Canadian singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot is known the world over for his folk/rock masterpieces. The 74-year-old troubadour has released twenty studio albums and fourteen compilation (or “best of”) collections. Lightfoot is known as one of Canada’s best songwriters. His influence on music and composition is unquestionable. But Lightfoot’s true strength lies in his lyrics. What are the best Gordon Lightfoot lyrics and where are these songs found?
Gordon Lightfoot’s distinguished career spans from 1966, when he released his first album Lightfoot!, to the present day. His most recent album is the 2004 collection titled ArmonÃa. Between these releases is a staggering catalog of over a hundred songs. For our first article in this series highlighting Gordon Lightfoot’s best lyrics, we’ve chosen two of his previous hits: “If You Could Read My Mind” and “Sundown.”
The 1970s hit “If You Could Read My Mind” first appeared on Lightfoot’s Sit Down Young Stranger. The song reached number one on the Canadian charts and number five on Billboard’s Hot 100 singles chart in 1971. The lyrics tell the story of a love triangle where the protagonist is caught between his current lover and her desire for him. for another. Years later, Lightfoot would reveal that the song was inspired by his pending divorce. However, we don’t have to know the backstory to properly interpret this piece. Lightfoot’s lyrics reveal the painful truth: “I’d walk away like a movie star burning out on a three-way script. Enter number two. A movie queen playing the scene of bringing out all the good in me.” Lightfoot then concludes this verse with “I never thought I could act this way and I have to say I just don’t get it. I don’t know where things went wrong but the feeling is gone and I just can’t get it.” back.”
While other songwriters of the time wrote lyrics with deep, personal meanings expressed through flowery words, Gordon Lightfoot told us “the feeling is gone and I can’t get it back” in plain, simple language. In ten short words, he was able to convey the multitude of feelings one has when he finally realizes that the feelings he once had for someone have disappeared, never to return.
In 1974, Lightfoot’s song “Sundown” (from the album of the same name) reached No. 1 on the Canadian and US charts. It was later rumored that this list topper was inspired by Gordon’s relationship with Cathy Smith (who later partnered with John Belushi). Lightfoot once said that Smith was “the only woman in my life who hurt me the most.” While it’s not a quantum leap to believe that “Sundown” may have been inspired by this relationship, the lyrics speak for any man who has had his heart broken at the hands of a woman: “I can imagine every move a man can make, lose himself in his love is your first mistake. And of course, for those who choose to lower their sorrows, this line perfectly sums up the sentiment: “Sometimes I think it’s a shame when I feel better when I don’t feel pain.” Once again, Lightfoot gets to the bone with plain language and few words.
The beauty of Gordon Lightfoot’s lyrics lies in their simplicity and Gordon’s innate ability to use few words to express his deepest, most personal feelings. This is the real secret of songwriting. There are many examples in the Lightfoot song catalog that we will cover in later articles. But there’s no better place to start than “If You Could Read My Mind” and “Sundown.”
