Stand with us today to honor a man who helped shape the soundtrack of our lives, though you may not have known his name. His name was Mark James, and his gift was the ability to pen the kind of lyrics that reached into the soul and stayed "Always on Our Minds."Born in Houston, Texas, Mark James grew up surrounded by the heartbeat of America’s music—country, blues, and rock 'n' roll.
Mark wasn’t just a songwriter; he was a storyteller, weaving melodies with words that captured heartbreak, hope, and humanity. But what set Mark apart was his ability to write songs that transcended time, resonating with millions across generations.Take Suspicious Minds, for instance. It wasn’t just a song—it was a seismic shift in pop culture. Sung by the one and only Elvis Presley, it gave the King of Rock 'n' Roll his comeback anthem, a soulful declaration of love fighting against doubt. With its pulsating rhythm and haunting lyrics, Mark James' words pierced through the clutter and reminded us all of the fragility—and strength—of trust in love.And then there was Always on My Mind. Oh, what a masterpiece. A song so tender, so achingly beautiful, that it became the anthem for anyone who ever wished they had expressed their love more fully. Sung by legends like Willie Nelson and Elvis Presley, it became more than just a hit—it became our song.
Mark James gave voice to the universal regret of unspoken affection and taught us that love, though imperfect, deserves its moments of grace.Mark James didn’t just write songs; he wrote emotions. He didn’t just craft lyrics; he crafted memories. He taught us to sing our hearts out, even when they were breaking, and to hold on to hope, even when it seemed far away.So today, we say goodbye to a man whose words will never truly leave us. They’ll linger, as echoes of love and longing, in every corner of our hearts. Mark James is gone, but his music—ah, his music—will always be with us.
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/legends-extraordinary-lives--5351541/support.
Mark wasn’t just a songwriter; he was a storyteller, weaving melodies with words that captured heartbreak, hope, and humanity. But what set Mark apart was his ability to write songs that transcended time, resonating with millions across generations.Take Suspicious Minds, for instance. It wasn’t just a song—it was a seismic shift in pop culture. Sung by the one and only Elvis Presley, it gave the King of Rock 'n' Roll his comeback anthem, a soulful declaration of love fighting against doubt. With its pulsating rhythm and haunting lyrics, Mark James' words pierced through the clutter and reminded us all of the fragility—and strength—of trust in love.And then there was Always on My Mind. Oh, what a masterpiece. A song so tender, so achingly beautiful, that it became the anthem for anyone who ever wished they had expressed their love more fully. Sung by legends like Willie Nelson and Elvis Presley, it became more than just a hit—it became our song.
Mark James gave voice to the universal regret of unspoken affection and taught us that love, though imperfect, deserves its moments of grace.Mark James didn’t just write songs; he wrote emotions. He didn’t just craft lyrics; he crafted memories. He taught us to sing our hearts out, even when they were breaking, and to hold on to hope, even when it seemed far away.So today, we say goodbye to a man whose words will never truly leave us. They’ll linger, as echoes of love and longing, in every corner of our hearts. Mark James is gone, but his music—ah, his music—will always be with us.
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/legends-extraordinary-lives--5351541/support.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:09):
And welcome back to success made the last you know,
our network has evolved over the last several years to
talking about people of significance. We interview some of the
most gifted people in the world. It's a sad day
today because we are playing back an interview and perhaps
(00:30):
one of the very last interviews ever granted by the
late great Mark James. He's the guy that helped shape
the soundtrack of our lives. And many of you know Mark,
but maybe some of you don't. He had a gift
(00:50):
of writing lyrics that reached into the soul and stayed,
as he said, always on our minds. Born in Houston, Texas,
Mark James grew up surrounded by the heartbeat of America's music, country,
blues and rock and roll. He wasn't just a songwriter.
He was a storyteller, weaving melodies with words that captured heartbreak, hope,
(01:16):
and sometimes even humanity. But what set Mark apart was
his ability to write songs that transcended time, resonating with
millions of us across so many generations. You're gonna hear
in this final conversation with him about Suspicious Minds, that
(01:38):
wasn't just a song. It was a seismic shift in
pop culture. Sung by the one and only Elvis Presley,
it gave the king of rock and roll his comeback
anthem and a soulful declaration of love fighting against doubt.
With its pulsating rhythm and haunting lyrics, Mark Mark's words
(02:01):
pierced through the clutter and reminded us all of the
fragility and strength and trust and love. And then There's
always on My mind. What a masterpiece. It was, a
song so tender, so achingly beautiful, that it became the
anthem for anyone who ever wished that they had expressed
their love more fully. Sung by legends like Willie Nelson
(02:25):
and Elvis, it became more than just a hit. It
became our song. Mark James gave voice to the universal
regret of unspoken affection and taught us that love, through
though imperfect, deserves its moments of grace. Mark James didn't
just write songs, He wrote emotions. He didn't just craft lyrics,
(02:49):
He crafted memories for us. He taught us to sing
our hearts out even when they were breaking, and to
hold on to hope even when that scene far away.
So today, in this final interview with Mark James. We
say goodbye to a man whose words will never truly
leave us. They will linger as echoes of love and
(03:13):
longing in every corner of our hearts. Mark James is gone,
but his music, ah, his music will always be with us.
I've been waiting a long time to get to talk
to this guy. It's Texas born songwriter Mark James. He
first came to prominence pinning Hooked on a Feeling, a
(03:35):
number five hit for BJ Thomas and most of y'all
heard our conversation with BJ, and later Blue Swaede took
it transformed it into a nineteen seventy four sharktopper. However,
Mark's biggest career break occurred to when Elvis cut his
song Suspicious Minds, which landed him a monster number one
(03:58):
hit around the world and in the most recent Elvis movie,
Everybody Knows Now, Mark that that song kind of rocketed
Elvis back into his number one position. But one of
the things I love most about Mark is his contribution
and collaboration in songs like always on My Mind. Mister
(04:18):
Mark James, welcome to Legends, and it's so great to
get to honor you today.
Speaker 2 (04:24):
Thank you, Rick.
Speaker 1 (04:25):
I appreciate it, you bet, you bet, all right, So
we're gonna ask you of writing questions today. Let's let's
start a little bit with your childhood and upbringing. Where
were you brought up or are you truly a Texas boy?
Speaker 2 (04:39):
Oh? Yeah, I was brought up in Houston, Texas. Uh,
and uh, I was brought up there. My dad was
Italian and my mother was am Longview, Texas. And so yeah,
we're all Texas, you know.
Speaker 1 (04:58):
And and of all those those texts is that you
grew up around I understand that you started with a
violin and that was made around fifty nine or maybe
in the fifties rather and uh, one of our local
songwriters wants to know, do you still have your hands
(05:20):
on that violin? U?
Speaker 2 (05:23):
I'll pick it up now. And I bought a mini
valaind uh to use in my studio and I've been
using that a little bit to play on things, you know.
