Bruce Cockburn discography
The discography for Canadian rock singer Bruce Cockburn consists of 26 studio albums, 5 live albums, 9 compilation albums, and over 30 singles.
Cockburn was signed to True North Records in 1970, becoming the first artist signed to the label.[1] That same year, he released his self-titled album, which peaked at No. 65 on the RPM Canadian album chart. Cockburn's albums were released under several labels in the United States, with his first album being carried by Epic Records in 1971.[2] He then switched to Island Records for the US release of In the Falling Dark[3] before Millennium Records agreed to handle the release of his records in the United States.[4]
Following "Up the Hillside", which reached the Canadian adult contemporary chart, Cockburn experienced a seven-year dry spell on the singles charts until "Wondering Where the Lions Are", his first song to appear on the national singles charts in the United States. It became his highest charting single on the US Billboard Hot 100 and his second song to reach the RPM Top Singles chart after "One Day I Walk", which had entered that listing nearly eight years prior. Cockburn sustained a series of charting singles throughout the 1980s and 1990s in Canada, with several of them reaching the top 50. His highest charting song in his home country was "If a Tree Falls", which peaked at No. 8 in 1989.
Several of Cockburn's albums have received certifications from Music Canada, with his Christmas album being certified 6x platinum.[5]
Albums
[edit]Studio albums
[edit]| Title | Release date |
|---|---|
| Bruce Cockburn | 1970 reissued in colored vinyl for True North Records 50th Anniversary box set in 2020 |
| High Winds, White Sky | 1971 Deluxe edition reissued with additional tracks 2002 |
| Sunwheel Dance | 1972 Deluxe edition reissued with additional tracks 2005 |
| Night Vision | 1973 |
| Salt, Sun and Time | 1974 |
| Joy Will Find a Way | 1975 |
| In the Falling Dark | 1976 Deluxe edition reissued with additional tracks 2002 |
| Further Adventures Of | 1978 Deluxe edition reissued with additional track 2002 |
| Dancing in the Dragon's Jaws | 1979 Deluxe edition reissued with additional tracks 2002 |
| Humans | 1980 Deluxe edition reissued with additional track 2003 |
| Inner City Front | 1981 Deluxe edition reissued with additional tracks 2002 |
| The Trouble with Normal | 1983 Deluxe edition reissued with additional tracks 2002 |
| Stealing Fire | 1984 Deluxe edition reissued with additional tracks 2003 |
| World of Wonders | 1986 |
| Big Circumstance | 1989 Deluxe edition reissued with additional track 2005 |
| Nothing but a Burning Light | 1991 |
| Christmas | 1993 |
| Dart to the Heart | 1994 |
| The Charity of Night | 1997 reissued in colored vinyl for True North Records 50th Anniversary box set in 2020 |
| Breakfast in New Orleans, Dinner in Timbuktu | 1999 reissued in colored vinyl for True North Records 50th Anniversary box set in 2020 |
| You've Never Seen Everything | 2003 |
| Life Short Call Now | 2006 |
| Small Source of Comfort | 2011 |
| Bone On Bone | 2017 |
| Crowing Ignites | 2019 |
| O Sun O Moon | 2023 |
| The Blood of Others | 2026 Planned for an October 16, 2026 release. |
Live albums
[edit]| Title | Release date |
|---|---|
| Circles in the Stream | 1977 Deluxe edition reissued 2005 |
| Bruce Cockburn Live | 1990 Deluxe edition reissued with additional track 2002 |
| You Pay Your Money and You Take Your Chance | 1997 |
| Bruce Cockburn—Live on World Cafe | 2002 bonus disc from Borders Books and Music |
| Slice O Life—Solo Live | 2009 |
Compilations
[edit]| Title | Release date |
|---|---|
| Resume | 1981 US only |
| Mummy Dust | 1981 originally released in Canada only |
| Rumours of Glory | 1985 Germany only |
| Waiting for a Miracle: Singles 1970–1987 | 1987 Canadian version is two discs, US version is one |
| If a Tree Falls | 1990 Australia only |
| Anything Anytime Anywhere: Singles 1979–2002 | 2002 |
| Speechless | 2005 instrumental compilation; includes 3 new recordings |
| Greatest Hits 1970-2020 | 2021 no new material was released on this album |
| Rarities | 2022 Collection of unreleased tracks and remastered tracks |
Videos
[edit]| Title | Release date | Media | Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bruce Cockburn Live - Rumours of Glory | 1984 | VHS, Beta | Cineplex Corp. |
| Bruce Cockburn Full House 1986 Hamburg TV show | 2005 | DVD | |
| Bruce Cockburn Pacing the Cage: The Feature Documentary | 2013 | DVD | True North Records |
Other releases
[edit]- "Ribbon of Darkness", a track on Beautiful: A Tribute to Gordon Lightfoot
- "Strong Hand of Love", a track on the Mark Heard tribute albums Strong Hand of Love (1994) and Orphans of God (1996)
- "Lord of the Starfields" (with Rob Wasserman), "Lovers in a Dangerous Time" (with Rob Wasserman), and "Cry of a Tiny Babe" (with Lou Reed, Rosanne Cash, and Rob Wasserman), all on The Best of the Columbia Records Radio Hour, Volume 1 (1995)
- "Last Night of the World" on the WXPN compilation album, Live at the World Café – Volume 9 (1999)
- "If I Had a Rocket Launcher", a track on the acoustic sessions album "2 Meter Sessies Volume 1" (1991).
