"Dreaming With My Eyes Open" is the title of a song written by Tony Arata

Tony Arata

Tony Arata is an American singer-songwriter. He was born and grew up in Savannah, Georgia, attended the Georgia Southern University, and moved to Nashville in 1986....

 and recorded by American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 country music singer Clay Walker

Clay Walker

Ernest Clayton "Clay" Walker Jr. 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 charts, as did its follow-up, 1994's "Live Until I Die." Both singles were included on...

. It was released in May 1994 as the fourth and final single from his self-titled debut album

Clay Walker (album)

-Critical reception:Geoffrey Hines of The Washington Post wrote, "The impressive debut album by Clint Black mastermind James Stroud, reveals a young man still casting about for his own style but nonetheless bringing a handsome, personal tenor and a sure rhythmic instinct to every song he tries...

, and was featured in the soundtrack to the film The Thing Called Love

The Thing Called Love

The Thing Called Love is an American comedy-drama film released in 1993. It was directed by Peter Bogdanovich. The film's tagline is: "Stand by your dream."...

. The song reached the top of the Billboard

Billboard (magazine)

Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...

Hot Country Singles & Tracks (now Hot Country Songs

Hot Country Songs

Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...

) 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. Dreaming with eyes open is a vision. When you close 'em, it's just a dream."

Reception

Larry Flick of Billboard

Billboard (magazine)

Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...

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. It features Walker playing outside a BBQ restaurant 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 for the woman on his guitar.

Charts and procession

The song debuted at #51 on the Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart dated June 11, 1994. It charted for 20 weeks on that chart, reaching Number One on the chart dated August 27, 1994, marking Clay's third Number One single.

Charts

Chart (1994)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks	1
Canadian RPM Country Tracks	1

Year-end charts

End of year chart (1994)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks	4