But uh, oh yeah, I Uh, I started playing that
when I was six or seven. And uh, my dad
first brought in through my rumor accordion. I said, I
(05:47):
don't think so, you know. Then he brought the violin
and showed me the violin, and yeah, I was so young,
you know, I said it ran a lot like a
bow and arrow. Maybe I don't know, so I said, yeah,
but I got real good on it. I've played that
man many years and uh until about nineteen fifty seven
(06:11):
or something. Uh stop, I got off of it because
I started forming a band uh in Texas and that's
what happened. But Joe, Yeah, I was a concert master
of junior high school and all, wow, when you can you.
Speaker 1 (06:27):
Know, you know, that's amazing. And you know it's when
I look at the people that I've always wanted to interview.
All of the I would say, the top three the
real names are Francis, So tell me. Tell me about
being Francis Zambone back in the fifties.
Speaker 2 (06:47):
Well that's why I changed my name to Mark James
and uh uh back in the fifties, nobody could pronounce anything.
I don't because I go to sitting in club so
I did that all the time. And uh they say, well,
we have uh Francis Amboni in the crowd and I
(07:07):
can come up or you know just that do fit
up many ways, and uh, I said, well, I don't
need this because she didn't. You don't feel like performing
when they do that job. But uh so you Uh.
I was driving down the road and all of a sudden,
it's like a hit song. Mark James came to me.
(07:29):
I said, well, not bad and uh and I lived
with it about six months and I said, still not bad.
So I started recording it, recording under that name in
nineteen sixty and I've been using it ever since. A
matter of fact, I was going to use it. I
was going to change get my whole name in. I
(07:52):
was gonna change my name to Mark Jva Mark J
F Zambon and uh, two thousand and one hit and
it was too late. You had to travel with you know,
your what your name was. You know that's what happened. Yeah,
(08:12):
that makes sense. And you started the Mark James trio.
When I understand you had two songs that were regional hits.
Here running Back and She's Gone Away. But did you
also do job note? Oh yeah, Job Note was Francis
Ambone the Naturals. That was our first hit. That was
number one record h and the uh we had that
(08:39):
and uh the uh and by the way, the uh
She's Gone Away with Huey Mo was that broke the
singles records and uh Louisiana in nineteen sixty four. Uh,
it was huge. Yeah, that's amazing.
Speaker 1 (08:58):
Why why did it catch on in Louisiana?
Speaker 2 (09:02):
It was Uh it was a Louisiana tack song in
a way. But uh and I guess you he promoted
is a lot there, you know.
Speaker 1 (09:11):
But yeah, yeah, there's a there's something to be said,
Mark about songs that catch on in Louisiana, Jambalayah being
one of them, which you know all too well. But
it's all it's I always thought about. You know, I've
lived in Houston like you did, and I always thought
that Louisiana was almost a foreign country when you cross
(09:33):
over the river.
Speaker 2 (09:36):
That's true, that's true, you know, talking about that. I
played a lot of clothes at Houston, and uh uh
an artist joined our group because we lost a sax
player and he played sex too. And the artist was
Link Davis. And Link Davis was one of those uh
(09:57):
uh Louisiana record guy. He had Julie Blae, big Ma
Move and a lot of hits. You know. Yeah, but
uh he was character, you know.
Speaker 1 (10:11):
Without a doubt, without a doubt. So along the way
you were growing as a songwriter, but having done some
research on you, it seems to us that at your
core is a great storyteller. And we we came across
a quote from your good friend B. J. Thomas, who
(10:34):
said that Mark is so good at telling stories in
a concise way. He says, I think a lot of
his songs they will stand up all these years later.
It's like a hit waiting to happen. Who who in
the world taught you to think in a concise manner
and be such a great storyteller.
Speaker 2 (10:56):
Well, I always love great films. I love films too.
I always love great films. I love great songs. I
love great artists. And you can recognize them. They stand out,
you know. And Uh, I've always been a guy that
(11:16):
I don't I don't want to write a song that
I want to I want to write a song that
uh will be remembered forever. And that's how I write. Uh.
You know. Sometimes you just sit down and write a
song and uh, you know, but uh, and sometimes you
don't always hit your mark. But at the same time,
(11:39):
when you got something good, they can be great or
or unique. Uh, you better stay with it and get
it right. And uh, these are the songs that actually
I just like songs that are you know, work uh
(12:00):
of course remembering you know.
Speaker 1 (12:03):
You bet, you bet, and songs that we can hum
and whistle, and uh, I think you're in the happy
business as much as you are in the music business.
There's a happy your song. Your songs make us happy.
And I remember going to a BJ Thomas concert in
(12:25):
seventy six or seventy seven and coming out of there
going I got to buy his greatest hits albums and
I love I love the songs and the stories. And
I guess that's a nice bridge too. I'd love for
you to tell us about your very very special friendship
with BJ Thomas.
Speaker 2 (12:45):
Well, BJ and I J was from Houston also kind
of out at Houston a little bit, but like uh,
b J and I kind of met when I was
recording Uh She's gone away m hm. You know, I
came out of the recording uh studio and there was
(13:11):
b J. And then he said, Mark, I'd like to
like you to take me in and produce some things
on me, uh you know, And I said, well, I'll
tell you what I'm gonna be on road. I heard
him and next week through a couple of weeks, but
I'll be back, uh once you come back then and
we'll talk, you know. And uh I never saw him
(13:35):
again from that point on, but uh uh there was
a time that uh, when I went to Memphis, Uh,
I called him and I more or less got him
up there. You know, I'm more or less told him
you know that, Uh, I think this would be good
(13:59):
for you, you know, man, Uh, I think they'd be really
good good for you. Even when I went out there,
uh the house band in America. I had to listen
to him for a while and said, well, how can
I get a hit with these guys? You know? Because
uh but they were real talented and that's why, you know.
(14:21):
Uh but uh but uh I don't know. It's like, uh,
I think they were cutting more R and B than anything,
and like more uh uh pop country things, you know,
(14:42):
to type shirts by Sandy Posey, you know. Uh but
b J and I we've can't. We became even more
friends up in Memphis because we live right next door
to each other in an apartment. We had a lot
of fun and uh and uh, well I'll go into that.
(15:03):
When I, of course, I had wrote asked a New
York woman, and I said, let's go down the studio
played for Chips and we went down there and played
with Chips and he said he but he loved it,
and uh and let's do it and so we did
it and uh. And then the second one was like,
who came to feel on it? And uh. I brought
(15:26):
j down to my apartment and played it to my
piano and he says, Mark, that's a little high here.
Can we drop it down a little bit? I said, Man,
I said, you know, Bj, not many people can sing
it like that and that range. I said, Man, let's
leave it up there. You know, you sound great up there,
you know. And Uh. Anyway, I talked him into it.
(15:49):
I'm glad I did you know kidding?
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(16:16):
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Speaker 1 (16:35):
And we are back with our legend, Mark James and
Mark on this side of the show. I'm going to
ask you some lining round questions that came from a
variety of Austin musicians and songwriters who said, Rick, you
gotta be kidding me. You've got Mark James on the show.
(16:56):
And I said, it is one of the big blessings
of my life. And so here's this isn't a These
aren't in any particular order. Here's the first one. What
was your initial response to Blue Swede's version of Hooked
on a Feeling with Uga Shatka.
