Gordon Lightfoot: If You Could Read My Mind

Directed by Joan Tosoni & Martha Kehoe
2019, Canada, 91 min

From the song he refuses to perform to his admiration for Drake, a songwriting legend reflects on his lyrics and longevity with candour and humour. Personal archive materials and studio sessions paint an intimate picture of an artist in his element, candidly revisiting his idealistic years in Yorkville’s coffeehouses, up through stadium tours and the hedonistic ’70s. Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash and Barbra Streisand are only a handful of the stars whose recordings of “Early Morning Rain” and other hits helped Lightfoot’s artistry leap across borders, but no matter how far his music travelled, he continued to write passionately about the country he called home. With his instantly recognizable voice and masterful guitar playing, Gordon Lightfoot remains influential and timeless. – Alexander Rogalski, Hot Docs