Always on My Mind

"Always on My Mind"
Song by Gwen McCrae
Published 1972
Songwriter(s) Wayne Carson, Johnny Christopher, Mark James

"Always on My Mind" is an American country music song by Johnny Christopher, Mark James and Wayne Carson, recorded first by Gwen McCrae (as "You Were Always On My Mind") and Brenda Lee in 1972.

AllMusic lists over 300 recorded releases of the song in versions by dozens of performers.[1] While Brenda Lee's version had stalled at #45 on the country charts in 1972, other performers would reach the top 20 in the United States and elsewhere with their own versions: Elvis Presley in 1972; John Wesley Ryles in 1979; Willie Nelson's Grammy Award winning version in 1982; Pet Shop Boys in 1987; Loretta Lynn in 2016.

Composition

Wayne Carson said that he wrote most of the song in 10 minutes at his kitchen table in Springfield, Missouri, and completed the song in studio with the assistance of Johnny and Mark.

Carson, who had the song about a year and one day, was finishing a recording session. Producer Chips Moman asked about recording "that mind" song, but added it would need a bridge. Wayne went upstairs to the studio's old piano, trying to work out a bridge, when Johnny and Mark walked in the door, and he asked for their help to complete his song.

The trio felt that the song was finished and at first could not come up with anything to add, but Wayne explained that Moman was insisting that a bridge be added. So between them, the two-line "Tell me..." bridge was written.

The song was passed to one of Elvis's bodyguards, who gave Presley the cut from the studio. Moman did not produce Presley's recording, but did record the Willie Nelson version years later.

Elvis Presley version

"Always on My Mind"
Single by Elvis Presley
A-side "Separate Ways"
Released November 1972
Format 7", 45rpm
Recorded March 29, 1972, RCA Studios, Hollywood, California
Genre Country, soft rock , Gospel
Label RCA Records
Songwriter(s) Wayne Carson, Johnny Christopher, Mark James
Producer(s) Felton Jarvis[2]
Elvis Presley singles chronology
"Burning Love"
(1972)		 "Always on My Mind"
(1972)		 "Fool" / "Steamroller Blues"
(1973)

"Burning Love"
(1972)		 "Separate Ways" / "Always on My Mind"
(1972)		 "Fool" / "Steamroller Blues"
(1973)

Elvis Presley recorded his version of "Always on My Mind" on March 29, 1972, a few weeks after his February separation from wife Priscilla.[3] The song received immense fame and critical appreciation and is considered one of the standout songs of the '70s for Elvis. The song was released as the B-side of the "Separate Ways" single, which reached Gold status in the U.S for sales of over a million copies. It was listed as a double sided hit reaching number 16 on Billboard magazine's Hot Country Singles chart in November 1972.[4] In the UK "Always on My Mind" was the hit song and "Separate Ways" was the B-side. It was voted the #1 song of Presley's recording career in a poll conducted by ITV in 2013.[5]

Personnel

recorded March 27-29, 1972, RCA’s Studio C., Hollywood

later overdubs:

Charts

1972 Weekly Chart Peak
position
US Billboard Hot 100[6] 20
US Hot Country Singles (Billboard)[6] 16
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[6] 3
Canadian RPM Country Tracks 4
Dutch Top 40 17
French Singles Chart 56
Ireland (IRMA)[7] 9
Swiss Singles Chart 39
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[8] 9

John Wesley Ryles' version

"You Are Always on My Mind"
Single by John Wesley Ryles
from the album Let the Night Begin
B-side "My Angel Got Her Wings Today"
Released October 13, 1979
Format 7" single
Genre Country
Length 3:40
Label MCA
Songwriter(s) Wayne Carson, Johnny Christopher, Mark James
Producer(s) Bob Montgomery[9]
John Wesley Ryles singles chronology
"Liberated Woman"
(1979)		 "You Are Always on My Mind"
(1979)		 "Perfect Strangers"
(1980)

"Liberated Woman"
(1979)		 "You Are Always on My Mind"
(1979)		 "Perfect Strangers"
(1980)

In 1979, John Wesley Ryles reached number 20 on the US country charts with his rendition, entitled "You Are Always on My Mind", from the album Let the Night Begin.[10]

A review in Billboard praised the "brightly mixed vocals" and "powerful production".[9]

