"Ribbon of Darkness" is a song written by Gordon Lightfoot that was released in 1965 as a single by Marty Robbins. The song was Robbins' eleventh number one on the U.S. country singles chart, where it spent one week at the top and a total of nineteen weeks on the chart.[1]
| "Ribbon of Darkness" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Gordon Lightfoot | ||||
| B-side | "Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues" | |||
| Released | 1965 | |||
| Label | United Artists | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Gordon Lightfoot | |||
| Gordon Lightfoot singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| "Ribbon of Darkness" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Marty Robbins | ||||
| B-side | "Little Robin" | |||
| Released | March 22, 1965 | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Length | 2:30 | |||
| Label | Columbia 4-43258 | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Gordon Lightfoot | |||
| Marty Robbins singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Lightfoot's own version was released as single in 1965[2] and included in his 1966 debut album Lightfoot! and again for his 1975 compilation album Gord's Gold. The latter recording features the song in a medley with "I'm Not Sayin'", as does the live recording from Lightfoot's 1969 Sunday Concert album.
Other cover versions
edit- In 1969, Connie Smith made the top 20 on the country chart with her version, peaking at #13.[3]
- Crystal Gayle sang the song in her first television appearance. Video on YouTube and she released as the first single from her twenty sixth studio album You Don't Know Me: Classic Country in 2019. Her first single in 16 years.
- Jack Scott, 1950s rock 'n' roll legend, recorded the song for his 2015 release Way to Survive.
- Canadian singer-songwriter Bruce Cockburn contributed a cover of the song to the 2003 tribute album Beautiful: A Tribute to Gordon Lightfoot.
Conway Twitty also covered Ribbon of Darkness on his 1966 album Conway Twitty Sings.
Chart performance
editMarty Robbins
edit| Chart (1965) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[4] | 1 |
| US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (Billboard)[5] | 3 |
Connie Smith
edit| Chart (1969) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[6] | 13 |
| Canada Country Tracks (RPM)[7] | 1 |
References
edit- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 294.
- ^ Wayne Francis. "Gordon Lightfoot 60s Singles". Lightfoot.ca. Retrieved 2016-09-29.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 320.
- ^ "Marty Robbins Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
- ^ "Marty Robbins Chart History (Bubbling Under Hot 100)". Billboard.
- ^ "Connie Smith Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
- ^ "Top RPM Country Tracks: Issue 5980." RPM. Library and Archives Canada.
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