Gordon Lightfoot discography

Gordon Lightfoot discography
Gordon Lightfoot discography
	Lightfoot performing at Interlochen, Michigan, in 2009
Studio albums	19
Live albums	3
Compilation albums	19
Tribute albums	3
Singles	47
B-sides	3
Video albums	5

Gordon Lightfoot (born November 17, 1938) is a Canadian singer-songwriter who achieved international success in folk, folk-rock, and country music. He is credited with helping to define the folk-pop sound of the 1960s and 1970s.^[1] He is often referred to as Canada's greatest songwriter^[2] and is known internationally as a folk-rock legend.^[3]^[4]

Lightfoot's discography comprises 19 studio albums, three live albums, 16 greatest hits albums and 46 singles. Lightfoot's songs, including "For Lovin' Me", "Early Morning Rain", "Steel Rail Blues", "Ribbon of Darkness"—a number one hit on the U.S. country chart^[5] with Marty Robbins's cover in 1965—and "Black Day in July" about the 1967 Detroit riot, brought him wide recognition in the 1960s. Canadian chart success with his own recordings began in 1962 with the No. 3 hit "(Remember Me) I'm the One", followed by recognition and charting abroad in the 1970s. His topped the US Hot 100 and/or AC chart with the hits "If You Could Read My Mind" (1970), "Sundown" (1974); "Carefree Highway" (1974), "Rainy Day People (1975), and "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" (1976), and had many other hits that appeared within the top 40.^[6] Several of his albums achieved gold and multi-platinum status internationally.

Studio albums

1960s

Title	Details	Peak positions
Title	Details	CAN
Lightfoot!	Release date: January 1966 Label: United Artists Records	—
The Way I Feel	Release date: April 1967 Label: United Artists Records	—
Did She Mention My Name?	Release date: January 1968 Label: United Artists Records	21
Back Here on Earth	Release date: November 1968 Label: United Artists Records	21
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

1970s

Title	Details	Peak chart positions					Certifications (sales threshold)
Title	Details	CAN	AUS^[7]	US	US Country	UK	Certifications (sales threshold)
Sit Down Young Stranger^[A]	Release date: April 1970 Label: Reprise Records	12	20	12	—	—	US: Gold^[8] AUS: Gold^[9]
Summer Side of Life	Release date: May 1971 Label: Reprise Records	3	40	38	—	—
Don Quixote	Release date: February 1972 Label: Reprise Records	1	—	42	—	44
Old Dan's Records	Release date: November 1972 Label: Reprise Records	1	—	95	—	—
Sundown	Release date: January 1974 Label: Reprise Records	1	13	1	—	45	US: Platinum^[10] AUS: Gold^[9]
Cold on the Shoulder	Release date: February 1975 Label: Reprise Records	3	44	10	—	—
Summertime Dream	Release date: June 1976 Label: Reprise Records	1	63	12	—	—	CAN: Platinum^[11] US: Platinum^[12]
Endless Wire	Release date: January 1978 Label: Warner Bros. Records	2	56	22	14	—	US: Gold^[13]
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

1980s

Title	Details	Peak chart positions					Certifications (sales threshold)
Title	Details	CAN	CAN Country	AUS^[7]	US	US Country	Certifications (sales threshold)
Dream Street Rose	Release date: 1980 Label: Warner Bros. Records	9	1	76	60	58
Shadows	Release date: January 1982 Label: Warner Bros. Records	16	—	—	87	—
Salute	Release date: July 1983 Label: Warner Bros. Records	59	—	—	175	—
East of Midnight	Release date: July 1986 Label: Warner Bros. Records	37	—	—	166	—	CAN: Gold^[14]
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

1990s–2020s

Title	Details	Peak chart positions
Title	Details	CAN	US Indie
Waiting for You	Release date: April 13, 1993 Label: Warner Bros. Records	24	—
A Painter Passing Through	Release date: May 1, 1998 Label: Warner Bros. Records	92	—
Harmony	Release date: May 11, 2004 Label: Linus Entertainment	13	35
Solo	Release date: March 20, 2020 Label: Rhino Entertainment	—	—
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