Speaker 2 (17:12):
Well, you know, I had moved to New York and uh,
Capitol Records called me and then says, we want you
to come over. Listen, we want you to come over.
I didn't know why they what they wanted, but I,
you know, got in a cab and I went over
there and uh, they played me the Blue Swaye record
(17:34):
and I said, well, this isn't uh bj is the
way that I heard it originally, in the way I
heard it. Tom. I said, but uh, but this is
a fun record and and and it's uh uh you know,
beside the Uga sugar thing. I said, so, well, very
well made record, very well made engineering record. And I said, uh,
(17:59):
I said, I'll buy you. They messed they messed around
and passed and they didn't buy it. And Capital they uh,
uh Columbia, I think it was no, I'm sorry. Uh.
Columbia was the one that called me in New York
and Capital was the one in l a And and
(18:21):
they said, uh. All of a sudden, Capital realized what
that was, what they had, and they reeled them back
in and offer them the deal. And so that's how
that happened. They uh, they realized what they had and
they reeled them back in and put that out. It
was number one, you know, many countries.
Speaker 1 (18:42):
You know, that's right, That's right. Cool. John Christian wants
to know what's the most fun collaborative team that you've
ever been on to write a song?
Speaker 2 (19:00):
You know, co writers? You mean, yes, sir, uh probably
uh you know, probably writing with Johnny or Wayne Carson
or you know. Uh, you know, I'm a solo writer
most of the time, but I get with friends of mine,
you know. It's uh, you know, I got with Mac,
(19:23):
you know, to a point. But uh but uh yeah,
I mean, but I would say working with Wayne or
Johnny Christopher that was we had some fun times. You know.
Speaker 1 (19:37):
I bet so, I bet so. Steve McCarthy wants to
know about the most favorite bridge you've ever penned, and
more specifically, just tell us how you wrote Always on
My Mind.
Speaker 2 (19:52):
Well that's a kind of a different story. Uh that
that Uh, I was at American Studios and uh, I
was about to leave. You know, I had been working
so hard. I mean, I had hits and I was
trying to follow up hits and all this stuff. Man,
and I wanted to get out of my own head.
(20:13):
I wanted to go see a movie or something. And
here's somebody else's story, and man, I was so tired
of that, you know. And then all of a sudden,
the door open to another writer's room and Wayne said, Margot,
would you like to help write a song? And uh,
I said, well, let's hear it. And he played me
(20:37):
a piece of it, and I heard the melody and
I said, okay, okay, and uh. They were really writing
these things along the guitar and it was kind of
like a it was kind of more country and what
I did was coming in and I said, let's do
(20:57):
it this way, and I said, said, I started walking
it down kind of like kind of like cooked on
the field. Uh and uh. And they had they had
their lyrics to the point. I said, uh, let's do that.
Let's let's use this, let's see that. And they had
their first verse in that course, but I said, let's
(21:21):
double up on that course where we say you're always
on my mind, You're always on my mind, you know,
let's double that. Uh and uh. Then when I got
to the second verse, what they had was not right
at all. I mean, it was like the flow that
(21:42):
they had like the first verse. I said, let's let's
do it this way. I said, let's say, uh, let's
come in and I said, let's right put there. Maybe
I didn't hold you and Wayne realized what I was
trying to do, and he says, okay, all those lonely
leveling times, I said, right, and uh, and I gets
(22:03):
down there. I told you, and he said, yeah, I'm
so happy that you're mine. And we had the course
like I've been doing. And then when we got you
into that, I think we needed to break it up
a little bit. So I started playing the bridge the
way I did, and I wanted it short because h
(22:27):
and by the way, uh I had been saving a
musical for it of the uh the song where it
sounds like a uh in version of the chord that
builds up the whole course and uh I had been
(22:50):
saving it for another song. And when I he asked
me to play on that song, that's why I added
put that in Ageah maybe I it was only lovely
towns and I guess I never told you I'm so
happy that's your mom. Maybe that's my violin days, I
(23:15):
don't know. Uh I had that end and that made
the song special to me and UH and so when
I went to I started walking the song down. I
knew that we needed a real short bridge because I
(23:35):
wanted at to be a solo when we came out
of that, because it was so so good and we'll
catch you at the bridge, you know. And that's what happened.
Speaker 1 (23:45):
You know, what a great story that I just I
love hearing that in that my friends songwriters out there.
That's how great collaborative work happens. And it sounds like
you y'all were all listening to each other, and y'all
were all open to new ideas and kind of all
(24:06):
blending in your experience.
Speaker 2 (24:10):
Well, Wayne had been Uh Wayne started that song. But
I got to tell you it was a lot more
country than you heard it because they were doing in
second verse. I think they were more or less treating
it like a second verson. Well maybe I grabbing the
truck and all this stuff I was, you know, grabbing
(24:32):
you around and thinking about you and all this stuff.
And no, man, that's why I said, maybe I didn't
hold you. Let's keep that ability like it is, you know. Uh.
And so I just think, uh, they were they might
have been trying to use that uh as a more
(24:52):
or less the chorus like uh we're uh uh. I
don't know they uh. But anyway, when I went in there,
I said, let's do it this way. You asked me, right,
and I hear it is what I hear, you know,
So uh, that's that's that's.
Speaker 1 (25:10):
How we did it, you know, and you know, fantastic.
Please take a few minutes just to thank all the
people that along your journey that have made you a
significant songwriter.
Speaker 2 (25:27):
Well, a lot of artists I heard on the radio
as a kid, A lot of people in the music
business or musicians. I'll start there, like blues artists when
I the only way you got made any money, you
had to go to play blues clubs. And I played guitar,
and I love blues too. And so there was an
(25:50):
art musician in Texas called Joey Long played guitar. He
was a great, great guitarist. And there's also another great
artist there called rock and David Allen. There was a
great artist. And uh, those two guys were really great.
And uh there's a lot of great bands at that
(26:12):
time in Houston, you know. Uh uh but uh and
then uh, I guess I would like to thank uh Huimo.
I guess I'd like to thank uh uh Shook's moment,
Don Cruse, uh Felton Jargus with Elvis personally. Uh uh.
(26:37):
I'd even like to think uh uh uh Calhacking. Uh
uh I'll think him. I'll think of a miny minute.
But like, uh, there's so many great people that uh
(27:01):
this business that you know, really nice and you know,
kind of helped me along the way, you know, and uh,
you know, it takes somebody. It's like a song. You
have to believe in that, and you also have to
believe in people. But you got to believe in yourself
(27:23):
mostly because if you don't, nobody else will. Nobody will
see that what you what you believe in as far
as the song or nothing. Uh, and you have to
with that. You kind of shoot for something and you
kind of know what you're trying to do and you
(27:45):
try to capture that. It's kind of like capturing a butterfly.
You go out the window so fast, you know. Uh,
but hopefully you can uh with me. With me, I
got where I could memorize. I built up my memory
(28:06):
where I could try routine try to retain what I
just heard, especially if I had a dream or something.
I got up and I said, yeah, I said that
was good. But when I hear something, I've got to
hear it more than one or two verses. I gotta
hear mostly, I've got to hear wars going, you know. Uh.
