‘Got My Mind Set on You’ (also written as "(Got My Mind) Set on You") is a song written and composed by Rudy Clark and originally recorded by James Ray in 1962, under the title ‘I've Got My Mind Set on You’. An edited version of the song was released later in the year as a single. In 1987, George Harrison released a cover version of the song on his album Cloud Nine, which he had recorded on his Dark Horse Records label.
The first time Harrison heard the song was during a visit to his sister in the United States in 1963—five months before the Beatles first appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show. His sister lived in the countryside of Illinois. While there, Harrison visited record shops and bought a variety of albums. One was James Ray's 1962 album that contained the song ‘I've Got My Mind Set on You.’ In January 1987, Harrison began recording the song at his Friar Park home studio, with Jeff Lynne producing and playing bass and keyboards, Jim Keltner on drums, Jim Horn on sax, and Ray Cooper on percussion.
Of Harrison's three number-one singles in the US, it was the only song not written or composed by Harrison himself. Not only was it the last US No. 1 hit by Harrison, but, as of 2022, his last top 10 hit in the US, as well as the last time a former Beatle hit No. 1 in the US. When the song hit No. 1, it broke a three-way tie between Harrison, John Lennon, and Ringo Starr, all of whom had two No. 1 hit singles as solo artists (discounting Paul McCartney's work with Wings). It also happened to be the No. 1 single in the US the week immediately preceding the induction of the Beatles into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, making Harrison one of the few inductees to have an active single on the US record charts at the time of induction. Billboard ranked the song as No. 3 for 1988.
In the UK, the single spent four weeks at number two. It was kept off the number 1 spot by T'Pau's "China in Your Hand" becoming the 5th best-selling single of 1987. Weird Al Yankovic did a parody called "This Song's Just 6 Words Long."
Label – Dark Horse
Songwriter – Rudy Clark
Producers – Jeff Lynne, George Harrison
SONG LYRICS
[Chorus]I got my mind set on you
I got my mind set on you
I got my mind set on you
Got my mind set on you
[Verse 1]
But it's gonna take money
A whole lotta spending money
It's going to take plenty of money
To do it right, child
It's gonna take time
Whole lotta precious time
It's gonna take patience and time
Mmm, to do it, to do it, to do it, to do it, to do it
To do it right, child
[Chorus]
I got my mind set on you
I got my mind set on you
I got my mind set on you
I got my mind set on you
[Verse 2]
And this time I know it's for real
The feelin' that I feel
I know if I put my mind to it
I know that I really can do it
[Bridge]
I got my mind set on you
Set on you
I got my mind set on you
Set on you
[Verse 1]
But it's gonna take money
Whole lotta spending money
It's gonna take plenty of money
To do it right, child
It's gonna take time
Whole lotta precious time
It's gonna take patience and time
Mmm, to do it, to do it, to do it, to do it, to do it
To do it right
[Chorus]
I got my mind set on you
I got my mind set on you
I got my mind set on you
I got my mind set on you
[Verse 2]
And this time I know it's for real
The feelin's that I feel
I know if I put my mind to it
I know that I really can do it
[Verse 1]
But it's gonna to take-a money
A whole lotta spending money
It's gonna take plenty of money
To do it right, child
It's gonna take-a time
A whole lotta precious time
It's gonna take patience and time
Mmm, to do it, to do it, to do it, to do it, to do it
To do it right
[Outro]
Set on you
Set on you
Set on you
Set on you
Set on you
Set on you
Set on you
Set on you
I got my mind on you (Set on you)
I got it set on you (Set on you)