| My Elusive Dreams | |
| Cover: | My Elusive Dreams.jpg |
| Type: | single |
| Artist: | David Houston and Tammy Wynette |
| Album: | My Elusive Dreams |
| B-Side: | Marriage on the Rocks |
| Released: | June 1967 |
| Genre: | Country |
| Label: | Epic |
| Producer: | Billy Sherrill |
| Next Title: | It's All Over |
| Next Year: | 1968 |
"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.[1] 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.[2] 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. A 1975 Irish version by Philomena Begley and Ray Lynam is referenced in The Pogues’s A Pair of Brown Eyes.
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.
| Chart (1967) | Peak position | |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles | 41 | |
| U.S. Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 | 34 |
| Chart (1967) | Peak position | |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles | 1 | |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 89 |
| Chart (1970) | Peak position | |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[3] | 88 | |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles | 27 | |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 46 | |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks[4] | 7 |
| 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 |