topic Re: G. LIGHTFOOT DOCUMENTARY IF YOU COULD READ MY MIND in TV and Movies

G. LIGHTFOOT DOCUMENTARY IF YOU COULD READ MY MIND

Pearlee — Fri, 13 Aug 2021 15:28:35 GMT

As someone who has loved Gordon Lightfoot for over 50 years and has been to so many of his live concerts all over the country that I lost count, I watched the documentary about him If You Could Read My Mind last night and loved it (that also happens to be my favorite song of his). I watched if free with a few ads on the free app Tubi and I think it is also still available free on Amazon Prime, although for non-prime members there will be ads but it is still available to non members (I think) by downloading the Amazon Prime app.

The opening scene is Gord in front of his enormous mansion in Canada. A lot of people comment about him such as Ian and Sylvia whom I loved seeing. Then we hear Gordon talking about how much he hates the song That's What You Get For Loving Me because of its nasty lyrics and hasn't sung it in 20 years.

Interesting to me was when he spoke of jealousy about the Beatles and how every time he was about to have a new album come out the Beatles would release one that would way out-do his sales.

Gordon really opens up in the doc and in the end regrets hurting so many women, although the doc mentions but doesn't go into much detail about his infidelities and child out of wedlock. He was quite a cad. They do mention his affair with Kathy Smith (who later gave John Belushi his fatal dose and who is the subject of the song Sundown).

Because I've seen him live within the last 10 years I wasn't shocked by how he looks now at around 80 years old but I have never seen someone change so drastically in appearance from the handsome curly-haired man on his album covers to what he looks like now. I'm just glad he is still with us. Oddly, the doc does not mention Gord's near-fatal stomach aneurysm in the early 2000s and that he was in a coma.

This doc is a must - see for any Lightfoot fan.I'm going to watch it again.

Re: G. LIGHTFOOT DOCUMENTARY IF YOU COULD READ MY MIND

JamandBread — Fri, 13 Aug 2021 15:57:23 GMT

I'll watch! I was a junior in high school when I bought my first GL album. I have distinct, really good memories of popping it on the record player and listening while I got ready for school.

I could listen to Carefree Highway on repeat forever.

Thanks for posting 😍

Re: G. LIGHTFOOT DOCUMENTARY IF YOU COULD READ MY MIND

Pearlee — Fri, 13 Aug 2021 16:01:43 GMT

@JamandBread wrote:
I'll watch! I was a junior in high school when I bought my first GL album. I have distinct, really good memories of popping it on the record player and listening while I got ready for school.
I could listen to Carefree Highway on repeat forever.
Thanks for posting 😍

@JamandBread Carefree Highway...one of the best! 🎵 Let me know what you think of the doc!

Re: G. LIGHTFOOT DOCUMENTARY IF YOU COULD READ MY MIND

Pearlee — Fri, 13 Aug 2021 16:23:27 GMT

Forgot to mention how much I enjoyed the clips of GL with Bob Dylan (they both admired each other as songwriters), Peter, Paul and Mary performing GL songs, and the clips of Greenwich Village coffee houses and The Troubadore, from back in the days of the folk music revival.

Re: G. LIGHTFOOT DOCUMEYhpTARY IF YOU COULD READ MY MIND

CatsyCline — Fri, 13 Aug 2021 16:32:54 GMT

@Pearlee thanks - viewed on Prime awhile ago, going to watch it again. Gordon is one of my fave singer songwriters since high school. i've found i appreciate his lyrics even more as i've gone through many life changes

nver read the liner notes so back in the day i thought he was singing "Every Highway" (Carefree Highway)

Re: G. LIGHTFOOT DOCUMENTARY IF YOU COULD READ MY MIND

ROMARY — Fri, 13 Aug 2021 16:33:07 GMT

Boy, does that song bring back memories.....Wonder what he was thinking about while writing that song. Why, etc.

Would be interesting.

Re: G. LIGHTFOOT DOCUMENTARY IF YOU COULD READ MY MIND

ROMARY — Fri, 13 Aug 2021 16:38:38 GMT

The Toronto Star has an article re: If You Could Read My Mind song.

Broken marriage, empty house, etc. prompted Gordon to write the song.

Re: G. LIGHTFOOT DOCUMENTARY IF YOU COULD READ MY MIND

Pearlee — Sat, 14 Aug 2021 17:57:18 GMT

@ROMARY wrote:
The Toronto Star has an article re: If You Could Read My Mind song.

Broken marriage, empty house, etc. prompted Gordon to write the song.

@ROMARY Yes the breakup of his first marriage prompted the song. "I don't know where we went wrong but the feeling's gone and I just can't get it back."

