By the time Y2K was over and done
however, I found myself growing tired of most of the “current day” popsters. But
even as I largely returned to my retro-listening habits, one then-new pop act
caught my ear, and to this day, 16 years later, I still frequently return to
one of their tunes in particular. That song is entitled “This Is Me”, and the act bringing it to you on the Dial, is Dream.
“She
stole your heart… only did it because she could...
Chewed you up and spat you out... bad girl never was no good."
A quartet of female vocalists based
in Los Angeles, California; Holly, Melissa, Diana, and Ashley harmonize very
smoothly here, and sing at a subdued level when compared to some of their
contemporaries like Mariah and Christina. While Dream certainly sings in the
style of R&B influenced teen pop, there’s no over-the-top fluttering melismas
here. Overall, “This is Me” has a definite light-"Genie in a Bottle" vibe, which makes sense, as one of the
authors of This is Me, Pamela Sheyne, was also a co-author of Christina’s Grammy
winning debut single.
Lyrically, “This is Me” offers a young
woman’s declaration of love and devotion to her new beau. The dreamy relaxing melody,
along with the layered and complimentary harmonies, give the song a tender and sweet
vibe, as the girl reassures her guy that while he was hurt in the past, his
heart is safe with her now.
“Baby
I would never do that… ‘cuz I love you faithfully...
But your suspicious mind thinks I'm gonna repeat her story..."
About the only thing I could do
without is the tune’s coda… a spoken “Get
a Grip!” Sure, maybe the guy is being really whiny about not wanting to be
hurt again (which would understandably frustrate her and eventually provoke a
snarky response), but it seems out of place given that the song’s entire 3:12 run
time portrays her to be reassuring, sympathetic and caring. But I’ll look past
that…
Taken from the group’s 2000 debut LP
It Was All A Dream, and following the
lead single “He Loves U Not”, (US #2,
US R&B #15, UK #17), “This is Me” peaked at #39 on the Hot 100. Well… sort
of. As it turns out, the song that actually charted at #39 is properly called
"This is Me Remix", but
instead of enhancing some beats and adding some loops while leaving the basic
structure of the song intact (which many remixes tend to do), this version is a
completely different song from the album cut.
The remixed version only retained a
portion of the album version’s chorus, discarding the remainder of the song, and
rebuilding it with a new melody, new lyrics, an unnecessary rap section, and a
music bed sampling Bob James' "Take
Me to the Mardi Gras". It doesn't even share the same relaxed vibe as
the album cut, replacing the soothing soft soulful pop of the original with a
sort of Euro-funk jam.
Hence, I prefer the original LP
version.
“It’s
makin’ you crazy, makin’ you a wreck...
Makin' you follow me, makin' me a suspect."
I realize this is manufactured pop, written
by professional songwriters, managed by a known music star (Puff Daddy), and targeted
towards TRL watching teens, and there was certainly a ton of “me too” style
songs and acts in the late ‘90s teen pop
boom. But Dream’s “This Is Me” has always impressed me as possessing a class
and elegance in a genre that didn’t typically aspire to those loftier qualities.
I played it for my nearly 5 year old
daughter recently, and now she asks for “This is Me” as we drive to school in
the morning, played alongside her favorite tracks by Survivor, Tom Petty, and
Glenn Frey. Hey, she’s a chip off the old Dial!
So give Dream’s ode to devotion and
reassurance a listen, and be sure to keep your ears to the Dial for the next
overlooked track from the past! Kyle’s Radio Dial… The more you listen, the
MORE you remember!
“You
wanna trust me but you don’t know how...
I'm never gonna mess around, let you down, can't you see?
That was her... and baby, this is me."
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