Music Appreciation

NurseJackie

(42,862 posts) Wed Dec 11, 2019, 06:30 PM Dec 2019

If You Could Read My Mind -- Gordon Lightfoot -vs- Viola Wills

"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 February 1971. Later in the year it reached number 30 in the UK. The song also reached number one for one week on the Billboard Easy Listening chart,[1] and was the first of four Lightfoot releases to reach number one.

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]

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.[29]

Which version do you like the best?

3 votes, 0 passes \| Time left: Unlimited
	Gordon Lightfoot
	3 (100%)
	Viola Wills
	0 (0%)
	I can't decide, I like both versions.
	0 (0%)
	0 DU members did not wish to select any of the options provided.
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