Gentle on My Mind

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This article is about the song. For other uses, see Gentle on My Mind (disambiguation).

"Gentle on My Mind"
Black RCA Records 7-inch single label. On the left side, a drawing of a dog staring into a gramophone is seen. On the Right side, a text reads RCA Victor. The top reads Gentle on My Mind (John Hartford). The bottom reads John Hartford.
Single by John Hartford
from the album Earthwords & Music
B-side"(Good Old Electric) Washing Machine (Circa. 1943)"
ReleasedMay 1967 (1967-05)
StudioRCA Nashville studios
GenreCountry
Length3:03
LabelRCA
Songwriter(s)John Hartford
Producer(s)Felton Jarvis
John Hartford singles chronology
"Gentle on My Mind"
(1967) 		"Natural to Be Gone"
(1969)

"Gentle on My Mind" is a song that was written and originally recorded by John Hartford, and released on his second studio album, Earthwords & Music (1967). Hartford wrote the song after watching Doctor Zhivago in 1966, as he was inspired by the film and his own personal experiences. The lyrics describe the reminiscences of lost love of a man as he travels through the country. An obituary for Hartford indicated that the lyrics are "about a hobo reminiscing about a lost love".[1] The following year, Hartford released the song as a single on RCA Records.

It then caught the attention of Glen Campbell, who recorded his version with a group of session musicians known as the Wrecking Crew. Campbell's recording of "Gentle on My Mind" peaked in the top 30 on Billboard's Hot Country Singles chart. In 1968, between Campbell's and Hartford's recordings, the song earned four Grammy Awards.

"Gentle on My Mind" was later recorded by several other singers, including Dean Martin, Aretha Franklin, Frank Sinatra, Andy Williams and Elvis Presley. It was also translated into other languages. In 2014, a recording of the song by the Band Perry earned a Grammy Award for Best Country Duo/Group Performance. Taking into account all recorded versions of the song, it has become the second-most-played song on the radio in the United States according to BMI.

Writing and original recording[edit]

In 1966, John Hartford was living with his wife and son in a trailer in Nashville, Tennessee. One night, the couple saw the film Doctor Zhivago at a local theater. Inspired by the love story depicted in the film between Yuri Zhivago and Lara Antipova,[2] Hartford returned home and wrote "Gentle on my Mind" in between twenty and thirty minutes.[3] The story of the song narrates the reminiscences of a drifter of his lost love, while moving through backroads and hobo encampments.[4] Betty Hartford, who later divorced her husband, noted to him the similarity between herself and the song's female character. She questioned John Hartford about the man's regret for his marriage. Hartford said he likened her to Lara and attributed the man's feelings about being trapped in a relationship to his "artistic license".[5][6]

Hartford defined the finished song as a "word movie" and described his writing process as "thinking in pictures, like paintings using words and sound".[7][8] In a 1980 interview, Hartford commented he was still unsure of the song's meaning and that its message will be interpreted differently by listeners.[9] Twelve years later, Hartford again attributed his inspiration to start writing the song to Doctor Zhivago, and said the content was a result of his personal experience. Hartford said the song "just came real fast, a blaze, a blur".[10] He described the song as a banjo tune without a chorus, and with a variety of words he deemed "hard to sing" because it "violated the principles of songwriting".[11]

At the time, Hartford worked as a disc jockey on the radio station WSIX and for the publishing company Tompall & the Glaser Brothers. Hartford recorded a demo and delivered it to Chuck Glaser, who took the demo to Chet Atkins of RCA Records.[5] According to Harford, after writing "Gentle on My Mind", he did not intend to record the song himself.[12] Hartford sent the demos of "Gentle on My Mind" and a second song to sell them, but instead the label decided to offer Hartford a recording contract.[13] Atkins then suggested to the songwriter to use "Hartford" instead of his surname "Harford" as a professional name. Hartford recorded "Gentle on my Mind" and its flipside "Washing Machine", both of which were produced by Felton Jarvis.[14] The single was released in May 1967.[15] RCA, however, decided not to promote Hartford's recording because they did not consider it to be a country song.[16] Cashbox listed the single under their "Best Bets"; the magazine forecasted in a review that Hartford could get "heaps of spins" with his "poetic folk-country-flavored ballad".[15] "Gentle on My Mind" peaked at number 60 on Billboard's Hot Country Songs.[17][18]

