Imaginary

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General information

Written by: A. Lee and B. Moody

Imaginary was originally released on the Evanescence EP in 1998, and has had several versions since. Amy Lee wrote the song about finding a place to escape personal troubles and the outside world. This is one of the first songs written as Evanescence.

Amy stated during an MTV interview in December 2003 that she would like Imaginary to be the fourth single from Fallen. However, Everybody's Fool was released. Imaginary had actually been released as an airplay single in Spain in 2003. The song debuted and peaked at #17 on the charts^{[citation needed]}. The video was a clip from Live in Cologne^{[citation needed]}.

In an interview, producer Dave Fortman discussed the production of the song in the Fallen sessions:

During the bridge of ‘Imaginary,’ there are probably 70-plus people performing on the song at that moment. There's a choir that's been doubled, there is a string orchestra with 22 players doubled, then you add all of the band members, and it's huge. That section has so much depth to it. There's no purpose to look at it as a live band at that point.

Imaginary was played during Evanescence's Fallen and The Open Door tours. It was played at Evanescence's secret New York gig on November 4, 2009, and was later added to the setlist of the Evanescence Tour in 2011 and 2012. Interestingly, the band changed the 2 first verses from the post-bridge chorus in a few shows from the end of this tour, where "If you need to leave the world you live in / Lay your head down and stay a while" can be heard instead of the usual lyrics.

The Fallen scrapbook released in celebration of the album's 10th anniversary includes handwritten lyrics of Imaginary with outtake lyrics: Every today is yesterday again. Stuck in a cycle with no end. If there's anything I've learned in all the years I've lived ... Reality is killing me, my life's not what it seems to be and ... I know I must be free. Someone help me fall asleep for I live to dream.

Imaginary was confirmed to be reworked and included on the orchestral album, Synthesis, when the track list was revealed through the album's pre-order on September 15, 2017. This version was performed live for the first time on October 14, 2017 at the Pearl Concert Theater in Las Vegas, Nevada for the Synthesis Live tour. Watch a performance of the song here.

The excerpt in the tour program/songbook available at the merch table as well as given to those who purchased the VIP experience explains: "This song is special for a lot of reasons. One of our oldest compositions, it's part of the exploration that shaped the core sound of Evanescence. It has never once left the live setlist."

Amy's song description from a Kerrang! cover story about the 20th anniversary of Fallen:

“Imaginary is one of my favourite songs. To me that was the core of our sound. I was writing poems as a seventh or eighth grader, and the part that’s like, ‘Swallowed up in the sound of my screaming’ was something I submitted to English class. It’s totally innocent, sweet, young, and dumb. I just felt like that song was a centre for the band in that it combined the orchestral and classical choir element so well with hard rock. It wasn’t classical in a cheesy way. It wasn’t melodramatic the way that Whisper is – when you get to that song, oh my God, it’s so over-the-top, it’s hard to keep a straight face! I still love it, but it’s just really super-dramatic. Imaginary is more straightforward.”

Versions

Studio versions:

Imaginary [Fallen version]

• Recording date: August - November 2002
• Status: Released, Available
• Released on:

Fallen (track #7)

"Imaginary" promotional single

• Status: Released, Unavailable
• Length: 4:17

Imaginary [Mystary version]

• Recording date: August - November 2002
• Status: Released, Unavailable
• Released on: Mystary (track #5)
• Length: 4:18

Imaginary [Fallen pre-master]

• Recording date: August - November 2002
• Status: Unreleased, Available
• Length: 5:09

Imaginary [Origin version]

• Recording date: 1999
• Status: Released, Unavailable
• Released on: Origin (track #3)
• Length: 3:32

Imaginary [Evanescence EP version]

• Recording date: 1998
• Status: Released, Unavailable
• Released on: Evanescence EP (track #3)
• Length: 4:01

Imaginary [Demo version #1]

• Recording date: 2001–2002
• Status: Unreleased, Available
• Length: 3:18

Imaginary [Demo version #2]

• Recording date: 2001–2002
• Status: Unreleased, Available
• Length: 3:27

Imaginary [Demo 10.10.01]

• Recording date: October 10, 2001
• Status: Released
• Released on: Fallen 20th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition cassette tape (track #A1)
• Length: 3:48

Imaginary [Synthesis version]

• Recording date: May - August 2017
• Status: Released, Available
• Released on: Synthesis (track #9)
• Length: 4:03

Live versions:

Imaginary [Live]

• Performing period: 2000 – August 14, 2004
• Status: Released
• Recording date: May 25, 2004
• Released on: Anywhere but Home (track #12)
• Length: 5:25

Imaginary [Live Evanescence EP version]

• Performing period: January 1999; May 7, 1999
• Status: Unreleased
• Example: Concert at Vino's Bar in Little Rock, Arkansas

Imaginary [Live 2006–2022]

