Silent Lucidity

"Silent Lucidity" is a power ballad by the band Queensrÿche from the 1990 album Empire. The song, which was composed by lead guitarist Chris DeGarmo, was the biggest hit for the band, peaking at #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 and at #1 on the Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart. "Silent Lucidity" was also nominated in 1992 for the Grammy Awards for Best Rock Song and Best Rock Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group.

Background
Guitarist Chris DeGarmo was inspired to write the song by the 1974 book "Creative Dreaming" by Patricia Garfield, which explained how to tap into one's subconscious to experience a lucid dream.

DeGarmo noted in an interview that the average person spends 4 1/2 years of their life in a vivid hallucination state during dreaming. During that time, they can do superhuman feats like flying and walking through walls, as well as experience incredible physical sensations. "We created a very real dreamlike landscape for this song. Everything from the vocal delivery to the orchestration, to the melody, the instruments, it’s all trying to create this very lush landscape. It’s a huge-sounding track," he said.

The song was originally only acoustic guitar and vocals, but additional instrumentation was added during the last week of working on the album. The album's producer was adamant that the song should not be included on the record, but the band members pushed for its inclusion.

Original 1991 release

 * 1) "Silent Lucidity" – 5:49
 * 2) "The Mission" [Live] – 6:17
 * 3) "Eyes of a Stranger [Live] – 8:03

Personnel

 * Geoff Tate – lead vocals, keyboards
 * Chris DeGarmo – lead guitar, backing vocals
 * Michael Wilton – rhythm guitar
 * Eddie Jackson – bass, backing vocals
 * Scott Rockenfield – drums

Additional personnel

 * Michael Kamen – orchestrator / conductor