You were on my Mind - Crispian St. Peters
- unclestylus
- 12 minutes ago
- 2 min read
I used to do one other nearly solo performance in our Reigate singing sessions if they went on long enough (see last post) and that was a duet with Chris Mager of "You were on my Mind" in the style of the version by Crispian St. Peters.
The song was written by Canadian Sylvia Tyson, and originally recorded by her and her husband as Ian and Sylvia in 1963. Curiously, Ian and Sylvia were managed by Albert Grossman who also managed Peter, Paul and Mary (once again see last post). Grossman went on to be Bob Dylan's first manager, which begs the question as to why he didn't just call him "Bob".
Crispian St. Peter's version is the best , better than the many covers, although the original is sweet and the climactic US number one rendering by folk rockers "We Five" runs it close, entirely due to an inspired vocal by lead singer Beverly Bivens. St. Peters' version wins due to the fabulous harmonies between him and himself doubletracked to a catchy bass and rhythm guitar combination. I'm not sure if Mager and my harmonies were superior to his or not, I'm not even sure which of us sang the treble - I seem to recall, after a few beers, that the lead was quickly resumed by whoever didn't start on the harmony first! It always went down well though.
"You were on my Mind" was Crispian St. Peters first hit, reaching number two in the UK in early 1966. His follow-up, "The Pied Piper" was Top Ten in both the US and the UK, so he must have thought he'd made it when he was interviewed by the NME (New Musical Express) in early 1967. In the interview, he made extravagant claims for his talent, saying he was a better songwriter than the Beatles and would be a bigger success than Elvis Presley, as well as comparing himself favourably with other current leaders in the pop scene. Looking back, his hubris seems quite sweet, but way back in '67 that was the end of him: no-one would play his records on the radio, and he was crushed trying to make music that lived up to his own pronouncements.
That seems long ago now, a time when patent untruths, exaggerations and unfounded promises invariably led to the fall from grace of a public figure. Indeed, nowadays, they seem to be the key to success, with the masses falling in line behind like the children of Hamelin following the pied piper.
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