The Story Behind “The River of Dreams” by Billy Joel and How an Atheist Drew Inspiration from the Bible

When Billy Joel entered his 40s, he began to reflect on his life. He thought about the eternal question of what happens after we die. A self-identified atheist, Joel said the song idea came to him in a dream. At first, he resisted writing it but then realized he had to. Joel used biblical imagery, drawing inspiration from Psalm 23:4—”Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.”

The deceptively simple song struck a chord with his fans, driving album sales of more than 3 million in just over four months. Eventually, River of Dreams sold 5 million copies and helped establish Joel as a spokesperson for baby boomers. Let’s take a look at the story behind “The River of Dreams” by Billy Joel.

In the middle of the night (middle of the night)
I go walking in my sleep (I go walking in my sleep)
From the mountains of faith (mountains of faith)
To the river so deep (river so deep)
I must be looking for something (looking for something)
Something sacred I lost (sacred I lo-o-ost)
But the river is wide (river is wide)
And it’s too hard to cross (too hard to cross)
Even though I know the river is wide
I walk down every evening, and I stand on the shore
I try to cross to the opposite side
So I can finally find out what I’ve been looking for

Stream of Consciousness

Joel awoke from a dream where he was walking in his sleep. He later said “The River of Dreams” was a play on words for “stream of consciousness.” The song was stuck in his head when he woke up. He typically struggled to remember songs after a dream. This time, he tried to not write it. In 2010, Joel told Howard Stern: “I thought, ‘Who the hell am I to try to pull off this gospel song,’ so I took a shower to wash this song away. I sang it in the shower and knew I had to do it.”

In the middle of the night (middle of the night)
I go walking in my sleep (I go walking in my sleep)
Through the valley of fear (valley of fear)
To a river so deep (river so deep)
I’ve been searching for something (searching for something)
Taken out of my soul (taken out of my so-o-oul)
Something I’d never lose (never lose)
Something somebody stole (something somebody stole)
I don’t know why I go walking at night
But now I’m tired, and I don’t want to walk anymore
I hope it doesn’t take the rest of my life
Until I find what it is that I’ve been looking for

A New Producer

Acting as his own producer, Joel began recording the album in Shelter Island, New York. After seven songs, he was unhappy with the results. Don Henley recommended bringing in producer Danny Kortchmar to give the songs another shot. Only one song from the original sessions made the cut.

In 1994, Joel spoke at Princeton University. An audience member asked him about the different players on River of Dreams. “The musicians I was used to working with are rock ‘n’ roll musicians,” he said. “They don’t really play groove stuff. … Danny wanted to work with a groove drummer, so I worked with Zach Alford, who had worked with The B-52s. He played with Springsteen. … Danny had a vision for the album, which I didn’t have. I don’t think like a producer so much. I think, when I’m in the studio, like a writer. I still like the song. I don’t want to do it 50 times.

“… I started recording this last album on my own. I was the producer. … We get to like two takes, and I think, ‘Yeah. That’s close enough. Let’s quit while we still like the thing. How does it sound on playback? Well, it’s kinda close to what I was thinking. I don’t hate it. It’s fine. It’s fine.’ But Danny was a producer, and I usually work good in tandem with another set of brains to bounce off of, and argue with, and fight with, and get violent with. It took some adjusting, and I’m glad I tried it, and it’s opened the option to me of working with other musicians in the future, and I think a writer does owe it to himself to hear his work interpreted by different types of musicians and I’m not afraid of it anymore because of that.”

In the middle of the night (middle of the night)
I go walking in my sleep (I go walking in my sleep)
Through the jungle of doubt (jungle of doubt)
To the river so deep (river so deep)
I know I’m searching for something (searching for something)
Something so undefined (so undefined)
That it can only be seen (only be seen)
By the eyes of the blind
In the middle of the night
I’m not sure about a life after this
God knows I’ve never been a spiritual man
Baptized by the fire, I wade into the river
That is running to the promised land

The Grammys

In 1994, Frank Sinatra won a Grammy Legend Award. Because of time constraints, he was interrupted during his acceptance speech. Meanwhile, “The River Of Dreams” was up for Record of the Year (it lost to “I Will Always Love You” by Whitney Houston). Joel performed the song with a large gospel choir on a church set. He used the false ending to make a point. He waited an extra beat, looked at his watch, and said, “Valuable advertising time going by… dollars.” He later confirmed it was in response to Sinatra’s treatment by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.

In the middle of the night (middle of the night)
I go walking in my sleep (I go walking in my sleep)
Through the desert of truth (desert of truth)
To the river so deep (river so deep)
We all end in the ocean (end in the ocean)
We all start in the streams (start in the streams)
We’re all carried along (carried along)
By the river of dreams (river of dreams)
In the middle of the night

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Photo by Rick Diamond/WireImage