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.
Johnny Christopher and Mark James, who helped with the bridge of the song, are listed as co-writers, but Carson started writing “Always on My Mind” and finished much of it himself. Since then, 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 — Nelson and Presley — gave moving renditions of “Always on My Mind.” Today, we mourn the loss of Wayne Carson while thanking him for putting beautiful words and music together that 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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