About The Song
“Talking in Your Sleep” is a song written by Roger Cook and Bobby Wood. The first recorded version was by the Scottish band Marmalade, produced by Roger Greenaway and released as a single in 1978; that version did not chart. The most commercially successful recording is by American country music artist Crystal Gayle. Her version was released on January 6, 1978, by United Artists Records as the lead single from her fifth studio album, When I Dream. The album was released on June 2, 1978. The track runs 2 minutes and 51 seconds to 3 minutes and 4 seconds depending on the source listing and was produced by Allen Reynolds.
Recording for the album took place in 1977 at Jack’s Tracks in Nashville, Tennessee. Reynolds had produced Gayle’s previous albums and continued the approach of blending country instrumentation with pop and adult contemporary elements. The single followed Gayle’s 1977 crossover success with “Don’t It Make My Brown Eyes Blue,” which had reached number one on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart and number two on the Billboard Hot 100. “Talking in Your Sleep” continued that crossover direction.
On the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, the single reached number one and held the top position for two weeks. It peaked at number 18 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 3 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. In Canada, it topped the RPM Country Tracks chart, reached number 11 on the RPM Top Singles chart, and number 3 on the RPM Adult Contemporary Tracks chart. In the United Kingdom, it peaked at number 11 on the Official Singles Chart and spent 14 weeks on the listing. It also reached number 5 on the Irish Singles Chart.
The B-side of the United Artists single in the United States was “Painting This Old Town Blue.” A different B-side, “Hello I Love You,” appeared on some international pressings. Chart data shows the Hot 100 entry beginning in late July 1978, with a gradual climb that culminated in the number 18 peak in early November 1978. The single remained on the Hot 100 for approximately 18 weeks according to weekly position listings.
When I Dream peaked at number 2 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart and number 52 on the Billboard 200. It was certified gold by the RIAA in the year of release and later reached platinum status in 1982. In the United Kingdom, the album reached number 25 on the Official Albums Chart and received a silver certification from the BPI. Two additional singles from the album also performed well on the country charts: “Why Have You Left the One You Left Me For” reached number one, and the title track “When I Dream” reached number 3.
Songwriters Roger Cook and Bobby Wood were established figures in the Nashville and broader pop songwriting communities. Cook had previously co-written hits such as “I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing.” The composition is structured around a first-person narrative of a narrator overhearing a partner speaking during sleep. Production credits list Allen Reynolds as producer, with recording engineered by Garth Fundis and additional engineering support noted in album documentation.
The single marked one of Gayle’s successive Top 40 entries on the Billboard Hot 100 following “Don’t It Make My Brown Eyes Blue.” Subsequent solo Top 40 pop success for Gayle was limited; her next major pop crossover came later with the 1982 duet “You and I” with Eddie Rabbitt. “Talking in Your Sleep” has been covered by other artists, including Kikki Danielsson (1979), Cilla Black (1980), Reba McEntire (1995 on the album Starting Over), and Martine McCutcheon (1999).
Discography and chart archives consistently document the January 6, 1978, single release date, the June 2, 1978, album release, the two-week number-one run on Billboard Hot Country Songs, the number 18 peak on the Hot 100, the number 3 Adult Contemporary peak, and the corresponding Canadian and UK positions. These figures are corroborated by Billboard chart data, RPM archives, Official Charts Company records, and United Artists catalog information from the period.
The track appears on multiple Crystal Gayle compilation releases and remains part of her late-1970s United Artists catalog. Session and production details place the recording within the broader 1977 sessions for When I Dream, under Reynolds’ production oversight at the Nashville studio. No additional Billboard Hot 100 or country chart certifications beyond the stated peaks are recorded for the original single release.
Video
Lyric
Three o’clock in the morning
And it looks like it’s gonna be another sleepless night
I’ve been listening to your dreams and getting very low
Wondering what I can doMaybe I’m being foolish
‘Cause I haven’t heard you mention anybody’s name at all
How I wish I could be sure it’s me that turns you on
Each time you close your eyes
I’ve heard it said that dreamers never lieYou’ve been talking in your sleep
Sleeping in your dreams
With some sweet lover
Holding on so tight
Loving her the way
You used to love me
Talking in your sleep with loving on your mindMaybe I’m being foolish
‘Cause I haven’t heard you mention anybody’s name at all
How I wish I could be sure it’s me that turns you on
Each time you close your eyes
I’ve heard it said that dreamers never lieYou’ve been talking in your sleep
Sleeping in your dreams
With some sweet lover
Holding on so tight
Loving her the way
You used to love me
Talking in your sleep with loving on your mindYou’ve been talking in your sleep