Dinosaurs & Dragons

One hot summer day, my love and I went out to play
At a farmer’s holiday with butterflies and bales of hay
On a blanket we did lie and turned our faces to the sky
On a magic carpet ride imagining we both could fly

Dinosaurs and dragons,
Anything can happen
Anything at all when we imagine

One hot summer night, beneath the drops of last daylight
Jitterbug fireflies, dancing till the new sunrise
Buzzing like were bees, soaring high among the trees
With a perfume in the breeze imagining Caribbean seas

Dinosaurs and dragons,
Anything can happen
Anything at all when we imagine

One hot summer dream, floating down a bubbling stream
Like a royal king or queen, or maybe something in between
Laughing so foolishly, taking it in so logically
So happy we would be, imagine you imagine me

Dinosaurs and dragons,
Anything can happen
Anything at all when we imagine

"Dinosaurs & Dragons" is my attempt to capture the simple joy and boundless possibilities of the guileless, childlike imagination that sparks kids of all ages. This song’s roots are in the daily Skype connections that helped bridge the gap of physical distance with our first grandchild during the challenging early days of the COVID-19 pandemic when we still thought we’d die from touching doorknobs and Amazon packages.

My daily video calls with Mia routinely featured me playing and singing (by Mia’s request) "Old MacDonald" and "Yellow Submarine.” That routine felt like something reliable and solid during a time when we all felt so untethered.

Inspired by the cross-generational charm of "Yellow Submarine," I crafted “Dinosaurs & Dragons” with the simple goal of appealing to both children and adults. Mia was obsessed with dinosaurs at the time, so the inspiration came easily and with love, making the song deeply personal for me, yet hopefully universally relatable.

Accompanied by an animated music video I created with design help from a Florentine artist, "Dinosaurs & Dragons" is a reminder of how, especially during times of isolation and uncertainty, our ability to dream and imagine can bring us closer together, offering comfort and a sense of adventure. The song is a celebration of imagination's role in our lives, highlighting the joy and wonder that come from sharing stories and dreams, no matter our age.