Tag Archives: Gordon Lightfoot

Rainy Day People: Gordon Lightfoot

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RIP Gordon Lightfoot. One of the handful–very small handful, IMO–of musicians whose recordings were the complete package–great melodies, lyrics, singing, guitar playing, and arrangements. I was lucky enough to see him in concert in the early 70s. I think If You Could Read My Mind is one of the most perfect songs ever recorded, but here’s a more upbeat song.

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What Makes This Song Great

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Gordon Lightfoot’s song “If You Could Read My Mind” was always one of my favorites, but I never had the musical knowledge to understand why I liked it so much, even over and above the great lyrics. Rick Beato’s musical breakdown of the arrangement and production of the music of Lightfoot’s recording is just wonderful. His discourse on the song not only makes me feel smarter, but much more to the point, makes me hear things in the recording that I had never consciously heard before. (Headphones recommended).

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Small Circle Of Friends

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That time when Joni Mitchell dropped by Gordon Lightfoot’s place and Bob Dylan and Roger McGuinn just happened to be there…

Fly on the wall time…

Thanks to YouTuber Swingin’ Pig

Affair On 8th Avenue

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Another great Gordon Lightfoot song. Just when you think it’s headed to cliche, he comes up with an impossibly beautiful and mysterious line.

I really like what one YouTube commenter, Thomas Hofheinz, said about this song:

“This makes me remember something that never happened to me.”

Thanks to Youtuber tony blackhall

If You Could Read My Mind: Gordon Lightfoot

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Gordon Lightfoot has decades of great singing and songwriting behind him, but I most enjoyed his songs from the early 1970s. Here’s a performance from a BBC special in 1972 where he sings one of his best, “If You Could Read My Mind.”