| Afterlife | |
| When Dream and Day Unite | |
| Length | 5:26 |
| Working title | (Unknown) |
| Release date | March 16th, 1989 |
| Lyrics | Charlie Dominici |
| Music | Dream Theater |
| First live performance | L'Amour, Brooklyn, NY, USA, on Sept. 25, 1986 |
| Total live plays | 97 |
| Recorded | Kajem/Victory Studios |
| Other appearances | Score, Taste the Memories, When Dream and Day Unite Demos, When Dream and Day Reunite |
| Previous song | Light Fuse and Get Away |
| Next song | The Ones Who Help to Set the Sun |
Afterlife is a song by Dream Theater. It is the sixth song on their first album, When Dream and Day Unite. "Afterlife" may also refer to a song by James LaBrie which can cause confusion with fans. The song is one of Dream Theater's oldest songs.
Single release[]
The promo single cover for Afterlife from 1989
"Afterlife" was released as a promo CD single to radio. The track, like "Status Seeker" before it, was remixed by producer Terry Brown. These early CD singles are considered valuable collector's items by the fan community.
Personnel[]
- Mike Portnoy - Drums
- John Petrucci - Guitar
- John Myung - Bass
- Kevin Moore - Keyboard
- Charlie Dominici - Vocals, lyrics
- Chris Collins - lyrics (original version)
- Terry Date - Producer
- Terry Brown - engineer (for remix)
Lyrics[]
I touched with one Who made me run Away from my own soul... In this world with its many illusions We are moving like mice through a maze And now I find What's left behind Has served to make me whole Full of doubt, deception, and delusion Seeking purpose to all earthly days I search within Beneath a skin That bears both pleasure and pain In a world full of constant confusion I will not be a par to the craze [Chorus]: In the Afterlife Will dark be bright? Will cold be warm? Will the day have no night? In the Afterlife? Will the blind have sight? In the Afterlife Behind closed eyes Some comfort lies In knowing the truth never spoken Through this world with us hidden conclusion We'll keep moving like mice through a maze (Repeat Chorus twice)
Analysis[]
The lyrics are quite straightforward as Dominici wrote the song about life after death. In an interview for a documentary feature, Dominici claimed that he was told songs about the afterlife should not contain questions, but rather answers, but he felt a song about questions was more appropriate.
Tone[]
Afterlife is a heavy, anthemic song much like A Fortune in Lies. The song is quite popular when played live.
Notes[]
Afterlife is actually one of Dream Theater's oldest songs. Originally written instrumentally, it later received lyrics written by Chris Collins. The original version with lyrics was performed live on several occasions though never officially recorded. Afterlife appears on the only two bootlegs recorded with Chris Collins, being "Instrumental III/No Sleep Since Brooklyn" and "Gates of Babylon '86". Despite this, the poor quality of the recordings is such that it is nigh-impossible to hear exactly what Collins is saying, and even the other members of Dream Theater cannot remember what Collins' original lyrics were. After Collins left the band, the song reverted to being an instrumental until it was re-written by Dominici.
Live Performances[]
Afterlife is the second most played song from the album, second only to Ytse Jam. Its relative popularity is probably due to it being an anthemic, fun song. The song represented the album When Dream and Day Unite at Dream Theater's 20th anniversary performance, which was released as Score. Live performances are straightforward, with no major deviations from the album version.
Appearances[]
- When Dream and Day Unite - Original recorded version
- Score - Live version
- Taste the Memories - Live version
- When Dream and Day Unite Demos - Instrumental demo version, vocal demo version and pre-production demo version
- When Dream and Day Reunite - Live version