(28:30):
But am I getting off track here?
Speaker 1 (28:35):
No? No, no, I appreciate what you were just saying.
And you know, you. You brought up the the name
of Elvis throughout the conversation today, and I've got to
this is, this is a Ricky question for you. I
watched Karl and I, my wife and I watched the
movie about Elvis, and we saw the the control that
(28:56):
at least it was displayed in the movie by Colonel
Tom Parker. And then we're doing research on you and
we heard that Elvis wanted more songs from you, and
that question came up, well, why didn't that message you
ever get to Mark, that Elvis wanted more songs? And
I'm we'd love for you to comment on what do
you think happened that that, you know, as we celebrate
(29:19):
the go ahead.
Speaker 2 (29:22):
I don't know if it was the Nashville musicians or what.
I don't know, but uh, uh, I know that Elvis says,
I mean, he'd come out of the studio every turn
he said, did mar send me a song? Send me
(29:43):
a song? He must have said that two or three times.
Somebody told me yep, And uh, I said, golly, if
somebody had told me, I'd be in that studio, you know.
And uh, you know, to this day, Rick, I don't know,
I don't know why that happened, because you know, when
(30:05):
Elvis needed the song, and I like to help them.
I like you to see if I can capture that. You know,
but that was right, yeah, or Elvis sir for me.
But uh but it's okay. I mean we've all moved
out from that. You know, you got it, you got it.
Speaker 1 (30:22):
I I appreciate what you just said. I think I
just think that it's interesting to parallel that control. And
you know, maybe even greater songs would have been produced
for him and written by you. But you know what,
what you've written is a treasure, and how he sang
it is a treasure. So that's that's what we celebrate.
(30:45):
And I'm gonna move on to a couple of last
questions for you. Locally, our friend Chuck and Toronto said
that Brian Wilson was inspired by the production values of
the Beatles, and Phil Spector, We're wondering who inspired you
(31:05):
from a production value perspective.
Speaker 2 (31:11):
Uh, well, I guess Great Records did most of all.
I mean, uh, I wasn't uh you know, I was
different artists growing up. I mean Beatles were lent on
down the road.
Speaker 1 (31:26):
Mm hmm.
Speaker 2 (31:30):
I wasn't into them. Too much. But uh but uh
but I got to tell you I got drafted when
I had that She's Going Away. I had a number
one record, and I was drafted and uh uh I
could hear their record plan the first record they put
out on the radio, and uh, so, well it's okay,
(31:55):
you know, uh you know, and uh but as I
got to listening to them, I listened to the writing
and I said, uh, the song call and uh and
the Lover and I said, well, they can write. I
can tell that, you know, uh, it's kind of unique,
you know, in its own way. And I could tell
(32:16):
that the long when they first started and uh uh
and and they grew. You know, people love to latch
onto someone that they can grow with over time, and
that's what happened. But as far as production values, uh,
I let great records, I mean from uh, I mean
(32:40):
from rock workers to pop workers to uh there there
are a lot of great ones. I mean a lot
of a lot of great New York workers too, you know.
Uh but uh there's all kind of uh kind of records.
(33:00):
I mean, uh uh. When you think about that, you
love Chuck Willis when I was growing up, and he
had a lot of great songs, great records, cecy Ryder,
I mean out in terms of fast genomenal. I love
fast Nam though you know, big fan of Fats, I
mean uh uh big fan of Buddy. I to uh
(33:23):
the uh and you know I was I want to
I wanted to know all the stories. You know. I
wouldn't good looking guy to studio saying uh, I believe
I was as strong as my song, and that's how
I looked at it. And so I my song had
to be strong, grown me. So uh that's how I
(33:47):
looked at it, you know. But uh it's uh, you know,
I think that worked out for me, but only for problems.
And by the way, I didn't mention that well, Bag
Going Away. That was the song that Hughey Moo asked
me to record. He said, I think you'd be a
hit on you. I said, do you think so? And
(34:09):
I rearranged it and they had to depart to the
song myself and uh that's when I recorded it that way,
and uh, but I didn't rent that one. But I
learned something. You know, as an artist, you know when
you if you don't you keep writing songs as a
(34:31):
writer artist, but when you don't have one, you better
take a great song because it doesn't matter. You just
keep your fans happy, because when you let your fans down,
they're gonna eventually walk on to somebody else.
Speaker 1 (34:49):
That's right, Yep, that's right. Mark, one of our local
guys friends wants to unpack Hooked on a Feeling, And
so if you will indulge us for a second, the
end question in this is about why is it important
(35:13):
for a songwriter to write about things that they know best?
And this is their question. Hooked on a Feeling tells
the tale of a man who's enjoying the excitement of
falling in love, but he's unable to resist all the
deep feelings inside. And they wrote to me that said
(35:33):
Mark was again inspired by his childhood's sweetheart. So what
we like to know is for songwriters out there, why
is it so darn important to write about stuff that
you really know about in your heart and soul?
Speaker 2 (35:50):
What don't we write something that you believe in and
you feel lyrics sometimes flow to you war and you
know real and it's real and uh, it's not real.
You need to try no time. But uh, but I
(36:12):
also wanted to write that song. Uh, when you're you
can be high on drugs, but I wanted to show
the relationship you can be just as high on someone
and and so uh, that's how I try to write
the song, Uh, you know, using drugs more or less
(36:38):
as the Uh you know, I can't start the stealing
deep desided me. Well, you just don't realize what you
do to me when you hold me. All that, and
then then we got into uh, that's the sweetest candy
to taste, stays on my mind. Well, you can keep
(37:00):
me thirsty for another cup of wine. You know, all
these things are like alcohol, drugs, whatever. I was just
trying to say that feelings for someone can be just
just as strong. And so that's how I tried to
(37:24):
write it. Uh. And the killer to the song that
came to me in the middle of the night was uh,
from my own believe in that you're in love with me?
Speaker 1 (37:36):
What a line, powerful line, that's thanks crazy powerful. You
remind me so much of a conversation we had with
Johnny Mercer's family and how Johnny Mercer wrote Moon River
in the Days of Wine and Roses and on and
(38:00):
on and on, and it's like he's got these ideas
flowing into your head and he would lay down, look
up and then get get a piece of paper and
write stuff down. And he wrote about uh Moon River
and my Huckleberry Friend based on walking down to the
(38:21):
river and picking huckleberries. And he had a very special
friend he did that with. So it was all about
what he saw on her.
Speaker 2 (38:29):
Yep, yep, I can see that. Yeah. Uh, you know,
when you go through life, sometimes you just remember things
that and you don't need dark things. You don't unless
you're talking about hard hard blues or something. But uh,
(38:51):
but I would stick to the light, you know. Uh,
but uh, you know, I would just write things that
h you know, and you've been there and you believe
in or even if you hadn't there been there. I
mean I wrote oz of New York Woman, I've never
lived there, but uh, you can't write hit songs without
(39:12):
doing that, you know. But uh but when you know,
when you when you know things and you've been there,
it's it's a lot easier. Uh, there's kind of come
to you more or what you're trying to say. Like
I said, when you when you believe in something or
(39:33):
what you're doing, you kind of know the direction you're going.
