Wayne Carson, who wrote songs such as “Always on My Mind,” passed away on Monday, July 20, 2015. The 72-year-old Carson, who was born with the name Wayne Carson Head, had been suffering a number of health problems.
Carson wrote or co-wrote a number of great songs such as “The Letter,” which was a hit for The Box Tops and for Joe Cocker, and “She’s Actin’ Single (I’m Drinkin’ Doubles),” which was a hit in 1975 for Gary Stewart. But his song “Always on My Mind,” for most people, is the first song that will come to mind.
While living in Missouri, following his idea from a phone conversation with a wife who was angry at him for being away from home, Carson originally wrote most of “Always on My Mind.” His original version of the song, though, did not have a bridge because he did not think it needed one. But while he was recording the song in Memphis in 1971, Carson’s producer Tips Smallman convinced him the song needed a bridge. Ultimately, Johnny Christopher and Mark James came along and helped Carson write the bridge.
Tell me, tell me that your sweet love hasn’t died;
And give me, give me one more chance,
To keep you satisfied,
Keep you satisfied.
There is an argument that the lyrics of the bridge change the meaning of the song and perhaps ruins it a bit. The verses by themselves are about a singer looking back on a lost love. But the added bridge turns the song instead to the singer pleading with the lover for another chance.
I get the argument. When I listen to the song, for whatever reason I tend to focus on the verses and think of the song as more about the singer looking back, so maybe I block out the meaning of the bridge while still loving the musical transition. But either way, it remains a great song. Since the song was written, more than 300 people have recorded “Always on My Mind,” including a hit version by Willie Nelson in 1982.
Many people first heard “Always on My Mind” from Elvis Presley, who recorded the song on March 29, 1972 as his marriage to Priscilla Presley was falling apart. Presley recorded several excellent songs that capture the anguish he felt during the time, but “Always on My Mind” stands out. Even though he did not write the songs, Presley knew how to tap into his own emotions to reach the depths of a song’s lyrics.
While “Always on My Mind” dwells on a common concept of heartbreak, the lyrics strip bare every ounce of pain in the opening lines of regret. Carson recognized that sometimes the worst regret is not for things that we have done but for things that we did not do.
Maybe I didn’t treat you,
Quite as good as I should have;
Maybe I didn’t love you,
Quite as often as I could have;
Little things I should have said and done,
I just never took the time.
You were always on my mind.
The greatness of the song is revealed by the fact that two of our greatest interpreters of songs — Willie Nelson and Elvis Presley — both gave definitive moving renditions of “Always on My Mind.” An it all sprung from Wayne Carson, a disappointed wife, and a couple of last-minute helpers to come together to use beautiful words and music to help capture the human condition.
What is your favorite version of “Always on My Mind”? Leave your two cents in the comments.
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