Always on My Mind

"Always on My Mind" is a ballad song written by Wayne Carson, Johnny Christopher and Mark James. The song has been a crossover hit, charting in both the country and western and pop categories, and AllMusic lists over 300 recorded releases of the song in versions by dozens of performers,[2] including notably Brenda Lee in 1972, Elvis Presley in that same year, John Wesley Ryles in 1979, Willie Nelson's Grammy Award-winning version in 1982 and Pet Shop Boys in 1987.

For other uses, see Always on My Mind (disambiguation).
"Always on My Mind"
Picture sleeve (reverse) for North American single with "Separate Ways" in smaller font, also used for some European and Australian releases
Single by Elvis Presley
A-side"Separate Ways"
ReleasedOctober 31, 1972
RecordedMarch 29, 1972
StudioRCA Studios, Hollywood, California
Genre
Length3:37
LabelRCA Victor
Songwriter(s)
  • Wayne Carson
  • Mark James
  • Johnny Christopher
Producer(s)Felton Jarvis[1]
Elvis Presley singles chronology
"Burning Love"
(1972)		 "Always on My Mind"
(1972)		 "Fool" / "Steamroller Blues"
(1973)

Background and composition

Gwen McCrae first recorded the song as "You Were Always on My Mind" in 1972. Brenda Lee also released a version, which peaked number 45 on the US country chart that same year.

Biographer Roben Jones recalls how "Always On My Mind" did not see completion until late 1971. Main songwriter Wayne Carson had about two verses done the year before, with the working title "You Were Always On My Mind." Wayne remembered that only after Mark James joined him and co-writer Johnny Christopher in the studio for a session in the fall of 1971, and created the bridge, did it get done.[3] Glen Spreen also remembered the tune finished just before the famous studio shut down.

The song was originally written in the key of B-flat major.

Brenda Lee recorded it in C major and Elvis recorded it in G major. John Wesley Ryles B-flat major in 1979 Willie Nelson recorded the song in E-flat major but he played it in live concerts in the key of D major.

Elvis Presley version

Elvis Presley recorded "Always on My Mind" on March 29, 1972, a few weeks after his February separation from his wife, Priscilla.[4] The song received immense fame and critical appreciation and is considered one of Presley's standout songs of the 1970s. The song was released as the B-side of the "Separate Ways" single, which was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales in excess of one million units.[5] (sales of over a million copies). It was listed as a double A-side, reaching number 16 on Billboard's Hot Country Singles chart in November 1972.[6] In the United Kingdom, "Always on My Mind" was the hit song while "Separate Ways" was the B-side. It was voted the number-one song of Presley's recording career in a poll conducted by ITV in 2013.[7]

Charts
Chart (1972–1973) Peak
position
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[8] 10
Canada Country Tracks (RPM)[9] 4
Ireland (IRMA)[10] 9
UK Singles (OCC)[11] 9
US Billboard Hot 100[12] 20
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[13] 3
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[14] 16
US Cash Box Country Singles[15] 30
Chart (1997) Peak
position
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[16] 49
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[17] 15
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[18] 17
Chart (1999) Peak
position
France (SNEP)[19] 56
Chart (2007) Peak
position
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[20] 39

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[21] Silver 250,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

John Wesley Ryles version

In 1979, John Wesley Ryles reached number 20 on the US Hot Country Songs chart with his rendition, retitled "You Are Always on My Mind", from the album Let the Night Begin.[22] The rendition was produced by Bob Montgomery.[23]

A review in Billboard praised the "brightly mixed vocals" and "powerful production".[23]

Charts
Chart (1979) Peak
position
Canada Country Tracks (RPM)[24] 24
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[25] 20
US Cash Box Country Singles[26] 17

Willie Nelson version
"Always on My Mind"
Side-A label of the US 7-inch vinyl
Single by Willie Nelson
from the album Always on My Mind
B-side"The Party's Over"
ReleasedMarch 6, 1982
GenreCountry
Length3:33
LabelColumbia
Songwriter(s)
  • Johnny Christopher
  • Wayne Carson Thompson
  • 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)
Audio sample
"Always on My Mind"
  • file
  • help

Willie Nelson recorded and released the song in early 1982. It raced to number one on Billboard's Hot Country Singles chart that May, spending two weeks on top and a total of 21 weeks on the chart. The song also fared well on Top 40 radio, reaching number five on the Billboard Hot 100 for three weeks and staying on that chart for 23 weeks. It was the best-performing single on the Hot Country Singles year-end chart of 1982. This version also charted in a number of other countries. The single was certified platinum by the RIAA on October 7, 1991.[27]

Nelson's version resulted 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.

