Patsy Cline provided us with some of the greatest songs that country music has ever known. The songs that she recorded during her far-too-short career have been deemed as classics, such as “Crazy” and “I Fall to Pieces.”
Another one of Cline’s most memorable songs is her 1963 release “Leavin’ on Your Mind.” The song has a tragic tie to it, since it was the last one Cline released before her death on March 5, 1963.
Although “Leavin’ on Your Mind” wasn’t as big of a hit on the pop charts as some of Cline’s other songs, it was a country music success. It broke into the top ten on the country chart, where it claimed the eighth spot. Today, “Leavin’ on Your Mind” has a well-earned place in country music history.
Most people don’t know that “Leavin’ on Your Mind” wasn’t originally Cline’s. It was first recorded by Joyce Smith in 1962, but failed to break into the Top 50 on the pop charts. Cline’s version came a year later, and was intended to be a part of her fourth album Faded Love.
Since Cline released “Leavin’ on Your Mind” the same year as her death, she didn’t get the chance to perform it more than a handful of times. Luckily, at least one of those performances was filmed, and footage from that performance was recently rediscovered online.
The footage shows Cline performing on a country music television show. Looking like the picture of pure perfection, she moved into “Leavin’ on Your Mind” with her signature sense of effortless ease.
Whoever coined the phrase “music to my ears” must have seen this performance of Cline singing “Leavin’ on Your Mind.” Cline had a special quality to her voice that made it unlike any other. That uniqueness is well-showcased in this performance, which you’ll want to play over and over again.
Watching Cline sing in this footage, it’s hard to believe that her time on this Earth was almost at its end. Knowing that this was one of Cline’s final performances makes it all the more meaningful to see.
Go ahead and tune in to the video below to see country music history being made in Cline’s soaring performance of “Leavin’ on Your Mind.”
Seeing this performance, it’s no wonder why Cline continues to serve as a source of inspiration to many of today’s country artists. There will never be anyone else like her. May she rest in peace.