Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) | Greenwich Treehouse | Happiest Hour | Johnny’s Bar
Alright @YouTheReader,
For starters, the singer of Sweet Dreams, Annie Lennox, is a fellow redhead and I knew that because I’d seen her before at the annual top-secret underground ginger festival. I’ve been too shy to go up and introduce myself, but Sheeran says she’s grand so no bother I take his word. Anywho, Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) came out in January of 1983.
Lennox in her biography wrote the chorus to this iconic song came from, “A personal statement about people’s motivations, in their lives, their own dreams. I replaced the word ‘motivations’ with the word ‘dreams.’ I’m saying these are motivations as human beings, and there’s no way, whether I disagree, that I want to change anything about that. And everywhere I look (“I traveled the world, and the seven seas”), all I see is that every person on the earth is looking for that kind of fulfillment. So you have the extremes from the people who want to use and be used the whole spectrum.”
While Annie Lennox is the singer of this tune, this song came from a duo called Eurythmics. Dave Stewart was the 2nd member. These two actually had been dating and their romance ending actually led to this song. Lennox told Rolling Stone, “The day Dave and I ended our romance, Eurythmics began. I was curled up in the fetal position. He programmed this rhythm. It sounded so good. In the end, I couldn’t resist it.”
According to Stewart’s recollection in his memoir, “This was a weird time in our lives. Annie and I had broken up, but we spent hours and hours together every day in the studio.” Lennox told the New York Times this song was written after a huge fight.
Damn, that sounds pretty awkward and brutal, but the former couple turned dynamic duo probably didn’t mind it when this tune broke through as a massive hit. By March of 1983, it was #2 on the Irish and UK Charts and then by the summer of 1983, it was #1 on the US Billboard Hot 100. Not the worst outcome from a breakup and matter they beat the odds because The Eurythmics had originally splintered off from their original band called The Tourists which included Peet Coombes.
Of course, I had to Note the keyboard solo, c’mon.
I always thought the lyrics were: Sweet Dreams are made of *these* instead of *this.* I know everybody’s looking for something where to find a good pint of Guinness and that’s my duty to society so….
…on to the pints!!
Guinness Challenge Season #1
@Kids don’t try this at home. Not just because you’re underage and will have plenty of pints to drink if that ends up being your thing when you’re older but also because Guinness is actually best served in a pint glass from a tap. A pint of Guinness varies depending on the drinking establishment. If the keg it sits in is rarely poured, it can lead to some underwhelming taste. Rather than stealing gimmicks, I’d like to start taking Notes while drinking Guinness. My grandfather from Connemara, who I never got the chance to meet, Thomas Davis, used to drink pints and by all accounts was a self-taught thinker. The one rule I’ve imposed on myself is that I will only have 1 pint per sitting from each establishment I review, so @AnyoneWorrying, don’t worry about my drinking habits. The Guinness Challenge is to “cut the G” on your first sip (more like a gulp and a half). If this is your first time hearing about it, I didn’t come up with the fun challenge @YouTheReader can try the next time you have a Guinness. The 0.0 to 10.0 scale will be extraordinarily nuanced but as a reference point, the only perfect 10.0 I plan ever to give out is at the Guinness Factory in Dublin one day.
Song On In The Background: Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) by Eurythmics
Notes if you can’t read my sloppy scribble: A frozen Hans Solo is in the back room. Comedian and actor TJ Miller comes here for drinks. Amstel Light is their typical top seller. Bar’s bar on Greenwich Ave and it’s elevated from the street level. The owner also wanted a spot in the neighborhood where “you could take your tie off and be silly.” He built a lot of treehouses as a kid. In the back they have games like Buck Hunter and Eagle Eye. “17 years ago I built the bar that I wanted to hang out in,” says Stian the owner of Greenwich Treehouse. Cool spot, I had a nice conversation with him!
Bar’s bar so you know the rules, no food, just good drinks. Not only does Greenwich Treehouse have a frozen Hans Solo, but they have a Yoda in a Treehouse as well! They truly are a bar above it all. They describe themselves as dive-ish with Star Wars paraphernalia on the walls, a jukebox with 2000 songs, half a dance floor, a small lounge, and a Happy Hour that lasts till 8 pm. The fact that it is above street level also gives you the chance to people-watch without being watched, it is worth the climb. (Source: Greenwich Treehouse) I did not cross paths with TJ Miller this go around. I look forward to grabbing another drink at Greenwich Treehouse again soon!
Song On In The Background: Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! by ABBA
Notes if you can’t read my sloppy scribble: Maoi is the bartender. Happiest Burger is recommended. Maid to Order and Espresso Martinis are the recommended drinks. It is a small glass of Guinness. Disco ball in the dining table area. Happy Hour spot. $5 draft beers, $7 wine glasses, $10 martinis from 5 to 6:30 Monday to Friday. Their Sunday Happy Hour specials after 6 PM include $15 pitchers. They also have a special $20 single burger with fries and draft beer.
The Happiest Hour is a whimsical NYC West Village cocktail bar and restaurant serving cocktails. A fun Happy Hour spot with an award-winning burger. They also host Monday Martinis, Tiki Tuesdays where they play reggae all day, and Wednesdays where they serve $12 Spritz. ABBA will be saved for a later date. I look forward to grabbing another drink at The Happiest Hour again soon!
Johnny’s Bar (@InstagramlessJohnnysBar) 5/17 ‘23
Service & Staff: A+
Guinness: 7.1
Guinness Challenge: N/A (No Logo)
Song On In The Background: Raised By Wolves by The Interrupters
Notes if you can’t read my sloppy scribble: Alison is the bartender and she’s from Rockland. She’s been working at Johnny Bar for 2 years and loves it. “We have a great customer base.” Behind the bar, there’s no lack of eye candy. They have dollar bills, sailor hats, witty signs, and license plates. The exposed brick wall behind me opposite the bar looks great. They have Christmas lights up all the time. Being from 40 miles up North sure sounds far when you say it out loud. Alison loves bartending, “Making drinks is part of the job that feels like a job. I love talking to people.”
Johnny’s Bar is an old-school bar’s bar. It is tight quarters, smells like a dive bar that’s been there for decades, and hell it might as well be a century years old. Nobody knows how long it’s been around and neither does the internet. This is a spot where you can get a daily shot for less than $4 as well as buy cheap pints. Up Rockland! I look forward to grabbing another pint of Guinness at Johnny’s Bar again soon!