- "Wise Users", a track on the 1996 album, Honor: A Benefit for the Honor The Earth Campaign
Chart singles
[edit]| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Album | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAN | CAN AC |
AUS[7] | US | US Rock | |||
| 1970 | "Going to the Country" | — | 4 [1] | — | — | — | Bruce Cockburn |
| "Musical Friends" | — | 26 | — | — | — | ||
| 1971 | "One Day I Walk" | 64 | — | — | — | — | High Winds, White Sky |
| 1972 | "It's Going Down Slow" | — | 12 | — | — | — | Sunwheel Dance |
| "Up on the Hillside" | — | 21 | — | — | — | ||
| 1973 | "Mama Just Wants to Barrelhouse All Night Long" | — | — | — | — | — | Night Vision |
| 1975 | "Burn" | — | — | — | — | — | Joy Will Find a Way |
| 1977 | "I'm Gonna Fly Someday" | — | — | — | — | — | In the Falling Dark |
| 1978 | "Laughter" | — | — | — | — | — | Further Adventures Of |
| 1979 | "Wondering Where the Lions Are" | 39 | 7 | 92 | 21 | — | Dancing in the Dragon's Jaws |
| 1980 | "Tokyo" | 44 | 36 | — | — | — | Humans |
| 1981 | "Rumours of Glory" | — | 36 | — | 104 | — | |
| "Fascist Architecture (I'm Okay)" | — | 1 [2] | — | — | — | ||
| "Coldest Night of the Year" | 42 | — | — | — | — | Mummy Dust | |
| 1982 | "You Pay Your Money and You Take Your Chance" | — | 21 | — | — | — | Inner City Front |
| 1984 | "Lovers in a Dangerous Time" | 24 | 8 | — | — | 56 | Stealing Fire |
| "Making Contact" | 80 | — | — | — | — | ||
| "If I Had a Rocket Launcher" | 49 | — | — | 88 | 16 | ||
| 1985 | "Peggy's Kitchen Wall" | 88 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1986 | "People See Through You" | 37 | 4 | — | — | — | World of Wonders |
| "Call It Democracy" | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "See How I Miss You" | 81 | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1987 | "Waiting for a Miracle" | 50 | 12 | — | — | — | Waiting for a Miracle |
| 1989 | "If A Tree Falls" | 8 | — | 41 | — | 20 | Big Circumstance |
| "Don't Feel Your Touch" | 43 | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Shipwrecked at the Stable Door" | 92 | 22 | — | — | — | ||
| 1991 | "A Dream Like Mine" | 16 | 5 | 175 | — | 22 | Nothing but a Burning Light |
| 1992 | "Great Big Love" | 27 | 12 | — | — | — | |
| "Mighty Trucks of Midnight" | 67 | 12 | — | — | — | ||
| "Somebody Touched Me" | 49 | 8 | — | — | — | ||
| 1994 | "Listen for the Laugh" | 18 | 9 | — | — | — | Dart to the Heart |
| "Scanning These Crowds" | 42 | 21 | — | — | — | ||
| 1995 | "Someone I Used to Love" | — | 36 | — | — | — | |
| 1997 | "Night Train" | 25 | 10 | — | — | — | The Charity of Night |
| 1999 | "Last Night of the World" | — | 28 | — | — | — | Breakfast in New Orleans, Dinner in Timbuktu |
[8] Notes
- 1 ^ "Going to the Country" peaked at No. 4 on the RPM Adult Contemporary (A/C) chart in November 1970. However, at the time, and for the Adult Contemporary chart only, RPM only charted A/C songs that qualified as Canadian Content. This policy was changed mid-way through the song's chart run, and all A/C records regardless of national origin were eligible for the chart. Under these new criteria, "Going to the Country" peaked at No. 11 in December 1970.
- 2 ^ The song "Fascist Architecture" was released to radio under the title "I'm Okay". It peaked at No. 1 on the RPM Adult Contemporary (A/C) chart in March 1981. However, at the time, and for the Adult Contemporary chart only, RPM once only charted A/C songs that qualified as Canadian Content. This short-lived policy was abandoned later in 1981.
References
[edit]- ↑ "Bruce Cockburn Announces Limited Edition Vinyl Box Set - True North Records". True North Records. Retrieved October 5, 2026.
- ↑ "True North Into Albums" (PDF). Billboard. July 17, 1971. p. 44. Retrieved October 5, 2026.
- ↑ "Cockburn Celebrates U.S. release with NYC debut" (PDF). RPM. March 19, 1977. p. 10. Retrieved October 5, 2026.
- ↑ "Millennium to release Bruce Cockburn in U.S" (PDF). RPM. January 12, 1980. p. 34. Retrieved October 5, 2026.
- ↑ "Gold & Platinum". Music Canada. Retrieved October 6, 2026.
- ↑ Steve Huey. "Bruce Cockburn". AllMusic. Retrieved February 10, 2016.
- ↑ "Bruce Cockburn ARIA chart history 1988 to 2025". ARIA. Retrieved June 6, 2026 – via Imgur.com. N.B. The High Point number in the NAT column represents the release's peak on the national chart.
- ↑ "Bruce Cockburn". Retrieved February 10, 2016.