My Elusive Dreams (Song)
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| “My Elusive Dreams” | |
|---|---|
| |
| Single by David Houston and Tammy Wynette | |
| from the album My Elusive Dreams | |
| B-side | “Marriage on the Rocks” |
| Released | June 1967 |
| Genre | Country |
| Label | Epic |
| Songwriter(s) | Billy Sherrill Curly Putman |
| Producer(s) | Billy Sherrill |
| David Houston and Tammy Wynette singles chronology | |
| “My Elusive Dreams“ (1967)”It’s All Over“ (1968) | |
| David Houston and Tammy Wynette Chart (1967) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 89 |
“My Elusive Dreams” is a country music song written by Billy Sherrill and Curly Putman. Putman recorded his song in March 1967 and released it on ABC Records in June 1967, peaking at #41 on the Hot Country Singles charts and #34 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100. The song was later recorded by several artists. The best-known version was recorded as a duet by David Houston and Tammy Wynette, and was a No. 1 country hit in October 1967; the song also peaked at No. 89 on the Billboard Hot 100. Wynette recorded a second duet version of My Elusive Dreams in 1973 with George Jones; this version was included on the Let’s Build a World Together album.
Song background
The song follows a restless man and his wife, as he attempts to find an ever-elusive and lasting happiness pursuing various dreams and schemes, all which are ill-fated. The man’s attempts at making something work include stops in at least six states: Texas, Utah, Alabama (specifically, Birmingham), Tennessee (specifically, Memphis – where the wife gave birth to their child – and later Nashville), Nebraska and finally Alaska (it is implied that during their stint there, their child died and was buried there). The man finally admits to his resigned wife that he recognizes she’s tired of following him around the country and that his dreams are fleeting.
Other versions
- Immediately after the Putman release, it was recorded by three different acts, a duet by David Houston & Tammy Wynette, one by Rusty Draper
- and another by Johnny Darrell.
| Johnny Darell Chart (1967) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles | 73 |
- All four of the versions charted in 1967. Putman’s version of the song made its chart debut on the chart dated for July 8, 1967, one week before the Houston-Wynette version, which went to #1 in October 1967. Draper’s version peaked at #70 and Darrell’s version peaked at #73
- The song has been recorded by countless numbers of acts over the years, but there were two more charting versions released. In 1970, Bobby Vinton took his version of “My Elusive Dreams”, which was also the title to his album of the same name, to #27 on the country charts and #46 on the pop charts.
| Bobby Vinton Chart (1970) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report) | 88 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles | 27 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 46 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks | 7 |
- In 1975, Charlie Rich took the song again onto the country and pop charts, this time taking it to #3 on the country charts and #49 on the pop chart.
| Charlie Rich Chart (1975) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles | 3 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 49 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks | 16 |
| Canadian RPM Country Tracks | 5 |
| Canadian RPM Adult Contemporary Tracks | 15 |
- Roger Miller recorded a cover in 1968,
- and in 1970, Andy Williams released a version in 1974 on his album, You Lay So Easy on My Mind.
- Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood recorded one version,
- and so did The Everly Brothers.
- A 1974 version by Irish singers Ray Lynam and Philomena Begley is referenced in ‘A Pair of Brown Eyes‘, a 1985 single by The Pogues: “While Ray and Philomena sang of my elusive dreams”.
