Left Side of the Bed
{{Infobox song
| name =
| cover =
| alt =
| type = single
| artist = Mark Gray
| album = Magic
| B-side = "Fire from a Friend"{{cite book|last=Whitburn|first=Joel|title=Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2017|publisher=Record Research, Inc|year=2017|pages=147|isbn=978-0-89820-229-8}}
| released = January 1984
| recorded =
| studio =
| genre = Country
| length = 3:08
| label = Columbia
| writer = {{hlist|Mark Gray|Sonny LeMaire|Brian Woods}}
| producer = {{hlist|Bob Montgomery|Steve Buckingham}}
| prev_title = Wounded Hearts
| prev_year = 1983
| next_title = If All the Magic Is Gone
| next_year = 1984
}}
"Left Side of the Bed" is a song by American country music singer Mark Gray. It was released in January 1984 as the third single from his debut solo studio album Magic. Gray wrote the song with Sonny LeMaire and Brian Woods.
Content
Prior to recording as a solo artist for Columbia Records, Mark Gray was a member of Exile. Sonny LeMaire, also a member of Exile, co-wrote "Left Side of the Bed". After leaving Exile, Gray began writing songs and recording demos for Janie Fricke. Producer and songwriter Bob Montgomery liked the sound of Gray's voice on the demos and signed him to Columbia in 1983. "Left Side of the Bed" was Gray's third Columbia release, and appeared on his 1984 album Magic.{{cite news | url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/112344563/ | title=New artist Mark Gray: Singing from the Heart | work=The Tennessean | date=May 12, 1984 | accessdate=November 6, 2023 | author=Sandy Neese | pages=1D}}
Music video
"Left Side of the Bed" was made into a music video, directed by Paul Flattery.{{cite magazine | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CyQEAAAAMBAJ&dq=%22mark+gray%22+%22left+side+of+the+bed%22&pg=PT71 | title=ACM debuting video award | magazine=Billboard | pages=48, 54 | date=April 27, 1984}} Said video is nearly ten minutes long, featuring spoken dialogue and acting roles for Gray in between the verses. Robert K. Oermann, writing for The Tennessean, describes the song's video as the "first long-form 'mini-movie' concept video".{{cite news | url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/112389485/ | title=Soulful Mark Gray shoots for the stars | work=The Tennessean | date=April 5, 1986 | accessdate=November 6, 2023 | author=Robert K. Oermann | pages=1D, 3D}} The video was nominated in 1985 by the Academy of Country Music in the category of Music Video of the Year, a category which debuted that year.
Chart performance
| class="wikitable sortable"
!align="left"|Chart (1984) !align="center"|Peak |
| {{singlechart|Billboardcountrysongs|10|artist=Mark Gray}} |
| align="left"|Canadian RPM Country Tracks{{cite journal | url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/CANADA/RPM/80s/1984/RPM-1984-05-05.pdf | title=RPM Country 50 Singles | journal=RPM | pages=11 | date=May 5, 1984}}
|align="center"|28 |
References
{{reflist}}
Category:Columbia Records singles
Category:Mark Gray (singer) songs
Category:Songs written by Mark Gray (singer)
Category:Songs written by Sonny LeMaire
Category:Song recordings produced by Bob Montgomery (songwriter)
Category:Song recordings produced by Steve Buckingham (record producer)