Je rêve (I Dream), 2023
(Album: La symphonie des éclairs)
The narrator of the song is constantly “dreaming” (recalling) the presence of an absent partner, to whom the narrator addresses the song. The specific reason for their separation is not explicit (and probably not essential). A suggestion that the person passed away arises in three lines: “Qu'endormie tu resteras, mais plus jamais à côté de moi,” “Je ne fais que rêver, imaginer ton devenir si seulement on t'avait laissé le temps de le construire” and “pour de la mort n'empêche pas de rêver.”
The song has a softly repeated invocation “Je rêve” (32 times) that imbues the song with a languid quality. It prompts one to ponder the very nature of “dreaming” and its role in life, not so much as an involuntary nighttime experience but an intentional exploration of a parallel, imaginary universe as either a refuge from reality or perhaps in belief one can reconfigure the future. In Zaho’s words: “Je joue beaucoup avec le rêve, et je rêve beaucoup, aussi bien quand je dors que quand je suis éveillée. Je ne mets aucune limite aux rêves, et je rêve tellement que parfois, je n’ai plus besoin de la réalité. Le rêve est un pouvoir que l’on utilise beaucoup enfant, et qu’on s’interdit d’utiliser une fois adulte : je trouve ça complètement bête." One can see some parallel between this song and “La symphonie des éclairs” in the sense that it was the tumult of emotional sensitivities that drove Zaho to both music and dreaming as adaptive mechanisms.
Zaho has a captivating vocal ability to take prosaic lyrics and massage the intonation and duration of words into something etherial. Seldom have the mundane words “oh,” “hum” and “là” been fondled with such vocal artistry. Her distinctive singing style seldom adheres to the actual written song structure as she prances in a liberated free-form way through the stanzas.
The song’s nominal structure is: Verse-Hook/Verse-Hook/Refrain/Verse-Hook/Verse-Refrain/Hook-Outro. The 4 Verses have different lyrics but share chords and show an increased tempo in Verses 3 and 4. The 2 Refrains are identical in both words and chords. The 4 Hooks are basically identical, sharing words and chords. We don’t see many hooks on this website so as a reminder: a “hook” is a short and memorable blast of lyrics, melody and/or rhythm that repeats and is intended to “hook” the listener into the song. The menu of chords and chord progressions is simple. The rhyme scheme has both internal rhymes (e.g. “yeux…deux,” “là…bas…moi…pas,” “détruire…sourire…l’avenir…guérir”) and end-of-line rhymes depending on Zaho’s articulation and stress on words.
The audio below is from the original album by Universal Music Group.
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Verse Je ferme les yeux nous imaginant là, nous deux Entrelacés, lèvres asséchées par l'amour L'amour de l'autre Hook Je rêve, je rêve, hum, je rêve, oh oui je rêve Verse Je ressasse nos souvenirs Que le temps tente désespérément de détruire Se glissent un sourire et des larmes aux coins de mes yeux Comment penser l'avenir, penser hier, en guérir Hook Oh je rêve, hum je rêve, hum je rêve, oh oui je rêve Refrain Je rêve, je rêve, je rêve Que tu es là avec moi Je rêve, oh oui je rêve, je rêve Mais tu n'es pas, non non, tu n'es pas vraiment là Verse Je sens dans ma poitrine mon coeur qui s'arrête Je rêve et je fais mine de n'avoir pas senti passer Cette réalité qu'endormie tu resteras Mais plus jamais à côté de moi Hook Je rêve, hum, je rêve, ah, je rêve, oh oui je rêve Verse Je ne fais que rêver, imaginer ton devenir Si seulement on t'avait laissé le temps de le construire J'ai tant aimé t'aimer, je ne cesserai de le faire, pour de la mort n'empêche pas de rêver, alors je referme les yeux Refrain Et je rêve, je rêve, je rêve, hum Que tu es là avec moi Je rêve, oh oui je rêve, je rêve Mais tu n'es pas, non tu n'es pas, pas vraiment là Hook Je rêve, hum, Je rêve, hum, Je rêve, oh-oh-oh Oh, je rêve, oh-oh-oh Outro Oh, je rêve, je rêve, je rêve Que tu sois là, que tu sois là, que tu sois là |
Verse I close my eyes imagining us there, we two Interlaced, lips dried by love Love of the other Hook I dream, I dream, hum, I dream, oh yes I dream Verse I rehash our memories That time tries desperately to destroy A smile and tears slip to the corners of my eyes How to think the future, think yesterday, heal from it Hook Oh, I dream, hum I dream, hum I dream, oh yes I dream Refrain I dream, I dream, I dream That you’re there with me I dream, oh yes I dream, I dream, But you're not, no, no, you're not really there Verse I feel my heart stop in my chest I dream and I pretend not to have endured This reality that asleep you'll remain But never again next to me Hook I dream, hum, I dream, ah, I dream, oh, yes I dream Verse I only dream, imagining your future If only we had left you the time to build it I loved loving you so much, I won’t stop doing it since death doesn't prevent dreaming, So I close my eyes again Refrain And I dream, I dream, I dream, hum That you're there with me I dream, oh yes I dream, I dream But you're not, no you're not, not really there Hook I dream, hum, I dream, hum, I dream, oh-oh-oh Oh, I dream, oh-oh-oh Outro Oh, I dream, I dream, I dream That you’re there, that you’re there, that you're there |
NB:
- je fais mine: “faire mine” is an expression that means “to pretend.” The word “la mine” refers to appearance, as in “avoir bonne mine” (look good). “Faire mine” implies deceptively adopting an appearance but may entail less involvement than the similar phrase “faire semblant.”
- de n'avoir pas senti passer: this is the negative passé composé of “sentir passer,” which is an expression that means to strongly feel the impact (physically or emotionally) of something. “Sentir” is a versatile verb involving perception by the senses of touch and smell.
- pour de la mort: this strange construction has been variously translated as “for the sake of death,” “Death doesn't prevent.” Both “pour” and “de,” however, are prepositions and it is not normal to have a preposition follow another preposition, so it remains unclear what the phrase means.
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