Deadsplinter Up! All Night: Enter Sandman

IN PRAISE OF SLEEP

3/2/21 Luigi Vuoto 29
To sleep, perchance to dream

Look, I realize that the words, “Up! All Night” are above the door, but I think we need to have a word about what John Keats called, the ‘soft embalmer of the still midnight’. That lovely 1/3 of the day when our brows unfurl, our breathing slows and our dreams get wet (hopefully). I’m talking about sleep

#1: It feels really good. You just can’t beat it. If you want to feel good, get good sleep. This is not something I’m making up. Sleep is wonderful.

#2: It’s a precious commodity. Good sleep must be cultivated, like grapes for fine wine or that sticky icky dank-ass sensimilla. You can’t just jump into the bed and expect Morpheus (son of Hypnos) to embrace you in his ever-loving arms, you know. Now, everyone is different, so the cultivation of good sleep varies from person to person, but by all means do it. And if you suffer from insomnia, don’t give up. Try stuff. Talk to a doctor if you have to, but figure it out.

#3: It makes you look good. They don’t call it “beauty sleep” for nothing. It helps your cells repair and even has been shown to regulate healthy weight. And anyway, what else you got to do in the middle of winter during a pandemic? Go to fucking sleep.

#4: Dream baby, dream. I have found that after a night of vivid dreams, even those crazy scary dreams where you have no pants and you’re being chased by Nazis and your English composition homework has blown out of your hand as you’re crossing a bridge, I always have a good day. No shit. For me, nightmares make good days. Go figure. And this kind of dreaming requires sleep.

So tonight, let’s celebrate this wonderful gift we are given on a daily basis. What are your favorite sleep songs? There are tons of them. I don’t just mean lullabies (though lullabies are cool). I mean any song that references snooze-time, dreams, nightmares, pillows or any aspect of sleep. Me, I don’t like to brag, but I sleep like a goddamn baby. I can drink a double espresso an hour before bed (and sometimes do) and I’m out as soon as I hit the pillow. It’s probably one of the very few things I’m really good at. It wasn’t always like this, but I learned the hard way.

So good night, sleep tight, don’t let the bed bugs bite, and THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING DEADSPLINTER AND DUAN.

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29 Comments

  1. My father used to say that I could sleep on demand when I was a kid.  I once had a roommate who suffered from insomnia who once mused about pushing a pillow over my face in a fit of rage because I could immediately fall asleep.  But, I’ve always been a night owl at heart, which is what has made working from home so awesome–no more having to go to bed at 9:00!


     

    • I’m reminded of this track: 
      The Rakes, “Work, Work, Work (Pub, Club, Sleep)” 
       

  5. Warren Zevon – I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead
     

  6. I just woke up from a nap and am still a little groggy.

    Chrome – In a Dream

     

     

     

     

  7. The world divides itself into those who love a good Broadway show tune and those who do not. I am firmly in the first camp:
     

    • I also adore Broadway musical numbers, but I can’t agree that the 1980s were the best years for Broadway shows.

    • My pulse beats to Broadway songs!
       
      Here’s another version by Lea Salonga

    • Oh, that didn’t quite work. It’s the Eurythmics’ “Sweet Dreams” from 1983.

  10. The Lion Sleeps Tonight
     


     
    Dream On
     

    • Good ones, @Lymond! Nice to see you, I was afraid they were working you to death.

      • Haha! @Hannibal – not to death, but close! We’re in the final week so things are finally slowing down – can’t wait to catch up on some sleep. 

        • Take care of yourself.

  14. When I was a kid I used to walk in my sleep. I don’t think that’s uncommon.

    Christain Death – Sleepwalk

     

    • I once had a roommate who was a serious sleepwalker. I quickly learned that, contrary to popular wisdom, it is OK to wake them up abrubtly. Better than letting him go wandering out into the night.

  16. All right, back when Will Smith was better known as a rapper named the Fresh Prince, he and DJ Jazzy Jeff (one of the all-time best practitioners of the craft) recorded a song that was the talk of my lunchroom table and oftentimes found its way into the boom box of whomever was hosting a sleepover back in fifth grade. It was inspired by Nightmare on Elm Street but wasn’t officially sanctioned by the producers of the movie, so there had to be a disclaimer in the liner notes of the cassette that I damn near should’ve worn out, and the rumored video was apparently kept under wraps and never aired. (I once wrote in to Nick Rocks requesting it but never heard back – although the drawing that I’d included was rather graphic and gory, if memory serves.) Of course, as may be the case these days, sometimes the Holy Grail’s not only been found but also uploaded to YouTube.
     
    So, ladies and gentlemen, I give you. . . .
     
    DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince – “Nightmare on My Street”

    • Thanks for that — I remember that song on the radio and Parents Just Don’t Understand, but I never saw the video for Nightmare.

  17. It’s in the title, but it’s not showing as linked for me, so this, of course:


     
    The Ella classic;

     
    And, of course, the ‘Jovi’s😉
     

     

     
     

  18. oddly enough..i was actually asleep before the duan for a change


    figured id wake up again by about 3 am…but its actually about 7 am now…not bad
     

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