“Always on My Mind” (31) is a ballad written by Wayne Carson, Johnny Christopher, and Mark James, first recorded by Brenda Lee, Gwen McCrae, and Elvis Presley, and first released by McCrae (as “You Were Always on My Mind”) in 1972. The song has been a crossover hit, charting in both the country and western and pop categories. While Lee’s version reached No. 45 on the US country chart in 1972, other performers reached the top 20 in the United States and elsewhere with their own versions
Elvis Presley recorded “Always on My Mind” in March 1972, a few weeks after his February separation from his wife, Priscilla. The song received immense fame and critical appreciation and is considered one of Presley’s standout songs of the 1970s. The song was released as the B-side of the “Separate Ways” single, which was certified gold by the RIAA for sales in excess of one million units. It was listed as a double A-side, reaching number 16 on the Billboard chart in November 1972. In the United Kingdom, “Always on My Mind” was the hit song while “Separate Ways” was the B-side. It was voted the number-one song of Presley’s recording career in a poll conducted by ITV in 2013.
Willie Nelson recorded and released the song in early 1982. It raced to number one on Billboard‘s Hot Country Singles chart that May, spending two weeks on top and a total of 21 weeks on the chart. The song also fared well on Top 40 radio, reaching number five on the Billboard for three weeks and staying on that chart for 23 weeks. It was the best-performing single on the Hot Country Singles year-end chart of 1982. This version also charted in a number of other countries. The single was certified platinum by the RIAA in October 1991.
In 1987, the Pet Shop Boys performed a synth-pop version of “Always on My Mind” on Love Me Tender, a television special on the ITV network in the United Kingdom. Commemorating the tenth anniversary of Presley’s death, the programme featured various popular acts of the time performing cover versions of his songs. The Pet Shop Boys’ performance was so well-received that the duo decided to record the song and release it as a single. This version became the UK’s Christmas number one single that year – spending four weeks atop the chart. It also reached number four on the US Billboard.
