Annie Moscow sends us to a Land of Dreams on her upcoming album, the first that she is co-producing. Here, Moscow opts for an entirely acoustic soundscape to bring a sense of vulnerability and immediacy to the deeply textured worlds she conjures in her music.
Moscow began her early music career as a pianist and songwriter and shot up the charts as a co-songwriterfor film, TV, and a diverse roster of artists including Sarah Vaughn (1986: “Tears in My Heart”), Kathy Sledge (1992: hit single “All of My Love”), and Mickey Mouse (2007: “They Don’t Scare Me”).In 2001, Moscow stepped out as a singer-songwriter with her first solo CD, Wolves at My Door, delving full throttle into (at that time) relatively taboo and untouched topics, including midlife disillusionment and family dysfunction.
“This world continues to reveal itself as being as fragile and ephemeral as a Land of Dreams,” says Moscow. “I believe we are all great creators, and I’m sure I’ve stepped in every pothole imaginable, reaped the consequences, and no doubt will continue to step in a few more. But everyday I get better at nursing the bruises, dusting myself off, and moving on. Life is an amazing teacher when you pay attention, and it can also be an amazing ride.”
Below, Moscow guides us through her process and the far-out video she co-created for the Latin jazz-inspired song.
What is the story behind this song? What inspired you to write it?
“Land of Dreams” is a musical invitation to let go of suffering and open up to a better world, a place of happiness, love, and buoyant freedom.
The actual place, the land of dreams, can be looked at in two ways. One, the obvious, it’s bedtime. “The silver stars are shining, my friend.” Close your eyes, go to sleep and be whisked away to a magical dreamland. The other is, you may think you’re closing your eyes to this world that you think is real, but you’re actually waking up, for the first time can see what really is, and it’s magical. Everything is good, there’s healing, beauty, and love all around, and all the heartbreak you thought was real, well, that was all was nothing but a dream.
What do you hope the song’s message is? What do you hope listeners get from hearing it?
Joy. Freedom. Drop the baggage that’s not serving you or anyone. Just let it go.
What kind of a vibe were you going for on this song?
Beautiful, soothing, dreamy, magical, and inspired with a little bit of a Latin vibe. I wrote this song with Rachael Nicole Gold, a brilliant composer and jazz artist. We have both always been big fans of Latin jazz, inspired by the freedom and soaring joy of artists like Flora Purim and Chick Corea. In 1976, Flora Purim and her husband, Airto, wrote a beautiful song, “Open Your Eyes, You Can Fly” which has a resonant message. It’s not about squeezing your eyes shut and fading off to some unconscious dreamland, but rather, when you can fully open your eyes, that’s when you will really fly.
Funny side note, because of the jazz co-write, if you compare this song to other songs on my album, you’ll see this one has the most chords. It has more chords than most songs, actually. When I brought it in to play at a jazz jam, everyone wanted to look at the charts, and not just the players.
Do you have a favorite line or two from the song? What makes them resonate with you?
“Nothing really bad is ever as it seems
Like a movie, In the Land of Dreams”
It’s best not to take anything too seriously. I mean, of course we do, but in times of trouble, I always try my best to get out of my head, hold my own hand, and remind myself “this too shall pass,” and eventually, it does. Life changes, then you’re on to experience the next movie, explore and learn from as you move from one scene to the next. Like a magical Land of Dreams.
How did the video come together?
My intent was to juxtapose reality fantasy with reality — flow together images of nature, magic, dreams, reality, fantasy, like it’s all part of the same thing. I discovered some wonderfully whimsical video footage, as well as effects, to portray this “real’ world we live in as often “surreal.” One of my favorite scenes is in the opening where dreamscape footage opens to a man joyfully dancing across a wall. I used a lot of AI-generated images throughout for the fantasy, fairyland-type images, which is something I’ve discovered AI is particularly good at.
In previous videos, I’ve mostly shot the video of myself sitting in a chair, which I did at the beginning of this video, but then I thought, let’s try laying down in the hammock and using different fantasy filters to give the whole look of when I come in singing a dreamier image.
Another favorite part is the dream sequence in the middle. This was so much fun to create, scouring stock video sites for just the right images. When it all began coming together, I felt like I had just won the treasure hunt. And another favorite scene is the little girl with her parents, scared of the monster, and then we can see, it was all nothing but a dream.
Do you get feedback from fans or listeners about how your music has impacted them? Have any of their stories really touched you? What is the best message you’ve gotten from a fan about how your music has touched their life?
When I first began singing my own songs, around 20 years ago, I thought I was singing about my life, like I was the only one. But fans come up to me all the time and tell me I’m singing about their lives, which is the most rewarding thing to me as a songwriter. Some of my dysfunctional family songs – none on this album but I have a bunch on others – have made a huge impact on people’s lives. I’ve had a number of people tell me they’ve gone back to visit family that they weren’t going to, or made peace in a relationship that they weren’t going to, because of one of my songs. When I hear stories like that, I feel grateful and humbled. It’s the absolute best.
What else is on tap for you in the coming months besides the album release?
I’m writing a book. A memoir-ish type of book of backstories to the music. The book is also called “Land of Dreams,” and I look forward to releasing it around the same time as the album’s release (in February 2024) or shortly thereafter.
Land of Dreams will be released on February 2nd, 2024