“I Had The Craziest Dream”

“I Had The Craziest Dream” had been a hit for several artists in several different styles over the years when Ray Charles put his own stamp on the song for his 1969 album I’m All Yours Baby. It was something of an obvious choice for the album, which was a thematic collection of slow, romantic ballads with sweet orchestration: a record for lovers.

Mack Gordon and Harry Warren wrote “I Had The Craziest Dream” in 1942, and it was first aired publicly in the comedic musical film Springtime In The Rockies, in a scene starring Harry James and His Music Makers with vocalist Helen Forrest. (James, incidentally, was born in the same town as Ray Charles: Albany, Georgia.)

Ray’s version of “I Had The Craziest Dream” follows the lyrical blueprint established by Frank Sinatra’s version, with the first line being the song’s title and then a simple lyric being sung twice.

The strings on Ray Charles’ version were arranged by his longtime collaborator Sid Feller. They create an understated but opaque ooze, and the song ebbs and flows like honey in slow motion. Somewhat remarkably, the orchestra here, while kept decidedly sluggish and dense, never sinks into mawkishness. It’s appropriately pretty.

Which makes both Ray’s singing and piano stand out all the more: while he does restrain himself vocally in deference to the feel of the song, he can’t hide the crackling grit in his voice. And while his vocals are clearly a performance – a stage role and not a personal statement – he does manage to imbue them with a pleasing, heartfelt soulfulness.

The piano, too, on “I Had The Craziest Dream” is especially notable. Between his two verses, Ray adds a solo that departs from the main feel of the performance with its accomplished and almost random jumps up and down the keys. It’s a fine moment of eccentric inspiration, and does much to tether the otherwise airy tune to the Earth.

Listen to “I Had The Craziest Dream”

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