Gordon Lightfoot
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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"If You Could Read My Mind" is a song by Gordon Lightfoot. It was his first recording to appear on the American music charts, reaching #5 on the Billboard chart in January 1971. Lightfoot has cited his divorce for inspiring the lyrics.
This song first appeared on Lightfoot's 1970 album Sit Down Young Stranger. The success of the single led Lightfoot's label, Reprise Records, to retitle the album after the song. The song reached #1 on Billboard's Easy Listening charts.
Other versions
The song has been covered by many artists, including Johnny Cash, Duane Steele, Don McLean, Kalan Porter, Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass, Olivia Newton-John, Barbra Streisand, Liza Minnelli, Glen Campbell, Gene Clark, Viola Wills, The Spotnicks, Aurora featuring Marcella Detroit, and the house music collective Stars on 54.
It has also been used in motion pictures and television shows, including:
- Paperback Hero (1973), starring Keir Dullea and Elizabeth Ashley
- Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990)
- 54 (1998)
- Trigger Happy TV (2000)
- Wonderland (2003)
- Cold Case episode Honor (2005)
- We Are Marshall (2006)
