“Hypnotize the Moon“
Clay Walker
Written by Steve Dorff and Eric Kaz
Radio & Records
#1 (1 week)
April 5, 1996
Clay Walker earns his seventh No. 1 hit.
The Road to No. 1
As with his debut album, Hypnotize the Moon had its first two singles go to No. 1. The title track followed “Who Needs You Baby” to the penthouse.
The No. 1
Clay Walker’s singing is better than ever on this track. He continues to mature as a vocalist and hone his own distinctive style, and the traditional production complements his strengths as a singer.
The song is a bit boilerplate. In the pantheon of Steve Dorff love songs, this isn’t quite “I Cross My Heart,” but it’s solid enough for Walker to bring it home with his performance.
The Road From No. 1
“Only On Days That End in ‘Y'” went top five and “Bury the Shovel” went top twenty, completing the album cycle for Hypnotize the Moon. Once again, Walker returned to the top with the lead single from a studio album. We’ll cover that track in 1997.
“Hypnotize the Moon” gets a B.
Every No. 1 Single of the Nineties
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This is yet another one of my all time favorite songs from Clay Walker! I just really love the elegance of this record and its beautiful melody. The strings in the background give the song a nice classy feel and it sounds great paired with Sonny Garrish’s signature steel playing. I’ve always loved that extremely unique sounding guitar solo in the break, as well, which is part of what made it stand out on country radio for me in early ’96. Clay also gives it a very believable performance, and he makes you really believe he’s singing about a truly special person. I always really liked the line “She shines like a diamond when she walks into a room,” as well as the main hook, “She could charm the stars, hypnotize the moon.”
I enjoy the video as much as the song, and it’s just as classy and elegant. I love the dancing between the two main characters and how it takes place in Colonial times. The old plantation house is also very lovely. I even love the scenes of Clay staring up at the moon and when you can see his breath from the cold while he’s singing. This is another great example of the video perfectly matching the song!
I remember enjoying this song when it was always on the radio in early 96, and today it still brings back great memories of my fourth grade year. It didn’t get much recurrent airplay after that though, and I remember being surprised to hear it again at least a couple years later when I was listening to the radio in my bedroom at night before falling asleep. As soon as Clay started singing “You better run for cover…” I was like “Oh yeah, I like this song! It’s been so long!” lol
Hypnotize The Moon was another one of my lucky finds when I was hanging around the music stores in the mid 00’s looking for used 90’s country albums for great prices. It’s still one of my favorite Clay Walker albums today. I also love “Only On Days That End In Y” and wish that was a number one, too.
I continue to enjoy my re-education on the vocal talents and traditional inclination of Walker. Giving his music a second chance has been one of the great benefits of this feature for me personally. I agree with Jamie that there is an elegance to this performance.