Johnny Tillotson (born 20 April 1938 in Jacksonville, Florida, USA) is an A… Read Full Bio ↴Johnny Tillotson (born 20 April 1938 in Jacksonville, Florida, USA) is an American singer and songwriter. He enjoyed his greatest success in the early 1960s, when he scored 9 top-ten hits on the pop, country and adult contemporary billboard charts including "Poetry In Motion" and the self-penned "It Keeps Right On A-Hurtin'".

In 1957 while still in high school, Tillotson was making records and performing on stage; as a student at the University of Florida, he had his own musical variety show on regional television. Following graduation in 1959 with a Bachelor's Degree in Journalism and Communications, he signed with Cadence Records and moved to New York City to pursue his music career. In 1960, he recorded his first hit, a composition entitled "Poetry in Motion" (written by Anthony/Kaufman), that went to #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S. and #1 on the UK Singles Chart.

A "crossover" artist, several of Tillotson's songs were successful on both the country music charts and pop charts. He earned a Grammy Award nomination for another of his own compositions, "It Keeps Right On a-Hurtin," and also for the song "Heartaches by the Number," nominated for Best Vocal Performance of 1965. He also appeared in the 1963 film "Just for Fun" and sang the theme song for the 1965 Sally Field television comedy "Gidget".

In a career spanning more than 40 years, Tillotson has recorded 26 singles that made it onto Billboard's charts, and performed at venues across the United States and other places around the globe.

He was featured in the 1966 camp comedy The Fat Spy starring Jayne Mansfield, Jack E. Leonard, Phyllis Diller, Brian Donlevy and Jordan Christopher & the Wild Ones. This film was featured in the 2004 documentary The 50 Worst Movies Ever Made (#46).

Always
Johnny Tillotson Lyrics

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Maybe I didn't love you
Quite as often as I could have
Maybe I didn't treat you
Quite as good as I should have
If I made you feel second best
Girl I'm sorry I was blind

But you were always on my mind

You were always on my mind

Maybe I didn't hold you
All those lonely, lonely times
I guess I never told you
That I am so happy that you're mine
If I made you feel second best
Girl I'm sorry I was blind

But you were always on my mind
You were always on my mind

Tell me, tell me that your sweet love hasn't died
Give me, give me one more chance
To keep you satisfied
I'll keep you satisfied

Little things I should have said and done
I just never took the time
But you were always on my mind
You were always on my mind

You were always on my mind
You were always on my mind

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Johnny Tillotson’s song “Out of My Mind” express regret for not treating a past lover the way they deserved, but also a deep desire to make things right. He admits to not loving her as often or as well as he could have, and not being there for her during lonely times. He acknowledges that he made her feel like she was second best, but he was blind to her worth at the time. Despite all of this, she was always on his mind, indicating that he never forgot how she made him feel or the impact she had on his life.

By apologizing and asking for one more chance to keep her satisfied, he shows that he is willing to do better and has learned from his mistakes. He recognizes the importance of the little things that he should have said or done, but failed to do so. The lyrics are a plea for forgiveness and a chance to make things right.

Overall, the song speaks to the complexity of relationships and the ways in which we can fail to treat the people we love with the care and respect they deserve. It shows the importance of recognizing our mistakes and making efforts to do better, even if it means acknowledging our own flaws.

Line by Line Meaning

Maybe I didn't love you
Perhaps my love for you wasn't strong or frequent enough

Quite as often as I could have
I missed many opportunities to express my love to you

Maybe I didn't treat you
Possibly, I wasn't kind enough to you

Quite as good as I should have
I should have been better towards you than what I was

If I made you feel second best
I apologize if I ever made you feel less important than you deserved

Girl I'm sorry I was blind
I wasn't aware of the hurt I was causing you, and that's why I apologize

But you were always on my mind
You were always present in my thoughts, even when it didn't look like it

Maybe I didn't hold you
Maybe I didn't give you enough hugs and physical affection

All those lonely, lonely times
During the times you were feeling lonely and down

I guess I never told you
I didn't express enough how content I was that you were with me

That I am so happy that you're mine
I'm positively elated that you chose to be with me

Tell me, tell me that your sweet love hasn't died
Please assure me that the love between us is still alive

Give me, give me one more chance
Please give me another opportunity to rectify my mistakes

To keep you satisfied
So I can ensure you're happy and content with me as your partner

I'll keep you satisfied
I promise to make a concerted effort to tend to your wants and needs

Little things I should have said and done
There were numerous small words and actions I could have used to make you feel my love

I just never took the time
Unfortunately, I neglected the opportunity to make a loving gesture towards you

You were always on my mind
You were never far from my thoughts and feelings

You were always on my mind
You held a special place in my heart and mind, always

You were always on my mind
I could never forget about you, even if I tried

Lyrics © Kanjian Music, Tratore, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Peermusic Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Wayne Carson Thompson, John Jr. Christopher, Mark James

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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