Metropolis Pt. 1: The Miracle and the Sleeper
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| "Metropolis Pt. 1: The Miracle And The Sleeper" | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
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| Song by Dream Theater | ||
| from the album Images and Words | ||
| Released | July 7, 1992 | |
| Recorded | 1991 | |
| Genre | Progressive Metal | |
| Length | 9:32 | |
| Label | ATCO Records | |
| Writer(s) | John Petrucci | |
| Composer(s) | Dream Theater | |
| Producer(s) | David Prater | |
| Images and Words track listing | ||
| Surrounded (4) |
"Metropolis Pt. 1: The Miracle And The Sleeper" (5) |
Under A Glass Moon (6) |
"Metropolis Pt. 1: The Miracle and the Sleeper", more commonly referred to as simply "Metropolis", is a song by progressive metal band Dream Theater released on the 1992 album Images and Words. The lyrics were written by guitarist John Petrucci.
The song was first written around 1989, when Charlie Dominici was the band's lead vocalist, and there are clips of the band performing an early version of the song on the YtseJam Records bootleg When Dream and Day Reunite. The structure and lyrics were re-worked in the time between when Dominici was fired from the band and when Images and Words was recorded with new vocalist James LaBrie.
The song explores multiple time signatures with long instrumental sections and a length approaching 10 minutes in typical Dream Theater fashion. Despite the complexity of the song, the band have said that they could "play it in their sleep" because they play it so often. [1]
The song is a consistent fan favorite, even rivalling the fame of the song Pull Me Under from the same album. It is often played during the band's encores, and there have been several special performances of the song, with the two most notable examples being when they performed it with former members Dominici and Derek Sherinian in 2004 (this performance also appears on the "When Dream and Day Reunite" bootleg) and in 2006 when they played it with a full symphonic orchestra (this version appears on the live album Score).
The "Part 1" in the title was originally included as a joke, and "Part 2" was never actually planned, but after its release there were numerous calls for a sequel to be written, so during the recording sessions for Falling Into Infinity the band began writing and demoing the second part. They ended up with a 20-minute song, but since their record label would not allow them to release a double album it had to be cut to save space, and the song never went very far past the demo stage.
When the time came to write music for their next album, the first composition they began working on was this 20-minute sequel. The decision was made to extend the single song into an entire concept album based on the themes of part one, which would eventually be released as Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes From A Memory.
[edit] Other appearances on Dream Theater releases
- Live at the Marquee - Track 1, released 1993. (9:36)
- Once in a LIVEtime - Disc 2, Track 9, released 1998 (As part of a medley). (6:16)
- Live Scenes From New York - Disc 2, Track 4, released 2001. (10:36)
- Score - Disc 3, Track 2, released 2006. (10:39)
[edit] Notes
- ^ When Dream and Day Reunite DVD
