“Peace Of Mind”
Song by Ray Charles
Ray tempered the heavy exhaustion and despair of his 1966 Crying Time LP with the short, humorous “Peace Of Mind”, which he co-wrote with Jimmy Holiday.
On one of the very few songs he wrote for himself after moving to ABC Records in 1960, Ray gave “Peace Of Mind” a loping, brassy momentum and some clearly autobiographical lyrics that spoke of his actual life: he was rich and famous, but things were moving too fast for comfort.
A gypsy once told me, “Son, you’re gonna go far”
So I made me some records, and now I’m a star
I made me some money now, so that gypsy wasn’t lying
But I’d give it all up for a little peace of mind
While the lyrics of “Peace Of Mind” may appear on the page to cry out in torment, Ray’s bemused, casual singing style tends to dial down any pathos. He always knew better than anyone what he was presenting to his audiences, and he knew that it was difficult to feel much pity for a complaining celebrity.
The bus was too slow
So I bought me a plane
Musically, “Peace Of Mind” is simple, lanky R&B, with a tinny brass section squawking out the riff over and over. The structure throughout is a minor modification on the well-worn I-IV-V blues pattern; drums rap out a beat and the Raelets add warmer colors when they chant the song’s title at the ends of lines. Ray’s piano, too, offers loose, directionless counter-melodies underneath the horns, which dominate the entire performance.
“Peace Of Mine” is short, making a hasty exit by fading out at the two minute mark. It’s as if Ray really had something he just had to get off his chest but knew he should probably keep it short and get back to the deeper and graver internal dialogue that dominates the rest of the album.
Listen to “Peace Of Mind”
Songs on Crying Time