And so that's how there's come to you and you
formed that.
Speaker 1 (39:44):
M Well said, Hey, Mark, thank you so much for
being on Legends. It was an honor to honor you.
And uh, you know we closed every show by saying,
on your busy, fast paced of trying to be success,
will do something significant along the way. Your music is
(40:04):
so significant in our lives and I just want to
thank you on behalf of our Austin based team and
all of our fans here and tell you thank you
today for your accomplishments and keep up your work of significance.
Speaker 2 (40:19):
Thank you so much, Greg, I appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (40:21):
You bet, you bet? That was Mark James. Thank you
Mark for being on our show today and we appreciate
him being here and allowing us to honor him. And man,
I just love his songs and wasn't that great to unpack?
Always on my mind? Folks, thank you for joining us
(40:43):
today and we appreciate our sponsors of today's show gracefully
yours greeting cards along with Thermo Joe and Heather Barnes Media,
and until next time, we always wish you a good
life of doing something significant along your journey.
Speaker 4 (41:05):
Mm hmm, maybe I didn't love you quiet as often
as I could have. Maybe I didn't read you quiet
(41:30):
as good as I should have. If I made you
feel a little second best, I didn't you girl, I'm sorry.
Speaker 2 (41:44):
I I was blind.
Speaker 4 (41:50):
You were always on my mind. You were always on
my mind. Maybehd allly.
Speaker 2 (42:15):
I.
Speaker 3 (42:16):
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(43:02):
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And welcome back to success made the last you know,
our network has evolved over the last several years to
talking about people of significance. We interview some of the
most gifted people in the world. It's a sad day
today because we are playing back an interview and perhaps
(00:30):
one of the very last interviews ever granted by the
late great Mark James. He's the guy that helped shape
the soundtrack of our lives. And many of you know Mark,
but maybe some of you don't. He had a gift
(00:50):
of writing lyrics that reached into the soul and stayed,
as he said, always on our minds. Born in Houston, Texas,
Mark James grew up surrounded by the heartbeat of America's music, country,
blues and rock and roll. He wasn't just a songwriter.
He was a storyteller, weaving melodies with words that captured heartbreak, hope,
(01:16):
and sometimes even humanity. But what set Mark apart was
his ability to write songs that transcended time, resonating with
millions of us across so many generations. You're gonna hear
in this final conversation with him about Suspicious Minds, that
(01:38):
wasn't just a song. It was a seismic shift in
pop culture. Sung by the one and only Elvis Presley,
it gave the king of rock and roll his comeback
anthem and a soulful declaration of love fighting against doubt.
With its pulsating rhythm and haunting lyrics, Mark Mark's words
(02:01):
pierced through the clutter and reminded us all of the
fragility and strength and trust and love. And then There's
always on My mind. What a masterpiece. It was, a
song so tender, so achingly beautiful, that it became the
anthem for anyone who ever wished that they had expressed
their love more fully. Sung by legends like Willie Nelson
(02:25):
and Elvis, it became more than just a hit. It
became our song. Mark James gave voice to the universal
regret of unspoken affection and taught us that love, through
though imperfect, deserves its moments of grace. Mark James didn't
just write songs, He wrote emotions. He didn't just craft lyrics,
(02:49):
He crafted memories for us. He taught us to sing
our hearts out even when they were breaking, and to
hold on to hope even when that scene far away.
So today, in this final interview with Mark James. We
say goodbye to a man whose words will never truly
leave us. They will linger as echoes of love and
(03:13):
longing in every corner of our hearts. Mark James is gone,
but his music, ah, his music will always be with us.
I've been waiting a long time to get to talk
to this guy. It's Texas born songwriter Mark James. He
first came to prominence pinning Hooked on a Feeling, a
(03:35):
number five hit for BJ Thomas and most of y'all
heard our conversation with BJ, and later Blue Swaede took
it transformed it into a nineteen seventy four sharktopper. However,
Mark's biggest career break occurred to when Elvis cut his
song Suspicious Minds, which landed him a monster number one
(03:58):
hit around the world and in the most recent Elvis movie,
Everybody Knows Now, Mark that that song kind of rocketed
Elvis back into his number one position. But one of
the things I love most about Mark is his contribution
and collaboration in songs like always on My Mind. Mister
(04:18):
Mark James, welcome to Legends, and it's so great to
get to honor you today.
Speaker 2 (04:24):
Thank you, Rick.
Speaker 1 (04:25):
I appreciate it, you bet, you bet, all right, So
we're gonna ask you of writing questions today. Let's let's
start a little bit with your childhood and upbringing. Where
were you brought up or are you truly a Texas boy?
Speaker 2 (04:39):
Oh? Yeah, I was brought up in Houston, Texas. Uh,
and uh, I was brought up there. My dad was
Italian and my mother was am Longview, Texas. And so yeah,
we're all Texas, you know.
Speaker 1 (04:58):
And and of all those those texts is that you
grew up around I understand that you started with a
violin and that was made around fifty nine or maybe
in the fifties rather and uh, one of our local
songwriters wants to know, do you still have your hands
(05:20):
on that violin? U?
Speaker 2 (05:23):
I'll pick it up now. And I bought a mini
valaind uh to use in my studio and I've been
using that a little bit to play on things, you know.
But uh, oh yeah, I Uh, I started playing that
when I was six or seven. And uh, my dad
first brought in through my rumor accordion. I said, I
(05:47):
don't think so, you know. Then he brought the violin
and showed me the violin, and yeah, I was so young,
you know, I said it ran a lot like a
bow and arrow. Maybe I don't know, so I said, yeah,
but I got real good on it. I've played that
man many years and uh until about nineteen fifty seven
(06:11):
or something. Uh stop, I got off of it because
I started forming a band uh in Texas and that's
what happened. But Joe, Yeah, I was a concert master
of junior high school and all, wow, when you can you.
Speaker 1 (06:27):
Know, you know, that's amazing. And you know it's when
I look at the people that I've always wanted to interview.
All of the I would say, the top three the
real names are Francis, So tell me. Tell me about
being Francis Zambone back in the fifties.
Speaker 2 (06:47):
Well that's why I changed my name to Mark James
and uh uh back in the fifties, nobody could pronounce anything.
I don't because I go to sitting in club so
I did that all the time. And uh they say, well,
we have uh Francis Amboni in the crowd and I
(07:07):
can come up or you know just that do fit
up many ways, and uh, I said, well, I don't
need this because she didn't. You don't feel like performing
when they do that job. But uh so you Uh.
I was driving down the road and all of a sudden,
it's like a hit song. Mark James came to me.
(07:29):
I said, well, not bad and uh and I lived
with it about six months and I said, still not bad.
So I started recording it, recording under that name in
nineteen sixty and I've been using it ever since. A
matter of fact, I was going to use it. I
was going to change get my whole name in. I
(07:52):
was gonna change my name to Mark Jva Mark J
F Zambon and uh, two thousand and one hit and
it was too late. You had to travel with you know,
your what your name was. You know that's what happened. Yeah,
(08:12):
that makes sense. And you started the Mark James trio.