Last time I saw him in concert he talked about writing a later song, "If Children Had Wings" which was about his first wife who was from Sweden or some place like that leaving him and taking his two children back home with her. I remember him saying so sadly "she took my children away" and so he wrote that song about the children. (Well, she left because he was cheating so I didn't feel sorry for him!)

Re: G. LIGHTFOOT DOCUMENTARY IF YOU COULD READ MY MIND

Witchy Woman — Fri, 13 Aug 2021 16:54:10 GMT

@Pearlee

He was not on the list of my favorites, but I liked his voice. I have Amazon Prime so will try to catch it over the weekend. Normally, I enjoy any documentary about old rockers.

Dated a delightful young man in my youth who played guitar and serenaded me one night with "If You Could Read My Mind."

It was very romantic at the time

Sorry to hear GL was a cad, but I guess he is paying the price now with regrets. Neverthless, he was talented.

Re: G. LIGHTFOOT DOCUMENTARY IF YOU COULD READ MY MIND

Pearlee — Fri, 13 Aug 2021 17:01:38 GMT

@Witchy Woman. I think it'll be time well spent because, at the very least, you should enjoy it as a "period piece."

I dated two different men for quite a while (at different times) to whom I was attracted for their close physical resemblance to GL.

Neither of them could sing though.😂

Re: G. LIGHTFOOT DOCUMENTARY IF YOU COULD READ MY MIND

Pearlee — Fri, 13 Aug 2021 23:40:06 GMT

@Oznell. i mentioned in my first post above that this documentary covers Lightfoot's affair with Kathy Smith, the woman who later gave John Belushi his fatal drug dose, and who is also "Sundown" in Gordon's song released many years earlier.

I've been reading reviews of the film online today and thought you might like this from the review in Variety:

"[The film] addresses his relationship with her in the delectibly ominous "Sundown," the closest thing that he (or maybe anyone) ever wrote to a folkie film noir."

😆 I just love that.

Re: G. LIGHTFOOT DOCUMENTARY IF YOU COULD READ MY MIND

ScarletDove — Sat, 14 Aug 2021 00:01:30 GMT

@Pearlee wrote:
As someone who has loved Gordon Lightfoot for over 50 years and has been to so many of his live concerts all over the country that I lost count, I watched the documentary about him If You Could Read My Mind last night and loved it (that also happens to be my favorite song of his). I watched if free with a few ads on the free app Tubi and I think it is also still available free on Amazon Prime, although for non-prime members there will be ads but it is still available to non members (I think) by downloading the Amazon Prime app.

The opening scene is Gord in front of his enormous mansion in Canada. A lot of people comment about him such as Ian and Sylvia whom I loved seeing. Then we hear Gordon talking about how much he hates the song That's What You Get For Loving Me because of its nasty lyrics and hasn't sung it in 20 years.

Interesting to me was when he spoke of jealousy about the Beatles and how every time he was about to have a new album come out the Beatles would release one that would way out-do his sales.

Gordon really opens up in the doc and in the end regrets hurting so many women, although the doc mentions but doesn't go into much detail about his infidelities and child out of wedlock. He was quite a cad. They do mention his affair with Kathy Smith (who later gave John Belushi his fatal dose and who is the subject of the song Sundown).

Because I've seen him live within the last 10 years I wasn't shocked by how he looks now at around 80 years old but I have never seen someone change so drastically in appearance from the handsome curly-haired man on his album covers to what he looks like now. I'm just glad he is still with us. Oddly, the doc does not mention Gord's near-fatal stomach aneurysm in the early 2000s and that he was in a coma.

This doc is a must - see for any Lightfoot fan.I'm going to watch it again.

@Pearlee Thanks for the info, always been a fan of Lightfoot, Ian and Sylvia. Had all of their albums.....now listen and stream their music... Another favored Canadian singer is Loreena McKennitt, of Irish/Scottish descent and there is a celtic touch to her music....beautiful!

Re: G. LIGHTFOOT DOCtUMENTARY IF YOU COULD READ MY MIND

Mary Bailey — Sat, 14 Aug 2021 00:14:26 GMT

I watched it. loved it. I always liked him. After watching it I thought he was a genius.

Music writing has always dumbfounded me How do they know when to put in the "HMMMMMMs" "LaLaLaLas" ? etc

Re: G. LIGHTFOOT DOCtUMENTARY IF YOU COULD READ MY MIND

Pearlee — Sat, 14 Aug 2021 00:38:01 GMT

@Mary Bailey wrote:
I watched it. loved it. I always liked him. After watching it I thought he was a genius.

