"The Last Thing on My Mind" is a song written by American

musician A musician is a person who composes, conducts, or performs music. According to the United States Employment Service, "musician" is a general term used to designate one who follows music as a profession. Musicians include songwriters who wr ...

and singer-songwriter Tom Paxton in the early 1960s and recorded first by Paxton in 1964. It is based on the traditional

lament A lament or lamentation is a passionate expression of grief, often in music, poetry, or song form. The grief is most often born of regret, or mourning. Laments can also be expressed in a verbal manner in which participants lament about somet ...

song "

The Leaving of Liverpool "(The) Leaving of Liverpool" (Roud 9435), also known as "Fare Thee Well, My Own True Love", is a folk song. Folklorists classify it as a lyrical lament and it was also used as a sea shanty, especially at the capstan. It is very well known in B ...

". The song was released on Paxton's 1964 album '' Ramblin' Boy'', which was his first album released on

Elektra Records Elektra Records (or Elektra Entertainment) is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, founded in 1950 by Jac Holzman and Paul Rickolt. It played an important role in the development of contemporary folk and rock music between the ...

. The song remains one of Paxton's best-known compositions.

Porter Wagoner and Dolly Parton version

"The Last Thing on My Mind" was covered by

Porter Wagoner Porter Wayne Wagoner (August 12, 1927 – October 28, 2007) was an American country music singer known for his flashy Nudie and Manuel suits and blond pompadour. In 1967, he introduced singer Dolly Parton on his television show, ''The ...

and

Dolly Parton Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter, actress, philanthropist, and businesswoman, known primarily for her work in country music. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton made her album ...

and released as their debut duet single on October 30, 1967, by

RCA Victor RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also A ...

. Their version peaked at number seven on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large adverti ...

Hot Country Singles Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data from Nielsen BDS along with digital sa ...

chart, the first of an almost uninterrupted string of top ten singles they would release over the next several years.

Critical reception

The single was well received by critics upon release. ''

'' gave a positive review of the single, which said that Wagoner and Parton's "initial outing should be a giant." They concluded by saying that "the folk-oriented ballad...has much pop potential." In another positive review, '' Cashbox'' called the single "a very effective updating of the contemporary folk ditty," with "an appealing blending of voices" which "makes this a good bet for big chart honors."

Commercial performance

"The Last Thing on My Mind" debuted at number 70 on the ''

chart. It would eventually peak at number seven and spend a total of 17 weeks on the chart. The single's B-side, "Love Is Worth Living", was successful in Canada, peaking at number four on the '' RPM'' Country Singles chart.

Track listing

*7" single (RCA Victor 47-9369) #"The Last Thing on My Mind" – 2:34 #"Love Is Worth Living" – 2:32

Personnel

Adapted from RCA recording session records. *Jerry Carrigan – drums *Anita Carter – background vocals *Pete Drake – steel *Dolores Edgin – background vocals *Bob Ferguson – producer *Roy M. Huskey Jr. – bass *Mack Magaha – fiddle *George McCormick – rhythm guitar *Wayne Moss – electric guitar *Dolly Parton – lead vocals *Hargus Robbins – piano *Buck Trent – banjo *Porter Wagoner – lead vocals

Charts

Other recordings

The song has also been recorded by dozens of artists, including: * Bill Anderson *

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* Chris de Burgh *

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(with

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) * Liam Clancy *

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* Sandy Denny *

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* Danny Doyle *

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* Stu Phillips *

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with

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* Johnny Silvo *

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* The Vejtables *

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* Delroy Wilson * Hannes Wader as "Ich werd' es überstehn (Last Thing On My Mind)" with German lyrics *

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* The Womenfolk * Bojoura

Soundtrack

It is performed by the

and Stark Sands in the soundtrack of the

Coen Brothers Joel Daniel Coen (born November 29, 1954) and Ethan Jesse Coen (born September 21, 1957),State of Minnesota. ''Minnesota Birth Index, 1935–2002''. Minnesota Department of Health. collectively known as the Coen brothers (), are American film ...

' film '' Inside Llewyn Davis'' (2013).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Last Thing on My Mind, The 1964 songs 1967 debut singles RCA Victor singles Dolly Parton songs Porter Wagoner songs The Kingston Trio songs Glen Campbell songs Peter, Paul and Mary songs Joe Dassin songs Songs written by Tom Paxton Song recordings produced by Bob Ferguson (musician) Song recordings produced by Paul A. Rothchild