The Best of Gordon Lightfoot, R.I.P.
Several takes on "If You Could Read My Mind" by Neil Young, Johnny Cash, Jeff Tweedy & Son, Diana Krall & Sarah McLachlan, Gene Clark, Barbara Streisand, plus the disco hit...
Canadian folk great Gordon Lightfoot passed away yesterday at the age of 84. He got some well-deserved late attention not long ago thanks to a fine documentary. Of course, “Sundown” was one of biggest hits of the mid-’70s and even earned him a Crawdaddy cover which I assigned to fellow Canadian Nancy Naglin, and edited. (The less said about the song’s connection to Belushi’s death the better.) But his finest song was “If You Could Read My Mind,” about his recent divorce, so here are a few covers. If you care, 75 minutes of his own Best of cuts. Enjoy, then please subscribe, it’s still free.
Meanwhile, as I may have noted, my new PBS film Memorial Day Massacre premieres this weekend and now my companion book is just out in a print edition as well as ebook. At Amazon now, at Barnes and Noble later today.
Gord live, mid-’70s.
Jeff Tweedy and son out with a tribute last night
Terrific version from Diana Krall with Sarah McLachlan
Neil Young, live, another fellow Canadian
One of Johnny Cash’s final tracks
Gene Clark
Disco hit from Stars on 54
Yes, Streisand, on her hit album
Strange to almost bizarre how even a troubled soul is enabled to create such lyrical expression. And yet there comes a time in every life to lay down the plow, and in preparation for what is surely to come, turn within....
He was a great storyteller, songwriter and singer -- and sometimes a reluctant performer.