“In 1965, We Five was near the top of the charts, with a great tune, ‘You Were On My Mind’ … I’d rate it among the best songs of the 60s,” (Brad’s All-Vinyl Finds). ” The band had a few other minor hits, but nothing else like this … (Lead singer Bev) Bivens’ voice starts out rather quietly; then there is the signature strum … Folk-rock was about to begin.
… singing the song took everything (the band) had. The released version … is take 13, with an earlier take of the shout-out-loud ending vocals spliced on from an earlier, less fatigued take … Today’s bands can multitrack and digitize their way to an essentially perfect song. But in 1965, We Five keep singing it until they exhausted themselves. They performed.“
After a start in E major, the tune shifts up a whole step to F# major at 1:25. Originally written by Sylvia Fricker and perfomed by her duo, Ian + Sylvia, in 1961, the tune was subsequently covered several times by artists in several countries. But We Five’s version was by far the most prominent version of the tune, hitting #3 on the Hot 100 chart and reaching #4 on Billboard’s year-end list of 1965’s best songs.
Many thanks to Paul G. for reminding us about this distinctive tune!
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