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“Always On My Mind” — Elvis Presley / Willie Nelson / The Pet Shop Boys
It’s rare for any song to have even one iconic version. Very occasionally, there are two. But three? Never…except for “Always On My Mind”.
The great thing about all three wonderfully iconic versions of “Always On My Mind” is they each bring something entirely different to the song. Much as we like great song lyrics around here, great performers bring an indefinable extra dimension to even the most exquisitely crafted lyrics, and there are few better examples of that phenomenon than “Always On My Mind”.
The writing of “Always On My Mind” is credited to Wayne Carson, Johnny Christopher and Mark James, although the original idea and much of the songwriting was from Carson. Of the three, Wayne Carson certainly has much the greater songwriting pedigree. Among his better-known songs is another great favourite of mine “The Letter” — a big hit for The Box Tops in 1967.
But we’re splitting hairs here. “Always On My Mind” became an iconic song as the result of the efforts of all three songwriters. Precisely who did what bit of it isn’t the most important question we’re here to answer today.
The song itself explores the familiar songwriting territory of what happens when love goes wrong. But, as with all great art, “Always On My Mind” becomes iconic because…
