Got My Mind Set on You
"Got My Mind Set on You" is a song written by Rudy Clark and originally recorded by James Ray in 1962.
It is best known for the cover version released by George Harrison in 1987.
Contents |
George Harrison version [edit]
| "Got My Mind Set on You" | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 UK picture sleeve |
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| Single by George Harrison | ||||||||||
| from the album Cloud Nine | ||||||||||
| B-side | "Lay His Head" | |||||||||
| Released | October 12, 1987 | |||||||||
| Format | Vinyl | |||||||||
| Recorded | Friar Park Studios Oxford 1987 | |||||||||
| Genre | Rock | |||||||||
| Length | 3:51 (album version) 5:17 (extended version) |
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| Label | Dark Horse Records | |||||||||
| Writer(s) | Rudy Clark | |||||||||
| Producer | Jeff Lynne, George Harrison | |||||||||
| George Harrison singles chronology | ||||||||||
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Of Harrison's three number-one singles in the US, it was the only song not written by Harrison and the only one without religious overtones. Not only was this the last US number 1 hit by Harrison, but from any of the ex-Beatles in the US. When the song hit number 1, it broke a three-way tie among Harrison, John Lennon and Ringo Starr, all of whom had two number 1 hit singles as solo artists. Paul McCartney leads in this category, with nine number 1 hits in the US. The single's B-side is "Lay His Head", written by Harrison. The 12-inch version of the single also adds an extended version of "Got My Mind Set On You". The single was also featured on his October 1988 album Cloud Nine.
In the UK the single spent four weeks at number two. It was kept off the number 1 spot by T'Pau's "China in Your Hand".
The song was included in the Harrison compilation albums Best of Dark Horse 1976-1989 (1989) and Let It Roll: Songs by George Harrison (2009). A live version was recorded for his Live in Japan (1992) album.
In 2010, AOL radio listeners chose "Got My Mind Set on You" as one of the 10 Best George Harrison Songs, appearing at number 4 on the list.[1]
Music videos [edit]
Two music videos were released for the cover version.
The first (directed by Gary Weis) starred a young Alexis Denisof vying for the heart of a girl in an amusement arcade.[2]
The second, also directed by Weis, is Harrison sitting and playing in a study.[3] As the song progresses, furniture and knick-knacks (like a stuffed squirrel, sentient chainsaw, and mounted warthog) begin to dance along with the song. In the middle of the video, Harrison (through the use of a stunt double) performs a backflip from his chair and follows it with a dance routine before jumping back to his seat.
The second received significant airplay, and was nominated for three MTV VMAs.[3]
Other covers and parodies [edit]
Harrison's version of the song was parodied by "Weird Al" Yankovic on his 1988 album Even Worse, as "(This Song's Just) Six Words Long" poking fun at the repetitive nature of the lyrics.
Shakin' Stevens recorded the song for his 2006 album Now Listen.
Chart performance [edit]
| Chart (1988) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Kent Music Report | 1 |
| Austrian Singles Chart[4] | 8 |
| French SNEP Top 100 Singles Chart[4] | 19 |
| German Singles Chart | 7 |
| Japanese Oricon Singles Chart[5] | 64 |
| Norway VG-lista Singles Chart[4] | 10 |
| Swedish Singles Chart[4] | 10 |
| Swiss Singles Chart[4] | 11 |
| UK Singles Chart[6] | 2 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[7] | 1 |
| US Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks[8] | 1 |
See also [edit]
References [edit]
- ^ [1] AOL, 2010.
- ^ "George Harrison - "Got My Mind Set on You [version 1: nickelodeon]"". mvdbase.com. Retrieved April 23, 2009.
- ^ a b "George Harrison - "Got my mind set on you [version 2: chair]"". mvdbase.com. Retrieved April 23, 2009.
- ^ a b c d e Steffen Hung. "austriancharts.com George Harrison - Got My Mind Set On You". Austriancharts.at. Retrieved April 23, 2009.
- ^ "George Harrison - Chart Archives on the Japanese Oricon Top 100". Homepage1.nifty.com. Retrieved April 23, 2009.
- ^ "George Harrison - Chart Archives in the UK". Homepage1.nifty.com. Retrieved April 23, 2009.
- ^ "George Harrison - Chart Archives on the Billboard Hot 100". Homepage1.nifty.com. Retrieved April 23, 2009.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-2001. Record Research. p. 112.
External links [edit]
| Preceded by "You Win Again" by Bee Gees |
Irish IRMA number-one single November 14, 1987 |
Succeeded by "China in Your Hand" by T'Pau |
| Preceded by "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" by Bill Medley & Jennifer Warnes |
Billboard Adult Contemporary (chart) number-one single December 19, 1987 – January 9, 1988 |
Succeeded by "Everywhere" by Fleetwood Mac |
| Preceded by "So Emotional" by Whitney Houston |
Billboard Hot 100 number-one single January 16, 1988 |
Succeeded by "The Way You Make Me Feel" by Michael Jackson |
| Preceded by "Faith" by George Michael |
Canadian RPM Singles Chart number-one single January 16, 1988 – January 30, 1988 |
Succeeded by "Could've Been" by Tiffany |
| Australian Music Report Singles Chart number-one single January 25, 1988 |
Succeeded by "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" by Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes |
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- 1962 songs
- 1987 singles
- 1988 singles
- George Harrison songs
- Song recordings produced by Jeff Lynne
- Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles
- Billboard Adult Contemporary number-one singles
- Number-one singles in Australia
- Songs written by Rudy Clark
- RPM Top Singles number-one singles
- Song recordings produced by George Harrison
- Dark Horse Records singles
