Tell Me I Was Dreaming
"Tell Me I Was Dreaming" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Travis Tritt. It was released in April 1995 as the fourth and final single from his album Ten Feet Tall and Bulletproof. It peaked at number 2 in the United States, and number 3 in Canada. The song was written by Tritt and Bruce Ray Brown.
"Tell Me I Was Dreaming" | ||||
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Single by Travis Tritt | ||||
from the album Ten Feet Tall and Bulletproof | ||||
Released | April 3, 1995 | |||
Recorded | 1994 | |||
Genre | Country | |||
Length | 4:53 (single version); 6:28 (album version) | |||
Label | Warner Bros. | |||
Songwriter(s) | Travis Tritt, Bruce Ray Brown | |||
Producer(s) | Gregg Brown | |||
Travis Tritt singles chronology | ||||
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Critical reception
Deborah Evans Price, of Billboard magazine reviewed the song favorably, saying that the "big ballad combines an impassioned vocal performance with Gregg Brown's nifty production touches." She goes on to call the song "country through and through."[1]
Music video
The song's major success was largely driven by the controversial and heartbreaking music video, which was directed by Michael Merriman, and premiered in early 1995. It was filmed in Austin, Texas, and is the second video in Travis Tritt's trilogy of videos that tell the story of Mac Singleton, a crippled U.S. Army veteran; the first video being the chart-topping "Anymore" (1991), and the third one being the Top 30 "If I Lost You" (1998). In this video, his pregnant wife Annie is killed while cleaning a boat, subsequently slipping, falling and hitting her head on the docks. A very panicked Mac and his friend, Al, try to rescue her, but unfortunately, she dies at a hospital, although the baby girl that she was carrying survives. Mac names the baby after Annie. The video uses the nearly 5 minute single version (4:53).
The video has since been cited as one of the saddest videos in country music history by both historians and fans. It also spent 3 weeks at #1 on CMT's Top 12 Countdown in June 1995, as well as score an ACM nomination for Video of the Year in 1996.
Track Note
- The nearly 6 and a half minute version is on the album itself. There is also an edit which appears on Tritt's first greatest hits collection (Greatest Hits: From The Beginning), which is under five minutes (4:53), being short of the jam at the end. On the compilation The Very Best of Travis Tritt the song is only 3:46.
Chart positions
"Tell Me I Was Dreaming" debuted at number 73 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks for the week of April 15, 1995.
Chart (1995) | Peak position |
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Canada Country Tracks (RPM)[2] | 3 |
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[3] | 2 |
Year-end charts
Chart (1995) | Position |
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Canada Country Tracks (RPM)[4] | 36 |
US Country Songs (Billboard)[5] | 14 |
References
- Billboard, April 8, 1995
- "Top RPM Country Tracks: Issue 9028." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. July 3, 1995. Retrieved July 21, 2013.
- "Travis Tritt Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
- "RPM Top 100 Country Tracks of 1995". RPM. December 18, 1995. Retrieved July 21, 2013.
- "Best of 1995: Country Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 1995. Retrieved July 21, 2013.