"Dreaming With My Eyes Open" is a song written by

Tony Arata Anthony Michael Arata (born October 10, 1957) is an American singer-songwriter. His best known song is "The Dance (song), The Dance", a number-one U.S. country hit for Garth Brooks in 1990 which was nominated at the 33rd Grammy Awards for Best Cou ...

and recorded by American

country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...

singer

Clay Walker Ernest Clayton Walker Jr. (born August 19, 1969) is an American country music artist. He made his debut in 1993 with the single " What's It to You", which reached Number One on the ''Billboard'' Hot Country Singles & Tracks (now Hot Country Son ...

. It was released on May 27, 1994 as the fourth and final single from his self-titled debut album, and was featured in the soundtrack to the film ''

The Thing Called Love ''The Thing Called Love'' is a 1993 American comedy-drama film directed by Peter Bogdanovich and starring Samantha Mathis as Miranda Presley, a young musician who tries to make it big in Nashville. River Phoenix, Dermot Mulroney and Sandra Bul ...

''. The song reached the top of the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

Hot Country Singles & Tracks Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data along with digital sales and streaming. ...

(now

Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data along with digital sales and streaming. ...

) chart.

Background

During an interview, Walker stated, "On my very first CD there was a song called "Dreaming with My Eyes Open"—an up-tempo, fast-beat song. I almost considered not recording it. It didn't strike me as a song I could sing great, but my producer talked me into it. It became one of the most played songs of that year, and today, every time I sing it, it gets more and more special to me. It says I'm going to do my dreaming with my eyes wide open. That's what we all have to do with MS alker was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1996 Dreaming with eyes open is a vision. When you close 'em, it's just a dream."

Critical reception

Larry Flick of ''

'' wrote "Walker has played a hell of a good game at radio, and urged along by a relentless rhythm track, he hits this one right out of the park. It'll take a few more innings to know for sure, but with the right coaching Walker could become the next country music MVP." Tara Seetharam of ''Country Universe'' listed "Dreaming with My Eyes Open" as the 392nd best country single of the 1990s and wrote, "His infectious pledge to live in the moment is as effective as country’s finest inspirational ballads because it’s firmly grounded in reality."

Music video

The music video was directed by Michael Merriman, and premiered in mid-1994. It features Walker playing outside a BBQ restaurant south of Austin, Texas near a dirt road waiting for a ride. Eventually a woman in a pickup truck picks him up and they drive down rural roads. They reach a farm where they are goofing off together while Walker plays guitar for the woman.

Charts

The song debuted at No. 51 on the

chart dated June 11, 1994.Shults, Lynn ''Billboard'' COUNTRY; Artists & Music; Country Corner; Pg. 30 (June 11, 1994) It charted for 20 weeks on that chart, reaching number one on the chart dated August 27, 1994, marking Walker's third number-one single.

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

{{authority control Songs about dreams 1994 singles 1993 songs Clay Walker songs Songs written by Tony Arata Song recordings produced by James Stroud Giant Records (Warner) singles