Album: Distance Over Time (2019)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Written by Dream Theater bassist John Myung and guitarist John Petrucci, the song title stands for "signal-to-noise," a technical term to describe the quality of a transmission (the "signal-to-noise ratio") that is often used as a metaphor for the value of what enters our consciousness.

    Petrucci told Your Majesty, Dream Theater's official French fan club, that the song came from "a very spiritual John Myung observation" about how we are sinking under all the bad news about war, natural disasters and drug abuse. He explained:

    "The signal represents yourself and your clarity and how you resonate in a way that is pure, and the noise represents all of the negativity in the world - all the constant bombarding of bad news and negative headlines and famine and drug epidemics and earthquakes and hurricanes and all the distractions [like] cameras and cell phones and news. Take it all away. That represents the noise. The whole idea in the audio world is you want the signal-to-noise ratio to be such that the noise is really low and that the sound is really clear. He used that as a spiritual metaphor to push the noise down, so you can find your [zen]."
  • About four minutes into the track there's a sample of someone saying "wow." The general consensus among Dream theater fans is that the voice belongs to the actor Owen Wilson. Petrucci told Ultimate-Guitar he didn't know anything about it. "Maybe he visited the studio or something."

    Dream Theater do have history with Owen Wilson. In 2005's "Octavarium" there is the line:

    Jack the ripper owens wilson phillips and my supper's ready

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Donnie Iris (Ah! Leah!, The Rapper)

Donnie Iris (Ah! Leah!, The Rapper)Songwriter Interviews

Before "Rap" was a form of music, it was something guys did to pick up girls in nightclubs. Donnie talks about "The Rapper" and reveals the identity of Leah.

Timothy B. Schmit

Timothy B. SchmitSongwriter Interviews

The longtime Eagle talks about soaring back to his solo career, and what he learned about songwriting in the group.

Boz Scaggs

Boz ScaggsSongwriter Interviews

The "Lowdown" and "Lido Shuffle" singer makes a habit of playing with the best in the business.

Best Band Logos

Best Band LogosSong Writing

Queen, Phish and The Stones are among our picks for the best band logos. Here are their histories and a design analysis from an expert.

Philip Cody

Philip CodySongwriter Interviews

A talented lyricist, Philip helped revive Neil Sedaka's career with the words to "Laughter In The Rain" and "Bad Blood."

Billy Steinberg - "Like A Virgin"

Billy Steinberg - "Like A Virgin"They're Playing My Song

The first of Billy's five #1 hits was the song that propelled Madonna to stardom. You'd think that would get you a backstage pass, wouldn't you?