''Speaking of Dreams'' is the twenty-first studio album (and twenty-third overall) by

Joan Baez Joan Chandos Baez (; born January 9, 1941) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and activist. Her contemporary folk music often includes songs of protest and social justice. Baez has performed publicly for over 60 years, releasing more ...

, released in 1989. It mixed personal compositions like the title song with political statements like "China", which was inspired by the

Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 The Tiananmen Square protests, known in Chinese as the June Fourth Incident (), were student-led demonstrations held in Tiananmen Square, Beijing during 1989. In what is known as the Tiananmen Square Massacre, or in Chinese the June Fourth ...

. (Baez also dedicated the album to the students of Tiananmen Square who "nonviolently, and at an enormous price, have changed the face of China forever.") The album featured collaborations with Paul Simon, Jackson Browne and the

Gipsy Kings Gipsy Kings are a group of flamenco, salsa, and pop musicians from Arles and Montpellier in southern France, who perform mostly in Catalan but also mix in Spanish with southern French dialects. Although the group members were born in France, th ...

, and marked the beginning of a period where Baez notes she put her music ahead of the political activism that had preoccupied her for much of the prior decade.

Track listing

#"China" (

) #"Warriors of the Sun" (Baez) #"

Carrickfergus Carrickfergus ( , meaning " Fergus' rock") is a large town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It sits on the north shore of Belfast Lough, from Belfast. The town had a population of 27,998 at the 2011 Census. It is County Antrim's oldest ...

" (traditional, Alan Connaught) #"Hand to Mouth" ( George Michael) #"Speaking of Dreams" (Baez) #"El Salvador" (Gregory Copeland) (duet with Jackson Browne) #" Rambler Gambler/ Whispering Bells" (traditional, Fred Lowry, Clarence Quick) (duet with Paul Simon) #"Fairfax County" (

David Massengill David Massengill (born 1951, Bristol, Tennessee) is an American folk singer-songwriter, guitar and Appalachian dulcimer player. Massengill considers Dave Van Ronk his mentor, and is fond of quoting Van Ronk's tribute "he takes the dull out of du ...

) #" A Mi Manera (My Way)" (

Claude François Claude Antoine Marie François (; 1 February 1939 – 11 March 1978), also known by the nickname Cloclo, was a French pop singer, composer, songwriter, record producer, drummer and dancer. François co-wrote the lyrics of "Comme d'habitude" (c ...

/ Jacques Revaux/ Gilles Thibaut/ engl.

Paul Anka Paul Albert Anka (born July 30, 1941) is a Canadian-American singer, songwriter and actor. He is best known for his signature hit songs including " Diana", " Lonely Boy", " Put Your Head on My Shoulder", and "(You're) Having My Baby". Anka also ...

) (with the

) {{Authority control 1989 albums Joan Baez albums