About The Song
“Remember Me” is a country song performed by Willie Nelson, released in 1975 as a single from his album Red Headed Stranger on Columbia Records. Originally written by T. Texas Tyler in 1945, the song was first a hit for Tyler, reaching No. 2 on the Billboard Country chart. Nelson’s version, titled “Remember Me (When the Candle Lights Are Gleaming),” peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart on February 15, 1976, and charted for 16 weeks. It also reached No. 67 on the Billboard Hot 100. The 2:50 track features a nostalgic plea for remembrance, with lyrics like: “Remember me when the candle lights are gleamin’ / Remember me at the close of a long, long day.”
Nelson recorded the song in 1975 at Autumn Sound Studios in Garland, Texas, as part of Red Headed Stranger, a concept album that follows a preacher’s journey after killing his wife and her lover. Produced by Nelson with minimal oversight from Columbia, the album marked a turning point, giving him creative control. The recording of “Remember Me” is sparse, featuring Nelson on acoustic guitar and vocals, with Bobbie Nelson on piano and Mickey Raphael on harmonica. The album, initially met with skepticism by Columbia executives for its raw sound, became a breakthrough, reaching No. 1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart and selling over 2 million copies by 1986, earning double platinum certification from the RIAA.
The song’s inclusion in Red Headed Stranger was a deliberate choice by Nelson to evoke the album’s themes of longing and redemption. He had been performing it live since the 1960s, often at small venues in Texas, drawn to its simplicity and emotional weight. In a 1975 interview with Country Music magazine, Nelson said: “It’s one of those songs that feels like it’s always been there—I just had to sing it my way.” The track was released as the second single from the album, following “Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain,” which also hit No. 1. “Remember Me” was performed by Nelson on The Porter Wagoner Show in 1976, showcasing its prominence during his outlaw country rise.
Covers of the song predate Nelson’s version, with Ernest Tubb recording it in 1945 and The Carter Family in 1939 under the title “When the Candle Lights Are Gleaming,” per SecondHandSongs. Nelson’s take inspired later renditions, including a 1982 version by George Jones on Shine On and a 1999 recording by The Oak Ridge Boys on Voices. The song appeared in media, notably in a 1998 episode of King of the Hill, where Nelson guest-starred and performed it in a bar scene. It was also used in the 2017 film The Ballad of Lefty Brown, underscoring a moment of reflection.
Nelson frequently included “Remember Me” in his live performances, notably at Farm Aid 1985, the benefit concert he co-founded to support American farmers, where he dedicated it to rural communities. A 2003 live recording with Ray Price was released on the album Run That by Me One More Time. The song was featured in a 2015 PBS special, Willie Nelson: The Library of Congress Gershwin Prize, where Nelson performed it to honor his contributions to music. Its timeless theme of memory made it a recurring part of Nelson’s setlists, often paired with other classics from Red Headed Stranger.
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Lyric
Remember me when the candle lights are gleamin’
Remember me at the close of a long, long day
It would be so sweet when all alone I’m dreamin’
Just to know you still remember meA brighter face may take my place when we’re apart, dear
A brighter smile may make you feel that you don’t care
But when you’re all alone with the memories of me, dear
Just to know you still remember meYou told me once that you were mine alone forever
And I was yours till the end of eternity
But all those vows are broken now and we will never
Be the same except in memoryRemember me when the candle lights are gleamin’
Remember me at the close of a long, long day
It would be so sweet when all alone I’m dreamin’
Just to know you still remember me