Beautiful - Gordon Lightfoot (1972) 4/28/22

Those of us who grew up in the Toledo area had somewhat of a cultural advantage when it came to popular music. Because we lived about 55 miles from Windsor, Ontario and radio station CKLW, we were exposed to Canadian music from a very young age.

Today, I want to highlight a Canadian artist who, early in his career, wrote and sang some "Great Songs" that were big on the Canadian charts...but didn't quite crack the Top 25 in the States.

For example, after his big Canadian/US hit "If You CouId Read My Mind" in 1970, Gordon Lightfoot released a song called "Beautiful," that was exactly that: Beautiful.

It went all the way to #1 on the Canada's Adult Contemporary Chart, but for some reason, it peaked at just #30 on Billboard's Hot 100.

To this day, Gordon thinks it's one of his best. In his words: "It's a song about love fulfilled. One of those songs I've played every night for over a quarter-century, and I don't get tired of it."

"Beautiful" by Gordon Lightfoot: a "Great Song of 1972," whether you're Canadian...or not!