Wayne Carson
“Always on My Mind” was an idea by American songwriter Wayne Carson. The inspiration behind the song was a phone call Carson had with his wife. He called her to apologize for the delay of a project in Memphis, which caused him to be away from his home in Springfield, Missouri even longer. To calm his angry wife down, Carson assured her she was always on his mind. “It just struck me like someone had hit me with a hammer. I told her real fast I had to hang up because I had to put that into a song.” Carson told the LA Times.
Wayne Carson started writing the song in the days after the phone call with his wife, but he hit a creative roadblock. Therefore, he decided to seek assistance from songwriter Johnny Christopher, with whom he had previously written the song “No Love at All”. Together, they made improvements to the song. After feeling stuck again, the pair sought assistance from songwriter Mark James, who had also written Elvis Presley’s smash hit “Suspicious Minds”. With the help of James, Carson and Christopher finished “Always on My Mind”.
Elvis Presley’s Version
“Always on My Mind” was first released by Gwen McCrae in March 1972. In October 1972, Elvis Presley released his version of the song. The King had recorded the song in March earlier that year, mere weeks after he separated from his wife Priscilla. The song’s co-writer Mark James, who also wrote “Suspicious Minds”, gave the song to Elvis via bodyguard Red West. “[He] was handling some of the publishing for Elvis at the time,” James remembered. “He said, ‘Elvis is looking for songs, you got any songs for him?’ I said, ‘Yeah, I got a great song for you.’ And we sent it to him and he loved it.”
In the United States, “Always on My Mind” was released as a B-side to “Separate Ways”. Given Presley’s separation from Priscilla, “Separate Ways” was the more popular side. In the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Canada, the song was a top-10 hit. In later years, “Always on My Mind” grew out to be one of Elvis Presley’s most celebrated songs.
Willie Nelson’s Version
In 1982, Willie Nelson released his version of “Always On My Mind”. “We were cutting the Pancho and Lefty album with Willie and Merle Haggard in Austin out at Willie’s place,” the song’s writer Johnny Christopher recalled to The Tennessean. “And we were just about to finish the album that last night and I got the idea, you know they could do “Always On My Mind,” the two of them together. I asked Willie, ‘I’ve got a song and it’s been a while since Elvis had it — can I play it for you?’ He said, ‘Sure,’ and I stood there right in Willie’s studio and played it on my guitar and sang it.”
“The next morning I got a call and they said, “Merle’s left town. And we finished that album, the Poncho and Lefty album. Now Willie wants to start an album on himself and he wants to do your song first. Can you come over and write it out and teach it to him? And we want to do it.’ So, I said, ‘Sure!’ And I did.”
“‘Always On My Mind,’ bowled me over the moment I heard it, which is one of the ways I pick songs to record,” Nelson stated in his biography Willie. “There are beautifully sad songs that bowl me over… haunting melodies you can’t get out of your mind, with lines that really stick.”
Nelson’s version of the song became a huge success, topping the country charts and reaching number 5 on the US Billboard Hot 100. “Always On My Mind” also won 3 Grammy’s in 1983, for Song of the Year, Best Country Song, and Best Male Country Vocal Performance.
The Meaning of the Song
“Always on My Mind” is a song about a man’s regret of not having shown enough love and appreciation to his lover. “All that ‘Always’ was about was one long apology,” the song’s writer Wayne Carson stated. “It’s sort of like all guys who screw up and would love nothing better than to pick up the phone and call their wives and say, ‘Listen, honey, I could have done better, but I want you to know that you were always on my mind.”
Some believe the song was specifically written for Elvis Presley because he had the first major success with the song in the same year he separated from his wife Priscilla, but this isn’t true.
The Legacy of Always on My Mind
Over the years, “Always on My Mind” grew out to be one of the most iconic songs written in the 20th century. The song has over 300 known versions, totaling millions of sales worldwide. The Pet Shop Boys had the biggest commercial success with their synth-pop version in 1987, which topped the charts in 7 countries and reached number 4 on the US chart.
According to Johnny Christopher, the song’s honest message is a big reason why the song turned out to be so successful. “It’s a humbling moment when someone says, I’m sorry, and I love you and I wish I could take this back and do this better,” he said.
Read more: The Story Behind “Can’t Help Falling in Love” by Elvis Presley
