If You Could Read My Mind (song)
Encyclopedia
"If You Could Read My Mind" is a song
by Canadian singer/songwriter Gordon Lightfoot
. It reached number one on Canadian music charts and was his first recording to appear on the American music charts, reaching number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100
singles chart in January 1971. Later in the year, it reached number 30 in the UK. Lightfoot has cited his divorce
for inspiring the lyrics
, saying they came to him as he was sitting in a vacant Toronto
house one summer.
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 also reached number one for one week on the Billboard Easy Listening chart. The song was the first of four Lightfoot releases to reach number one.
The song has been covered by many other artists, including Don Williams
, Johnny Cash
, Duane Steele
, Don McLean
, Kalan Porter
, Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass, Olivia Newton-John
, Liza Minnelli
, Glen Campbell
, Gene Clark
, The Spotnicks
, Aurora
featuring Marcella Detroit
, Amber
, Gordon Haskell
, Vikki Carr
, the Mexican Actress/model/singer Isabel Madow
covered in spanish lyrics under the name of "Sí Pudieras Leer Mi Mente", Beckie Menzie and Joe Dassin
(in French lyrics "Si tu peux lire en moi"). The covered version by The Spotnicks
was adopted like an unofficial theme for the 1972 Summer Olympics
http://www.olympia72.de/startseite.html
Country music
artist Dwight Yoakam
performs the song in his live sets on a regular basis.
It has also been used in motion pictures and television shows, including:
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
by Canadian singer/songwriter Gordon Lightfoot
Gordon Lightfoot
Gordon Meredith Lightfoot, Jr. is a Canadian singer-songwriter who achieved international success in folk, folk-rock, and country music, and has been credited for helping define the folk-pop sound of the 1960s and 1970s...
. It reached number one on Canadian music charts and was his first recording to appear on the American music charts, reaching number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
singles chart in January 1971. Later in the year, it reached number 30 in the UK. Lightfoot has cited his divorce
Divorce
Divorce is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties...
for inspiring the lyrics
Lyrics
Lyrics are a set of words that make up a song. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist or lyrist. The meaning of lyrics can either be explicit or implicit. Some lyrics are abstract, almost unintelligible, and, in such cases, their explication emphasizes form, articulation, meter, and symmetry of...
, saying they came to him as he was sitting in a vacant Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
house one summer.
This song first appeared on Lightfoot's 1970 album Sit Down Young Stranger
Sit Down Young Stranger
Sit Down Young Stranger is Canadian singer Gordon Lightfoot's sixth original album and also his best-selling original album. It was released in 1970 on the Reprise Records Label. The album was renamed If You Could Read My Mind shortly after release due to the song of that title reaching number #5...
. The success of the single led Lightfoot's label, Reprise Records
Reprise Records
Reprise Records is an American record label, founded in 1960 by Frank Sinatra. It is owned by Warner Music Group, and operated through Warner Bros. Records.-Beginnings:...
, to retitle the album after the song. The song also reached number one for one week on the Billboard Easy Listening chart. The song was the first of four Lightfoot releases to reach number one.
Chart performance
| Chart (1970) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canadian RPM Top Singles | 1 |
| Canadian RPM Adult Contemporary | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Easy Listening | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 5 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart | 19 |
| Australian Go-Set Chart | 28 |
| U.K. Singles Chart | 30 |
Other versions
- The song was covered by Barbra StreisandBarbra StreisandBarbra Joan Streisand is an American singer, actress, film producer and director. She has won two Academy Awards, eight Grammy Awards, four Emmy Awards, a Special Tony Award, an American Film Institute award, a Peabody Award, and is one of the few entertainers who have won an Oscar, Emmy, Grammy,...
on her 1970 album, Stoney EndStoney EndStoney End is the twelfth studio album by Barbra Streisand. Released in 1971, it was a change in direction for Streisand with a more upbeat contemporary pop sound...