Charts

1979 Weekly Chart Peak
position
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[11] 20
Canadian RPM Country Tracks 24[12]

Willie Nelson version

"Always on My Mind"
Single by Willie Nelson
from the album Always on My Mind
B-side "The Party's Over"
Released March 6, 1982
Genre Country
Length 3:33
Label Columbia
Songwriter(s) Wayne Carson, Johnny Christopher, Mark James
Producer(s) Chips Moman
Willie Nelson singles chronology
"Heartaches of a Fool"
(1981)		 "Always on My Mind"
(1982)		 "Let It Be Me"
(1982)

"Heartaches of a Fool"
(1981)		 "Always on My Mind"
(1982)		 "Let It Be Me"
(1982)
Audio sample
  • file
  • help

Willie Nelson recorded and released the song in early 1982. It raced to number one on Billboard magazine's Hot Country Singles chart that May, spending two weeks on top and total of 21 weeks on the chart. The song also did very well on Top 40 radio, reaching number five on the Billboard Hot 100 for three weeks and staying on this chart for 23 weeks. In the year end charts, it was Billboard's biggest Country hit for 1982. This version also charted in a number of other countries.

Nelson's version would result in three wins at the 25th Grammy Awards in February 1983: songwriters Christopher, James and Carson won Song of the Year and Best Country Song; in addition, Nelson won for Best Male Country Vocal Performance.

This version also won Country Music Association awards in two consecutive years: 1982 Song of the Year and 1983 Song of the Year for songwriters Christopher, James and Carson; 1982 Single of the Year for Nelson, and; contributed to Nelson winning 1982 Album of the Year for the album "Always on My Mind".

Willie Nelson performed the number with Johnny Cash on the 1998 release of VH1 Storytellers: Johnny Cash & Willie Nelson. The song was also featured on a December 2009 ASPCA commercial.

The single was certified Platinum by the RIAA signifying U. S. sales in excess of two million. In 2008, the single was inducted to the Grammy Hall of Fame.

Nelson's version was prominently featured, in its entirety, in a season two (2013) episode of the HBO television series The Newsroom.

Chart history

1982 Weekly Chart Peak
position
Australian Kent Music Report[13] 39
Belgian Top 40 (Flanders)[14] 31
Canadian RPM Country Tracks 1
Canadian RPM Adult Contemporary Tracks 4
Canadian RPM Top Singles 10
Dutch Singles Chart 17
Irish Singles Chart 8
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[15] 1
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[16] 2
US Billboard Hot 100[17] 5
UK Singles Chart 49
1982 Year-End Chart Position
Canadian RPM Top Singles[18] 70
US Billboard Hot 100[19] 22
US Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks[19] 8
US Billboard Hot Country Singles[19] 1
US Cashbox Top 100[20] 31

Pet Shop Boys version

"Always on My Mind"
Single by Pet Shop Boys
B-side "Do I Have to?"
Released November 30, 1987
Format 7", 12", cassette, CD
Genre Synthpop, Euro disco, Hi-NRG
Length 3:56 (single mix)
8:10 (extended mix)
9:04 (album version)
Label Parlophone – R 6171
Songwriter(s) Mark James, Johnny Christopher, Wayne Carson Thompson
Producer(s) Julian Mendelsohn, Pet Shop Boys
Pet Shop Boys singles chronology
"Rent"
(1987)		 "Always on My Mind"
(1987)		 "Heart"
(1988)

"Rent"
(1987)		 "Always on My Mind"
(1987)		 "Heart"
(1988)
Alternative cover

Cover for the US release
Audio sample
  • file
  • help

In 1987, the Pet Shop Boys performed a synthpop version of "Always on My Mind" on Love Me Tender, a television special on the ITV network in the UK. Commemorating the tenth anniversary of Presley's death, the programme featured various popular acts of the time performing cover versions of his hits. The Pet Shop Boys' performance was so well-received that the duo decided to record the song and release it as a single.

This version became the UK's Christmas number one single that year. It went on to top the charts for four weeks in total, and reached number four on the US Billboard Hot 100.[21][22]

The Pet Shop Boys version introduces a harmonic variation not present in the original version. In the original the ending phrase "always on my mind" is sung to a IV-V7-I cadence (C-D7-G). The Pet Shop Boys extend this cadence by adding two further chords: C-D7-Gm7/B♭-C-G (i.e. a progression of IV-V7-IIIb-IV-I).

