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If You Could Read My Mind

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For the album sometimes known by the same name, see Sit Down Young Stranger.
"If You Could Read My Mind"
File:If You Could Read My Mind - Lightfoot.JPG
Single by Gordon Lightfoot
from the album Sit Down Young Stranger
B-side"Poor Little Allison"
ReleasedDecember 1970
RecordedNovember 1969
GenreSoft rock, folk rock
Length3:48
LabelReprise
Songwriter(s)Gordon Lightfoot
Producer(s)Lenny Waronker and Joseph Wissert
Gordon Lightfoot singles chronology
"Approaching Lavender"
(1970) 		"If You Could Read My Mind"
(1970) 		"This Is My Song"
(1971)

"If You Could Read My Mind" is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot. It reached #1 in the Canadian Singles Chart on commercial release in 1970, and also charted in several other countries on international release in 1971.[1]

Theme

Lightfoot has cited his divorce for inspiring the lyrics,[2] saying they came to him as he was sitting in a vacant Toronto house one summer.[3] At the request of his daughter, Ingrid, he performs the lyrics with a slight change now: the line "I'm just trying to understand the feelings that you lack" is altered to "I'm just trying to understand the feelings that we lack." He has said in an interview that the difficulty with writing songs inspired by personal stories is that there is not always the emotional distance and clarity to make lyrical improvements such as the one his daughter suggested.[4]

Production

The song was produced by Lenny Waronker and Joe Wissert at Sunwest Recording Studios, in Los Angeles, California,[5] with the classical music arrangement of violins by Nick DeCaro.[6]

Composition

The song is in A major and uses the subtonic chord.[7]

Format releases

This song first appeared on Lightfoot's 1970 album Sit Down Young Stranger, which was later renamed If You Could Read My Mind following the song's success.[citation needed]

Chart performance

On release the song reached #1 in Canadian Singles Chart, and was his first recording to appear in the USA, reaching #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in February 1971. Later in the year it reached #27 in the Australian Singles Chart, an #30 in the United Kingdom's. The song also reached number one for one week on the Billboard Easy Listening chart,[8] and was the first of four Lightfoot releases to reach number one.

In 1987 Lightfoot filed a lawsuit against the composer of Whitney Houston's hit "The Greatest Love of All", Michael Masser, alleging plagiarism of 24 bars of "If You Could Read My Mind"; the transitional section that begins "I decided long ago never to walk in anyone's shadow" of the Masser song has the same melody as "I never thought I could act this way and I got to say that I just don't get it; I don't know where we went wrong but the feeling's gone and I just can't get it back" of Lightfoot's song. Lightfoot has stated that he dropped the lawsuit when he felt it was having a negative effect on the singer Houston, as the lawsuit was about the writer and not her.[9] He also said that he didn't want people thinking that he had stolen his melody from Masser.[10] The case was settled out of court and Masser issued a public apology.[11]

Chart performance

Stars on 54 version

"If You Could Read My Mind"
Single by Stars on 54
from the album 54: Music from the Miramax Motion Picture, Volume 2
Released1998
Recorded1998
GenreDance-pop
Length3:26
LabelTommy Boy Music (UK)
Songwriter(s)Gordon Lightfoot
Producer(s)The Berman Brothers
Music video
"If You Could Read My Mind" on YouTube

The house music collective Stars on 54—consisting of Amber, Jocelyn Enriquez, and Ultra Naté—recorded a version of the song for the 1998 film, 54, reaching number three on Australia's ARIA Singles Chart and Canada's RPM Singles Chart, as well as number six in New Zealand and number ten in Spain. Australian music channel Max placed "If You Could Read My Mind" at number 675 in their list of 1000 Greatest Songs of All Time in 2012.[15]

Track listings

UK CD maxi single by Stars on 54 (1998)
No.TitleLength
1."If You Could Read My Mind" (Original Edit)3:27
2."If You Could Read My Mind" (Hex Hector Club Mix)7:48
3."If You Could Read My Mind" (Original Club Mix)6:10
Total length:17:25

Charts

Notable cover versions

Many artists have covered "If You Could Read My Mind." Among the most notable versions is the 1980 cover by Viola Wills which peaked at number two for five weeks on the dance/disco charts with a dance version of the song.[35]

The song has also been used in motion pictures and television shows, including:

See also

References

  1. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-2001. Record Research. p. 146.
  2. ^ "Gordon Lightfoot 'still out there'" South Coast Today (Martin Griffith, Associated Press) 4-Dec-2000
  3. ^ Victoria Ahearn (2010-02-02). "How Gordon Lightfoot wrote 'If You Could Read My Mind'". Toronto Star. Retrieved 2010-02-03.
  4. ^ Lydia Hutchinson (2012-11-17). "Happy Birthday, Gordon Lightfoot". Performing Songwriter Magazine. Retrieved 2016-08-05.
  5. ^ Production credit for the album 'Sit Down Young Stranger' (Reprise Records, 1969).
  6. ^ Production credits on 'If You Could Read My Mind', single (Reprise Records 1970).
  7. ^ Stephenson, Ken (2002). What to Listen for in Rock: A Stylistic Analysis, p.92. ISBN 978-0-300-09239-4.
  8. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-2001. Record Research. p. 146.
  9. ^ Wake, Matt. "Gordon Lightfoot on Elvis, Dylan covering his songs, not suing Whitney over 'The Greatest Love of All'". AL.com. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
  10. ^ Florian BODENSEHER. "Gordon Lightfoot – Biography". Corfid.com. Retrieved April 19, 2014.
  11. ^ "Greatest Love". Retrieved May 5, 2019.
  12. ^ "Go-Set Australian charts - 22 May 1971". Poparchives.com.au. 1971-05-22. Retrieved 2016-10-03.
  13. ^ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". collectionscanada.gc.ca.
  14. ^ http://www.musicoutfitters.com/topsongs/1971.htm Musicoutfitters.com
  15. ^ "TOP 1000 GREATEST SONGS OF ALL TIME – 2012". Max. 2012. Retrieved April 26, 2020.
  16. ^ "Stars on 54 – If You Could Read My Mind". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 24 February 2018.
  17. ^ "Stars on 54 – If You Could Read My Mind" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  18. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 7063." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved October 29, 2018.
  19. ^ "Top RPM Dance/Urban: Issue 7065." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
  20. ^ "Music & Media: Eurochart Hot 100" (PDF). Music & Media. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
  21. ^ "Stars on 54 – If You Could Read My Mind" (in French). Les classement single.
  22. ^ "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (10.09.1998 - 17.09.1998)" (PDF) (in Icelandic). Dagblaðið Vísir - Tónlist. Retrieved 7 February 2018.
  23. ^ "Stars on 54 – If You Could Read My Mind". Top 40 Singles.
  24. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
  25. ^ "Top 10 Spain" (PDF). Music & Media. Retrieved 7 May 2018.
  26. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
  27. ^ "Official Dance Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
  28. ^ "Official Independent Singles Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 5, 2018.
  29. ^ "Ultra Nate Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
  30. ^ "Ultra Nate Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
  31. ^ "Ultra Naté Chart History (Dance Singles Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
  32. ^ "ARIA Charts - End Of Year Charts - Top 100 Singles 1998". ARIA. Retrieved 24 February 2018.
  33. ^ "RPM's Top 100 Hit Tracks of '98" (PDF). RPM. Vol. 63, no. 12. 14 December 1998. p. 20. Retrieved 23 March 2019.
  34. ^ "RPM's Top 50 Dance Tracks of '98". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 29 October 2018.
  35. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Hot Dance/Disco: 1974-2003. Record Research. p. 281.
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