Silent Lucidity

Infobox Single
Name = Silent Lucidity


Cover size =
Border =
Caption =
Artist = Queensrÿche
Album = Empire
A-side =
B-side =
Released = 1990
Format = CD, Vinyl, Cassette
Recorded = Spring 1990
Genre = Hard rock
Length = 5:47
Label = EMI America
Writer = Chris DeGarmo
Producer = Peter Collins
Audio sample? =
Certification =
Last single = "Empire"
(1990)
This single = "Silent Lucidity"
(1990)
Next single = "Jet City Woman"
(1991)
Misc = Extra track listing
Album = Empire
Type = studio
Tracks =
#"Best I Can"
#"The Thin Line"
#"Jet City Woman"
#"Della Brown"
#"Another Rainy Night (Without You)"
#"Empire"
#"Resistance"
#"Silent Lucidity"
#"Hand on Heart"
#"One and Only"
#"Anybody Listening?"

"Silent Lucidity" is a single by the American progressive metal band Queensrÿche. It was released as the A-side of the band's fifth single from the 1990 album "Empire". The song peaked at #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. The song was composed by lead guitarist Chris DeGarmo. Queensryche performed the song live at the Grammy awards, with a supporting orchestra.

Because of the lyrical content, and the title of the song, it is assumed to be based on the subject of lucid dreaming. During the middle eight, a heavily vocoded voice even explains a method for this: "Visualize your dream. Record it in the present tense. Put it into a permanent form. If you persist in your efforts, you can achieve dream control."

The song has been both criticized and praised for sounding much like Pink Floyd's music, in particular the chorus which reminds one of the song "Comfortably Numb." [http://72.14.209.104/search?q=cache:6IR4RjwBvc0J:www.metroactive.com/papers/cruz/08.11.04/pink-0433.html+SILENT+LUCIDITY+COMFORTABLY+NUMB&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=9&client=safari]

The song was recorded with sweeping orchestrations. Often the orchestra is not relegated to the background but instead is very prominent such as during the second half of the instrumental section (timestamp 3:16 - 3:51).

At the end of the song (5:26), a cello or double bass plays the theme from the traditional children's Brahm's Lullaby - the typical English translation words being "Lullaby, and good night, go to sleep little baby".

"Silent Lucidity" is ranked #21 on VH1 Greatest Power Ballads. [http://www.vh1.com/shows/dyn/the_greatest/66390/episode_countdown.jhtml]

Silent Lucidity also inspired the song O Meri Jaan from the Bollywood movie Life in a... Metro

ingle Tracklist

#"Silent Lucidity" - 5:49
#"The Mission" [Live] - 6:17
#"Eyes of a Stranger [Live] - 8:03

Chart Positions

Personnel

*Eddie Jackson - bass, backing vocals
*Chris DeGarmo - guitar, backing vocals
*Scott Rockenfield - drums
*Geoff Tate - lead vocals
*Michael Wilton - guitar, backing vocals

with

*Michael Kamen – orchestrator / conductor

External links

* [http://www.queensryche.com/releases/empire/video/empire_silent-lucidity-300k.html Official video clip] .
* [http://www.queensryche.com/releases/empire-dvda/lyrics/08-silent-lucidity.html Official lyrics] .
* [http://youtube.com/watch?v=NgohbVIIPnc Live] at the 1991 MTV Video Music Awards.