So much has been written about Patsy Cline that it seems pointless to add to the sea of type. She's a legend, a touchstone, and, at times, still a revelation. But one thing that she was not was a consistently charting music star. Considering the breadth of her recognition, I am surprised at just how little success she found on the big chart. Setting aside the iconic "Walkin' After Midnight" from '57 and the triumphant return in '61 that yielded "I Fall To Pieces" and "Crazy", "She's Got You" would be her only other top forty pop hit. Even more startling is that, despite her limited success on the pop chart, she still charted there three more times than she did on the country charts during her lifetime.
That "Leavin' On Your Mind" from 1963, just a few months before her death, could climb no higher than #83 pop while peaking at #8 country leaves me scratching my head considering that it's far more cosmopolitan than her bigger hits. Of course, it ceased to matter over forty five years ago when a plane ride once again placed her in the wrong place at the wrong time. And the lack of pop success achieved by "Leavin' On Your Mind" leaves it as a nice surprise when encountered, and as a reminder that there is always more to a legend than the familiar stories.
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