B-Side Guys

Perseverance leaves distinctive marks on artistic expression. On “Dream It All Up Again,” Seattle-based Gina French transforms personal reconstruction into universal mythology, creating an anthem of resilience where lunar imagery becomes both witness and catalyst to renewal.

Recorded at London Bridge Studio with Billboard producer Eric Lilavois, the track establishes its ethos immediately through French’s opening observation: “Some days you win / Some days you lose / And when you’re not looking / Things come crashing down.” This unadorned acknowledgment of life’s unpredictability creates a foundation of authenticity that supports the song’s increasingly empowering trajectory. The instrumentation—particularly Kathy Moore’s guitar work and Andrew Joslyn’s string arrangements—provides emotional counterpoint rather than mere accompaniment, creating dynamic tension that mirrors the lyrical journey from resignation to resolution.

What distinguishes “Dream It All Up Again” from standard inspirational fare is its recognition of cyclical struggle. When French sings “You’re moving two steps forward / Three steps back to the start,” she avoids the linear progression narrative common to inspirational anthems. Instead, she creates a more honest framework where recovery involves spirals rather than straight lines. This nuanced perspective on resilience manifests sonically through production choices that balance polish with emotional rawness—allowing French’s “luxurious, angelic, volcanic” vocals (as they’ve been aptly described) to convey both vulnerability and strength simultaneously.

The recurring lunar imagery—”Under the light of the moon,” “Under the silvery moon”—transforms the song’s emotional landscape from terrestrial to celestial. The moon becomes both silent witness to transformation and symbolic model of renewal—changing phases without losing essence. When French urges “Go back the way you came / And find that girl / you used to be,” she’s not advocating regression but reclamation, using the moon’s constancy despite apparent change as metaphor for authentic self rediscovered rather than reinvented.

The track’s bridge marks its emotional fulcrum: “Too many times / You let yourself get pushed around / Taking you too far away from yourself.” This direct confrontation with self-betrayal creates the narrative turning point that propels the song toward its empowering conclusion. French delivers these lines with a vocal intensity that suggests both recognition and release—naming the pattern as first step toward breaking it.

When French concludes with the mantra-like repetition “Some days / some days / Some days / Some days,” she transforms what began as acknowledgment of inconsistency into acceptance of life’s inherent variability. This circular return to the opening premise, but with newfound perspective, creates emotional coherence that honors rather than oversimplifies the complex process of beginning again.

“Dream It All Up Again” demonstrates French’s evolution from Salt Lake City choir student to award-winning Seattle vocalist capable of transmuting personal setbacks into universal emotional truth. The track’s semi-finalist status in both the Unsigned Only and International Songwriting contests affirms what listeners immediately recognize—resilience rendered with this much authentic emotion creates resonance that transcends genre classification.