1974Released
3:33

Did You Know?

Interesting facts and trivia about Sundown. By Songfacts®.

The inspiration for this song came from Lightfoot worrying about his girlfriend, who was out at bars all day while he was at home writing songs. He recalled during a Reddit AMA: "I had this girlfriend one time, and I was at home working, at my desk, working at my songwriting which I had been doing all week since I was on a roll, and my girlfriend was somewhere drinking, drinking somewhere. So I was hoping that no one else would get their hands on her, because she was pretty good lookin'!" "As a matter of fact, it was written just around Sundown," he added, "just as the sun was setting, behind the farm I had rented to use as a place to write the album."

In the documentary Gordon Lightfoot: If You Could Read My Mind, Lightfoot reveals that the song is about his stormy relationship with Cathy Smith, who was later sent to prison for delivering a lethal dose of heroin to John Belushi. In the early '70s, with his marriage crumbling, Lightfoot moved in with Smith for about three years. "It was one of those relationships where you get a feeling of danger," he said. Smith is credited as a backup singer on the song "High And Dry" from the Sundown album.

There's more than a hint of jealousy and paranoia in this song, as Lightfoot sings: Sundown ya better take care If I find you been creepin' 'round my back stairs Lightfoot was at a career peak but had divorced his first wife and was doing a lot of drinking. His personal life was a roller coaster - he got married three times and had six children. His struggles show up in his songs, but for the most part, he didn't name names.

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Song Analysis

Key, BPM (tempo) and time signature of Sundown.
BKey
MajorMode
4/4Time Signature
106BPM

Album

The album Sundown is released on.

Released By

The record label that has released Sundown.
Rhino/Warner Records
© 1974 Reprise Records.
℗ 1974 Reprise Records. Marketed by Rhino Entertainment Company, a Warner Music Group Company.

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