Music writing has always dumbfounded me How do they know when to put in the "HMMMMMMs" "LaLaLaLas" ? etc

@Mary Bailey I know this is probably silly but for a while in the '80s and 90's I found a concert of his to go to in driving distance about once a year. He played my city often, telling us he had a relative here. I always managed to get a ticket 2nd row in a center seat so I was right in front of him

(The 1st row was always radio station-related people. ) Anyway, I started thinking he was recognizing me after the 4th or 5th time!

Re: G. LIGHTFOOT DOCtUMENTARY IF YOU COULD READ MY MIND

patbz — Sat, 14 Aug 2021 01:16:42 GMT

DH and I enjoyed this documentary immensely; could be the soundtrack of our youth and beyond. I had the pleasure of going to one of his concerts in Frankfurt Germany in the late 1970s.

Re: G. LIGHTFOOT DOCUMENTARY IF YOU COULD READ MY MIND

Oznell — Sat, 14 Aug 2021 10:20:16 GMT

@Pearlee, that is so apt- "a folkie film noir"!

I"d never thought of it, but there is a "noir" overlay to some of Gordon Lightfoot's work, what I know of it. (Was never immersed in him, although growing up in Canada of course, he was always an essential part of the fabric, like Joni Mitchell, Neil Young or Leonard Cohen.)

What a huge, titanic talent-- it's great that he's still here!

Re: G. LIGHTFOOT DOCUMENTARY IF YOU COULD READ MY MIND

drizzellla — Sat, 14 Aug 2021 12:33:35 GMT

Thanks @Pearlee I will check it out.

My Aunt and Uncle used to spend their summers on Lake Superior. And my Aunt was so impressed with Gordon Lightfoot and the song Edmund Fitzgerald. She really identified with it.

I know Gordon Lightfoot had many other great hits. But I can't help but think of my Aunt and the Edmund Fitzgerald.

Re: G. LIGHTFOOT DOCUMENTARY IF YOU COULD READ MY MIND

blueroses47 — Sat, 14 Aug 2021 15:31:11 GMT

I love Gordon Lightfoot too. I only knew him as a songwriter first, because I was a huge Ian and Sylvia fan in the sixties. Then I heard Sundown and liked it so much I bought my first Gordon Lightfoot album.

I've seen him in concert maybe 10-12 times, any time he appears in my area, I go.

The last time was maybe 3 or 4 years ago and he did seem so very frail, his voice was so weak. The audience still loved him though, just enjoying the experience of seeing and hearing him live.

I love so many of his songs, but somehow I always think "Song for a Winter's Night" might be my favorite. It's so beautiful.

Re: G. LIGHTFOOT DOCUMENTARY IF YOU COULD READ MY MIND

Pearlee — Sat, 14 Aug 2021 15:43:40 GMT

@blueroses47 wrote:
I love Gordon Lightfoot too. I only knew him as a songwriter first, because I was a huge Ian and Sylvia fan in the sixties. Then I heard Sundown and liked it so much I bought my first Gordon Lightfoot album.

I've seen him in concert maybe 10-12 times, any time he appears in my area, I go.
The last time was maybe 3 or 4 years ago and he did seem so very frail, his voice was so weak. The audience still loved him though, just enjoying the experience of seeing and hearing him live.

I love so many of his songs, but somehow I always think "Song for a Winter's Night" might be my favorite. It's so beautiful.

@blueroses47. I noticed in the past few concerts when I saw him aged and frail, that his voice started out weak but gained strength as he sang more and warmed up but it was certainly never back to his deep rich lovely baritone. Like you, though, I still loved the concerts and the music was great. His last concert I had a ticket for (2nd row center again!) was in a city two hours away. I was going to meet a friend I hadn't seen in a while for lunch on the way up. Then Gord postponed due to illness. I took time deciding whether to cash in my ticket or keep it for the rescheduled concert. I cashed in and a few weeks later McCartney announced a concert in that same area 2 hrs away and I used the money to buy a MACCA ticket which was a lot more $$ than Gord's. I decided I won't see Gord in person again, but I sure have had a good run of his concerts (close to 30 I'd say) over the past 50+ yrs.

If you love Ian and Sylvia you should watch this doc!

Re: G. LIGHTFOOT DOCUMENTARY IF YOU COULD READ MY MIND

Biftu — Sat, 14 Aug 2021 15:48:52 GMT

Thanks @Pearlee for bringing this documentary to our attention. I too have seen him in concert and am a big fan. Watching it now on Tubi. Kind of shocking to see how he looks now.