Sundown (Gordon Lightfoot song)
"Sundown" | ||||
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Single by Gordon Lightfoot | ||||
from the album Sundown | ||||
B-side | "Too Late for Prayin'" | |||
Released | March 25, 1974 | |||
Format | 7" 45 RPM | |||
Genre | Folk rock, country rock | |||
Length | 3:37 | |||
Label | Reprise | |||
Songwriter(s) | Gordon Lightfoot | |||
Producer(s) | Lenny Waronker | |||
Gordon Lightfoot singles chronology | ||||
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"Sundown" is a song by Canadian folk artist Gordon Lightfoot, from the eponymous album, released as a single in March 1974.
"Sundown" reached No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and easy listening charts[1] and No. 13 on the Hot Country singles chart,[2] as well as No. 1 in Canada on RPM's national singles chart. It was Lightfoot's only single to reach No. 1 on the Hot 100.
Content
The song's lyrics seem to describe a troubled romantic relationship, (often cited as notorious groupie Cathy Smith) with the narrator recounting an affair with a "hard-loving woman [who's] got me feeling mean".
In a 2008 interview, Lightfoot said:
I think my girlfriend was out with her friends one night at a bar while I was at home writing songs. I thought, 'I wonder what she’s doing with her friends at that bar!' It’s that kind of a feeling. 'Where is my true love tonight? What is my true love doing?'[3]
Chart performance
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
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Other versions
- Scott Walker covered the song on his 1974 album We Had It All.
- The musical project/collaboration of singer-songwriters Elwood covered the song in 2000. This version peaked (July 8, 2000) at #33 on Billboard's "Modern Rock Tracks' chart.[12]
- American country music singer Deryl Dodd's version of the song peaked at #59 on Billboard's Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart in 1999. It was later included on his album, Pearl Snaps (2002).
- American-Canadian country artist Jesse Winchester covered this on Beautiful: A Tribute to Gordon Lightfoot (2003)
- Country singer Toby Keith included a live cover version on the deluxe edition of his album Bullets in the Gun (2010).
- Canadian rock musician Luke Doucet covered it on the album Steel City Trawler (2010).
- French singing duo Marie-Ève Janvier and Jean-François Breau covered the song in French as "L'amour c'est comme l'été", on the compilation album Quand le country dit bonjour... (2012).
- Ed Kuepper covered the song, including it on his greatest hits album
Personnel
Engineered by Lee Herschberg
Recorded at Eastern Sound Studios, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
- Gordon Lightfoot: Vocal, 12-string guitar
- John Stockfish: Bass
- Red Shea: Lead electric guitar
- Terry Clements: Lead acoustic guitar
- Jim Gordon: Drums
In other media
- "Sundown" is featured in the Mission Hill episode "Unemployment Part 1 (or Brother's Big Boner)".
- "Sundown" is the ending song of The Blacklist season 1, episode 13: "The Cyprus Agency (No. 64)" (January 27, 2014).[13]
- The song entered the Amazon UK chart at number 97 on 18 March 2014, after The Blacklist episode, "The Cypress Agency (No. 64)" was shown on UK television.
- "Sundown" is featured after the opening credits of Supernatural Season 10, Episode 5 "Fan Fiction" (November 11, 2014).
See also
References
- ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits: Eighth Edition. Record Research. p. 368.
- ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 201.
- ↑ Fink, Matt (1 January 2008). "Gordon Lightfoort: Sunrise to Sundown". American Songwriter. Retrieved 14 September 2018.
- ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ↑ "Top 40". Top40.nl. Retrieved 2016-10-10.
- ↑ "flavour of new zealand - search listener". Flavourofnz.co.nz. Retrieved 2016-10-10.
- ↑ "SA Charts 1965–March 1989". Retrieved 5 September 2018.
- ↑ "Australian Chart Book". Austchartbook.com.au. Retrieved 2016-10-10.
- ↑ "Image : RPM Weekly - Library and Archives Canada". Bac-lac.gc.ca. Retrieved 2016-10-10.
- ↑ "Top 20 Hit Singles of 1974". Retrieved 26 September 2018.
- ↑ "Top 100 Hits of 1974/Top 100 Songs of 1974". Musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved 2016-10-10.
- ↑ "Elwood - Chart history". Billboard. 2000-07-08. Retrieved 2016-10-10.
- ↑ "Soundtrack". IMDb.