, 2007 as the sixth and possibly last single from that album in the United Kingdom and other countries (see 2007 in British music).[1]

Contents

[edit] Track listings

A track titled "The Night Sky" was believed to be the obvious choice for a B-side as it was an unreleased track on Under the Iron Sea, mentioned several times and thought to have a relation with the song, but Keane instead included for the first time both cover songs ("She Sells Sanctuary" by The Cult and "Enjoy the Silence by Depeche Mode) and a remix of the single in a commercial release. "The Night Sky" was instead released as the next single.

[edit] CD single

Catalogue number: 1723057

  1. "A Bad Dream"
  2. "She Sells Sanctuary"
  3. "A Bad Dream (Luna-C Hardcore Remix)"
  4. "A Bad Dream Live in Berlin (Video)"

[edit] UK 7" vinyl

Catalogue: 1723058

  1. "A Bad Dream"
  2. "She Sells Sanctuary"

[edit] 256 MB USB memory stick content

    • "A Bad Dream"
    • "A Bad Dream" (video)
    • "Enjoy the Silence"
    • "A Bad Dream (Luna-C Bangin' Remix)"
    • Competition to see the band at Wembley

[edit] Composition and recording

It was composed by Tim Rice-Oxley and Tom Chaplin. It was recorded at the Heliosentric Studios, Rye, East Sussex and at The Magic Shop, New York.

[edit] Information about song's meaning

It was partially based on the "An Irish Airman Foresees His Death" poem by W.B. Yeats. Rice-Oxley explained on a podcast:

We wanted to get a balance between a kinda dream sequence. It starts very quietly, and I love the idea of being in a plane, like a Spitfire or something, being so high up in the sky that you can't hear the guns below you and so on. And it's almost got a serene silence which is what this Yeats poem seemed to really express. The song starts very quietly, but it gets huge and angry as it goes on... The big distorted washy piano sound in the middle is a pretty vast sound and it's I guess an attempt to express all that anger bursting out.


[edit] B-sides

[edit] She Sells Sanctuary

This song is a cover of The Cult's original song. It's the first song ever released since June 2001 ("She Has No Time") that includes acoustic guitar on the recording.

[edit] Instrumentation

  • Acoustic guitar
  • Bass
  • Drums
  • Distorted piano
  • Electric piano
  • Synthesizer
  • Vocals (by Tom Chaplin)

[edit] A Bad Dream (Luna-C Hardcore Remix)

The song includes a trance style instrumentation never heard on a Keane release before.

[edit] Technical information on songs

Song Length Tempo Key Time signature Genre
"A Bad Dream" 5:06 72bpm Eb (Mi flat major) 4/4 on 8 beats Ballad
"She Sells Sanctuary" 4:36 130bpm D (Re major) 4/4 on 8 beats Rock
"A Bad Dream (Luna-C Hardcore mix)" 5:41 150bpm Ebm (Mi flat minor) 4/4 on 16 beats Trance

[edit] Music video

The music video for "A Bad Dream" was shot on November 22, 2006 and premiered a month later. The essentially simple promo features singer Tom Chaplin walking through white and dark lights.

An alternate version released on Yahoo Launch UK features short clips of Tim Rice-Oxley and Richard Hughes intercut into the original, looking at Chaplin with melancholic faces.

[edit] In pop culture

"A Bad Dream" was recently featured on the Season 4 premiere of the FOX drama, The O.C. It has also been used in the episode of Scrubs "My Long Goodbye", and was used by the BBC in their coverage of the 2007 golf Masters tournament.

[edit] Chart performance

Chart Peak position
Islas Canarias #6
Latvian airplay #9
Russian Singles Chart #14
UK Singles Chart #17
Slovakia #18
Dutch Top 40 #33
Top France Airplay 100 #35
UK Official Download Chart #37

[edit] References

  1. ^ Official release confirmation. Retrieved on 2006-11-24.

[edit] External links