My Gen X Playlist: Dream – Priscilla Ahn

If you are Gen X, you probably watched ER back in the day. It was one of my favorite shows for awhile. You couldn’t go wrong with an emergency room drama.

From there, I started watching Grey’s Anatomy. Another good hospital show. Not as exciting as ER, but the characters and story lines were pretty good.

Honestly, though, I OD’ed on both of them after a while. I just learned ER was on 15 seasons and Grey’s Anatomy for twenty two and still counting. While their longevity is impressive, I may have only lasted 3 to 5 seasons of each, at most. I tend to move on once it extends past my five fingers. The only exception is Law and Order. I can watch that all day, any day.

So I was hesitant to watch The Pitt. From the outside, it felt like Noah Wyle was rebooting another version of ER. Plus, I lost interest in hospital dramas long ago. But the reviews have been so good that I had to give it a try. I winced a little bit when I hit play.

Surprise, surprise. It’s pretty damn good. The first season spans a day in the emergency room. Each episode is an hour of the shift. I will say I had to look away at some of the graphic medical scenes. Slicing open bodies or watching a head emerge in a childbirth scene is not my cup of tea. Despite these cringy moments, I ended up binging it. I never thought I’d ever watch another hospital show. But you know the saying. – never say never. It was pretty entertaining and I’m waiting for season two to drop.

Years ago while listening to Pandora, I discovered Priscilla Ahn’s Dream. She was a relatively unknown before she was featured on a Grey’s Anatomy episode.

This was first played over the season finale of Grey’s Anatomy on May 22, 2008. Priscilla Ahn is a songwriter from a small town in Pennsylvania, who had been slowly building a devoted following prior to the exposition of her song on the TV show. This isn’t the first time Grey’s Anatomy has given a relatively unknown singer/songwriter’s career a nudge. Most notably, it revealed The Fray with the song “How To Save A Life.”

Songfacts

I enjoyed reading the YouTube comments for this song. Here are a few that caught my eye that show the power of music.

My 2yo daughter falls asleep to this song every night, we refer to it in my house as “the pretty song” which it is. I know this song is over a decade old at this point and I don’t even know if this account is monitored at all but just wanted to let you know that this song has been the only thing to calm my daughter to sleep over the last 9+ months and we appreciate it.

YouTube comment by echo8196

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I remember vividly when this dropped on YouTube. I was 16 years old, with a severe case of PTSD and familial trauma that lasted well into my 20s… This song kept me on this planet in those moments. I had a dream – that dream was what my life became and I am truly grateful for these moments where I can look back at my life and still feel so deeply grateful for the music and memories that gave me my new life… The life I love.

YouTube comment by marcusstill8090

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I heard this song for the first time while visiting my sister and I fell in love with it and added it to my playlist. A few days later, it came on again when I was driving back home from my sister’s house, and the part about being old and gray and leaving made me think of my dear grandmother who I had planned on visiting later that night. I felt something when I heard that part, I cannot explain it, but I just had to go see her now. I went to the hospital to visit her but realized she had taken a turn for the worse. I called my mother and aunt to tell them she wasn’t well, they were on their way. I sat and held her hand and talked to her as she passed away. She had cancer and we knew it was coming, but not at that moment. I’m blessed I heard this song and was able to be there for her last moments so she knew how loved she was.

YouTube comment by PardyFamily-v9b

I copied and pasted them in, in no particular order. As I re-read them, it dawned on me that this song had an impact at the beginning, middle and end of these people’s lives. Music is pretty amazing that way.

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For a complete playlist, please click here.

For the Spotify playlist, please click here.

I was a little girl
Alone in my little world
Who dreamed of a little home for me
I played pretend between the trees
And fed my houseguests bark and leaves
And laughed in my pretty bed of green

I had a dream
That I could fly
From the highest swing
I had a dream

Long walks in the dark
Through woods grown behind the park
I asked God who I'm supposed to be
The stars smiled down on me
God answered in silent reverie
I said a prayer and fell asleep

I had a dream
That I could fly
From the highest tree
I had a dream

Oooooooooo [x8]

Now I'm old and feeling gray
I don't know what's left to say
About this life I'm willing to leave
I lived it full and I lived it well
There's many tales I've lived to tell
I'm ready now
I'm ready now
I'm ready now
To fly from the highest swing

I had a dream