Live albums

Title	Details	Peak chart positions
Title	Details	CAN	US
Two Tones at the Village Corner	Release date: 1962 Label: LMG Records	—	—
Sunday Concert	Release date: 1969 Label: United Artists Records	21	143
All Live	Release date: April 17, 2012 Label: Rhino Entertainment	16	—
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

Compilation albums

Title	Details	Peak chart positions			Certifications (sales threshold)
Title	Details	CAN	US	US Country	Certifications (sales threshold)
Early Lightfoot	Release date: 1969 Label: AME Records	69	—	—
The Best of Gordon Lightfoot	Release date: 1970 Label: United Artists Records	—	—	—
Classic Lightfoot: The Best of Gordon Lightfoot, Vol. 2	Release date: 1971 Label: United Artists Records	41	178	—
A Lightfoot Collection: The Best of Gordon Lightfoot, Vol. 3	Release date: 1972 Label: United Artists Records	—	—	—
The Very Best of Gordon Lightfoot	Release date: 1974 Label: United Artists Records	—	155	—
The Very Best of Gordon Lightfoot, Vol. 2	Release date: 1975 Label: United Artists Records	—	—	—
Gord's Gold	Release date: November 1975 Label: Reprise Records	8	34	15	CAN: 2× Platinum^[15] UK: Silver^[16] US: 2× Platinum^[17]
Early Morning Rain	Release date: 1976 Label: EMI	—	—	—
The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face	Release date: 1979 Label: Pickwick International, Ltd.	—	—	—
Songbook	Release date: 1985 Label: Pair Records	—	—	—
Gord's Gold, Vol. 2	Release date: 1988 Label: Reprise Records	—	—	—	CAN: Platinum^[18] US: Gold^[19]
The Best of Gordon Lightfoot	Release date: 1989 Label: Curb Records	—	—	—
If You Could Read My Mind	Release date: 1990 Label: Reprise Records	—	—	—
The Original Lightfoot	Release date: 1992 Label: United Artists Records	58	—	—
The United Artists Collection	Release date: 1993 Label: United Artists Records	—	—	—
Songbook	Release date: June 15, 1999 Label: Rhino Entertainment	—	—	—
Complete Greatest Hits	Release date: 2002 Label: Rhino Entertainment	21	128	—	CAN: Gold^[20] US: Gold^[21]
An Introduction to: Gordon Lightfoot	Release date: 2018 Label: Rhino Entertainment	—	—	—
The Complete Singles 1970–1980 (2 CD)	Release date: 2019 Label: Real Gone Music	—	—	—
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

Tribute albums

Title	Artist	Details
Tony Rice Sings Gordon Lightfoot	Tony Rice	Release date: 1996 * Label: Rounder
Beautiful: A Tribute to Gordon Lightfoot^[22]	Various Artists	Release date: 2003 Label: Borealis Records
The Long River: A Personal Tribute to Gordon Lightfoot^[23]	J.P. Cormier	Release date: 2005 Label: (no label)
Ladies Sing Lightfoot	Various artists **	Release date: 1 October 2021 Label: Have Harmony Will Travel

* Tony Rice Sings Gordon Lightfoot is a compilation of Lightfoot songs recorded by Tony Rice on a number of albums.

** Ladies Sing Lightfoot features 14 newly recorded performances by Darling West, the Kennedys, Natalie Noone, Shawn Barton Vach, Arwen Lewis, the Textones, Susan Coswill, Ilsey Juber, Katy Moffatt, Sarah Kramer, Kristi Callan, Shayna Adler and Carla Olson.

Singles

1960s

Year	Title	Peak chart positions		Album
Year	Title	CAN	CAN Country	Album
1962	"(Remember Me) I'm the One"^[B]	3	—	Album : "Early Lightfoot" (Released in 1971) - AME Records - Canada
	"It's Too Late, He Wins" / "Negotiations"^[B]	27	—
	"Adios, Adios"	—	—
1963	"Day Before Yesterday" (UK release)	—	—
1965	"I'm Not Sayin'"	12	2	Lightfoot!
1965	"Ribbon of Darkness"	—	—	Lightfoot!
1966	"Spin Spin"	7	—	—
1966	"Go-Go Round"	27	—	The Way I Feel
1967	"The Way I Feel"	36	—
1967	"Canadian Railroad Trilogy"	—	—
1968	"Black Day in July"	68	—	Did She Mention My Name?
1968	"Bitter Green"	44	—	Back Here on Earth
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