When I understand you had two songs that were regional hits.
Here running Back and She's Gone Away. But did you
also do job note? Oh yeah, Job Note was Francis
Ambone the Naturals. That was our first hit. That was
number one record h and the uh we had that
(08:39):
and uh the uh and by the way, the uh
She's Gone Away with Huey Mo was that broke the
singles records and uh Louisiana in nineteen sixty four. Uh,
it was huge. Yeah, that's amazing.
Speaker 1 (08:58):
Why why did it catch on in Louisiana?
Speaker 2 (09:02):
It was Uh it was a Louisiana tack song in
a way. But uh and I guess you he promoted
is a lot there, you know.
Speaker 1 (09:11):
But yeah, yeah, there's a there's something to be said,
Mark about songs that catch on in Louisiana, Jambalayah being
one of them, which you know all too well. But
it's all it's I always thought about. You know, I've
lived in Houston like you did, and I always thought
that Louisiana was almost a foreign country when you cross
(09:33):
over the river.
Speaker 2 (09:36):
That's true, that's true, you know, talking about that. I
played a lot of clothes at Houston, and uh uh
an artist joined our group because we lost a sax
player and he played sex too. And the artist was
Link Davis. And Link Davis was one of those uh
(09:57):
uh Louisiana record guy. He had Julie Blae, big Ma
Move and a lot of hits. You know. Yeah, but
uh he was character, you know.
Speaker 1 (10:11):
Without a doubt, without a doubt. So along the way
you were growing as a songwriter, but having done some
research on you, it seems to us that at your
core is a great storyteller. And we we came across
a quote from your good friend B. J. Thomas, who
(10:34):
said that Mark is so good at telling stories in
a concise way. He says, I think a lot of
his songs they will stand up all these years later.
It's like a hit waiting to happen. Who who in
the world taught you to think in a concise manner
and be such a great storyteller.
Speaker 2 (10:56):
Well, I always love great films. I love films too.
I always love great films. I love great songs. I
love great artists. And you can recognize them. They stand out,
you know. And Uh, I've always been a guy that
(11:16):
I don't I don't want to write a song that
I want to I want to write a song that
uh will be remembered forever. And that's how I write. Uh.
You know. Sometimes you just sit down and write a
song and uh, you know, but uh, and sometimes you
don't always hit your mark. But at the same time,
(11:39):
when you got something good, they can be great or
or unique. Uh, you better stay with it and get
it right. And uh, these are the songs that actually
I just like songs that are you know, work uh
(12:00):
of course remembering you know.
Speaker 1 (12:03):
You bet, you bet, and songs that we can hum
and whistle, and uh, I think you're in the happy
business as much as you are in the music business.
There's a happy your song. Your songs make us happy.
And I remember going to a BJ Thomas concert in
(12:25):
seventy six or seventy seven and coming out of there
going I got to buy his greatest hits albums and
I love I love the songs and the stories. And
I guess that's a nice bridge too. I'd love for
you to tell us about your very very special friendship
with BJ Thomas.
Speaker 2 (12:45):
Well, BJ and I J was from Houston also kind
of out at Houston a little bit, but like uh,
b J and I kind of met when I was
recording Uh She's gone away m hm. You know, I
came out of the recording uh studio and there was
(13:11):
b J. And then he said, Mark, I'd like to
like you to take me in and produce some things
on me, uh you know, And I said, well, I'll
tell you what I'm gonna be on road. I heard
him and next week through a couple of weeks, but
I'll be back, uh once you come back then and
we'll talk, you know. And uh I never saw him
(13:35):
again from that point on, but uh uh there was
a time that uh, when I went to Memphis, Uh,
I called him and I more or less got him
up there. You know, I'm more or less told him
you know that, Uh, I think this would be good
(13:59):
for you, you know, man, Uh, I think they'd be really
good good for you. Even when I went out there,
uh the house band in America. I had to listen
to him for a while and said, well, how can
I get a hit with these guys? You know? Because
uh but they were real talented and that's why, you know.
(14:21):
Uh but uh but uh I don't know. It's like, uh,
I think they were cutting more R and B than anything,
and like more uh uh pop country things, you know,
(14:42):
to type shirts by Sandy Posey, you know. Uh but
b J and I we've can't. We became even more
friends up in Memphis because we live right next door
to each other in an apartment. We had a lot
of fun and uh and uh, well I'll go into that.
(15:03):
When I, of course, I had wrote asked a New
York woman, and I said, let's go down the studio
played for Chips and we went down there and played
with Chips and he said he but he loved it,
and uh and let's do it and so we did
it and uh. And then the second one was like,
who came to feel on it? And uh. I brought
(15:26):
j down to my apartment and played it to my
piano and he says, Mark, that's a little high here.
Can we drop it down a little bit? I said, Man,
I said, you know, Bj, not many people can sing
it like that and that range. I said, Man, let's
leave it up there. You know, you sound great up there,
you know. And Uh. Anyway, I talked him into it.
(15:49):
I'm glad I did you know kidding?
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(16:16):
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Speaker 1 (16:35):
And we are back with our legend, Mark James and
Mark on this side of the show. I'm going to
ask you some lining round questions that came from a
variety of Austin musicians and songwriters who said, Rick, you
gotta be kidding me. You've got Mark James on the show.
(16:56):
And I said, it is one of the big blessings
of my life. And so here's this isn't a These
aren't in any particular order. Here's the first one. What
was your initial response to Blue Swede's version of Hooked
on a Feeling with Uga Shatka.
Speaker 2 (17:12):
Well, you know, I had moved to New York and uh,
Capitol Records called me and then says, we want you
to come over. Listen, we want you to come over.
I didn't know why they what they wanted, but I,
you know, got in a cab and I went over
there and uh, they played me the Blue Swaye record
(17:34):
and I said, well, this isn't uh bj is the
way that I heard it originally, in the way I
heard it. Tom. I said, but uh, but this is
a fun record and and and it's uh uh you know,
beside the Uga sugar thing. I said, so, well, very
well made record, very well made engineering record. And I said, uh,
(17:59):
I said, I'll buy you. They messed they messed around
and passed and they didn't buy it. And Capital they uh,
uh Columbia, I think it was no, I'm sorry. Uh.
Columbia was the one that called me in New York
and Capital was the one in l a And and
(18:21):
they said, uh. All of a sudden, Capital realized what
that was, what they had, and they reeled them back
in and offer them the deal. And so that's how
that happened. They uh, they realized what they had and
they reeled them back in and put that out. It
was number one, you know, many countries.
Speaker 1 (18:42):
You know, that's right, That's right. Cool. John Christian wants
to know what's the most fun collaborative team that you've
ever been on to write a song?
Speaker 2 (19:00):
You know, co writers? You mean, yes, sir, uh probably
uh you know, probably writing with Johnny or Wayne Carson
or you know. Uh, you know, I'm a solo writer
most of the time, but I get with friends of mine,
you know. It's uh, you know, I got with Mac,
(19:23):
you know, to a point. But uh but uh yeah,
I mean, but I would say working with Wayne or
Johnny Christopher that was we had some fun times. You know.