- Curly Putman
| Curly Putman Chart (1967) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles | 41 |
| U.S. Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 | 34 |
- Johnny Darrell
| Johnny Darell Chart (1967) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles | 73 |
- Frankie Stevens
| Frankie Stevens Chart (1970) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| New Zealand (Listener) | 5 |
- My Elusive Dreams – Tammy Wynette and Glen Campbell (1982)
- Tom Jones – My Elusive Dreams
- Engelbert Humperdinck – My Elusive Dreams
- Bobby Bare And Skeeter Davis – My Elusive Dreams
- Bobbie Gentry And Glen Campbell – My Elusive Dreams
My Elusive Dreams (David Houston and Tammy Wynette album)
| My Elusive Dreams | |
|---|---|
| |
| Studio album by David Houston and Tammy Wynette | |
| Released | August 1967 |
| Recorded | June 1967 |
| Studio | Columbia, Nashville |
| Genre | Country Nashville Sound |
| Label | Epic |
| Producer | Billy Sherrill |
| David Houston chronology | |
| Golden Hymns (1967)My Elusive Dreams (1967)You Mean the World to Me (1967) | |
| Tammy Wynette chronology | |
| Your Good Girl’s Gonna Go Bad (1967)My Elusive Dreams (1967)Take Me to Your World / I Don’t Wanna Play House (1968) | |
| Singles from My Elusive Dreams | |
| “My Elusive Dreams“ Released: June 1967″It’s All Over“ Released: December 1967 | |
Professional ratings
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |    |
My Elusive Dreams is a studio album by American country artists David Houston and Tammy Wynette. It was released on Epic Records in August 1967 and contained ten tracks. It was the duo’s first and only collaborative album together. My Elusive Dreams contained mostly duets between Houston and Wynette (two solo tracks by both artists were also included). The album was named for the title track, which topped the American country songs chart in 1967. Another single titled “It’s All Over” also became a commercially-successful country song. The album received positive reviews following its release.
Background and content
Both David Houston and Tammy Wynette had individual careers as country music artists. Both individuals also shared the same producer, Billy Sherrill. Houston first achieved success through Epic Records. In 1966, he reached his commercial peak with the number one country single, “Almost Persuaded“. It crossed over to the pop charts and received accolades from the Grammy Awards.
Wynette signed with Epic in 1966 and had her first chart success with 1967’s “Your Good Girl’s Gonna Go Bad“.
Sherrill chose to pair the two together after composing with Glenn Sutton the song “My Elusive Dreams”. Originally, Sherrill wanted it to be a solo release for Wynette but changed his mind and decided to also make an album of duets between the pair.
My Elusive Dreams was recorded in June 1967 at the Columbia Studio, located in Nashville, Tennessee. The album contained a total of ten tracks. Eight of these tracks were duets between Houston and Wynette. This included three songs which were covers: Patsy Cline‘s “Back in Baby’s Arms”, Hank Williams‘s “Hey Good Lookin’” and “Somethin’ Stupid“. The latter was originally a duet by Frank Sinatra and Nancy Sinatra. Other duets included the title track, “It’s All Over” and “I’ll Take My Chances with You”. Two solo recordings also appear. “Set Me Free” is performed solely by Wynette while “Clinging Vine” is performed solely by Houston.
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic | |
A review published in the August 19, 1967 issue of Billboard said, “Now and then a country duet set the field on fire and when these two artists—both outstanding on their own—teamed up, their “My Elusive Dreams” raced up the chart and even scored pop sales. The duo follows up that hit with sensational performances on “Somethin’ Stupid” and “Back in Baby’s Arms”, among others.” Cashbox also published a review in their August 19, 1967 issue, which read, “Look out for David Houston and Tammy Wynette to grab a top chart spot with this groovy LP. The set, which bears the same title as the duo’s current chart-climbing single, includes, in addition to “My Elusive Dreams”, nine other striking tracks, notably “Ill Take My Chances with You”, “Somethin’ Stupid” and “Marriage on the Rocks”. Watch this one move.” A review published by Record World said, “”My Elusive Dreams” by Curly Putman and Billy Sherrill is certainly one of the best songs of the year and makes this high quality duet album that much better. Tammy and David also do “Somethin’ Stupid”, “Hey Good Lookin'” and more.” The album also features Wynette’s first songwriting credit.
Release, chart performance and singles
My Elusive Dreams was released in August 1967. It was distributed as a vinyl LP, containing five songs on either side of the record. It was the pair’s first and only album collection together. They would both later record duets with other artists. Houston would collaborate with Barbara Mandrell while Wynette would collaborate with future husband, George Jones. After its release, the album peaked at number 11 on the American Billboard Country LP‘s chart. The title track topped the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart in 1967 while “It’s All Over reached number 11 on the same chart.
