Who Are You When I'm Not Looking

"Who Are You When I'm Not Looking" is a song written by Earl Bud Lee and John Wiggins. It was originally recorded by American country music artist Joe Nichols on his 2007 album Real Things.[1] Country music artist Blake Shelton recorded the song for his EP All About Tonight, from which it was released as a single in September 2010. His version reached number one on the US Billboard Hot Country Songs chart in March 2011.

"Who Are You When I'm Not Looking"
Single by Blake Shelton
from the EP All About Tonight
ReleasedSeptember 6, 2010
GenreCountry
Length3:09
LabelReprise Nashville
Songwriter(s)Earl Bud Lee
John Wiggins
Producer(s)Scott Hendricks
Blake Shelton singles chronology
"All About Tonight"
(2010)
"Who Are You When I'm Not Looking"
(2010)
"Honey Bee"
(2011)

Content

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The song is a ballad in which the narrator wants to know the characteristics his lover's hiding from him (e.g. "Do you paint your toes 'cause you bite your nails?").

Music video

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The Blake Shelton music video premiered on October 1, 2010 during CMT's Big New Music Weekend. It was voted GAC's No. 1 video of 2010.

Critical reception

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Matt Bjorke of Roughstock gave the song a four-out-of-five-star rating, calling it a "list song," but the lyrics "an emotion in which anyone who has been in love will certainly relate to."[2] Jim Malec of American Twang gave the song a thumbs-up review, calling it an "intimate rumination on the mystery of a beautiful, graceful woman."[3] Karlie Justus of Engine 145 gave the song a thumbs-up. She thought that Blake Shelton's performance was "flatter" than Joe Nichols's, but said that the lyrics were "grounded and honest."[1] Gary Graff of Billboard also described the song positively, saying that it "mixes humor and pathos with a sweet melody and a wry attitude."[4]

Chart performance

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"Who Are You When I'm Not Looking" debuted at number fifty-one on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs for the week of September 18, 2010. It became Shelton's eighth number one single on the country chart dated March 5, 2011. It has sold 1,098,000 copies in the United States as of June 2013.[5]

References

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  1. ^ a b Justus, Karlie (October 27, 2010). "Blake Shelton – "Who Are You When I'm Not Looking"". Engine 145. Archived from the original on December 18, 2014. Retrieved October 29, 2010.
  2. ^ Bjorke, Matt (September 7, 2010). "Blake Shelton – "Who Are You When I'm Not Looking"". Roughstock. Archived from the original on September 10, 2010. Retrieved October 15, 2010.
  3. ^ Malec, Jim (September 8, 2010). "Blake Shelton – "Who Are You When I'm Not Looking"". American Twang. Archived from the original on September 14, 2010. Retrieved October 15, 2010.
  4. ^ Graff, Gary (July 30, 2010). "All About Tonight review". Billboard. Retrieved October 29, 2010.
  5. ^ a b Paul Grein (June 12, 2013). "Week Ending June 9, 2013. Songs: Pretty Fly For A White Guy". Chart Watch. Yahoo Music.
  6. ^ "Blake Shelton Chart History (Canada Country)". Billboard.
  7. ^ "Blake Shelton Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved January 29, 2011.
  8. ^ "Blake Shelton Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved January 29, 2011.
  9. ^ "Blake Shelton Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved January 29, 2011.
  10. ^ "Best of 2011: Country Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2011. Retrieved December 10, 2011.
  11. ^ "American single certifications – Blake Shelton – Who Are You When I%27m Not Looking". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved October 10, 2021.