I’ve Been Dreaming of Ranking “Dream Your Life Away”

I’ve always heard that you start to build your music taste at 14, but I really think the age of nine really built the foundations of what I listen to today. Growing up, I tended to listen to what was on the radio or what my older sisters liked. This meant the radio hits of the 2000’s, One Direction, Lorde, and 5 Seconds of Summer, all of which still have some meaning to me today. But my first step towards branching off into my own choices in music started with Vance Joy’s first LP, “Dream Your Life Away.” One of my older cousins played “Riptide” for my family and I once, and I downloaded it onto my iPod Touch and refused to stop listening. This also marked my first pair of headphones, which in total Anna fashion, I lost quickly. 

Soon, I bought the album on my iPod, as well as the CD. That CD was played to within an inch of its life, staying in our family car for five years without leaving any of the 6 CD slots once. When I was 10, I was riding high: I had just been to my first concert, and it was One Direction with 5SOS opening. I didn’t know how good I had it, but I had fun and wanted more live experiences. My mom saw that Vance Joy was coming to Los Angeles for the tour of his first album, and she got us tickets so I could go with just her and not my sisters (thus marking my first branch off). I went and had the time of my life, hugging my mom at the end of the night and crying because I was so happy. I still have the jacket she bought for me.

“Dream Your Life Away” is probably the most nostalgic album for me to listen to, and I wanted to use my blog as an opportunity to walk down memory lane and relive all those school mornings spent listening to this album at like 7:20 in the morning. Though these songs are spread out over five tiers, all of these are truly S-tier in my heart, and I would like to confirm the fact that I am 100% biased in every single way when listening to this album.

*S-TIER*

• WINDS OF CHANGE

The first track on the album, “Winds of Change” is what I believe to be the quintessential “Dream Your Life Away” song. It is meaningful, earnest, underrated, and by far the most nostalgic song for me. Its chorus is so catchy, and the gentle brass accompaniment makes for an autumnal coziness that I find hard to discover in any other musician’s discography. 

• FROM AFAR

The lyricism in this song is so genuine, and his voice is so well-suited for folky ballads that are almost completely supported by guitar. The movement of the bridge doesn’t seem too sudden or loud, and the progression of the song’s build makes its storytelling clear and palpable. 

• RIPTIDE

If you have ever been in the presence of a young middle schooler to high school student that has been learning to play ukulele, you have heard this song. It deserves its commercial success, and here is my list of reasons why:

1. Nonsensical lyrics
2. Catchy
3. Emotive voice
4. Easy to play and learn on ukulele

I do think there should be a study on the rate of ukulele sales worldwide parallel to the release of “Riptide,” but all jokes aside, it’s actually a really interesting song in terms of analysis and is often overlooked critically.

*A-TIER*

• FIRE AND THE FLOOD

I like the moody beginning, and I think the foundation for the chorus comes across as masterful and intentional. The sheer size of the chorus and bridge make this song addictive, and his usage of brass throughout the entire album reminds me so much of Beirut. His vocals continue to shine, even through a more exciting and dynamically complex track.

• WE ALL DIE TRYING TO GET IT RIGHT

Vance Joy is a master of atmosphere, and with the growing notes at the beginning of the song, you enter the world of his fears for the future. His melody and usage of thudding percussion makes the entire song a tear jerker while simultaneously being endlessly comforting; give this song more streams, you ungrateful weirdos! It’s so underrated!

• STRAIGHT INTO YOUR ARMS

This song is unique to the rest of the album, as it incorporates more production-heavy elements; however, I think he executes this well, as the production doesn’t overtake the other parts of the song and still carries the cohesive acoustic sound of the album. I really love that he offered a song that is in a league of its own in terms of sound and can shake things up a little.

*B-TIER*

• MY KIND OF MAN

This song’s lyrics paint a heartbreaking and fragile attempt to open up to someone after an exhausting run of emotions. His song-writing is gorgeous, and brings that weary hesitancy to life with the gentle tempo and lulling, plucky guitar work.

• BEST THAT I CAN

This is a moving song, and it’s lulling movement towards the bridge and into the song is heartbreaking. This track is more like the “mirrorball” of this album, where it’s an honest confession to unrelenting effort despite no relief. I love the lyricism and the intention behind the strings’ accompaniment, but it’s just not my favorite song on the album.

• MESS IS MINE

Though this is a very popular song (and is rightfully so, it’s fun and the songwriting is absolutely excellent), but the bridge for me is a little low-hanging fruit-ish where I can kind of guess the chord progression before it happens. Other than that, I love this song!

• WHO AM I

It’s a little quirky, it’s a little fun, the melody is certainly unique to the rest of the album’s laid-back intensity, kind of like “Straight Into Your Arms.” It’s pretty boppy, like a fun single that the artist would release first. This is like the attractive nice person that you really like because they’re sweet but they’re just a little boring because everyone’s told them they’re cool because they’re attractive: this song lives in a different world to the other more polarizing songs. It’s fun and cute, but it’s got a lot of potential.

*C-TIER*

• RED EYE

When I was younger and this song would play, I would always just let it play out of blind love for the album, but with my taste in music now, I don’t think I would choose to listen to it. It’s a pretty good song, it’s just not for me to listen to every day.

• WASTED TIME

It’s the same sort of situation with “Red Eye” where I don’t really listen to it unless I’m listening to the entire album all the way through. The bridge is fun though! It’s not really for me, but then again, I don’t dislike any of the songs on this album.

• GEORGIA

I like the bridge of this song, but I’ve never been the biggest fan of super slow and vibey music on account of the fact that my train of thought moves faster than my intentions and I’ll forget that I’m listening to the song by the time it’s over. It’s just not something I queue up daily, but it definitely has its place in my library.

*D-TIER*

• ALL I EVER WANTED

The melody and chorus of the song kind of irritate me, and it automatically sends me back to sitting in a Nike one piece in a towel in our 2004 Yukon while thinking about the “Jessie” crossover episode that I was missing back at home. It just annoys me in general, but I never skip it, and it makes me think that Vance Joy has some weird possession grip on me that I have to break somehow through a long and life-defining quest.

• FIRST TIME

When I was younger, this song was the bane of my existence. I would never actually skip it, but I would stare at the radio until the song was over, sweating profusely, and I feel like my brush with blood pressure started there. Now, it’s just kind of okay, but I can never forget the impact this song had on me as an over-apologetic eight-year-old that was moved to tears by the scandal of this song.

***

This album has so much nostalgic and sentimental value for me, but as I’ve grown, I’ve come to appreciate the foundation that “Dream Your Life Away” provided for my taste in music now, and how it will influence my music choices later. It’s such an authentic and youthful album, and I feel like it’s definitely a snapshot of my life that has made itself a part of me that I grow and learn from as I grow into who I will be. It’s artful, it’s genuine, it’s authentic, it’s acoustic: it’s Vance Joy.