The 1966 song Gordon Lightfoot wished he had never written: “I learned a lesson”

Gordon Lightfoot said he regretted writing “For Lovin’ Me”, a song from his 1966 debut album, because its lyrics portray a callous attitude towards a partner. In a 2016 interview, he described it as a poor song to write while married and said he stopped performing it after reflecting on what it expressed.

The song drew criticism even at the time, and Lightfoot later questioned how his wife had tolerated its words. He said he had learned a lesson from singing it and preferred to perform only the best-loved songs in his catalogue. The article also notes his wider reputation as a celebrated Canadian songwriter, with hits including “If You Could Read My Mind”, “Sundown” and “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald”.