“An Absolute Wizard”: Watch Willie Nelson’s Iconic “Always on My Mind” Performance at Farm Aid 2022

Farm Aid, the annual benefit concert for American family farmers started by Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp, and Neil Young, has been going strong for nearly forty years. Every year, Nelson and a host of other artists gather to perform and raise money for farmers.

Every year, the benefit concert gives concertgoers the chance to see a long and varied lineup. They also regularly experience unexpected collaborations. For some, highlights of the shows include seeing legacy artists performing classic songs for a good cause. The video below shows Nelson performing “Always on My Mind” during the 37th annual Farm Aid. As one fan so perfectly put it, “Willie is still an absolute wizard when it comes to playing Trigger. Incredible.”

[RELATED: Willie Nelson Insists “I Quit Every Night” When Discussing His Ongoing Music Career]

Willie Nelson Gets a Hit with a Musical Apology

Wayne Carson co-wrote “Always on My Mind” with Johnny Christopher and Mark James. Brenda Lee, Gwen McCrae, and Elvis Presley had already released renditions of the song before Willie Nelson released it as the title track and lead single from his 1982 album. While the other artists saw minor chart success with the song, Nelson’s recording went to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. It also landed at No. 5 on the publication’s all-genre Hot 100 chart. As a result, Nelson’s version became the definitive take on the song.

Songwriter Wayne Carson was in Memphis, Tennessee when he came up with the idea for “Always on My Mind.” His wife, on the other hand, was at their home in Springfield, Missouri waiting for him to return. According to Songfacts, he had already been in Memphis ten days longer than he had planned. To make things worse, he had to call his wife to tell her he needed to stay a little longer. That’s when the fight started.

As Mrs. Carson read him the Riot Act, he told her that he had been thinking about her the whole time. She was “always on [his] mind.” Then, he rushed her off the phone to start writing the hit song.

“All that ‘Always’ was about was one long apology. I guess there are a lot of people in the world who were looking for a way to say that in a song,” Carson later said of the song’s success.

Featured Image by Jeff Moore/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock