Pink Floyd – Julia Dream (1968) from MUNROW’S RETRO on VIMEO on Vimeo.

Julia Dream – Dreamboat Queen – Pink Floyd 

Pink Floyd’s “Julia Dream”, a B Side, from a single released in 1968, is an exceptionally unique piece of music with a slow tempo. Haunting, Sinister, Melancholy and Melodic, it was one of  Pink Floyd’s earliest songs and not typical of the direction the band would take in the future. It might best be described as a Psychedelic Folk Ballad.

It also made use of unusual sound effects creating a very Gothic, Nightmarish Ambience making it a Timeless and Atmospheric piece of Music. It has the same endearing qualities as a classic movie or book. As a song and melody, it has a dreamlike ethereal quality. The video is a bit Wuthering Heights meets Hammer Horror as you can see. Very Atmospheric. It’s also a very Poetic song.

Julia Dream

Sunlight bright upon my pillow
Lighter than an eiderdown
Will she let the weeping willow
Wind his branches round

Julia Dream
Dreamboat Queen
Queen of all my dreams

Every night I turn the light out
Waiting for the velvet bride
Will the scaly armadillo
Find me where I’m hiding

Julia dream
Dreamboat queen
Queen of all my dreams

Will the misty master break me
Will the key unlock my mind
Will the following footsteps catch me
Am I really dying

Julia dream
Dreamboat queen
Queen of all my dreams

Pink Floyd

Nobody knows who Julia Dream was. Mystery surrounds her persona. Yet, it almost feels like she had to have existed, like some heroine from a Gothic Romance Novel or a Damsel in Distress determined to escape from a doomed marriage or abusive partner. Or in love with someone else or running away from something. The song conjurs up a very specific character, perhaps an unattainable love interest for the writer. The song ends with whispers of “Save Me” after every chorus.

Julia Dream was the B-side to the 1968 Pink Floyd single ‘It Would Be So Nice”. The song was later released on a 1971 compilation album, “Relics” (A Bizarre Collection of Antiques & Curios) by Pink Floyd. It was released in the UK on 14th May 1971 and in the USA the following day by Starline.

Julia Dream was written by bassist Roger Waters and sung by David Gilmour. Richard Wright provided accompaniment on Mellotron and Organ resulting in a strange, surreal, eerie and beautiful sound. 

The video above has a very Hammer Horror, Gothic Romance feel to it, breathing life into the character, who appears to be restless and running. Perhaps lost. There are certainly themes of Death, Sorrow, Loss and Bereavement. And we see her fall to her knees in anguish beside a grave marked with a cross. Julia Dream appears troubled and anxious and the black and white imagery and melancholy musical tones lend themselves to this.

This is a fan video of course by Munrows Retro. There are a number of black and white movie clips in this video. I recognise some of the films but not all of them. There’s a number of different clips of different females, all, with a very Gothic haunted look. It’s superbly made and really captures the feel of the song.

There’s definitely a Romantic feel to the song. And it could be that Julia Dream was in fact a metaphor for love. The longing for love or the loss of love. The song starts with waking up “Sunlight bright upon my pillow” and his thoughts turn to Julia Dream. Again at night, “Every night I turn the light out, waiting for the velvet bride”.  She is in his thoughts first thing in the morning and last thing at night, a yearning. Perhaps it is a song about Heartbreak.

“The Misty Master” could be tears of loss of a love either through separation or tragic death, the yearning for a new love or the pain of unrequited love. Or even the fear of never meeting his soul mate. It could symbolise confusion in life, things being misty. Or someone whose emotions are in control of him. It could also be a song about death. Or aging “following footsteps”.  And of course, Dreams. Julia Dream, Dreamboat Queen simply being a fantasy created in his mind. To protect him from the Nightmare of Reality. Or the disappointment in waking, only to once again realise she lives only in the realms of Dreams. Found a little discussion as to the meaning behind the song from Floyd Lyrics Blogspot.

Below is another amazing fan video made for Julia Dream. It features clips from animated short movies. More information on this and another popular animated Pink Floyd fan video here.

Not sure if  Pink Floyd created a video for this song, but don’t think they did. So what was Julia Dream really about? What was the inspiration for the song or who? We will never really know.

There’s very little information out there about it so the real inspiration and meaning behind the song are going to be left in the realm of  The Mysterious and conjured up in the Imagination. Julia Dream will stand the test of time, as a Phantasmagoric Masterpiece from a Classic English Rock Band, that will continue to Haunt the Airwaves after we are all long gone.

“Julia Dream
Dreamboat Queen
Queen of all my Dreams”

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(This article is by Anne-Marie at SupernaturalHippie.com – No unauthorised reproduction without prior consent.)