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Question Of The Week: Do You Hear Music When You Dream?

I'm always astonished when people (ie. Bob Boilen) tell me they either never dream or never remember their dreams. My dream world is so involved, vivid and comical I sometimes have a hard time remembering whether something actually happened or existed only in my unconscious imagination.

Music appears and takes many forms in my dreams. I'm frequently hooking up with my favorite bands for jam sessions. I once played guitar and sang with The Beatles. This was the circa-1968 version of the band when they were all still alive and young. It was just one night, but it was awesome. Recently, Prince showed up at my childhood home where I was visiting my parents and, for reasons that escape me, he and I sang this song together:

Later that same night, Neil Diamond came over and explained that his 1979 hit single was actually called "Forever In Blue Jeans" and not "Reverend Blue Jeans" as I used to always believe. Then he pulled out his guitar and offered an over-enunciated version of the tune to prove it.

Then there are the completely random dreams: Sarah McLachlan helped me rearrange the furniture in my living room once. (She really has an eye). I had coffee with Elliott Smith years after he died and, one time, Ted Nugent chased me through the woods with a chainsaw.

Okay, that last one wasn't really mine. A friend of mine swears to having that dream when we were in high school. I've always believed it to be true.

The only dreams I have a hard time remembering are the ones where I write and record some amazing song. I'll sometimes have the melody in my head when my eyes first flutter open. But by the time my feet hit the floor and I'm shuffling off for coffee, the song disappears into the ether. Soooooo frustrating.

But what about you? Do you hear music — or play it or live it somehow — when you dream? Tell us your tales in the comments section.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Robin Hilton is a producer and co-host of the popular NPR Music show All Songs Considered.

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