Track listing
Side One
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | “My Elusive Dreams“ | Curly Putman Billy Sherrill | 2:48 |
| 2. | “I’ll Take My Chances with You” | Marge Barton Fred MacRae | 2:25 |
|---|
| 3. | “Hey Good Lookin’“ | Hank Williams | 2:27 |
|---|
| 4. | “Set Me Free” (Solo: Tammy Wynette) | Putman | 2:16 |
|---|
| 5. | “Together We Stand (Divided We Fall)” | Don Chapel Tammy Wynette | 2:12 |
|---|
Side Two
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Leng th |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | “Somethin’ Stupid“ | Carson Parks | 2:34 |
| 2. | “Back in Baby’s Arms” | Bob Montgomery | 2:25 |
|---|
| 3. | “It’s All Over“ | Sherrill Glenn Sutton | 2:30 |
|---|
| . | “Clinging Vine” (Solo: David Houston) | Leon Carr Grace Lane Earl Shuman | 2:38 |
|---|
| 5. | “Marriage on the Rocks” | Sherrill Sutton | 2:47 |
|---|
Personnel
All credits are adapted from the liner notes of My Elusive Dreams.
- David Houston – lead vocals
- Michael Mendel – cover design
- Billy Sherrill – producer
- Tammy Wynette – lead vocals
Chart performance
| Chart (1967) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Top Country Albums (Billboard) | 11 |
Release history
| Region | Date | Format | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| North America | August 1967 | Vinyl | Epic Records |
My Elusive Dreams (Bobby Vinton album)
| My Elusive Dreams | |
|---|---|
| Studio album by Bobby Vinton | |
| Released | March 1970 |
| Genre | Pop |
| Label | Epic |
| Producer | Billy Sherrill |
| Bobby Vinton chronology | |
| Bobby Vinton’s Greatest Hits of Love (1969)My Elusive Dreams (1970)Sounds of Love (1970) | |
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic | |
My Elusive Dreams was Bobby Vinton‘s twentieth studio album, released in 1970.
The title track, a remake of a 1967 Tammy Wynette/David Houston hit, is the album’s only single. Cover versions include B.J. Thomas’ hit “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head“, the Beatles‘ hit “Something“, “Leaving on a Jet Plane“, “I’ll Never Fall in Love Again“, “I Will Follow You” (a different version of Little Peggy March‘s hit “I Will Follow Him“), and Barbara Lewis‘ hit “Baby I’m Yours“.
Track listing
Side One
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Leng th |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | “My Elusive Dreams“ | Curly Putman, Billy Sherrill | 3:13 |
| 2. | “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head” ([From the 20th Century Fox Picture Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid]) | Hal David, Burt Bacharach | 2:46 |
|---|
| 3. | “Something“ | George Harrison | 2:50 |
|---|
| 4. | “I’ll Never Fall in Love Again” ([From the Musical Production Promises, Promises]) | Burt Bacharach, Hal David | 2:45 |
|---|
Side Two
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | “Traces“ | Buddy Buie, James Cobb, Emory Gordy | 3:01 |
| 2. | “I Will Follow You” | Arthur Altman, Norman Gimbel, Jacques Plante, J.W. Stole, Del Roma | 2:07 |
|---|
| 5. | “Baby I’m Yours“ | Van McCoy | 2:24 |
|---|
| 6. | “The Perfect Woman” | Buddy Kaye, Philip Springer | 3:14 |
|---|
Personnel
- Bobby Vinton – vocals
- Billy Sherrill – producer
- Hank Levine – arranger (“Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head”, “Something”, “I’ll Never Fall in Love Again”, “Leaving on a Jet Plane”, “Traces”, “Baby Take Me in Your Arms” and “If Ever I Would Leave You”)
- Bill Walker – arranger (“My Elusive Dreams”, “Baby I’m Yours” and “The Perfect Woman”)
- Lou Bradley – engineer
- Charlie Brigg – engineer
- Tom Sparkman – engineer
- Suzanne Szasz – back cover photo
Charts
Album – Billboard (North America)
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | The Billboard 200 | 90 |
Singles – Billboard (North America)
| Year | Single | Chart | Posi tion |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | “My Elusive Dreams” | The Billboard Hot 100 | 46 |
| 1970 | “My Elusive Dreams” | Billboard Adult Contem porary | 7 |
| 1970 | “My Elusive Dreams” | Country Singles | 27 |
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