• Performing period: October 5, 2006 – December 8, 2007; November 4 and November 8, 2009; August 17, 2011 – November 9, 2012; November 2015; April - November 2016; April 2017; May - September 26, 2019; November - December 2021; January 2022
• Status: Unreleased
• Examples: Izod Center, New Jersey (December 4, 2007); Pepsi On Stage, Porto Alegre, Brazil (October 4, 2012)

Imaginary [Origin lyrics 2012]

• Performing period: October 7 and October 11, 2012
• Status: Unreleased
• Example: Chevrolet Hall, Recife, Brazil (October 11, 2012)

Imaginary [Acoustic]

• Performing date: January 13, 2003
• Status: Unreleased
• Length: approximately 3:55

Imaginary [2019 Acoustic]

• Performing date: September 23, 2019
• Status: Unreleased
• Example: Grad Event Hall, Voronezh, Russia

Imaginary [Synthesis Live]

• Performing period: October 14, 2017 - September 8, 2018
• Status: Released on October 12, 2018
• Recording date: November 3, 2017
• Released on: Synthesis Live (track #9)
• Length: 5:47

Download

• Imaginary (Evanescence EP)
• Imaginary (Origin)
• Imaginary (Mystary EP)
• Imaginary (Demos and Fallen Pre-Master)

Lyrics

Fallen, Mystary and Fallen pre-master versions

Aaah... Paper flowers
Aaah... Paper flowers

I linger in the doorway
Of alarm clock screaming monsters calling my name
Let me stay
Where the wind will whisper to me
Where the raindrops as they're falling tell a story

In my field of paper flowers
And candy clouds of lullaby [paper flowers]
I lie inside myself for hours
And watch my purple sky fly over me [paper flowers]

Don't say I'm out of touch
With this rampant chaos, your reality
I know well what lies beyond my sleeping refuge
The nightmare I built my own world to escape

In my field of paper flowers
And candy clouds of lullaby [paper flowers]
I lie inside myself for hours
And watch my purple sky fly over me [paper flowers]

Swallowed up in the sound of my screaming
Cannot cease for the fear of silent nights
Oh, how I long for the deep sleep dreaming
The goddess of imaginary light

In my field of paper flowers
And candy clouds of lullaby [paper flowers]
I lie inside myself for hours
And watch my purple sky fly over me [paper flowers]

Aaah... Paper flowers
Aaah... Paper flowers

Origin version

Swallowed up in the sound of my screaming
Cannot cease for the fear of silent nights
Oh, how I long for the deep sleep dreaming
The goddess of imaginary light

In my field of paper flowers
And candy clouds of lullaby [paper flowers]
I lie inside myself for hours
And watch my purple sky fly over me [paper flowers]

I linger in the doorway
Of alarm clock screaming monsters calling my name
Let me stay
Where the wind will whisper to me
Where the raindrops as they're falling tell a story

If you need to leave the world you live in
Lay your head down and stay a while [paper flowers]
Though you may not remember dreaming
Something waits for you to breathe again [paper flowers]

In my field of paper flowers
And candy clouds of lullaby [paper flowers]
I lie inside myself for hours
And watch my purple sky fly over me [paper flowers]

EP version

Swallowed up in the sound of my screaming
Cannot cease for the fear of silent nights
Oh, how I long for the deep sleep dreaming
The goddess of imaginary light

In my field of paper flowers
And candy clouds of lullabies [flowers]
I lie inside myself for hours
And watch my purple sky fly over me [flowers]

I linger in the doorway
Of alarm clocks screaming monsters calling my name
Let me stay
Where the wind will whisper to me
Where the raindrops as they're falling tell a story

If you need to leave the world you live in
Lay your head down and stay a while [flowers]
Though you may not remember dreaming
Something waits for you to breathe again [flowers]

Demo version #1

Aaah... Paper flowers
Aaah... Paper flowers

I linger in the doorway
Of alarm clock screaming monsters calling my name
Let me stay
Where the wind will whisper to me
Where the raindrops as they're falling tell a story

In my field of paper flowers
And candy clouds of lullaby [paper flowers]
I lie inside myself for hours
And watch my purple sky fly over me [paper flowers]

Don't say I'm out of touch
With this rampant chaos, your reality
I know well what lies beyond my sleeping refuge
The nightmare I built my own world to escape

In my field of paper flowers
And candy clouds of lullaby [paper flowers]
I lie inside myself for hours
And watch my purple sky fly over me [paper flowers]

You can lead the world you live in 'cause inside
You may not remember
But something waits for you to breathe again

In my field of paper flowers
And candy clouds of lullaby [paper flowers]
I lie inside myself for hours
And watch my purple sky fly over me [paper flowers]

Demo version #2

I linger in the doorway
Of alarm clock screaming monsters calling my name
Let me stay
Where the wind will whisper to me
Where the raindrops as they’re falling tell a story

