For the Fools Who Dream...

There are certain songs that you hear and enjoy.

And then there are songs that somehow find a little place inside of you and stay there.

For me, Fools Who Dream is one of those songs.

If you have seen the film La La Land, then you probably know it. Now, I will confess that the movie itself was not necessarily one of my all-time favorites...but THIS SONG was something else entirely.

The first time I really listened to it, I was struck by how beautiful its message was. The song is actually titled Audition (The Fools Who Dream), but what stayed with me was not the audition. It was those four words:

The Fools Who Dream.

THAT was what the song meant to me.

Not the audition.

Not whether somebody gets the part.

I wanted to sing it for the dreamers.

Because I have known a few of them in my life.

Actually...I suppose I AM one of them.

Anyone who has spent a lifetime in this business probably has to be at least a little foolish. You have to believe in something before there is necessarily any evidence that you SHOULD believe in it.

You audition.

You hear “no.”

You audition again.

The phone stops ringing.

And then, against all odds, it rings again.

That is the life.

And yet we keep dreaming.

The song celebrates the people who dream, “crazy as they may seem,” and I LOVE that sentiment because dreams can look completely ridiculous to somebody standing on the outside.

But they don't feel ridiculous to the person who has them.

I think that is one of the reasons this song touched me so much.

I have been very fortunate in my life. I have performed on stages, appeared in films and television, sung in wonderful rooms, met extraordinary people, and had experiences that many in this industry would kill for.

But none of that means you STOP dreaming.

I wanted to record Fools Who Dream because I love the song, but I also wanted to share it with the people who have followed me and supported me through all of MY wild dreams over the years. And the ones who stuck with theirs.

Because when I sing about the fools who dream, I am not singing about some imaginary group of people.

I am singing about actors.

Musicians.

Writers.

Artists.

People who move somewhere new. People who fall in love. People who decide at an age when everyone thinks they should have everything figured out that maybe there is still something else they want to do.

Anyone who has ever looked at the sensible choice and thought, “Yes...but what if?”

Those are my fools.

And THAT is why I decided to call my version simply Fools Who Dream.

I was not auditioning.

I was singing TO them.

So, to all of you who have a dream tucked away somewhere (and especially to those of you who have been told that dream is unrealistic, impractical, unlikely, or just plain CRAZY) this one is for you.

After all these years, I still believe there is something wonderful about being foolish enough to try.

I hope you enjoy my version of Fools Who Dream.

Here’s to the fools who dream.