If You Could Read My Mind by Gordon Lightfoot is a song released in 1971, as the fifth track on his album “Endless Road”. The song was a hit in the UK, peaking at No. 30 and spending nine weeks on the chart. It reached the number 1 spot on the Adult Contemporary charts in both Canada and the US, and it peaked at number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the US, spending a total of 15 weeks on the chart. In Canada, the song peaked at number 1 on the Top Singles chart, and it also reached number 19 in New Zealand.

The song’s lyrics discuss a character who is reflective and introspective about past relationships. The character paints a vivid picture of the thoughts and emotions they experienced in their romantic past. The use of movie and romantic novel imagery in the song suggests that the character sees their past relationships as like watchable stories, with twists and turns and satisfying resolutions.