In a 2014 interview with MusicRadar, Satriani described the writing and recording process for Flying in a Blue Dream as "A very stressful time" and that "It was just so difficult and insane, but there was also this enormous amount of creativity.

The title track has endured as one of Satriani's best-known songs and is a mainstay at his concerts, as well as "The Mystical Potato Head Groove Thing".

[9] The album is Satriani's first to feature vocals, on the songs "Can't Slow Down", "Strange", "I Believe", "Big Bad Moon", "The Phone Call" and "Ride".

It also marks the first time Satriani plays the Deering six-string banjo-style guitar ("The Feeling" is performed entirely using that instrument) and harmonica, the latter of which features prominently on "Headless", "Big Bad Moon" and "Ride".

[8] Phil Carter at AllMusic gave Flying in a Blue Dream 4.5 stars out of five, calling it "An hour-long disc filled with musical explorations and compositions that defy belief" and "unquestionably Joe Satriani at his absolute best."