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 four on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in January 1971. Later in the year, it reached number thirty in the UK. Lightfoot has cited his divorce for inspiring the lyrics, saying they came to him as he was sitting in a vacant Toronto house one summer.
This song first appeared on Lightfoot's 1970 album Sit Down Young Stranger. The success of the single led Lightfoot's label, Reprise Records, to retitle the album after the song. The song also reached number one for one week on the Billboard Easy Listening chart.The song was the first of four Lightfoot releases to reach number one.