Released November, 1974 Length 7:10 Writer(s) John Wetton | Recorded 1974 Label Atlantic Records | |
Genre Progressive rock, hard rock | ||
"One More Red Nightmare" is a song by progressive rock band King Crimson, the third track on their 1974 album Red. It was the first released track to have lyrics by bassist/vocalist John Wetton. The vocal sections are in 4/4 time, with instrumental sections in 15/8, 7/4, and 12/8. Parts of the song have a proto-heavy metal feel, and the track features the alto saxophone playing of former band member Ian McDonald.
The song is about a nightmare inspired by the fear of flying, and tells the story of a man who falls asleep on a Greyhound bus ("Really safe and sound/Asleep on the Greyhound"). The character in the story dreams that he's riding in an airplane, presumably at an altitude of ten thousand feet ("Ten thousand feet funfair"), which begins to dive toward the ground ("When altitude dropping/My ears started popping"). The character awakes just before the plane hits the ground.
The song ends very suddenly, as if the master tape had been cut, similar to the ending of "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" from the Beatles' Abbey Road. On the original vinyl pressing the time is listed as 7:07, possibly a reference to a Boeing 707.