My Gen X Playlist: Always On My Mind – Pet Shop Boys

What is good about having a pet?

“Mom, can we get a dog?”

“Maybe not right now. There are four of you kids. If we got a dog, that would be a fifth.”

That’s how that discussion went when we were little kids. Looking back now, that would have been a little crazy throwing a puppy into the mix. Plus, with four kids, we were running around most weekends, out of the house at a number of events. It was the right call.

When my sister (the youngest) was leaving for college, we brought it up once again. To our surprise, my mom said yes! We learned someone in the neighborhood just had a baby and found it too difficult to care for a puppy and a newborn at the same time. That’s when Pebbles joined our family. She was a golden retriever / chow chow mix. She looked like a little lion, without the roar. She was sweet and kids flocked to pet her with every walk. This was the perfect bridge for my parents into empty nest-hood. With dogs, you never feel alone. Dogs give unconditional love. They become a part of your family. You can’t find better reasons than that.

Pets . . . Pet Shop Boys . . .

I do enjoy a good cover, especially when bands cover an unexpected song. The Pet Shop Boys covered Always on my Mind in 1987. I always thought Willy Nelson was the original singer. It turns out Nelson was one of many artists that covered the song, including Elvis. Wayne Carson (who?) was the original.

Wayne Carson . . . came up with “Always On My Mind” when he was working at a recording studio in Memphis. He lived with his wife in Springfield, Missouri, and the trip to Memphis had gone 10 days longer than expected. When he called the missus to tell her he would be there even longer, she let him have it. He tried to assuage her by telling her that was thinking about her all the time – she was “always on my mind.”

“It just struck me like someone had hit me with a hammer,” he told the LA Times. “I told her real fast I had to hang up because I had to put that into a song.”

In 1987, the . . . Pet Shop Boys released a dance version of “Always On My Mind” that was a surprise hit . . . The song entered their universe when they agreed to perform on a BBC Elvis tribute show commemorating the 10th anniversary of his death. Their manager gave them a stack of Elvis cassettes so they could choose a song to cover . . . The first track was “Always On My Mind,” so they went with it, adding an extra chord and reworking it in their signature style. It went over so well, they released the song as a single.

– Songfacts

Pebbles stayed with our family for many years. There are a number of pictures of her throughout my mom’s house. I can’t say that she is always on my mind, but I always smile warmly whenever I think of her. She was family.

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For a complete playlist, please click here.

For the Spotify playlist, please click here.

Maybe I didn't treat you quite as good as I should
Maybe I didn't love you quite as often as I could
Little things I should've said and done, I never took the time
You were always on my mind
You were always on my mind

Maybe I didn't hold you all those lonely, lonely times
And I guess I never told you, I'm so happy that you're mine
If I made you feel second best, I'm so sorry, I was blind
You were always on my mind
You were always on my mind

Tell me, tell me that your sweet love hasn't died
Give me one more chance to keep you satisfied
Satisfied

Little things I should've said and done, I never took the time
You were always on my mind
You were always on my mind

Tell me, tell me that your sweet love hasn't died
Give me one more chance to keep you satisfied

You were always on my mind
You were always on my mind
You were always on my mind
You were always on my mind
You were always on my mind
You were always on my mind

Maybe I didn't treat you quite as good as I should
Maybe I didn't love you quite as often as I could
Maybe I didn't hold you all those lonely, lonely times
And I guess I never told you, I'm so happy that you're mine

(Maybe I didn't love you...)