In my field of paper flowers
And candy clouds of lullaby [paper flowers]
I lie inside myself for hours
And watch my purple sky fly over me [paper flowers]

Don't say I'm out of touch
With this rampant chaos, your reality
I know well what lies beyond my sleeping refuge
The nightmare I built my own world to escape

If you need to leave the world you live in
Lay your head down and stay a while [paper flowers]
Though you may not remember dreaming
Something waits for you to breathe again [paper flowers]

In my field of paper flowers
And candy clouds of lullaby [paper flowers]
I lie inside myself for hours
And watch my purple sky fly over me [paper flowers]

Demo 10.10.01

Swallowed up in the sound of my screaming
Cannot cease for the fear of silent nights
Oh, how I long for the deep sleep dreaming
The goddess of imaginary light

In my field of paper flowers
And candy clouds of lullaby [paper flowers]
I lie inside myself for hours
And watch my purple sky fly over me [paper flowers]

I linger in the doorway
Of alarm clock screaming monsters calling my name
Let me stay
Where the wind will whisper to me
Where the raindrops as they’re falling tell a story

If you need to leave the world you live in
Lay your head down and stay a while [paper flowers]
Though you may not remember dreaming
Something waits for you to breathe again [paper flowers]

Don't say I'm out of touch
With this rampant chaos, your reality
I know well what lies beyond my sleeping refuge
The nightmare I built my own world to escape

In my field of paper flowers
And candy clouds of lullaby [paper flowers]
I lie inside myself for hours
And watch my purple sky fly over me [paper flowers]

Acoustic version

Aaah... Paper flowers

I linger in the doorway
Of alarm clock screaming monsters calling my name
Let me stay
Where the wind will whisper to me
Where the raindrops as they're falling tell a story

In my field of paper flowers
And candy clouds of lullaby
I lie inside myself for hours
And watch my purple sky fly over me

Don't say I'm out of touch
With this rampant chaos, your reality
I know well what lies beyond my sleeping refuge
The nightmare I built my own world to escape

In my field of paper flowers
And candy clouds of lullaby
I lie inside myself for hours
And watch my purple sky fly over me

Swallowed up in the sound of my screaming
Cannot cease for the fear of silent nights
Oh, how I long for the deep sleep dreaming
The goddess of imaginary light

If you need to leave the world you live in
Lay your head down and stay a while
Though you may not remember dreaming
Something waits for you to breathe again

In my field of paper flowers
And candy clouds of lullaby
I lie inside myself for hours
And watch my purple sky fly over me

Synthesis version

I linger in the doorway
Of alarm clock screaming monsters calling my name
Let me stay where the wind will whisper to me
Where the raindrops as they’re falling tell a story

In my field of paper flowers
And candy clouds of lullaby
I lie inside myself for hours
And watch my purple sky fly over me

Don’t say I’m out of touch
With this rampant chaos, your reality
I know well what lies beyond my sleeping refuge
The nightmare I built my own world to escape

In my field of paper flowers
And candy clouds of lullaby
I lie inside myself for hours
And watch my purple sky fly over me

Swallowed up in the sound of my screaming
Cannot cease for the fear of silent nights
Oh how I long for the deep sleep dreaming
The goddess of imaginary light

In my field of paper flowers
And candy clouds of lullaby
I lie inside myself for hours
And watch my purple sky fly over me

In my field of paper flowers
And candy clouds of lullaby
I lie inside myself for hours
And watch my purple sky fly over me

Aaah... Paper flowers
Aaah... Paper flowers

Spain Radio Promo

"Imaginary"
Single by Evanescence
from the album Fallen
Released	2003
Format	CD single
Evanescence singles chronology
"My Immortal" (2003) "Imaginary" (2003) "Everybody's Fool" (2004)

"Imaginary" was released in Spain as a very limited edition radio promo single, under the Sony label, in October 2003.

It features an one-track CD inserted in a black cardsleeve with a cover image that belongs to the same photoshoot of "Everybody's Fool" single. It is the rarest non-WUJC single ever released by the band and, for sure, the most valuable one. Online auctions usually reach more than $250 and very few copies have been seen in the past years. Most of them are still in near-mint condition due to the fact they have been stocked all along within Spanish radio stations' warehouses.

Imaginary [Live in Cologne (in 2003)] was shown on Spanish Music TV at the same time as "Imaginary" had airplay in Spain.

Promo single

Status: Out of Print
Label: Sony BMG
Cat.no: 281003

Around 50-100 of these discs exist. Sightings are very rare. Catalog No. 281003.

1. Imaginary [Album version] (4:16)

• 

  Front cover

• 

  Back cover

• 

  Disc

Guitar tabs & sheet music

• Piano sheet music (Origin version) - arranged by Kyle Marcolini
• Piano sheet music with guitar tabs
• Piano sheet music - transcribed by Devin Eastman midi file
• Demo intro piano sheet music - arranged by Michael McWilliams