In Dreams: Saturday Soundtrack

Roy Orbison, whom Elvis Presley said was the best singer ever, wrote this song after forgetting another song, he said to himself, "A candy-colored clown they call the sand man" and went to sleep. During his sleep the song came to him, and when he awoke he made a quick demo. The first time the song was a hit was in 1963. The second time, in 1986, is when I remember hearing the song for the first time.

In early October 1986 had just come home from flunking out of the U.S. Army's Chaplain Assistant course (I couldn't type 20wpm. Now I do 60+. Go figure.) and no one was home to greet me. I didn't quite know what to do with myself so I went to see movie. The film was David Lynch's Blue Velvet. This song was featured in the film and I've like it ever since. Later on I'd see all of Lynch's films (I wonder what I saw in them now.) and serve in the 101st Airborne Division. But that first day back from failure, while seeking distraction, this song just floored me.

There is a funny story about Roy Orbison that Bruce Springsteen tells. He was was talking to Roy and said, "Roy I get up on stage and run around, and scream, and jump up and down, and just wear myself out to put on a good show, but you just walk out and stand there, and have the audience in the palm of your hand the whole time. How do you do that?" To which Roy replied, "Well, I'm a singer."

This is the video that came out with the Movie Blue Velvet.