Song Analysis - I Have A Dream

March 27, 1979 saw the start of recording the final song for ABBA's Voulez-Vous album. With working titles such as I Know A Song, and Take Me In Your Armpit (what does this mean though??? hahahah), the song would eventually become I Have A Dream.  Now, musically, I Have A Dream is almost lullaby-esque, and to add to that theme, even features a choir of children from the International School Of Stockholm.  However, as I've been deeply paying extra attention to the lyrics of this song in preparation for this post, I realize this song seems to almost be about trying to get through hard and dark times, depression even.  Unlike If It Wasn't For The Nights that is pretty much about giving up, I Have A Dream is about pushing through it with a more positive outlook.

The line "I have a dream, a fantasy, to help me through reality.  And my destination makes it worth the while.  Pushing through the darkness, still another mile" hints at the reality not being a very nice, pleasant place.  And that can be for any reason, like the world being at war or your own mental health issues.  But the narrator of the song hold on to this fantasy, this dream, that everything will be okay in the end no matter what.  You just have to continue pushing onward.

My personal viewpoint on life has always been "Everything happens for a reason."  Whether or not you fully understand when negative things happen in life, ultimately there is a reason why you have to go through this rough patch, and you will make it out, possibly even as a better person.  And I realize this song is basically that.  The line "I believe in angels, something good in everything I see." I think means that no matter what happens, there is something good to come out of it.  And the angels are basically there watching over and guarding you.  And literally the first line of the song, "I have a dream, a song to sing to help me cope with anything," is the narrators way of getting through these things with optimism.  

I also used to wonder what the line "if you see the wonder of a fairy tale, you can take the future even if you fail," but I think I understand the meaning now.  If you always make sure to keep your innocence, imagination, or even your dream for what you want in life in tact, you'll be able to take whatever life hits you with.  And it's okay if you fail at first, because ultimately, "when I know the time is right for me, I’ll cross the stream."  If you're meant to make it through and succeed, you will.  And it will happen.

Frida sings the lead vocals in this sing, in fact she sings the first verse and chorus alone, only to be joined by the other three members in the second verse.  Then Agnetha joins her in the second chorus, singing in beautiful harmony. Then finally, the third and final verse and chorus are joined by a children's choir.  Until 2021, with the release of Little Things, this song remained the only officially released ABBA song to feature voices other than the ABBA members on it.  (Sang Till Gorel which features vocals from Stig Andersson, while being pressed on vinyl for Gorel Hansers 30th birthday, I wouldn't count as an official ABBA release.)

At some point in 1979, possibly in the summer (it'd have to be prior to September 5th, the day they recorded the music video), ABBA recorded the song in Spanish, titled "Estoy Soñando".  And the song is generally the same song, but dare I say a bit less philosophical...?  Like, it could just be that the translation from Spanish to English via Google Translate lost some of the meaning, but the translation seems kinda dull and bland in comparison to the original English lyrics. 

The lyrics are, verse 1: I dreamt it, and the heart spoke to me about love with emotion. If you live the magic of fairies that do goo, you will see that the future smile too.

Chorus:  I believe in little angels who always protect me from falling.  I believe in little angels that the beautiful life they make me.  See and I will arrive. I dreamt it."

Verse 2:  I dreamt it. It was not an illusion and it helped me in my affliction. And the fantasy to the darkness transforms the day in a truth."

and the third verse is the same as first.

Bjorn and Benny also seemed to have opted out of recording the Spanish version despite the fact that they're seen lip syncing to it in the music video, and I'm also not sure if they got the children's choir back for the recording of the Spanish version or if it's just Agnetha and Frida's vocals layered over and over again to get a more full sound.  Regardless, of course Agnetha and Frida sound amazing as always.   Estoy Soñando would be released as a single in Spanish-speaking territories with the regular English version of Does Your Mother Know as the B-Side, but with the title "Sabe Tu Madre."  Honestly I think it would have been fun if Bjorn attempted to do that song in Spanish, but despite the fact that he claimed to speak fluent Spanish, he never recorded any Spanish vocals...  ABBA also recorded a music video for Estoy Soñando that was recorded at the same time as the Gimme Gimme Gimme music video, but interestingly there is no music video for I Have A Dream.  The song would also eventually be included on ABBA's Spanish album in 1980.

ABBA went on to perform this song live on their 1979/80 tour, with each performance featuring a children's choir from the different cities.  And in Japan, the children's choir would sing the lyrics to the song in Japanese.    

ABBA only performed this song on two TV shows, first in early 1979 on the TV 300 Millones and last on The Late Late Breakfast Show from Stockholm in 1982.

If I'm being honest, when I was younger, I found the song too slow for my liking and in a way, the slow pace of the song makes it kind of boring, however that's not to say I didn't like it, it just wasn't a song that I found myself actively listening to.  However, it's different these days.  Especially when you realize how deep the lyrics really are, it just adds a completely new dimension to the song, and I love it.