1970s

Year	Title	Peak chart positions								Certifications (sales threshold)	Album
Year	Title	CAN	CAN AC	CAN Country	US	US AC	US Country	UK	AUS^[7]	Certifications (sales threshold)	Album
1970	"Me and Bobby McGee"	13	—	1	—	—	—	—	—		Sit Down Young Stranger
	"Approaching Lavender"	—	20	—	—	—	—	—	—
	"If You Could Read My Mind"	1	1	—	5	1	—	30	27
1971	"This Is My Song"	66	—	—	—	—	—	—	—		Early Lightfoot
	"If I Could"	—	—	—	111	—	—	—	—		Back Here on Earth
	"Talking in Your Sleep"	19	2	—	64	11	—	—	—		Summer Side of Life
	"Summer Side of Life"	21	4	—	98	—	—	—	—		Summer Side of Life
1972	"Beautiful"	13	1	—	58	30	—	—	—		Don Quixote
	"Alberta Bound"	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—		Don Quixote
	"You Are What I Am"	3	1	1	102	32	—	—	37		Old Dan's Records
1973	"Can't Depend on Love"	27	—	—	—	—	—	—	—		Old Dan's Records
1974	"Sundown"	1	2	4	1	1	13	33	4	US: Gold^[24]	Sundown
1974	"Carefree Highway"	11	1	1	10	1	81	—	74		Sundown
1975	"Rainy Day People"	10	1	—	26	1	47	—	—		Cold on the Shoulder
1976	"The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald"	1	1	1	2	9	50	40	46		Summertime Dream
1976	"Race Among the Ruins"	30	11	14	65	13	—	—	—		Summertime Dream
1977	"The Circle Is Small (I Can See It in Your Eyes)"	6	1	9	33	3	92	—	—		Endless Wire
1978	"Daylight Katy"	44	25	—	—	16	—	41	—
1978	"Dreamland"	—	24	—	—	—	100	—	—
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

1980s

Year	Title	Peak chart positions						Album
Year	Title	CAN	CAN AC	CAN Country	US	US AC	US Country	Album
1980	"Dream Street Rose"	—	1	8	—	25	80	Dream Street Rose
1980	"If You Need Me"	—	5	21	—	—	—	Dream Street Rose
1982	"Baby Step Back"	—	6	—	50	17	—	Shadows
	"Blackberry Wine"	—	15	—	—	—	—
	"In My Fashion"	—	—	—	—	—	—
1983	"Salute (A Lot More Livin' to Do)"	—	—	—	—	—	—	Salute
1983	"Without You"	—	—	—	—	—	—	Salute
1986	"Anything for Love"	39	14	—	—	13	71	East of Midnight
1986	"Stay Loose"	86	10	—	—	—	—
1987	"East of Midnight"	—	11	—	—	—	—
1987	"Ecstasy Made Easy"	—	—	—	—	—	—
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

1990s–2010s

Year	Title	Peak positions	Album
Year	Title	CAN AC	Album
1993	"I'll Prove My Love"	—	Waiting for You
1993	"Waiting for You"	—	Waiting for You
1998	"A Painter Passing Through"	47	A Painter Passing Through
2004	"Inspiration Lady"	—	Harmony
2016	"Plans Of My Own"	—	Download Only
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

Charted B-sides

Year	Title	Peak chart positions				Original A-side
Year	Title	CAN	CAN AC	CAN Country	US	Original A-side
1965	"Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues"	3	9	—	—	"Ribbon of Darkness"
1972	"That Same Old Obsession"	3	1	—	101	"You Are What I Am"
1973	"It's Worth Believin'"	—	—	12	—	"Can't Depend on Love"
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

Music videos

Year	Album	Video
2004	Harmony	"Inspiration Lady"
1982	Shadows	"Shadows"
		"Baby Step Back"
		"In My Fashion"
		"Blackberry Wine"

Video albums and documentaries

Tears Are Not Enough (w/ Northern Lights) (1985)
Live in Reno (2000)
Greatest Hits Live (2003)
If You Could Read My Mind (2019)
Lightheaded (in production)

^[25]

Notes

A ^ Sit Down Young Stranger was re-released as If You Could Read My Mind in 1971.
B ^ Credited to Gord Lightfoot. Canada did not have a national singles chart at the time of release—these chart figures are from Toronto's CHUM Chart. All other Canadian chart figures from RPM magazine.