. - In 1980, Viola WillsViola WillsViola Wills was an American pop singer, best known for the 1979 UK Singles Chart #8 and U.S. Hot Dance Club Play #52 hit, "Gonna Get Along Without You Now". Other hits included further covers of the songs, "Both Sides Now" , and "If You Could Read My Mind" Viola Wills (December 30,...
peaked at number two for five weeks on the dance/disco charts with a dance version of the song. - The house musicHouse musicHouse music is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in Chicago, Illinois, United States in the early 1980s. It was initially popularized in mid-1980s discothèques catering to the African-American, Latino American, and gay communities; first in Chicago circa 1984, then in other...
collective Stars on 54Stars on 54Stars on 54 were a supergroup put together to record the song "If You Could Read My Mind" for the soundtrack of the 1998 film, 54, which starred Mike Myers as Steve Rubell, owner of the Studio 54 nightclub...
recorded a version of the song for the 1998 film, 5454 (film)54 is a 1998 drama film written and directed by Mark Christopher, starring Ryan Phillippe, Salma Hayek, and Neve Campbell...
, reaching number three on the dance charts.
The song has been covered by many other artists, including Don Williams
Don Williams
Don Williams , is an American country singer, songwriter and a 2010 inductee to the Country Music Hall of Fame. He grew up in Portland, Texas, and graduated in 1958 from Gregory-Portland High School. After seven years with the folk-pop group Pozo-Seco Singers, he began his solo career in 1971,...
, Johnny Cash
Johnny Cash
John R. "Johnny" Cash was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author, who has been called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...
, Duane Steele
Duane Steele
Duane Steele, is a Canadian country music country music artist. He has released five studio albums and one greatest hits album, and has charted multiple singles on the Canadian country singles charts, including the Number One hit "Anita Got Married" in 1996....
, Don McLean
Don McLean
Donald "Don" McLean is an American singer-songwriter. He is most famous for the 1971 album American Pie, containing the renowned songs "American Pie" and "Vincent".-Musical roots:...
, Kalan Porter
Kalan Porter
Richard Kalan Porter is a singer-songwriter from Medicine Hat, Alberta, and the winner of the reality television series Canadian Idol in season 2. He started to sing at an early age and is classically trained, playing several instruments, most notably, the violin and viola...
, Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass, Olivia Newton-John
Olivia Newton-John
Olivia Newton-John AO, OBE is a singer and actress. She is a four-time Grammy award winner who has amassed five No. 1 and ten other Top Ten Billboard Hot 100 singles and two No. 1 Billboard 200 solo albums. Eleven of her singles and 14 of her albums have been certified gold by the RIAA...
, Liza Minnelli
Liza Minnelli
Liza May Minnelli is an American actress and singer. She is the daughter of singer and actress Judy Garland and film director Vincente Minnelli....
, Glen Campbell
Glen Campbell
Glen Travis Campbell is an American country music singer, guitarist, television host and occasional actor. He is best known for a series of hits in the 1960s and 1970s, as well as for hosting a variety show called The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour on CBS television.During his 50 years in show...
, Gene Clark
Gene Clark
Gene Clark, born Harold Eugene Clark was an American singer-songwriter, and one of the founding members of the folk-rock group The Byrds....
, The Spotnicks
The Spotnicks
The Spotnicks is an instrumental rock group from Sweden, who were formed in 1961. They were famous for wearing "space suit" costumes on stage, and for their innovative electronic guitar sound...
, Aurora
Aurora (band)
Aurora, also known as Aurora UK, are a British electronic dance music group, consisting of keyboardist/guitarist Sacha Collisson and fellow keyboardist Simon Greenaway.-Albums:-Singles:*"Hear You Calling" 1999 #71 UK...
featuring Marcella Detroit
Marcella Detroit
Marcella Detroit is a vocalist, guitarist, and songwriter. She was a member of the band Shakespears Sister, along with Siobhan Fahey of Bananarama. Detroit's soprano voice provided lead vocals on their biggest hit, "Stay," which was No...
, Amber
Amber (performer)
Marie-Claire "Amber" Cremers is a Dutch-German singer, songwriter, label owner and executive producer. She is best known for her hits "This Is Your Night," "If You Could Read My Mind," and "Sexual ."-Career:Amber's music career took off when one of her demos, "This Is Your Night" gained interest...
, Gordon Haskell
Gordon Haskell
Gordon Haskell is a Pop, Rock & Blues music vocalist, songwriter, and bassist. He first gained recognition as a member of the British band Les Fleur de Lys. He sang on one of the songs of King Crimson's second album, then played bass and sang on their third album...
, Vikki Carr
Vikki Carr
Vikki Carr is an American singer and humanitarian from El Paso, Texas. She has performed in a variety of music genres, including jazz, pop and country, but has enjoyed her greatest success singing in Spanish.-Career:After taking the stage name 'Vikki Carr', she signed with Liberty Records in 1962...
