"Song for a Winter's Night" is a song written by

Gordon Lightfoot Gordon Meredith Lightfoot Jr. (born November 17, 1938) is a Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist who achieved international success in folk, folk-rock, and country music. He is credited with helping to define the folk-pop sound of the 1960 ...

, and first recorded for his album '' The Way I Feel'' (1967). Lightfoot recorded another version of the song for ''

Gord's Gold ''Gord's Gold'' is a compilation album released by Canadian singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot in 1975. Originally a vinyl double album, it was reissued on CD in 1987 (with one track, "Affair on 8th Avenue", omitted to allow the collection to f ...

'' (1975), a greatest hits compilation on which other re-recordings also appeared.

Background

The song was written on a hot summer night in

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

while Lightfoot was performing there. He was missing his wife of the time, Brita Ingegerd Olaisson, and his thoughts turned to winter.

Covers

Sarah McLachlan covered the song for the soundtrack to the 1994 film '' Miracle on 34th Street''; her rendition also appears on her 1996 compilation album '' Rarities, B-Sides and Other Stuff'', on her 2006 Christmas album ''

Wintersong ''Wintersong'' is the sixth album and first Christmas album by Canadian singer-songwriter Sarah McLachlan, released in October 2006. It was produced by longtime collaborator Pierre Marchand and includes contributions from Jim Creeggan of Barena ...

'', and in the soundtrack for the TV series ''

Due South ''Due South'' is a Canadian crime comedy-drama television series created by Paul Haggis, and produced by Alliance Communications from its premiere on April 26, 1994, to its conclusion after four seasons on March 14, 1999. The series starred Pau ...

''. Other artists who have covered the song include

The Raftsmen The Raftsmen was a Canadian folk music group, active through the 1960s, which performed Canadian and traditional folk songs. They collectively played 15 different instruments, including guitar, banjo and percussion, and sang songs in 13 languages. ...

(who retitled it "The Hands I Love"), on their 1967 album ''On Target'';

Harry Belafonte Harry Belafonte (born Harold George Bellanfanti Jr.; March 1, 1927) is an American singer, activist, and actor. As arguably the most successful Jamaican-American pop star, he popularized the Trinbagonian Caribbean musical style with an interna ...

, on his 1967 album "Belafonte on Campus" (under the title "The Hands I Love");

Kenny Rankin Kenneth Joseph Rankin (February 10, 1940 – June 7, 2009) was an American singer and songwriter in the folk rock and singer-songwriter genres; he was influenced by jazz. Rankin would often sing notes in a high range to express emotion. Biogr ...

, on his 1967 album ''Mind-Dusters'';

Catherine McKinnon Catherine McKinnon (born May 14, 1944) is a Canadian actress and folk/pop singer. Early life and education Born in Saint John, New Brunswick, McKinnon began as a child performer, making her debut radio broadcast at age eight and her television ...

, on her 1969 album ''Everybody's Talkin' ''; Nana Mouskouri in French on her 1968 album ''Je Me Souviens'' and English on the 1969 album ''The Exquisite''; Tony Rice, on his 1986 album '' Me & My Guitar'';

Schooner Fare Schooner Fare is a Maine-based folk band, consisting of Steve Romanoff (vocals, six and twelve-string guitar, five-string banjo), Chuck Romanoff (vocals, twelve-string guitar, tenor banjo), and formerly Tom Rowe (vocals, bass guitar, tin whist ...

, on their 1987 album ''Home for the Holidays''; Quartette, on their 2003 album ''Beautiful: A Tribute to Gordon Lightfoot''; Tommy Fleming, on his 2009 album ''Song for a Winter's Night''; Reid Jamieson, on his 2012 album ''Songs for a Winter's Night''; Sanna Nielsen on her 2013 Christmas album '' Min jul''.;

Blue Rodeo Blue Rodeo is a Canadian country rock band formed in 1984 in Toronto, Ontario. They have released 16 full-length studio albums, four live recordings, one greatest hits album, and two video/DVDs, along with multiple solo albums, side projects, a ...

, on their 2014 album '' A Merrie Christmas to You;'' Goodnight, Sunrise as a standalone 2018 single; and Glass Tiger on their 2020 album "Songs For A Winter's Night".

References

Gordonlightfoot.com (fan site)
{{reflist 1967 songs Gordon Lightfoot songs Songs written by Gordon Lightfoot American Christmas songs Sanna Nielsen songs