Nelson performed the song with Johnny Cash on the 1998 release of VH1 Storytellers: Johnny Cash & Willie Nelson. The song was also featured in a December 2009 ASPCA commercial. In 2008, the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

In 2013, Nelson's version was also featured in its entirety in a season two episode of the HBO series The Newsroom.

In 2020, Nelson's version in a TV commercial for Bank of America.

Weekly charts
Chart (1982–1984) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[28] 39
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[29] 31
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[30] 10
Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM)[31] 4
Canada Country Tracks (RPM)[32] 1
Ireland (IRMA)[10] 8
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[33] 17
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[34] 19
UK Singles (OCC)[35] 49
US Billboard Hot 100[36] 5
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[37] 2
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[38] 1
US Cash Box Top 100[39] 4
US Cash Box Country Singles[40] 1

Year-end charts
Chart (1982) Position
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[41] 70
US Billboard Hot 100[42] 22
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[43] 8
US Hot Country Singles (Billboard)[44] 1
US Cash Box Top 100[45] 31

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[27] Platinum 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Pet Shop Boys version
"Always on My Mind"
Standard artwork for commercial releases in most territories
Single by Pet Shop Boys
from the album Introspective
B-side"Do I Have To?"
ReleasedNovember 30, 1987
GenreSynth-pop
Length9:05 (album version)
3:56 (single mix)
LabelParlophone
Songwriter(s)
  • Wayne Carson Thompson
  • Mark James
  • Johnny Christopher
Producer(s)
Pet Shop Boys singles chronology
"Rent"
(1987)		 "Always on My Mind"
(1987)		 "Heart"
(1987)
Alternative cover
Artwork for the UK and European 12-inch vinyl remix single
Audio sample
"Always on My Mind"
  • file
  • help

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

This version became the UK's Christmas number-one single that year, spending four weeks atop the chart.[46] It also reached number four on the US Billboard Hot 100.[47]

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 placed the version at number two in a list of the 50 best cover versions of all time.[48] In October 2014, a public poll compiled by the BBC saw the song voted the all-time best cover version.[49]

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 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 song, "What Have I Done to Deserve This?", released earlier in the year.

In 1988, the duo remixed the song for their third studio album, Introspective, combining it with the track "In My House". Two further remixes by longtime Pet Shop Boys remixer, Shep Pettibone, were released on the US promotional triple vinyl version of the album—Shep's Holiday Mix and Shep's House Mix. Neither have appeared on any other format since.

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

In 2017, Burberry released its holiday campaign, as directed by Alasdair McLellan, which features Cara Delevingne and actor Matt Smith. It opens with Delevingne singing "Always on My Mind" before segueing into the Pet Shop Boys cover of the song.[50]

In June 2019, the duo performed the song at Glastonbury Festival with headliners The Killers after joining the band on stage for their encore.[51]

Weekly charts
Chart (1987–1988) Peak
position
Australia (Australian Music Report)[52] 10
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[53] 2
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[54] 2
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[55] 1
Canada (The Record)[56] 1
Denmark (Tracklisten)[57] 2
Europe (European Hot 100 Singles)[58] 1
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[59] 1
France (SNEP)[60] 22
Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 10)[61] 2
Ireland (IRMA)[10] 2
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[62] 3
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[63] 5
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[64] 8
Norway (VG-lista)[65] 3
Poland (LP3)[66] 1
South Africa (Springbok Radio)[67] 3
Spain (AFYVE)[57] 1
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[68] 1
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[69] 1
UK Singles (OCC)[46] 1
US Billboard Hot 100[47] 4
US Dance Club Songs (Billboard)[70] 8
US Dance Singles Sales (Billboard)[71] 12
West Germany (Official German Charts)[72] 1

Year-end charts
Chart (1987) Position
UK Singles (Gallup)[73] 14
Chart (1988) Position
Australia (ARIA)[74] 35
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[75] 13
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[76] 29
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[77] 15
Europe (European Hot 100 Singles)[78] 12
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[79] 62
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[80] 88
South Africa (Springbok Radio)[81] 11
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[82] 15
US Billboard Hot 100[83] 80
West Germany (Official German Charts)[84] 4

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[85] Gold 500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Other versions

References
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