Great Songs from My Favorite Year in Music: 1985, Part 43

Heart - "These Dreams"



(Album Release: July 1985)
When I wrote about Madonna's "Crazy For You," I revealed my love of cheesy 80s female sung ballads, including Heart's "These Dreams." There was certainly a time, considering the rest of the music I've presented on this list and my circle of friends, that this was decidedly uncool. Since I didn't live in Seattle at the time, I couldn't even claim local spirit. Now it can be told. I do adore this song. It is one of the few tracks with lead vocals by Nancy Wilson as opposed to sister, Ann. Though, I'm not sure if that is what makes it stand out. It is a ballad amongst a deep catalog of rock classics, including "Barracuda," "Magic Man," and "Crazy on You." That could be why it stands out. It is also completely trapped in the amber that is the 80s. The synth sounds, which seem to take up most of the song, would normally be considered anathema to 70s rock bands such as Heart, but in the 80s, there seemed to be a "when in Rome" type philosophy (not in reference to the 80s band who sang "The Promise"). The video is even more entrenched in the 80s, with huge hair, deco inspired sets, and flashy outfits with shoulder pads. The visuals seem somewhat silly in hindsight and, well, they probably seemed that way at the time, too. Nancy does her crazy rock star kicks and guitar acrobatics, despite the fact that this song is a sleepy synth track. In other words, the actions in the video, by almost all the band members, don't match the style of the song. Despite all of the goofiness of it, I still really enjoy this song. Moving to Seattle was a validation I never expected. As soon as I got here, I no longer had to hide my love of Heart, and I don't mean of the classic rock songs that everyone loves; I mean the syrupy, polished, overproduced 80s stuff. It was OK. Heart is BELOVED up here. They can essentially do no wrong. By all accounts, I should despise this track. Despite the fact that it is co-written by Bernie Taupin, the lyrics are awful. "I walk without a cut / through a stained glass wall"?? The music is written by the guy who wrote "We Built This City." I would have thought he would have been exiled after that song. But, that has not affected me and now, in Seattle, I have found kindred spirits. Now, if I can only find a girl who is okay with my love of the Bangles' "Eternal Flame.'