“You Forgot Your Memory”
Song by Ray Charles
“You Forgot Your Memory” is one of the most notable songs in all of Ray Charles’ career. Not because it’s the most well-known exactly – it was buried on a 1978 B-side of the song “Riding Thumb”. And not because it’s his greatest musical achievement. It’s notable because it marks the end of an era, and because it’s an unusual recording for the Genius and relatively hard to find.
Vinyl Ray Charles fans will know “You Forgot Your Memory” as the last non-LP song on a single of his career. His several 1980s and 1990s 7-inch singles all featured songs readily available on their respective LPs. Before this, Ray’s list of non-LP songs is extensive. During the 1960s, especially, some of his greatest and best-known recordings were found on one side or the other of a 45 only.
And “You Forgot Your Memory” is the last such track. And an odd recording it is!
The song is gentle, but that’s nothing new for Ray. What sets it apart is its chorus of overdubbed flutes, piping out a merry little melody beside Ray’s emotional, heartbroken vocals. It isn’t his piano (electric or acoustic), an orchestra, or background singers that soften the edges of this snide missive to a departed lover. It’s those ringing flutes, sounding like an AOR ballad that wants to be something more progressive – like Barry Manilow if he suddenly became enthralled by Genesis’ Foxtrot.
The Mopey Lyrics of “You Forgot Your Memory”
Written by Norma Souder (née Norma Loyd) and Bill Arthor, “You Forgot Your Memory” is a bitter murmur from a man whose woman has left him. Unable to get her image out of his head, he complains to her (rhetorically; she isn’t around to hear) that she took everything from him and his home… except the ghost of her memory, which she so callously left behind. It’s the same concept behind the song “Ain’t Your Memory Got No Pride At All”, a country tune he would record a few years later.
But, despite the clever lyrical approach and (as always) Ray Charles’ wonderful vocals, the aftertaste of “You Forgot Your Memory” is really that spectral, medieval flute riff. It was an interesting experiment, just the sort of thing you could try for fun and stick on a single’s B-side. Huzzah!
Wait, “Bill Arthor”?!
The tiny text on the 45’s label does indeed list “Bill Arthor” as one of the songwriters. We can’t tell if that was intentional (i.e., his real name) or if it’s a misspelling of “Arthur”. Either way, it’s hard to dig up info about any other songs Mr. Arthor (or Arthur) may have had a hand in.
And if his name really is as presented, well, apologies to the esteemed Mr. Arthor. We’ve just never seen that name before.
Bill “Arthor” (45 label closeup)
Single releases
Listen to “You Forgot Your Memory”
The A-side, “Riding Thumb”, was taken from the album Love And Peace. Copies of the promo single (with a blue label) are fairly common, but feature “Riding Thumb” on both sides. To get “You Forgot Your Memory” you’ll need a copy of the regular, red-label stock Atlantic label of “Riding Thumb”. These are far less plentiful in the vinyl marketplace, but there are usually some here and there if you really dig. (“Riding Thumb” was not a big hit – Ray Charles wasn’t riding high in the popular consciousness in 1978 – and his late 1970s Atlantic singles aren’t always as easy to track down as, say, his 1960s ABC singles. For some reason, this one even less so.)
Since it’s a historic (and almost completely unknown) Ray Charles song, owning “You Forgot Your Memory” on vinyl can give you something of a feeling of pride. Not many people have even heard it, and even fewer have their own copy of it. The rare little thing sure looks good spinning on your turntable though. And just try to get those weird flutes out of your head afterwards!
Get your own “You Forgot Your Memory” on 45 or MP3 from Amazon.