About The Song
“Think of Me” is a 1966 single by Buck Owens and his Buckaroos, released by Capitol Records with catalogue number 5647. Written by Buck’s musical partner Don Rich together with Estella (often spelled Estrella) Olson, it was recorded on February 15, 1966 at Capitol’s Hollywood studio under producer Ken Nelson. The finished track runs a little over two minutes (most listings give 2:15–2:19) and was issued with “Heart of Glass” on the B-side. It arrived in the middle of Owens’ mid-1960s hot streak, between the chart-topping singles “Waitin’ in Your Welfare Line” and “Open Up Your Heart.”
The song also became a key album track. Later in 1966 Capitol released the LP Open Up Your Heart, which collected recent singles and new material cut with the Buckaroos. “Think of Me” was included on the album and is regularly listed among its standout tracks, alongside the title song and “Waitin’ in Your Welfare Line.” The LP went to No. 1 on Billboard’s country albums chart, helping to cement Owens’ status as a leading figure in the Bakersfield sound. In 1968 Capitol chose “Think of Me” again for the compilation Best of Buck Owens, Vol. 2, where it appears on side two among other major hits from the period.
On the U.S. country charts, “Think of Me” was one of Owens’ most successful singles. Billboard data, summarized in Joel Whitburn’s chart books and later references, show the record reaching No. 1 on the Hot Country Singles chart in July 1966 and staying there for six consecutive weeks. In total it spent twenty weeks on the country chart. It also crossed over modestly to the pop market, peaking at No. 74 on the Billboard Hot 100 and making low entries in other trade-paper pop listings. In Billboard’s year-end Top Country Singles of 1966, “Think of Me” is ranked at No. 5, underlining how strong its overall airplay and sales were that year.
The lyric presents a simple message from a man to the woman who has left him. He asks her to think of him “when you’re lonely” or “when you’re blue” and promises that he will be thinking of her too. Lines about remembering the good times they shared and the sadness of the day she said goodbye frame the song as a mixture of nostalgia and quiet hope. In later verses, he describes watching for letters, listening for the phone and meeting trains at the station, emphasising how completely his daily life is shaped by waiting for her return. Eventually he concludes that they were meant for each other and that this separation should not be permanent.
Musically, “Think of Me” is a compact example of the mid-1960s Bakersfield sound. The arrangement features a brisk country two-step feel with clear drums, electric bass and bright Telecaster-style guitar lines, along with steel guitar and harmony vocals from the Buckaroos. Don Rich’s role is central: he co-wrote the song, contributes harmony singing and is widely credited with the distinctive lead-guitar sound that runs through Owens’ records of this era. The production by Ken Nelson keeps the track lean and punchy, with little studio ornamentation beyond reverb, making it stand out on radio against the more heavily orchestrated Nashville productions of the same period.
Within Buck Owens’ catalogue, “Think of Me” is often singled out as part of the peak 1965–1966 run in which he dominated the country charts. It followed “Waitin’ in Your Welfare Line,” which spent seven weeks at No. 1, and immediately preceded “Open Up Your Heart,” another four-week chart-topper, giving Owens three consecutive country No. 1s in 1966 alone. Later playlists and anthologies—such as digital “Buck Owens Essentials” sets and complete Capitol-singles collections—regularly include “Think of Me” alongside “I’ve Got a Tiger by the Tail,” “Together Again,” “Love’s Gonna Live Here” and “Act Naturally,” reflecting its status as one of his core hits from the Bakersfield era.
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Lyric
Think of me when you’re lonely
Think of me when you’re blue
Think of me when you’re far away
Or I’ll be thinking of you
Remember all the good times
We shared in days gone by
Remember all of the sadness
The day you said goodbye
Think of me when you’re lonely
Think of me when you’re blue
Think of me when you’re far away
Or I’ll be thinking of you
You said that you are leavin’
But you wouldn’t be gone too long
With each new day, I hope and pray
That you’ll come a-travelin’ home
Think of me when you’re lonely
Think of me when you’re blue
Think of me when you’re far away
Or I’ll be thinking of you
I watch the mailman comin’
I listened for the phone
I meet the trains at the station
But I spend my nights alone
But now the waitin’ is over
And time has set the scene
Yes, God meant me for only you
And he meant you for me
Think of me when you’re lonely
Think of me when you’re blue
Think of me when you’re far away
Or I’ll be thinking of you
Or I’ll be thinking of you