Wayne Carson

July 22, 2015 6:47 PM

What do "You Were Always On My Mind" and "The Letter" have in common? They were both written by Wayne Carson who passed away at the age of 72.
posted by HuronBob (11 comments total)

I'm sorry to hear that. It explains why there was a picture of him with Mark James, a childhood friend, in The Tennessean (Nashville's newspaper), recently. Mark co-wrote "Always On My Mind".

RIP Wayne Carson.

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posted by harrietthespy at 7:41 PM on July 22, 2015

Willie Nelson's version of 'You Were Always On My Mind' was one of my mother's favourite songs.
It will always remind me of her so thank you Mr Carson for being part of something that gave her so much.

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posted by Phlegmco(tm) at 7:49 PM on July 22, 2015

As a lifelong working musician in Springfield MO, this was expected but unwelcome news--especially with the loss of our beloved Lou Whitney also in the past year making it a double-whammy for the old guard I grew up with.
posted by sourwookie at 7:52 PM on July 22, 2015

What a shame! Always On My Mind feels like such a quintessential Pet Shop Boys song that I'd never even realised it was a cover, this despite having an Elvis-loving parent who exposed me to much of his output.

RIP.
posted by comealongpole at 8:25 PM on July 22, 2015 [2 favorites]

YWAOMM makes me think of the Emotional Labor thread, and it comes off as a really half-assed effort.

"Hey, I was thinking of you. Sure, I didn't do much to demonstrate it or reach out to you or take opportunities I had. But I'm not the bad guy here.

"You were always on my mind."

#WeakSauce
posted by Pirate-Bartender-Zombie-Monkey at 8:47 PM on July 22, 2015 [1 favorite]

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posted by Tacodog at 9:11 PM on July 22, 2015

Big Daddy, "You Were Always On My Mind" a la the Big Bopper.
posted by Faint of Butt at 5:35 AM on July 23, 2015

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posted by Cash4Lead at 6:25 AM on July 23, 2015

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posted by El Brendano at 6:30 AM on July 23, 2015

Requiem aeternam dona ei, Domine, et lux perpetua luceat ei. Requiescat in pace.
posted by ob1quixote at 1:55 PM on July 23, 2015

It's probably worth noting that those two Carson-penned songs mentioned in the FPP were both made most famous not by the original recording artists, but by later interpreters. "You Were Always On My Mind" was of course best known in Willie Nelson's version, but the song was first recorded by Brenda Lee. Gwen McCrae is also said to have recorded an early version of the song, but I can't find it (darn!) on YouTube. Of course, Elvis did it, too (and maybe his version was actually first?). And a few years later the Pet Shop Boys gave it a spin, which is the version of the song that Mefi's own cortex first heard, according to the account he gives in his post from just the other day right here at Mefi Music. Check out his version, it is lovely and disarming in its simple, unadorned honesty.

As for "The Letter", I guess it's safe to say that most folks know it from Joe Cocker's electrifying versions, notably with Mad Dogs and Englishmen. Some oldsters might remember the original version, though, by the Box Tops.

Aside from these two big hits, Carson penned many other memorable tunes, and I urge everyone to dig a little deeper and check some of 'em out.

This has been your guest host, flapjax at midnite, fleshing out what was, it must be said, a rather bare-bones obit post for a pretty great songwriter.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 2:26 AM on July 27, 2015