The sleeping brain is no new territory for creatives; there are thousands of songs out there composed on the very subject, and not all of them are by Belle & Sebastian. Here are 30 tunes—from the Cranberries to Weezer to Notorious B.I.G.—for your listening enjoyment.
1. “40 Day Dream,” Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros
Up From Below, 2009
2. “Only In Dreams,” Weezer
Weezer, 1994
3. “Dream About Flying” Alexi Murdoch
Time Without Consequence, 2006
4. “I Dreamed I Saw St. Augustine,” Orig. sung by Bob Dylan
The orig. 1968 song isn’t available on YouTube, so here is a cover by Dirty Projectors.
5. “Dreams,” Brandi Carlile
Give Up the Ghost, 2009
6. “Flying Dream 143,” Elbow
Cast of Thousands, 2003
7. “I Will Dream,” Emmylou Harris
Stumble Into Grace, 2003
8. “Fever Dream,” Iron and Wine
Endless Numbered Days, 2004
9. “Cubism Dream,” Local Natives
Gorilla Manor, 2009
10. “I’ve Got Dreams to Remember,” Otis Redding
The Immortal Otis Redding, 1968
11. “Gasoline Dreams,” Outkast
Stankonia, 2000
12. “Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me,” The Smiths
Single, 1987
13. “Come On! Feel The Illinoise! (The World’s Columbian Exposition/Carl Sandburg Visits Me In A Dream),” Sufjan Stevens
Illinois, 2005
14. “Dream, Baby, Dream,” Suicide
15. “Judy and the Dream of Horses,” Belle & Sebastian
If You’re Feeling Sinister, 1996
16. “Here I Dreamt I Was an Architect,” The Decemberists
Castaways and Cutouts, 2002
17. “Sleepwalkin’,” Modest Mouse
Interstate 8, 1996
18. “In Dreams,” Roy Orbison
Single, 1963
19. “Dreams,” The Cranberries
Everybody Else is Doing It, So Why Can’t We?, 1993
20. “You Were Dreaming,” Shout Out Louds
Our Ill Wills, 2007
21. “Dream,” Dizzee Rascal
Showtime, 2007
22. “Dreaming of Me,” Depeche Mode
Speak and Spell, 1981
23. “Nice Dream,” Radiohead
The Bends, 1995
24. “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This),” Eurythmics
single, 1983
25. “Coat Check Dream Song,” Bight Eyes
Cassadaga, 2007
26. “I Could Be Dreaming,” Belle & Sebastian
Tigermilk, 1996
27. “Moonage Daydream,” David Bowie
The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, 1972
28. “Dream Operator,” Talking Heads
True Stories, 1986
29. “Goodbye Sweet Dreams,” Roky Erickson with Okkervil River
True Love Cast Out All Evil, 2010
30. “Juicy,” Notorious B.I.G.
Ready to Die, 1994