Gordon Lightfoot's best song? I think it would have to be "The Circle is Small". The contrast between the sadness of its subject matter and the uplifting, carefree, 'liberating' melodic theme is to my mind what makes it a great accomplishment, concept-wise. And if you should separate the lyrics from the melody, you would find that they can pretty well function by themselves. Lightfoot wisely gave it a more complex, refined arrangement in its "Endless Wire" version (the song had appeared previously on his "Back Here On Earth" album), but you could strum it on your guitar and it would come across as equally potent. I think this is the best of Lightfoot's many beautiful songs.
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