Marshall Crenshaw wrote this song during the making of his debut album but was saved for his second album release. I had his first two albums in the 80s and I thought the guy would be huge. He could come up with some sophisticated, unexpected chord changes in a song yet maintain the feel of the song.
This song has a wonderful guitar intro that sets up the song. As the old phrase goes…it’s got more hooks than a tackle box.
He got his first break playing John Lennon in the off-Broadway touring company of the musical Beatlemania between 1978-1980. Crenshaw said: “In the beginning, I was bothered by it, as an egotistical young person, maybe because I had just gotten out of Beatlemania, and I was sick of any kind of heavy association with some other figure.”
He later played Buddy Holly in La Bamba in 1987. “I’ve been a Buddy Holly fan all my life. The joy still comes across in his music. It’s really got its own je ne sais quoi. It really stands apart from a lot of ’50s rock, because it conveys a sense of intimacy. I think it’s because it was made in this little building on the side of a highway late at night with this isolated group of people.”
“I always say the guys from the ’50s who invented ’60s rock were Chuck Berry and Buddy Holly. When you watch documentaries about Holly, you see people like Keith Richards, and he still gets broken up talking about him. The English guys, they just loved Buddy Holly.”
He released his self-titled debut album in 1982 and it was nearly perfect. This song was on Field Day his second album that was released in 1983. The album peaked at #52 in the Billboard 100 in 1983. This song peaked at #103 in the Billboard 100 and #23 in the Main Rock tracks in 1983.
He also performed as a guest vocalist for the Smithereens since the 2017 death of their lead singer Pat DiNizio.
Ronnie Spector recorded a cover of this song in 2003.
When Ever You’re On My Mind
I think about you and forget what I’ve tried to be
Everything is foggy and hard to see
It seems to be, but can it be, a fantasy?
Whenever I think about you, strangers eyes in the crowd flash past
I go on and think of the fate you’ve cast
It seems to be a reverie, you’re here with me
’cause whenever you’re on my mind
Whenever you’re on my mind
I leave the world behind
Whenever you’re on my mind
I think about you and I’m weak though I’m in my prime
Set my watch and still lose the track of time
It seems to be, but can it be, a fantasy?
Whenever I think about you, strangers eyes in the crowd flash past
I go on and think of the fate you’ve cast
It seems to be a reverie, you’re here with me
Whenever you’re on my mind
Whenever you’re on my mind
I leave the world behind
Whenever you’re on my mind
I never thought I’d be in this situation
It seems wherever I go I’m with you
And though I never seem to find my place
At every turn I see your face
Whenever I think about you
It seems to be a reverie, you’re here with me
’cause whenever you’re on my mind
Whenever you’re on my mind
I leave the world behind
Whenever you’re on my mind
PowerPop... An Eclectic Collection of Pop Culture 
I knew the name Marshall Crenshaw, but I have to admit that I knew nothing about him. He does look a lot like Buddy Holly.
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I’d forgotten he was the one who played Buddy Holly in La Bamba. He was a good fit for that. I vaguely remember the song from the 80s, was reasonably catchy. I think maybe he appeared five years too late or so… seems like he might have had a better chance of success if he’d put this (and others like it) out around when Nick Lowe and Elvis Costello were getting reasonably popular everywhere.
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Yea and the Cars also…though the Cars were a little different. That first album is nearly flawless.
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I liked some things I heard from Marshall Crenshaw, but I don’t remember ever hearing this. The song is nice, and I think the video is really fun. He points out what I always say about Buddy Holly… that we in the US didn’t realize his influence on British Invasion musicians, which in turn influenced our US groups in the mid-1960s. It seems to have been Buddy a lot more than Elvis.
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His first two albums were great. I guess his best known song was Someday, Someway… with Holly I don’t think the Beatles would have been the same.
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Nice. I’m like the three above commenters; heard the name and thats about it. Hooky, yes, but something slightly lacking too. Dunno what though.
(The- and these days such comments sound a tad trite or crass- but the girl in the video is the perfect blend of girl-next-door pretty, cute, yet in a slightly off centre quirky memorable way- but the song isn’t, if that makes sense ?)
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Oh I like the girl… speaking of the video…I read a article about him and it said after making this… you will see why MTV didn’t have much interest in this awkward video.
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This song is amazing. Catchy yet sophisticated enough to keep me coming back. Love how the song feels like it catches its breath at the start of each verse.
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Like I said…he does the oddest chord changes at times…and they work! I do like this song.
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Really good song. The name Marshall Crenshaw sounded familiar right away, but I couldn’t name one of his tunes.
I don’t believe I had heard “Whenever You’re On my Mind.” I also haven’t watched the Buddy Holly movie but can totally see him in this role, based on the video clip you included.
“Someday, Somewhere” rang a bell. Sounds like I should check out Crenshaw’s first two albums!
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His first album….as far as power pop…is one of the greats.
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I like his sound – gotta check that one out!
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Christian…off topic a little…ok a lot…you love the blues…I think that is a fair statement..have you ever listened to early Boz Scaggs? Can You Loan Me A Dime? I’m going to post that one…you might like it I don’t know.
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This is totally up my alley, Max. That being said, I had not heard “Loan Me a Dime” before – love it! When it comes to Boz Scaggs, sdaly, “Lido Shuffle” and “Lowdown” are the only tunes I can name, though I may have heard some more of his music.
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He was pure blues when he started…and he had Duane Allman playing with him.
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Well, I guess that’s yet another album I should check out! 🙂
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Never knew the Smithereens were reactivated after Pat had passed. Those guys had a decent sound.
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Yea they did man… they really should have been more popular. Crenshaw would be a nice fit for them.
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I don’t believe I’ve heard this song before, but I really like both versions.
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You know…he does sound like some new artists you have featured…that same type of sound.
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