References

^ "Gordon Lightfoot to join U.S. Songwriters Hall of Fame". CBC News.
^ Mayes, Alison (December 1, 2011). "If you could read his mind". Winnipeg Free Press.com. Retrieved December 26, 2011.
^ Shaw, Punch (August 23, 2010). "Concert review: Folk-rock legend Gordon Lightfoot". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved November 9, 2011.
^ "Songwriters Hall of Fame Announces 2012 Inductees". SongHall. Retrieved April 19, 2014.
^ "Gordon Lightfoot | Music Biography, Credits and Discography". AllMusic. November 17, 1938. Retrieved April 19, 2014.
^ Adam White & Fred Bronson (1988). The Billboard Book of Hits. Billboard Books. ISBN 0-8230-8285-7.
^ ^a ^b ^c Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 177. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
^ "American album certifications – Gordon Lightfoot – If You Could Read My Mind". Recording Industry Association of America.
^ ^a ^b "Cash Box Magazine" (PDF). Cash Box. November 21, 1974. p. 52. Retrieved November 15, 2021 – via World Radio History.
^ "American album certifications – Gordon Lightfoot – Sundown". Recording Industry Association of America.
^ "Canadian album certifications – Gordon Lightfoot – Summertime Dream". Music Canada.
^ "American album certifications – Gordon Lightfoot – Summertime Dream". Recording Industry Association of America.
^ "American album certifications – Gordon Lightfoot – Endless Wire". Recording Industry Association of America.
^ "Canadian album certifications – Gordon Lightfoot – East of Midnight". Music Canada.
^ "Canadian album certifications – Gordon Lightfoot – Gord's Gold". Music Canada.
^ "British album certifications – Gordon Lightfoot – Gordon's Gold". British Phonographic Industry. Select albums in the Format field. Type Gordon's Gold in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
^ "American album certifications – Gordon Lightfoot – Gord%27s Gold". Recording Industry Association of America.
^ "Canadian album certifications – Gordon Lightfoot – Gord's Gold Vol. Ii". Music Canada.
^ "American album certifications – Gordon Lightfoot – Gord%27s Gold, Vol. 2". Recording Industry Association of America.
^ "Canadian album certifications – Gordon Lightfoot – Complete Greatest Hits". Music Canada.
^ "American album certifications – Gordon Lightfoot – Complete Greatest Hits". Recording Industry Association of America.
^ "Release group "Beautiful: A Tribute to Gordon Lightfoot" by Various Artists". MusicBrainz. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
^ "Release group "The Long River: A Personal Tribute to Gordon Lightfooot" by J.P. Cormier". MusicBrainz. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
^ "American single certifications – Gordon Lightfoot – Sundown". Recording Industry Association of America.
^ "Gordon Lightfoot". IMDb.com. Retrieved November 3, 2019.

[1] "Gordon Lightfoot to join U.S. Songwriters Hall of Fame". CBC News.

[2] Mayes, Alison (December 1, 2011). "If you could read his mind". Winnipeg Free Press.com. Retrieved December 26, 2011.

[3] Shaw, Punch (August 23, 2010). "Concert review: Folk-rock legend Gordon Lightfoot". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved November 9, 2011.

[songhall.org-4] "Songwriters Hall of Fame Announces 2012 Inductees". SongHall. Retrieved April 19, 2014.

[5] "Gordon Lightfoot | Music Biography, Credits and Discography". AllMusic. November 17, 1938. Retrieved April 19, 2014.

[bill-6] Adam White & Fred Bronson (1988). The Billboard Book of Hits. Billboard Books. ISBN 0-8230-8285-7.

[aus-7] Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 177. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.

[United_StatesGordon_LightfootIf_You_Could_Read_My_MindalbumCertRef-8] "American album certifications – Gordon Lightfoot – If You Could Read My Mind". Recording Industry Association of America.