Speaker 1 (19:37):
I bet so, I bet so. Steve McCarthy wants to
know about the most favorite bridge you've ever penned, and
more specifically, just tell us how you wrote Always on
My Mind.
Speaker 2 (19:52):
Well that's a kind of a different story. Uh that
that Uh, I was at American Studios and uh, I
was about to leave. You know, I had been working
so hard. I mean, I had hits and I was
trying to follow up hits and all this stuff. Man,
and I wanted to get out of my own head.
(20:13):
I wanted to go see a movie or something. And
here's somebody else's story, and man, I was so tired
of that, you know. And then all of a sudden,
the door open to another writer's room and Wayne said, Margot,
would you like to help write a song? And uh,
I said, well, let's hear it. And he played me
(20:37):
a piece of it, and I heard the melody and
I said, okay, okay, and uh. They were really writing
these things along the guitar and it was kind of
like a it was kind of more country and what
I did was coming in and I said, let's do
(20:57):
it this way, and I said, said, I started walking
it down kind of like kind of like cooked on
the field. Uh and uh. And they had they had
their lyrics to the point. I said, uh, let's do that.
Let's let's use this, let's see that. And they had
their first verse in that course, but I said, let's
(21:21):
double up on that course where we say you're always
on my mind, You're always on my mind, you know,
let's double that. Uh and uh. Then when I got
to the second verse, what they had was not right
at all. I mean, it was like the flow that
(21:42):
they had like the first verse. I said, let's let's
do it this way. I said, let's say, uh, let's
come in and I said, let's right put there. Maybe
I didn't hold you and Wayne realized what I was
trying to do, and he says, okay, all those lonely
leveling times, I said, right, and uh, and I gets
(22:03):
down there. I told you, and he said, yeah, I'm
so happy that you're mine. And we had the course
like I've been doing. And then when we got you
into that, I think we needed to break it up
a little bit. So I started playing the bridge the
way I did, and I wanted it short because h
(22:27):
and by the way, uh I had been saving a
musical for it of the uh the song where it
sounds like a uh in version of the chord that
builds up the whole course and uh I had been
(22:50):
saving it for another song. And when I he asked
me to play on that song, that's why I added
put that in Ageah maybe I it was only lovely
towns and I guess I never told you I'm so
happy that's your mom. Maybe that's my violin days, I
(23:15):
don't know. Uh I had that end and that made
the song special to me and UH and so when
I went to I started walking the song down. I
knew that we needed a real short bridge because I
(23:35):
wanted at to be a solo when we came out
of that, because it was so so good and we'll
catch you at the bridge, you know. And that's what happened.
Speaker 1 (23:45):
You know, what a great story that I just I
love hearing that in that my friends songwriters out there.
That's how great collaborative work happens. And it sounds like
you y'all were all listening to each other, and y'all
were all open to new ideas and kind of all
(24:06):
blending in your experience.
Speaker 2 (24:10):
Well, Wayne had been Uh Wayne started that song. But
I got to tell you it was a lot more
country than you heard it because they were doing in
second verse. I think they were more or less treating
it like a second verson. Well maybe I grabbing the
truck and all this stuff I was, you know, grabbing
(24:32):
you around and thinking about you and all this stuff.
And no, man, that's why I said, maybe I didn't
hold you. Let's keep that ability like it is, you know. Uh.
And so I just think, uh, they were they might
have been trying to use that uh as a more
(24:52):
or less the chorus like uh we're uh uh. I
don't know they uh. But anyway, when I went in there,
I said, let's do it this way. You asked me, right,
and I hear it is what I hear, you know,
So uh, that's that's that's.
Speaker 1 (25:10):
How we did it, you know, and you know, fantastic.
Please take a few minutes just to thank all the
people that along your journey that have made you a
significant songwriter.
Speaker 2 (25:27):
Well, a lot of artists I heard on the radio
as a kid, A lot of people in the music
business or musicians. I'll start there, like blues artists when
I the only way you got made any money, you
had to go to play blues clubs. And I played guitar,
and I love blues too. And so there was an
(25:50):
art musician in Texas called Joey Long played guitar. He
was a great, great guitarist. And there's also another great
artist there called rock and David Allen. There was a
great artist. And uh, those two guys were really great.
And uh there's a lot of great bands at that
(26:12):
time in Houston, you know. Uh uh but uh and
then uh, I guess I would like to thank uh Huimo.
I guess I'd like to thank uh uh Shook's moment,
Don Cruse, uh Felton Jargus with Elvis personally. Uh uh.
(26:37):
I'd even like to think uh uh uh Calhacking. Uh
uh I'll think him. I'll think of a miny minute.
But like, uh, there's so many great people that uh
(27:01):
this business that you know, really nice and you know,
kind of helped me along the way, you know, and uh,
you know, it takes somebody. It's like a song. You
have to believe in that, and you also have to
believe in people. But you got to believe in yourself
(27:23):
mostly because if you don't, nobody else will. Nobody will
see that what you what you believe in as far
as the song or nothing. Uh, and you have to
with that. You kind of shoot for something and you
kind of know what you're trying to do and you
(27:45):
try to capture that. It's kind of like capturing a butterfly.
You go out the window so fast, you know. Uh,
but hopefully you can uh with me. With me, I
got where I could memorize. I built up my memory
(28:06):
where I could try routine try to retain what I
just heard, especially if I had a dream or something.
I got up and I said, yeah, I said that
was good. But when I hear something, I've got to
hear it more than one or two verses. I gotta
hear mostly, I've got to hear wars going, you know. Uh.
(28:30):
But am I getting off track here?
Speaker 1 (28:35):
No? No, no, I appreciate what you were just saying.
And you know, you. You brought up the the name
of Elvis throughout the conversation today, and I've got to
this is, this is a Ricky question for you. I
watched Karl and I, my wife and I watched the
movie about Elvis, and we saw the the control that
(28:56):
at least it was displayed in the movie by Colonel
Tom Parker. And then we're doing research on you and
we heard that Elvis wanted more songs from you, and
that question came up, well, why didn't that message you
ever get to Mark, that Elvis wanted more songs? And
I'm we'd love for you to comment on what do
you think happened that that, you know, as we celebrate
(29:19):
the go ahead.
Speaker 2 (29:22):
I don't know if it was the Nashville musicians or what.
I don't know, but uh, uh, I know that Elvis says,
I mean, he'd come out of the studio every turn
he said, did mar send me a song? Send me
(29:43):
a song? He must have said that two or three times.
Somebody told me yep, And uh, I said, golly, if
somebody had told me, I'd be in that studio, you know.
And uh, you know, to this day, Rick, I don't know,
I don't know why that happened, because you know, when
(30:05):
Elvis needed the song, and I like to help them.
I like you to see if I can capture that. You know,
but that was right, yeah, or Elvis sir for me.
But uh but it's okay. I mean we've all moved
out from that. You know, you got it, you got it.
Speaker 1 (30:22):
I I appreciate what you just said. I think I
just think that it's interesting to parallel that control. And
you know, maybe even greater songs would have been produced
for him and written by you. But you know what,
what you've written is a treasure, and how he sang
it is a treasure. So that's that's what we celebrate.
