Songs for the Court of Dreams

At long last, we've arrived at the end of our Prythian Court series! This week, we're going to finish up looking at the second half of the Night Court: The Court of Dreams.

The Court of Dreams is the true heart of the Night Court. Headed up by High Lord & Lady Rhysand & Feyre, governed by Rhys's Second Amren, and protected by his cousin and Third Morrigan, General Cassian, and Spymaster Azriel, Velaris is a safe haven of a city, full of art, life, and love. The Court of Dreams may primarily refer to the Inner Circle themselves, but what they stand for is something really beautiful and not seen many other places in Prythian currently. They value family over tradition, and work tirelessly to better the world they live in, making the dreams of themselves and those around them come true.

Like all the others, I've done my best to capture the essence of the Court of Dreams here on this playlist, not necessarily adding a bunch of songs that remind me of the Inner Circle. If you haven't read the books, this series may be a little confusing for you, but my remedy for that is to either read them or to just enjoy the playlists for what they are.

Below is a sampling of my Court of Nightmares Playlist, which is naturally much too long to be compressed into a single post. You can check out the full list by following me on Apple Music @audioaesthetics. Disclaimer: I do not own any character or property listed below, I'm just a huge fan and love to make playlists for my favorite fandoms.

Dreams by AURORA (written by A. Aksnes, V. Junker, The Earth)

Featured on Aurora's 2024 album What Happened To The Heart?, this song gives off a dreamy vibe worthy of its title. Whether it's a nighttime sleep vision or a hazy daydream, dreams are a part of life and a huge cornerstone of creativity and innovation. It's a great one to meditate to or to help you drift off.

I’ve needed so much/With nothing to touch/Floating from Earth/Mm, another bridge burned/A mother concerned/Come back to the world/In my dreams/Everything’s more quiet than here/In my dreams/Everything I feel disappears

Full Moon by Avi Kaplan (written by A. Kaplan)

Featured on Kaplan's 2020 album I'll Get By, what better motif could serve the Night Court than the celestial bodies of the night sky? A full moon can mean many things depending on time of year or state of mind, but this calm song gives of appropriately dreamy vibes. This almost lullaby is great to settle your mind for sleep.

Oh, sun sinks in the ocean again/Way down, deep in his bay he waits/Rest his head ’til day/But until then/But until then/Full moon/Why don’t you stay/Full moon/Why don’t you stay/Why don’t you stay/Full moon

Neon Moon by Brooks & Dunn (written by R. Dunn)

Featured on Brooks & Dunn's 1991 album Brand New Man, this has been a lifelong favorite song for me. It's not about good dreams, per say, but rather good dreams that have unfortunately soured over time or through circumstance. A neon moon can't replace the real thing, but there's something comforting about this one.

When the sun goes down on my side of town, that lonesome feeling comes to my door/The whole world turns blue/There’s a rundown bar ‘cross the railroad track, I’ve got a table for two way in the back/Where I sit alone and think of losing you/I spend most every night beneath the light of a neon moon/Now, if you lose your one and only/There’s always room here for the lonely/To watch your broken dreams dance in and out of the beams of a neon moon

Sunglasses at Night by Corey Hart (written by D. Jones)

Featured on Hart's 1983 album First Offense, I've claimed this as my all-time favorite '80s song since I was in Kindergarten. I can think of a few Night Court members walking around Velaris in shades at nighttime, no problem. This song will always be a banger, you can't change my mind.

I wear my sunglasses at night so I can, so I can/Watch you weave then breathe your story lines/I wear my sunglasses at night so I can, so I can/Keep track of the visions in my eyes/While she’s deceiving me, it cuts my security/Has she got control of me, I turn to her and say/Don’t switch the blade on the guy in shades, oh no/Don’t masquerade with the guy in shades, oh no/I can’t believe that you’ve got it made with the guy in shades, oh no

Star by David Bowie (written by D. Jones)

Featured on Bowie's 1972 album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, I know this is talking about a "superstar" person, not an actual star. Doesn't matter, still a good song and we're making it fit. There's a good amount of this album on the full playlist, so if you like classic pop rock, this should be great for you.

