Song 186 - Always on my mind - Elvis Presley

You suddenly realise how old you are getting when a song you love was a Christmas number one thirty years ago in the UK. The Pet Shop Boys covered Always on my mind to mark the 10th anniversary of Elvis' death and like Suspicious Minds, it is the cover that I fell in love with before hearing Elvis' version.

Together with Jonny Christopher and Wayne Carson, Mark James would pen a country song that would become a classic Elvis song. First recorded by Brenda Lee and Gwen McCrae in the early 1970s, Elvis released his version of the song in November 1972, the year he separated from Priscilla Presley, as the b-side to his song  Separate Ways in the USA. When it was released in the UK Always on My Mind  became the A-side and was an instant hit. Whether Elvis's personal life difficulties allowed him to bring more emotion to his vocal, I can't say, but Always on My Mind is said to be one of his standout hits of the 1970s, and a favourite with the British Public who voted no.1. in a poll of his hits in 2013.

I am going to leave you today, with both Elvis and The Pet Shop Boys version. Although I am not normally a fan of covers, their version, to me, merits a place in the jukebox.

Elvis sings Always on My Mind

Pet Shop Boy's Cover Version of Always on My Mind

Written by: Jonny Christopher, Wayne Carson & Mark James
Released by Elvis: November 1972
Released by Pet Shop Boys: November 1987