Glen Campbell's recording and success[edit]

A black and white portrait of a man smiling with his arms crossed, staring into the lens of the camera
Glen Campbell pictured in 1967

Hartford's recording of "Gentle on my Mind" attracted Glen Campbell's attention after he heard it on the radio and bought the single.[19] He felt the song is "an essay on life" and was "knocked out" by the scenery it describes.[20] At the time, Campbell worked as a studio musician with The Wrecking Crew; he rearranged the song and with the band, he recorded a demo at Capitol Studios.[21] Campbell left the demo tape at the studio for producer Al De Lory, who made slight production arrangements that Capitol Records accepted as a master for the single.[22] Campbell's recording of "Gentle on My Mind" was released with "Just Another Man" on the B-side in June 1967.[23] Upon its release, Billboard predicted the single would reach the Billboard Hot 100 chart.[24] It peaked at number 30 on the magazine's Hot Country Songs,[25] and at number 62 on the Hot 100.[26] The success of the song, which was originally intended for the country music market, helped Campbell cross over to the pop market.[27][28]

"Gentle on My Mind"
Beginning of Campbell's version
Problems playing this file? See media help.

After Campbell's success with "By the Time I Get to Phoenix", "Gentle on My Mind" was re-released in 1968.[29][30] The new release of the single sold more copies than the original release,[4] peaking at number 44 on Billboard's Hot Country Singles,[31] at number 39 on the Billboard Hot 100, and at number 8 on the Easy Listening chart.[32] On the RPM charts in Canada, it peaked at number 20 on the country chart and at number 60 on the RPM 100.[33][34] That year, "Gentle on My Mind" won the categories for Best Country & Western Song, Best Folk Performance for Hartford's recording; and Best Country & Western Solo Vocal Performance, Male as well as Best Country & Western Recording for Campbell's version at the 10th Annual Grammy Awards.[35]

By May 1968, an estimated fifty singers had recorded "Gentle on my Mind", while Campbell's recording had sold 600,000 copies.[36] The song was recorded by such singers as Tammy Wynette (1968),Frank Sinatra (1968), Patti Page (1968), Dean Martin (1969), Aretha Franklin, (1969) and Elvis Presley (1969).[37] Page's version reached number 7 on Billboard's Easy Listening Chart and number 66 on the Hot 100.[38][39] Franklin's version was released as the B-side to her single "I Can't See Myself Leaving You";[40] her version peaked at number 76 on the Billboard Hot 100 and at number 50 on the Billboard Hot Rhythm & Blues Singles chart.[41][42] Dean Martin's version reached number 2 on the UK Singles chart,[43] number 3 on the Irish Singles chart,[44] and number 9 on Billboard's Easy Listening chart.[45] Hartford's producer on the original recording of "Gentle on My Mind", Felton Jarvis, co-produced Presley's album From Elvis in Memphis (1969) with Chips Moman.[46] The recording of Hartford's song was the last number of Presley's January 14, 1969, session. Following its second take, Presley experienced laryngitis and had to temporarily halt the recording.[47]

Personnel[edit]

According to the AFM contract sheet.[48]

Legacy[edit]

Hartford said the success of "Gentle on My Mind" allowed him to become a full-time songwriter without working as a disc jockey.[14] The song's success also caught the attention of Tom Smothers, who in 1968 invited Hartford to become a part of The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour on CBS.[7] The same year, Campbell performed "Gentle on My Mind" as the theme song of his own CBS show The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour.[19][49]

In 1970, Claude François recoded the song in French under the title "Si Douce A Mon Souvenir".[50] Fourteen years later, Brazilian singer Roberto Carlos recorded the song in Portuguese as "Caminhoneiro" ("Trucker").[51] In 1985, Puerto Rican salsa singer Frankie Ruiz released a Spanish-language version entitled "El Camionero".[52]

