Endless Wire is the Canadian singer Gordon Lightfoot's twelfth studio album, released in 1978 on Warner Bros. Records (#3149).

The closing track, "The Circle Is Small", was a re-recording of a song from Lightfoot's fourth album, Back Here on Earth (1968).

In the USA, Endless Wire peaked at #22 on Billboard 200 chart and #14 on the country album chart. In Canada it reached #2 on the RPM album chart, while in Australia it reached #56 on the Kent Music Report.

Three singles were released from the album. In the US, "The Circle Is Small" peaked at #3 on the adult contemporary chart, #33 on the pop chart and #92 on the country chart. In Canada, it reached #1 on the adult contemporary chart, #6 on the pop chart, and #9 on the country. "Dreamland" peaked at #100 on the US country chart and #24 on the Canadian adult contemporary chart. "Daylight Katy" reached #16 on the US adult contemporary chart, #25 on the Canadian adult contemporary chart, #44 on the Canadian pop chart, and #41 on the UK pop chart.

Critical reception

The Globe and Mail called the album "a collection of soft melodies, impeccably sung and harmonized and backed up with only the most tasteful instrumentation."

Track listing

All songs composed by Gordon Lightfoot

  1. "Daylight Katy" – 4:18
  2. "Sweet Guinevere" – 3:16
  3. "Hangdog Hotel Room" – 2:35
  4. "If There's a Reason" – 4:52
  5. "Endless Wire" – 4:07
  6. "Dreamland" – 2:53
  7. "Songs the Minstrel Sang" – 2:49
  8. "Sometimes I Don't Mind" – 2:53
  9. "If Children Had Wings" – 3:50
  10. "The Circle Is Small (I Can See It in Your Eyes)" – 4:03

Chart performance

Weekly charts

{| class="wikitable"

! Chart (1978)

! Peak<br />position

|-

|Australia (Kent Music Report)

| style="text-align:center;"|56

|-

|-

|}

Year-end charts

{| class="wikitable"

! Chart (1978)

! Position

|-

|}

Personnel

  • Gordon Lightfoot - vocals, six and twelve-string guitar, high-string guitar, electric guitar
  • Terry Clements - lead guitar
  • Rick Haynes - bass guitar
  • Tom Szczesniak - bass guitar
  • Pee Wee Charles - steel guitar
  • Red Shea - guitar
  • Barry Keane - drums, percussion
  • Doug Riley - orchestration, piano
  • Jack Zaza - alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, shakers, baritone sax, bass clarinet, English horn, alto flute, harmonica, harmonium
  • Mitch Clarke - bassoon

References

  • Album lyrics and chords