Scene One: Regression | |
Scenes From A Memory | |
Length | 02:06 |
Working title | |
Release date | 8th June 1999 |
Lyrics | John Petrucci |
Music | John Petrucci |
First live performance | Celebrity Theatre, Phoenix, AZ, USA, on Jan. 31, 2000 |
Total live plays | 165 |
Recorded | BearTracks Studios, New York |
Other appearances | Metropolis 2000, Live Scenes from New York, The Making of Scenes from a Memory |
Previous song | Falling Into Infinity (album) |
Next song | Scene Two: I. Overture 1928 |
Scene One: Regression is the first track on Dream Theater's fifth studio album, Scenes from a Memory. It starts with a clock ticking and the Hypnotherapist calming Nicholas into a hypnotic trance, and then fades into an acoustic guitar section similar to The Spirit Carries On.
Personnel[]
- John Petrucci - Guitar
- James LaBrie - Vocals
- Terry Brown - Voice of the Hypnotherapist
Lyrics[]
(ticking clock is heard, alternating between left and right speakers) [Hypnotherapist:] Close your eyes and begin to relax. Take a deep breath, and let it out slowly. Concentrate on your breathing. With each breath, you become more relaxed. Imagine a brilliant white light above you. Focus in on this light as it flows through your body. Allow yourself to drift off, as you fall Deeper and deeper into a more relaxed state of mind. (opening to "Home" swells and fades in the background) Now, as I count back from ten to one, You will feel more peaceful and calm. Ten, Nine, (gospel choir is heard) Eight, Seven, Six... ...You will enter a safe place where nothing can harm you. Five, (acoustic guitar fades in) Four, Three, Two... ...If at any time you need to come back, All you must do is open your eyes. One. [Nicholas:] Safe in the light that surrounds me Free of the fear and the pain My subconscious mind starts spinning through time To rejoin the past once again Nothing seems real, I'm starting to feel Lost in the haze of a dream And as I draw near, the scene becomes clear Like watching my life on a screen Hello, Victoria So glad to see you, my friend
Analysis[]
This scene is the introduction to the story from Scenes from a Memory, and shows Nicholas in regression therapy with the Hypnotherapist, lulling him into a state of hypnosis. Here he is basking in the state of well-being that accompanies the hypnosis, and he greets a woman named Victoria, who he calls his friend, perhaps a reference to the fact that he has a strong connection with her. The acoustic passage in the second half of this song samples the chorus from The Spirit Carries On, and the lyric, "so glad to see you my friend," is later used in the song "This Dying Soul" as a part of the Twelve-Step Suite, but is instead directed at "the Mirror".
Tone[]
This is a rare quiet acoustic song, where the rest of the album is melodic and progressive, and is mostly included to set the scene for the album.
Appearances[]
- Scenes from a Memory - Original recorded version
- Metropolis 2000 - Live version
- Live Scenes from New York - Live version
- The Making of Scenes from a Memory - Demo version
- Distant Memories - Live in London - Live version