Hartford donated the manuscript of "Gentle on My Mind" to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in 1982.[53] By 1984, the song had played on radio over four million times in the United States, and became the best-selling song of Broadcast Music, Inc.'s (BMI) catalog.[54] In 1987, the estimated number of plays grew to 4.4 million and 400 versions had been recorded. At the time, Hartford refused the use of the song for commercials and parodies.[12] In 1990, BMI listed Campbell's version of "Gentle on My Mind" as the fourth-most-played song in the history of radio in the US.[55] It appeared at number 71 on Country America magazine's 1992 list of the Top 100 Country Songs of All Time,[56] while BMI placed the version at number 16 on its 1999 list of Top 100 Songs of the Century.[57] By 2001, with six million plays, the song became the second-most-played on the radio in the US, behind the Beatles' "Yesterday".[58]

In 2008, the 1967 recording of "Gentle on My Mind" by Glen Campbell on Capitol Records was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.[59] In 2014, the Band Perry recorded a version of the song for the documentary Glen Campbell: I'll Be Me; the cover won the category for Best Country Duo/Group Performance at the 57th Annual Grammy Awards in 2015,[60] and peaked at number 29 on Billboard's Country Airplay and at number 35 on the Hot Country Songs.[61][62] In August 2017, following Campbell's death, sales of his hit singles increased by 6,000%.[63] The digital downloads figure for "Gentle on My Mind" registered 3,000 and increased the track's total sales at the time to 251,000.[64]

Accolades[edit]

Awards for "Gentle on My Mind"
Year Organization Award Artist Result Ref.
1968
 10th Annual Grammy Awards Best Country & Western Song John Hartford Won [35]
Best Folk Performance Won
Best Country & Western Solo Vocal Performance, Male Glen Campbell Won
Best Country & Western Recording Won
2008
 The Recording Academy Grammy Hall of Fame Glen Campbell Inducted [59]
2015
 57th Annual Grammy Awards Best Country Duo/Group Performance the Band Perry Won [60]

Charts[edit]

John Hartford[edit]

Weekly chart performance of "Gentle on My Mind"
Chart (1967) Peak
position
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[65] 60

Glen Campbell[edit]

Weekly chart performance of Glen Campbell's "Gentle on My Mind" in 1967
Chart (1967) Peak
position
Australian Kent Music Report[66] 88
US Billboard Hot 100[67] 62
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[68] 30
Weekly chart performance of Glen Campbell's "Gentle on My Mind" in 1968
Chart (1968) Peak
position
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[69] 60
Canada Country Tracks (RPM)[70] 20
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[68] 44
US Billboard Hot 100[67] 39
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[71]
then called Easy Listening 		8

Other artists[edit]

Weekly chart performance of "Gentle on My Mind" for diverse artists
Year Artist Chart Peak
position
1968 Patti Page US Billboard Hot 100[72] 66
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[73]
then called Easy Listening 		7
1969 Aretha Franklin
US Billboard Hot 100[74] 76
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[75]
then called Hot Rhythm & Blues Singles 		50
Dean Martin
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[76]
then called Easy Listening 		9
UK Singles (OCC)[77] 2
2014
The Band Perry
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[78] 35
US Country Airplay (Billboard)[79] 29

References[edit]

Citations[edit]

