Ah, the 80s. The decade when everyone was high on imagination, synths, and existential dreadβ€”but in a sparkly, childlike way. It was the cultural equivalent of giving a bunch of emotionally unstable dungeon masters a blank check, two fog machines, and a dragon puppet, and saying: β€œGo nuts.” And they did.

The Never Ending Story is basically a cinematic Neville lecture disguised as a children’s movie.

Turn around / Look at what you see

Translation:
Observe your state. Awareness first.

The 80s loved a good mystical command to self-reflect, delivered with the gravitas of a wind machine and eyeliner.

In her face / The mirror of your dreams

They were literally saying:
β€œYour reality is your reflection.”

Neville πŸ‘πŸ½πŸ‘πŸ½πŸ‘πŸ½

Make believe I’m everywhere / Hidden in the lines

The subconscious says hello. Everywhere. Everything. All at once.
Like an LSD trip but with shoulder pads.

Written on the pages / Is the answer to a never ending story

Pages = assumptions / scripts / states. Rewrite the script β†’ rewrite the world.

The whole song is basically telling eight-year-olds: β€œYou are the author of reality.”
But with a flying luck dragon (or yes, the world really does revolve around you!).

Reach the stars / Fly a fantasy

Manifestation assignment disguised as an adventure sequence. You are supposed to FEEL the future-self state so hard you aerial dogfight on Falcor.

Dream a dream / And what you see will be

Neville again. Pure β€œFeeling is the secret” energy. But with synth strings and magical glitter smoke.

Rhymes that keep their secrets / Will unfold behind the clouds

Interpretation: Subconscious impressions become visible when the old fog (old state) clears.

The 80s truly believed that mysticism could be accessed through rhyme and hairspray. And honestly…how were they wrong?

And there upon the rainbow / Is the answer to a never ending story

Rainbow = bridge of incidents.
The montage of events leading from your old state to your new one. It is Neville wrapped in a Lisa Frank sticker.

So what was going on in the 80s?

Quite simply:

Everyone was manifesting without calling it manifestation.
Just add:
β€’ synthesisers
β€’ mythic creatures
β€’ a dash (or the whole stash) of cocaine
β€’ two existential crises
β€’ neon lights
β€’ puppetry that should NOT have been that emotional
β€’ and the unshakeable belief that dreams = reality

The 80s were a decade-long imaginal act. They created worlds with sincerity instead of irony. And that sincerity is why it still hits.