"Sundown" is a song by Canadian folk artist

Gordon Lightfoot Gordon Meredith Lightfoot Jr. (November 17, 1938 – May 1, 2023) was a Canadian singer-songwriter who achieved worldwide success and helped define the singer-songwriter era of the 1970s. Widely considered one of Canada's greatest songwriters, ...

, from the titular album, released as a single in March 1974. "Sundown" reached number one on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and

easy listening Easy listening (including mood music) is a popular music genre and radio format that was most popular during the 1950s to the 1970s. It is related to middle of the road (MOR) music and encompasses instrumental recordings of standards, hit s ...

charts and number 13 on the

Hot Country singles Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data along with digital sales and streaming. ...

chart, as well as number one in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

on ''

RPM Revolutions per minute (abbreviated rpm, RPM, rev/min, r/min, or r⋅min−1) is a unit of rotational speed (or rotational frequency) for rotating machines. One revolution per minute is equivalent to hertz. Standards ISO 80000-3:2019 def ...

''s national singles chart. It was Lightfoot's only single to reach number one on the Hot 100.

Content

The lyrics describe a troubled romantic relationship (often cited as Cathy Smith), with the narrator recounting an affair with a "hard-loving woman ho'sgot me feeling mean". In a 2008 interview, Lightfoot said:

Personnel

Engineered by Lee Herschberg
Recorded at Eastern Sound Studios,

Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

, Canada *Gordon Lightfoot: Lead and background vocals, 12-string guitar *

Red Shea Patrick Henry "Red" Shea (November 29, 1898 – November 17, 1981) was a Major League Baseball pitcher who played in with the Philadelphia Athletics, and and with the New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American foot ...

: Lead electric guitar *Terry Clements: Lead acoustic guitar *John Stockfish: Bass * Jim Gordon: Drums

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

In popular culture

The song was featured prominently in the 2024 vampire-themed horror film '' Salem's Lot'', as well as in the film's trailer.

Other versions

Nana Mouskouri Ioanna "Nana" Mouskouri ( ; born 13 October 1934) is a Greek singer and politician. Over the span of her career, she has released an estimated 450 albums in at least thirteen languages, including Greek language, Greek, French language, French, ...

recorded a French version, "''L'Amour, c'est comme l'été''", on her 1974 album ''Que Je Sois Un Ange''. * The musical project/collaboration of singer-songwriters Elwood covered the song in 2000. This version peaked at number 33 on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' Modern Rock Tracks chart on July 8, 2000. * American country music singer Deryl Dodd's version of the song peaked at number 59 on ''Billboard''s Hot Country Singles and Tracks chart in 1999. It was later included on his album, ''Pearl Snaps'' (2002). *Danish supergroup Dalton covered the song on their first album, ''Dalton'', released in 1992, under the title "Selskabsmadonna". *American country music singer Charles Wesley Godwin covered the song through Amazon Original Music in 2024.

References

External links

* {{Authority control 1974 songs 1974 singles Gordon Lightfoot songs Deryl Dodd songs Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles Cashbox number-one singles Reprise Records singles RPM Top Singles number-one singles Number-one singles in South Africa Song recordings produced by Lenny Waronker Songs about infidelity Songs written by Gordon Lightfoot