The band (which bore the same name as its founder and lead singer) was one of those power pop bands that skirted the line between punk and new wave, and I loved them.
Anyway, the song sounds pretty much like your standard issue love song. Pleasant enough if not particularly deep. That's what I thought it was all these years -- admittedly, I never paid particularly close attention to the lyrics. In case you're interested, they're here.
So I was surprised to learn something about it today. Cherry Red Records just issued a box set of the group's three albums (as well as various singles). The liner notes include this from Ronnie Thomas:
I wrote "Girl of My Dreams" on the bass, but the lyrics came first. I was flicking through a 'girlie' magazine -- as you do -- it was in a barber's shop, and there was an advert in there that said "Hi -- I'm new in town, straight from the States, from New York," and there was this inflatable doll with garish red lips and blonde hair, and it said "my name's Judy." I just started thinking "that's not a bad angle for a song.' There's this lonely feller, and this 'girl,' and "she came in the morning in the US mail" -- he can't wait to open the package and pump her up, and that was it -- the rest sort of followed.
So, yeah, this song which sounds like a pretty standard issue love song is really about an inflatable sex toy.
I'm actually quite impressed. The lyrics are subtle enough that, if you read them without knowing what they're about, you'd be none the wiser. But, knowing what they're about, you can kind of get the inside joke. I wish I were skillful enough as a songwriter to pull off something like that.
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