Today, Glen Campbell’s representative announced that the singer has Alzheimer’s disease and will be making his final tour later this year. Campbell’s wife Kim explained that they wanted fans to know about the illness in case it affected his performances on stage.
On August 30, Campbell is releasing a new album, Ghost On The Canvas
, featuring Jakob Dylan, Paul Westerberg, Chris Isaak, and Billy Corgan. While it has been a long time since I listened to new music by him, I am still fond of several of his classic songs from earlier in his career. I remember watching his television show, and of course, he was in the original True Grit. So, our wishes and prayers go out to him and his family through this time in his life.
My favorite Glen Campbell song used to be “Rhinestone Cowboy,” but as I have aged, I have grown more fond of “Gentle on My Mind.” Maybe you prefer “Wichita Lineman” or “By the Time I Get to Phoenix,” or another song. But in later years as I have listened more closely to the lyrics of “Gentle on My Mind,” I have discovered an unusual poetry in their words (“I dip my cup of soup back from a gurglin’ cracklin’ cauldron”). Although the song was written by John Hartford (who was inspired by the film Doctor Zhivago), Campbell’s delivery of the song about a wandering man’s memories of a lost or abandoned love reveals a true talent conveying complex emotions in a pop song.
Though the wheat fields and the clothes lines,
And the junkyards and the highways come between us;
And some other woman’s cryin’ to her mother
’cause she turned and I was gone;
I still might run in silence,
Tears of joy might stain my face,
And the summer sun might burn me till I’m blind;
But not to where I cannot see
You walkin’ on the back roads
By the rivers flowin’ gentle on my mind.
“Gentle on My Mind” was the title song off Campbell’s sixth album, which was also his first hit album. The single, though, was not a hit at the time, but it has earned a classic status over the years. The song has been recorded by greats like Elvis Presley, Lucinda Williams, and Dean Martin. But Campbell’s recording will always be what we associate with the song. His version keeps me ever smiling and remains gentle on my mind.
What is your favorite Glen Campbell song? Leave a comment.
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