Ray Charles and George Yanagi - Georgia On My Mind

"Why don't you write a song called 'Georgia?' Nobody lost much writing about the South."

- Frankie Trumbauer to his friend Hoagie Carmichael

Ray Charles needs no introduction, other than he's not Country.  But that's OK, because Country music is a state of mind.  Come to think of it, so's Georgia, where we're moving.

This is a very old song, dating to 1930.  It was a hit for Trumbauer, and for Carmichael, but nothing compared to the success Charles had with it when he recorded it in 1960.  Country purists may like Willie Nelson's version, or the one that Charles performed with Travis Tritt on CMT's Crossroads TV show.

I guess you could say that pretty much everyone's performed this song, in pretty much every style.  Glenn Miller, Dean Martin, Gladys Knight, The Righteous Brothers, Steve Winwood, and Coldplay.  It's said that the Beatles gave a tip of the hat to it in Back In The U.S.S.R. ("That Georgia's always on my mind ...").

I'm sure that Tbilisi is fine this time of year, but we'll take Atlanta.

This performance is with Japanese singer George Yanagi, broadcast on Japanese TV.



Georgia On My Mind (Songwriters: Hoagie Carmichael, Stuart Gorrell)

Georgia, Georgia,
The whole day through
Just an old sweet song
Keeps Georgia on my mind

I'm say Georgia
Georgia
A song of you
Comes as sweet and clear
As moonlight through the pines

Other arms reach out to me
Other eyes smile tenderly
Still in peaceful dreams I see
The road leads back to you

I said Georgia,
Ooh Georgia, no peace I find
Just an old sweet song
Keeps Georgia on my mind

Other arms reach out to me
Other eyes smile tenderly
Still in peaceful dreams I see
The road leads back to you

Georgia,
Georgia,
No peace, no peace I find
Just this old, sweet song
Keeps Georgia on my mind

I said just an old sweet song,
Keeps Georgia on my mind