[aus74-9] "Cash Box Magazine" (PDF). Cash Box. November 21, 1974. p. 52. Retrieved November 15, 2021 – via World Radio History.

[United_StatesGordon_LightfootSundownalbumCertRef-10] "American album certifications – Gordon Lightfoot – Sundown". Recording Industry Association of America.

[CanadaGordon_LightfootSummertime_DreamalbumCertRef-11] "Canadian album certifications – Gordon Lightfoot – Summertime Dream". Music Canada.

[United_StatesGordon_LightfootSummertime_DreamalbumCertRef-12] "American album certifications – Gordon Lightfoot – Summertime Dream". Recording Industry Association of America.

[United_StatesGordon_LightfootEndless_WirealbumCertRef-13] "American album certifications – Gordon Lightfoot – Endless Wire". Recording Industry Association of America.

[CanadaGordon_LightfootEast_of_MidnightalbumCertRef-14] "Canadian album certifications – Gordon Lightfoot – East of Midnight". Music Canada.

[CanadaGordon_LightfootGord's_GoldalbumCertRef-15] "Canadian album certifications – Gordon Lightfoot – Gord's Gold". Music Canada.

[United_KingdomGordon_LightfootGordon's_GoldalbumCertRef-16] "British album certifications – Gordon Lightfoot – Gordon's Gold". British Phonographic Industry. Select albums in the Format field. Type Gordon's Gold in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.

[United_StatesGordon_LightfootGord%27s_GoldalbumCertRef-17] "American album certifications – Gordon Lightfoot – Gord%27s Gold". Recording Industry Association of America.

[CanadaGordon_LightfootGord's_Gold_Vol._IialbumCertRef-18] "Canadian album certifications – Gordon Lightfoot – Gord's Gold Vol. Ii". Music Canada.

[United_StatesGordon_LightfootGord%27s_Gold,_Vol._2albumCertRef-19] "American album certifications – Gordon Lightfoot – Gord%27s Gold, Vol. 2". Recording Industry Association of America.

[CanadaGordon_LightfootComplete_Greatest_HitsalbumCertRef-20] "Canadian album certifications – Gordon Lightfoot – Complete Greatest Hits". Music Canada.

[United_StatesGordon_LightfootComplete_Greatest_HitsalbumCertRef-21] "American album certifications – Gordon Lightfoot – Complete Greatest Hits". Recording Industry Association of America.

[mb-beautiful-22] "Release group "Beautiful: A Tribute to Gordon Lightfoot" by Various Artists". MusicBrainz. Retrieved 11 April 2017.

[mb-tlr-23] "Release group "The Long River: A Personal Tribute to Gordon Lightfooot" by J.P. Cormier". MusicBrainz. Retrieved 11 April 2017.

[United_StatesGordon_LightfootSundownsingleCertRef-24] "American single certifications – Gordon Lightfoot – Sundown". Recording Industry Association of America.

[25] "Gordon Lightfoot". IMDb.com. Retrieved November 3, 2019.

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v t e Gordon Lightfoot
Studio albums	Lightfoot! (1966) The Way I Feel (1967) Did She Mention My Name? (1968) Back Here on Earth (1968) Sit Down Young Stranger (1970) Summer Side of Life (1971) Don Quixote (1972) Old Dan's Records (1972) Sundown (1974) Cold on the Shoulder (1975) Summertime Dream (1976) Endless Wire (1978) Dream Street Rose (1980) Shadows (1982) Salute (1983) East of Midnight (1986) Waiting for You (1993) A Painter Passing Through (1998) Harmony (2004) Solo (2020)
Compilation albums	Gord's Gold (1975) Gord's Gold Volume II (1988) Songbook (1999)
Live albums	Sunday Concert (1969) All Live (2012)
Singles	"I'm Not Sayin'" (1965) "Ribbon of Darkness" (1965) "Early Morning Rain" (1966) "Canadian Railroad Trilogy" (1967) "Bitter Green" (1968) "Me and Bobby McGee" (1970) "If You Could Read My Mind" (1970) "Beautiful" (1972) "Sundown" (1974) "Carefree Highway" (1974) "Rainy Day People" (1975) "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" (1976)
Related articles	Discography "Tears Are Not Enough" Gordon Lightfoot: If You Could Read My Mind (2019)