In November 2004, The Daily Telegraph newspaper placed the version at number two in a list of the fifty greatest cover versions of all time.[23] In October 2014, a public poll compiled by the BBC saw the song voted the all-time best cover version.[24]

In the video for Pet Shop Boys' version of "Always on My Mind" (an excerpt from their surreal music film It Couldn't Happen Here), Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe are seated in the front of a taxi cab, when an eccentric passenger gets in, played by notable British actor Joss Ackland. At the end of the song, he gets out of the car, which drives away. Standing alone, he mutters: "You went away. It should make me feel better. But I don't know how I'm going to get through", which is part of the lyrics for another Pet Shop Boys track, "What Have I Done to Deserve This?", which was released earlier in the year.

In 1988, the duo remixed the song for their third studio LP, Introspective, combining it with an acid-house track called "In My House".

In 2008, Konami used the song for Dance Dance Revolution X which was released for both arcades and the Sony PlayStation 2 console. In 2010, the song was re-used for Dance Dance Revolution X2 which was released for arcades.

Charts

Chart (1987/1988) Peak
position
Australian Singles Chart[25] 10
Austrian Singles Chart[26] 2
Belgian Singles Chart (Vl)[27] 2
Canadian Singles Chart[28] 1
Dutch Singles Chart[29] 5
European Singles Chart 1
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[30] 1
French Singles Chart[31] 22
German Singles Chart[32] 1
Irish Singles Chart[33] 2
Italian Singles Chart[34] 9
New Zealand Singles Chart[35] 8
Norwegian Singles Chart[36] 3
Polish Singles Chart[37] 1
South African Singles Chart[38] 3
Spain (AFYVE)[39] 1
Swedish Singles Chart[40] 1
Swiss Singles Chart[41] 1
UK Singles Chart[21] 1
US Billboard Hot 100[22] 4
US Billboard Dance/Club Play Songs Chart[22] 8
US Billboard Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales Chart[22] 12

