Short and Sweet (Dreams)

After reading Psychoanalysis of Dreams by Walden, Freud's Dream Theory by Appignanesi, and recalling information from principles of psychology and what we learned about Freud's dream analysis theories, it took me a while to think of media that explicitly talk about dreams or use Freud's theory.  The song "Sweet Dreams" by the Eurythmics is a perfect example of media that talks about dreams and hints at Freud's theories.

Freud said that our dreams reveal the inner most parts of ourselves, and are often our subconscious repressed sexual thoughts. This could hold true for "Sweet Dreams", depending on how you analyze it. Like Walden says, "dreams cannot be interpreted directly," so they are always open for multiple interpretations, which is exactly what Sweet Dreams entails. There are many different interpretations of this song in the realm of dreams.

In the song, the singer, Annie Lennox, sings about some sort of a "sweet dream" and asks who could disagree with her. The "sweet dream" here is undefined, but that's where Freud's theories can come in. Lennox then sings about traveling the world because everyone is looking for something. In the eyes of Freud, this could be "partly a conflict" or "partly a compromise," as mentioned by Appignanesi. Everyone is looking for something, but everyone's something is different, and if it's in their dream (by the title "Sweet Dreams") then it could symbolize anything. 

Another lyric of the song could be analyzed by the part of Freud's theory dealing with sexually repressed thoughts. Lennox sings "some of them want to use you, some of them want to be used by you" and "some of them want to abuse you, some of them want to be abused by you," which, by Freud, would be a prime example of a dream manifesting through fulfilling sexual wishes. This line sung by Lennox hints at BDSM, made popular by the novel and movie 50 Shades of Grey. This interpretation of the sweet dream the Eurythmics sing about makes the most sense from Freud's theory. 

In Freud's theory "everything symbolizes something," as stated by Walden, and media dealing with dreams is all about symbols. Not only in "Sweet Dreams" but in most movies and songs mentioning dreams, there is some hint of Freudian analysis. Many people have criticized Freud's ideas because they seem far-fetched and draw from very juvenile/young experiences, but like "Sweet Dreams," many dreams, or media in general, are open for interpretation.