, the Mexican Actress/model/singer Isabel Madow
Isabel Madow
Isabel Madow is a Mexican actress and model, born in Mexico City, Mexico. She is often photographed wearing glasses .-Career:...
covered in spanish lyrics under the name of "Sí Pudieras Leer Mi Mente", Beckie Menzie and Joe Dassin
Joe Dassin
Joseph Ira Dassin , more commonly known as Joe Dassin, was an American singer-songwriter best known for his French songs of the 1960s and 1970s.-Biography:...
(in French lyrics "Si tu peux lire en moi"). The covered version by The Spotnicks
The Spotnicks
The Spotnicks is an instrumental rock group from Sweden, who were formed in 1961. They were famous for wearing "space suit" costumes on stage, and for their innovative electronic guitar sound...
was adopted like an unofficial theme for the 1972 Summer Olympics
1972 Summer Olympics
The 1972 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from August 26 to September 11, 1972....
http://www.olympia72.de/startseite.html
Country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
artist Dwight Yoakam
Dwight Yoakam
Dwight David Yoakam is an American singer-songwriter, actor and film director, most famous for his pioneering country music...
performs the song in his live sets on a regular basis.
It has also been used in motion pictures and television shows, including:
- Paperback HeroPaperback Hero (1973 film)Paperback Hero is a 1973 Canadian movie, directed by Peter Pearson, which starred Keir Dullea and Elizabeth Ashley. It is set in Saskatchewan and portrays the life of a big-fish minor-league hockey player in a little-pond town...
(1973), starring Keir DulleaKeir DulleaKeir Dullea is an American actor best known for the character of astronaut David Bowman, whom he portrayed in the 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey and in 1984's 2010: The Year We Make Contact...
and Elizabeth AshleyElizabeth AshleyElizabeth Ashley is an American actress who first came to prominence as the ingenue in the Broadway play Take Her, She's Mine, which earned her a Tony Award as Best Featured Actress in a Play.-Early life:... - Gremlins 2: The New BatchGremlins 2: The New BatchGremlins 2: The New Batch is a 1990 American horror comedy film, and the sequel to Gremlins . It was directed by Joe Dante and written by Charles S. Haas, with creature designs by Rick Baker...
(1990) - 5454 (film)54 is a 1998 drama film written and directed by Mark Christopher, starring Ryan Phillippe, Salma Hayek, and Neve Campbell...
(1998) By: *Stars on 54Stars on 54Stars on 54 were a supergroup put together to record the song "If You Could Read My Mind" for the soundtrack of the 1998 film, 54, which starred Mike Myers as Steve Rubell, owner of the Studio 54 nightclub...
(AmberAmber (performer)Marie-Claire "Amber" Cremers is a Dutch-German singer, songwriter, label owner and executive producer. She is best known for her hits "This Is Your Night," "If You Could Read My Mind," and "Sexual ."-Career:Amber's music career took off when one of her demos, "This Is Your Night" gained interest...
, Ultra NatéUltra NatéUltra Naté is an American house music, Dance-pop and sometimes R&B musician who has achieved a respectable amount of success on the pop charts with songs such as "Free" and "If You Could Read My Mind" as part of Stars on 54....
, and Jocelyn EnriquezJocelyn EnriquezJocelyn Enriquez is a Dance-pop singer from San Francisco. She is of Filipino descent: her parents are from the province of Pangasinan. She graduated from Pinole Valley High School in 1993.-Career:...
) - Trigger Happy TVTrigger Happy TVTrigger Happy TV was a hidden camera/practical joke reality television program. The original British edition of the show, produced by Absolutely Productions, starred Dom Joly and ran for two series on the British television channel Channel 4 from 2000 until 2002...
(2000) - WonderlandWonderland (film)Wonderland is a 2003 American crime and drama film co-written and directed by James Cox, and based on the real-life Wonderland Murders that occurred in 1981. The film stars Val Kilmer, Kate Bosworth, Lisa Kudrow, Dylan McDermott, Josh Lucas, Christina Applegate, and Tim Blake Nelson...
(2003) - Cold Case episode Honor (episode 8, season 3, 2005)
- We Are MarshallWe Are MarshallWe Are Marshall is a 2006 American drama film directed by Joseph McGinty Nichol about the aftermath of the 1970 plane crash that killed 37 football players on the Marshall University Thundering Herd football team as well as five coaches, two athletic trainers, the athletic director, 25 boosters and...
(2006)