Other cover versions

References

  1. ↑ ""Always on My Mind" – search results". AllMusic. Retrieved 2014-03-30.
  2. ↑ George Klein; Chuck Crisafulli. Elvis: My Best Man: Radio Days, Rock 'n' Roll Nights, and My Lifelong ... Books.google.com. p. 233. Retrieved 2016-10-06.
  3. ↑ Guralnick, Peter / Jorgensen, Ernst (1999) p. 310. Elvis: Day by Day. ISBN 0-345-42089-6
  4. ↑ "Top 20 Country Billboard Singles". The Official Elvis Presley Website. Archived from the original on 19 December 2007. Retrieved 2007-12-02.
  5. ↑ "The Nation’s Favourite Elvis Song: Top 20 Results and Winner". Telly Chat. Retrieved 2016-10-06.
  6. 1 2 3 Elvis Presley Billboard Chart Positions at AllMusic. Retrieved 2014-07-14.
  7. ↑ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Always on My Mind". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved July 11, 2017.
  8. ↑ "Elvis Presley: Artist Chart History" Official Charts Company.
  9. 1 2 Billboard. Books.google.com. 1979-10-06. p. 85. Retrieved 2016-10-06.
  10. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. p. 367. ISBN 0-89820-177-2.
  11. ↑ "John Wesley Ryles – Chart history" Billboard Hot Country Songs for John Wesley Ryles.
  12. ↑ "RPM Country Tracks for December 29, 1979". RPM. Retrieved 2012-02-04.
  13. ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  14. ↑ "Ultratop Belgian Charts". ultratop.be. 1984-07-21. Retrieved 2014-03-30.
  15. ↑ "Willie Nelson – Chart history" Billboard Hot Country Songs for Willie Nelson.
  16. ↑ "Willie Nelson – Chart history" Billboard Adult Contemporary for Willie Nelson.
  17. ↑ "Willie Nelson – Chart history". Billboard. Retrieved 2014-03-30.
  18. ↑ http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?brws_s=1&file_num=nlc008388.6167&type=1&interval=24&PHPSESSID=mhe12pta2k83e08udtq66ot062
  19. 1 2 3 "Willie Nelson – Always on My Mind". billboard.com. Retrieved 2012-04-10.
  20. ↑ "Cash Box YE Pop Singles – 1982". Cashboxcountdowns.com. 1982-12-25. Archived from the original on 2016-04-07. Retrieved 2012-06-23.
  21. 1 2 "ChartArchive – Pet Shop Boys – Always on My Mind". Chartstats.com. 2009-02-28. Retrieved 2012-06-23.
  22. 1 2 3 4 Pet Shop Boys (2009-12-21). "Pet Shop Boys – Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 2012-06-23.
  23. ↑ "They did it their way". The Daily Telegraph. London. November 20, 2004. Retrieved 2012-06-02.
  24. ↑ "Pet Shop Boys' Always On My Mind tops cover version vote". BBC News. 27 October 2014. Retrieved 2014-10-27.
  25. ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW, Australia: Australian Chart Book. p. 232. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  26. ↑ Steffen Hung. "Pet Shop Boys – Always on My Mind". austriancharts.at. Retrieved 2012-06-23.
  27. ↑ "PET SHOP BOYS - ALWAYS ON MY MIND (SONG)". Archived from the original on 2015-01-15. Retrieved 2016-06-29.
  28. ↑ "Results – RPM – Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved 2012-06-23.
  29. ↑ Steffen Hung. "Pet Shop Boys – Always on My Mind". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 2012-06-23.
  30. ↑ Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
  31. ↑ Steffen Hung. "Pet Shop Boys – Always on My Mind". lescharts.com. Retrieved 2012-06-23.
  32. ↑ "charts.de". charts.de. 2006-11-14. Retrieved 2012-06-23.
  33. ↑ Jaclyn Ward – Fireball Media Group. "The Irish Charts – All there is to know". Irishcharts.ie. Archived from the original on 2009-06-03. Retrieved 2012-06-23.
  34. ↑ "Hit Parade Italia – Indice per Interprete: P". Hitparadeitalia.it. Retrieved 2012-06-23.
  35. ↑ Steffen Hung. "Pet Shop Boys – Always on My Mind". charts.org.nz. Retrieved 2012-06-23.
  36. ↑ Steffen Hung. "Pet Shop Boys – Always on My Mind". norwegiancharts.com. Retrieved 2012-06-23.
  37. ↑ "Archiwum Listy Przebojów Programu Trzeciego". lp3.pl. Retrieved 2016-11-09.
  38. ↑ Brian Currin (2003-05-25). "South African Rock Lists Website – SA Charts 1969 – 1989 Acts (P)". Rock.co.za. Retrieved 2012-06-23.
  39. ↑ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  40. ↑ Steffen Hung. "Pet Shop Boys – Always on My Mind". swedishcharts.com. Retrieved 2012-06-23.
  41. ↑ Steffen Hung. "Pet Shop Boys – Always on My Mind". hitparade.ch. Retrieved 2012-06-23.
  42. ↑ "YouTube". YouTube. Retrieved 2014-03-30.
Preceded by
"Mountain Music"
by Alabama		 Billboard Hot Country Singles
number-one single
May 8–15, 1982 by Willie Nelson 		Succeeded by
"Just to Satisfy You"
by Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson
Preceded by
"Single Women"
by Dolly Parton		 RPM Country Tracks
number-one single
June 5–12, 1982 by Willie Nelson 		Succeeded by
"Listen to the Radio"
by Don Williams
Preceded by
"Fire and Smoke"
by Earl Thomas Conley		 Billboard Hot Country Singles
number-one single of the year
1982 by Willie Nelson 		Succeeded by
"Jose Cuervo"
by Shelly West
Preceded by
"China in Your Hand" by T'Pau		 UK number one single
December 20, 1987 – January 9, 1988 by Pet Shop Boys 		Succeeded by
"Heaven Is a Place on Earth" by Belinda Carlisle
Preceded by
"Reet Petite" by Jackie Wilson		 UK Singles Chart Christmas number-one single
1987 by Pet Shop Boys 		Succeeded by
"Mistletoe and Wine" by Cliff Richard
Preceded by
"Wishing Well" by Terence Trent D'Arby		 Canadian RPM Singles Chart number-one single
May 21, 1988 – May 28, 1988 by Pet Shop Boys 		Succeeded by
"Beds Are Burning" by Midnight Oil
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