Tony went to fight in Belfast, Rudi stayed at home to starve/I could make it all worthwhile as a rock and roll star/Bevan tried to change the nation, Sonny wants to change the world/Well, he can tell you that he tried, I could make a transformation as a rock and roll star/So inviting, so enticing to play the part/I could play the wild mutation as a rock and roll star

Midnight by Ed Sheeran (written by E. Sheeran, A. Dessner)

Featured on Sheeran's 2023 album Autumn Variations, this song reminds us that midnight doesn't have to be scary. It's the official beginning of a brand new day, whether the previous one was good, bad, or indifferent. It's such a happy bop of a love song, I really enjoy it.

Good morning there, what a way to start the day/With everything laid bare, hair on the pillow like a frame/If I could capture every fleck of light, I’d capture all and anything/I’d wager that nobody’s ever felt the way we feel/When I asked you to be all of life/I knew for every second of our ups and downs/They’d turn around like grass upon the wheel/Like grass upon the wheel/Oh, I get lost inside my head/In this chaos, you’re my calm/And I will find my feet again/‘Cause even the worst days of my life will always end/At midnight in your arms/At midnight in your arms

North End Nightlife by Headphone Activist (written by P. Domville)

Released as a single in 2015, I can't remember how I came across this song but I downloaded it as soon as I heard it the first time. What a cool vibe this instrumental track gives to a night out, right in between high energy and a more chill mood. The sampling of classical music gets a point from me as well.

Hung The Moon by Jon Pardi (written by J. Rodgers, W. Bundy, J. Morgan)

Featured on Pardi's 2022 album Mr. Saturday Night, our friend the moon gets to make another appearance here. This country love song would definitely fit in with the Court of Dreams, and would be a great end of the evening slow dance with someone you love. With an album title like this one, Pardi's a perfect addition to this playlist.

I’ve been a hat-down Marlboro Red, I’ve kept my boots right by the bed/So I can take off when I want to/And I’ve been a long lost desperado, got a past everywhere that I go/Cut from the cloth of a sinner on a back pew/I ain’t proud of it, but that’s the truth/I’ve hammered down that fast-lane pedal, slow danced with the midnight devil/Woke up places way too far from home/And I’ve earned that outlaw reckless label, never thought I’d meet an angel/That could slow down this heart of a rolling stone/Yeah, I’ve made mistakes, done everything under the sun that a man can do/Ah, but she still thinks that I hung the moon

dance all night by ROSÉ (written by G. Kurstin, M. McDondald, C. Park)

Featured on Rosé's 2024 album rosie, this song could easily be played in one of Velaris's squares or at one of their many restaurants. It gives a mixed vibe of cozy and fun, easy to dance to or just recline and relax. It's a bop no matter what time of day you turn it on.

Got out of my bed today, the sunlight was hitting my face/And two little birds came and sat on the edge and they asked if I’m doing okay/And we talked for a while, sat for a while, and one of them asked me if there’s anything I would change/And I didn’t know what to say/But I, I would dance all night, not care about the heartache in my life/Oh, and I would not obsess over all the little things I don’t regret/I’d dance all night, night, I’d dance all night, night/Oh, and I, I’d dance all night, night, dance all night

The Black Dog by Taylor Swift (written by T. Swift)

Featured on Swift's 2024 album The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology, this is my favorite song from this album. Black is, of course, the signature color of the Night Court, so that's automatic inclusion here. It's a sad song that could be played at a Velaris bar for someone who feels as though their dreams have been broken.

I am someone who, until recent events/You shared your secrets with and your location/You forgot to turn it off/And so I watch as you walk into some bar called The Black Dog/And pierce new holes in my heart, you forgot to turn it off/And it hits me/I just don’t understand/How you don’t miss me in The Black Dog/When someone plays The Starting Line/And you jump up, but she’s too young to know this song/That was intertwined in the magic fabric of our dreaming/Old habits die screaming

Time will tell if we'll have more courts to add to this series in the future, but for now thanks for coming on this journey with me. Happy listening, and see ya'll next week!