  1. ^ Strauss, Neil (June 6, 2021). "John Hartford, Composer Of Country Hits, Dies at 63". New York Times. Retrieved December 14, 2023. In 1967 Mr. Campbell recorded a minor hit from Earthwords and Music about a hobo reminiscing about a lost love. Titled Gentle on My Mind, it became a Top 40 single
  2. ^ Life of a song Financial Times. (subscription required)
  3. ^ Canfield, Jack, Hansen, Mark Victor & Rudder, Randy 2011, p. 90.
  4. ^ a b Duffet, Mark 2018, p. 20.
  5. ^ a b Canfield, Jack, Hansen, Mark Victor & Rudder, Randy 2011, p. 91.
  6. ^ Browne, David 2020.
  7. ^ a b Sawyer, Kathy 1968, p. S3.
  8. ^ Landers, Ann 1968, p. 2G.
  9. ^ Associated Press staff 1980, p. C-2.
  10. ^ Jarvey, Paul 1992, p. 27.
  11. ^ Goldsmith, Thomas 1987, p. D1.
  12. ^ a b Edwards, Joe 1987, p. TV-2.
  13. ^ Devault, Russ 1985, p. 30.
  14. ^ a b Canfield, Jack, Hansen, Mark Victor & Rudder, Randy 2011, p. 92.
  15. ^ a b Cashbox staff 1967, p. 28.
  16. ^ Jarret, Michael 2014, pp. 116, 117.
  17. ^ Billboard staff 1967, p. 44.
  18. ^ Billboard staff 2021.
  19. ^ a b Burke, Ken 2005, p. 35.
  20. ^ Carter, Tom & Campbell, Glen 1994, p. 72.
  21. ^ People staff 2017, p. 30.
  22. ^ Jones, Dylan 2019, p. 46.
  23. ^ H.I.M 1967, p. 7E.
  24. ^ Billboard staff 2 1967, p. 18.
  25. ^ Webb, Jimmy 2017, p. 144.
  26. ^ Whitburn, Joel 2010, p. 763.
  27. ^ Jones, Dylan 2019, p. 45.
  28. ^ Hall, Claude 1967, p. 3.
  29. ^ Erlewine, Michael 1997, p. 69.
  30. ^ Howland, John 2021, p. 204.
  31. ^ Billboard staff 1968, p. 33.
  32. ^ Whitburn, Joel 2008, p. 66.
  33. ^ RPM staff 1968.
  34. ^ RPM staff 2 1968, p. 5.
  35. ^ a b Sawyer, Kathy 2 1968, p. 1.
  36. ^ Iachetta, Michael 1968, p. 80s.
  37. ^ Erlewine, Michael 1997, p. 203.
  38. ^ Billboard staff 2 2021.
  39. ^ Billboard staff 3 2021.
  40. ^ Bego, Mark 2018, p. 55.
  41. ^ Billboard staff 4 2021.
  42. ^ Billboard staff 5 2021.
  43. ^ Official Charts Company staff 2021.
  44. ^ IRMA 2020.
  45. ^ Billboard staff 1969, p. 54.
  46. ^ Leigh, Spencer 2017, p. 356.
  47. ^ Jorgensen, Ernst 2000, p. 270.
  48. ^ "Gentle On My Mind AFM Contract" (PDF). The Wrecking Crew. American Federation of Musicians. Retrieved December 29, 2022.
  49. ^ Perone, James 2018, p. 60.
  50. ^ Morice, Christian 2019, p. 168.
  51. ^ Galvão, Luiz 2021, p. 68.
  52. ^ Ñeco, Modesto & Romero Bravo, Alfredo 2003, p. 393.
  53. ^ Oermann, Robert K. 1982, p. 29.
  54. ^ Able, Gene 1984, p. 1-B.
  55. ^ McCall, Michael, Rumble, John & Kingsbury, Paul 2012, p. 77.
  56. ^ Country America staff 1992, p. 39.
  57. ^ BMI staff 1999.
  58. ^ Cromelin, Richard 2001, p. B9.
  59. ^ a b Wener, Ben 2008, p. F-10.
  60. ^ a b Colurso, Mary 2015.
  61. ^ Billboard staff 6 2021.
  62. ^ Billboard staff 7 2021.
  63. ^ Serjeant 2017.
  64. ^ Bjorke, Matt 2017.
  65. ^ "John Hartford Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
  66. ^ Kent, David 2005.
  67. ^ a b "Glen Campbell Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  68. ^ a b "Glen Campbell Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
  69. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 5814." RPM. Library and Archives Canada.
  70. ^ "Top RPM Country Tracks: Issue 5827." RPM. Library and Archives Canada.
  71. ^ "Glen Campbell Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard.
  72. ^ "Patti Page Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  73. ^ "Patti Page Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard.
  74. ^ "Aretha Franklin Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  75. ^ "Aretha Franklin Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard.
  76. ^ "Dean Martin Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard.
  77. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  78. ^ "The Band Perry Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
  79. ^ "The Band Perry Chart History (Country Airplay)". Billboard.

Sources[edit]

Further reading[edit]

External links[edit]

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