Always on My Mind - chords, tab and comments

Lyrics without distraction HERE

In 1972, Wayne Carson came to studio to cut a demo of a two-verse song with no refrain he'd written in ten minutes a couple of days before. The producer insisted upon adding a bridge, but Carson had no idea. He asked occationally present fellow songwriters Johnny Christopher and Mark James for assistance, and then and there they came up with two lines to fill in with. It may be the most lucrative lines ever written. This song has been recorded about 300 times, appeared in numerous TV- and movie settings and won Best Country Song, Song of the Year and Single of the Year from Grammy, NSAI, ACM and CMA in 1982 (Willie Nelson version).
Gwen McCrae, soul- and R&B-singer, was the first to record it, rapidly following Brenda Lee and Elvis Presley. Later recordings by Willie Nelson and Pet Shop Boys shows the spectrum of genres Carson's songs cover. He also wrote "The Letter", "Soul Deep" and "Neon Rainbow" for The Box Tops.
Last year even Ane Brun covered the song, for her album "Leave Me Breathless". She chose 3/4 rhythm instead of 4/4, and in fact I agree with her.
A              E       ...Bdim7...F#m
maybe I didn't love you
         B7sus2      D        
quite as often as I could have
A                E      ...Bdim7...F#m
maybe I didn't treat you
         B7sus2            B7
quite as good as I should have

D                   A
if I made you feel second best
Bm        Bm7         E
girl I'm sorry I was blind
         E6     E7     A  ...Amaj7...E
you were always on my mind
         E7     E6     A
you were always on my mind

A Amaj7 F#m F#m7 Bm
tell     me     tell me
          Bm7                E  ...E7
that your sweet love hasn't died
A Amaj7 F#m F#m7  Bm                Bm7
give     me      give me one more chance
             E
to keep you satisfied
     E7            A
I'll keep you satisfied
A major
A
A major seventh
Amaj7
E major
E
E sixth
E6
E seventh
E7
D major
D
F sharp minor
F#m
F sharp minor seventh
F#m7
B minor
Bm
B minor seventh
Bm7
B seventh
B7
B seventh suspended four
B7sus2
B diminuished seventh
Bdim7
About Wayne Carson