Cheer up Sleepy Jean is a very popular song that was written by Sammy Cahn and Jimmy Van Heusen. It was originally sung by Judy Garland in the movie “Meet Me in St. Louis” which came out in 1944.
After hearing this song, I immediately fell in love with it because of its simple yet catchy tune and lyrics like:
Cheer up sleepy Jean, you’ll be okay
I know that you’re feeling blue; You must cheer up sleepy Jean; Cheer up sleepy Jean! Just wait ’til the morning light, Then your troubles will all be gone; Cheer up sleepy Jean, don’t cry anymore; You must cheer up sleepy Jean! Cheer up sleepy Jean, you’ll be okay; I know that you’re feeling blue; You must cheer up sleepy Jean; Cheer up sleepy Jean! Just wait ’til the morning light, Then your troubles will all be gone; Cheer up sleepy Jean! Don’t cry anymore.
What is the song “Cheer up Sleepy Jean” about?
The actual name of the song, “Daydream Believer,” was written in 1967 by John Stewart of The Kingston Trio, and was recorded by The Monkees that year and went on to become a number one hit in the U.S.
The song deals with happy-go-lucky guy and his love, a former homecoming queen, who he managed to convince to marry him at some point in their lives and share his dreams. But since then, his daydreams have not exactly panned out, since he’s a bit of a flake, and he gets out there early to get to work, but the two find themselves in dire financial straits all the time. He’s trying to convince this girl once again that the pot of gold is just around the corner, maybe today will be the day, and she’s trying hard to believe him.
Oh I could hide ‘neath the wings
Of the blue bird as she sings
The six-o’clock alarm would never ring
But six rings and I rise
Wipe the sleep out of my eyes
The shaving razor’s cold and it stings
Cheer up sleepy Jean
Oh what can it mean to a
Daydream believer and a
Homecoming queen
You once thought of me
As a white knight on his steed
Now you know how happy I can be
Oh, our good times start and end
Without dollar one to spend
But how much baby do we really need
Cheer up sleepy Jean
Oh what can it mean to a
Daydream believer and a
Homecoming queen
Verse one: Basically it’s a man saying “I could sleep all day but I gotta get up, shave and go to work ”.
Verse two*: The guy says to his wife “I know I’m not as attractive as I used to be and we’re poor but we can still be happy”.
The chorus** reaffirms their love: “Cheer up-so we’re poor, so we’re blue-collar and stuck with each other at least we’re still in love”.
I guess this is the confusing part:
“Cheer up sleepy Jean…” (remember, they’ve just woken up…)
“Oh, what can it mean…” (life, the universe and…everything…)
“To a Daydream Believer and…” (the husband…who thought life would be perfect if he could be married to…)
“A homecoming queen.” (mystery solved…I hope.)
Cheers!
*Interestingly the original lyric sheet has the words “how funky I can be” instead of “happy”. (The change was made by The Monkees.)
**In concert John Stewart sometimes changed the line “homecoming queen” to “old closet queen”. (Probably just to see who was paying attention,)