(30:45):
And I'm gonna move on to a couple of last
questions for you. Locally, our friend Chuck and Toronto said
that Brian Wilson was inspired by the production values of
the Beatles, and Phil Spector, We're wondering who inspired you
(31:05):
from a production value perspective.
Speaker 2 (31:11):
Uh, well, I guess Great Records did most of all.
I mean, uh, I wasn't uh you know, I was
different artists growing up. I mean Beatles were lent on
down the road.
Speaker 1 (31:26):
Mm hmm.
Speaker 2 (31:30):
I wasn't into them. Too much. But uh but uh
but I got to tell you I got drafted when
I had that She's Going Away. I had a number
one record, and I was drafted and uh uh I
could hear their record plan the first record they put
out on the radio, and uh, so, well it's okay,
(31:55):
you know, uh you know, and uh but as I
got to listening to them, I listened to the writing
and I said, uh, the song call and uh and
the Lover and I said, well, they can write. I
can tell that, you know, uh, it's kind of unique,
you know, in its own way. And I could tell
(32:16):
that the long when they first started and uh uh
and and they grew. You know, people love to latch
onto someone that they can grow with over time, and
that's what happened. But as far as production values, uh,
I let great records, I mean from uh, I mean
(32:40):
from rock workers to pop workers to uh there there
are a lot of great ones. I mean a lot
of a lot of great New York workers too, you know.
Uh but uh there's all kind of uh kind of records.
(33:00):
I mean, uh uh. When you think about that, you
love Chuck Willis when I was growing up, and he
had a lot of great songs, great records, cecy Ryder,
I mean out in terms of fast genomenal. I love
fast Nam though you know, big fan of Fats, I
mean uh uh big fan of Buddy. I to uh
(33:23):
the uh and you know I was I want to
I wanted to know all the stories. You know. I
wouldn't good looking guy to studio saying uh, I believe
I was as strong as my song, and that's how
I looked at it. And so I my song had
to be strong, grown me. So uh that's how I
(33:47):
looked at it, you know. But uh it's uh, you know,
I think that worked out for me, but only for problems.
And by the way, I didn't mention that well, Bag
Going Away. That was the song that Hughey Moo asked
me to record. He said, I think you'd be a
hit on you. I said, do you think so? And
(34:09):
I rearranged it and they had to depart to the
song myself and uh that's when I recorded it that way,
and uh, but I didn't rent that one. But I
learned something. You know, as an artist, you know when
you if you don't you keep writing songs as a
(34:31):
writer artist, but when you don't have one, you better
take a great song because it doesn't matter. You just
keep your fans happy, because when you let your fans down,
they're gonna eventually walk on to somebody else.
Speaker 1 (34:49):
That's right, Yep, that's right. Mark, one of our local
guys friends wants to unpack Hooked on a Feeling, And
so if you will indulge us for a second, the
end question in this is about why is it important
(35:13):
for a songwriter to write about things that they know best?
And this is their question. Hooked on a Feeling tells
the tale of a man who's enjoying the excitement of
falling in love, but he's unable to resist all the
deep feelings inside. And they wrote to me that said
(35:33):
Mark was again inspired by his childhood's sweetheart. So what
we like to know is for songwriters out there, why
is it so darn important to write about stuff that
you really know about in your heart and soul?
Speaker 2 (35:50):
What don't we write something that you believe in and
you feel lyrics sometimes flow to you war and you
know real and it's real and uh, it's not real.
You need to try no time. But uh, but I
(36:12):
also wanted to write that song. Uh, when you're you
can be high on drugs, but I wanted to show
the relationship you can be just as high on someone
and and so uh, that's how I try to write
the song, Uh, you know, using drugs more or less
(36:38):
as the Uh you know, I can't start the stealing
deep desided me. Well, you just don't realize what you
do to me when you hold me. All that, and
then then we got into uh, that's the sweetest candy
to taste, stays on my mind. Well, you can keep
(37:00):
me thirsty for another cup of wine. You know, all
these things are like alcohol, drugs, whatever. I was just
trying to say that feelings for someone can be just
just as strong. And so that's how I tried to
(37:24):
write it. Uh. And the killer to the song that
came to me in the middle of the night was uh,
from my own believe in that you're in love with me?
Speaker 1 (37:36):
What a line, powerful line, that's thanks crazy powerful. You
remind me so much of a conversation we had with
Johnny Mercer's family and how Johnny Mercer wrote Moon River
in the Days of Wine and Roses and on and
(38:00):
on and on, and it's like he's got these ideas
flowing into your head and he would lay down, look
up and then get get a piece of paper and
write stuff down. And he wrote about uh Moon River
and my Huckleberry Friend based on walking down to the
(38:21):
river and picking huckleberries. And he had a very special
friend he did that with. So it was all about
what he saw on her.
Speaker 2 (38:29):
Yep, yep, I can see that. Yeah. Uh, you know,
when you go through life, sometimes you just remember things
that and you don't need dark things. You don't unless
you're talking about hard hard blues or something. But uh,
(38:51):
but I would stick to the light, you know. Uh,
but uh, you know, I would just write things that
h you know, and you've been there and you believe
in or even if you hadn't there been there. I
mean I wrote oz of New York Woman, I've never
lived there, but uh, you can't write hit songs without
(39:12):
doing that, you know. But uh but when you know,
when you when you know things and you've been there,
it's it's a lot easier. Uh, there's kind of come
to you more or what you're trying to say. Like
I said, when you when you believe in something or
(39:33):
what you're doing, you kind of know the direction you're going.
And so that's how there's come to you and you
formed that.
Speaker 1 (39:44):
M Well said, Hey, Mark, thank you so much for
being on Legends. It was an honor to honor you.
And uh, you know we closed every show by saying,
on your busy, fast paced of trying to be success,
will do something significant along the way. Your music is
(40:04):
so significant in our lives and I just want to
thank you on behalf of our Austin based team and
all of our fans here and tell you thank you
today for your accomplishments and keep up your work of significance.
Speaker 2 (40:19):
Thank you so much, Greg, I appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (40:21):
You bet, you bet? That was Mark James. Thank you
Mark for being on our show today and we appreciate
him being here and allowing us to honor him. And man,
I just love his songs and wasn't that great to unpack?
Always on my mind? Folks, thank you for joining us
(40:43):
today and we appreciate our sponsors of today's show gracefully
yours greeting cards along with Thermo Joe and Heather Barnes Media,
and until next time, we always wish you a good
life of doing something significant along your journey.
Speaker 4 (41:05):
Mm hmm, maybe I didn't love you quiet as often
as I could have. Maybe I didn't read you quiet
(41:30):
as good as I should have. If I made you
feel a little second best, I didn't you girl, I'm sorry.
Speaker 2 (41:44):
I I was blind.
Speaker 4 (41:50):
You were always on my mind. You were always on
my mind. Maybehd allly.
Speaker 2 (42:15):
I.
Speaker 3 (42:16):
This is Carla from Gracefully Yours greeting cards. Did you
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(42:39):
of you. Church kitchen ladies say the funniest things like
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(43:02):
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