Taking a break from politics today to acknowledge in more depth what Charlie alluded to in brief: the passing of Gordon Lightfoot and the sense of loss so many of us feel. Justin Trudeau rightly paid homage to the man the same day and acknowledged that his death represents the departure of a national treasure in Canada. He took us to tha…
Taking a break from politics today to acknowledge in more depth what Charlie alluded to in brief: the passing of Gordon Lightfoot and the sense of loss so many of us feel. Justin Trudeau rightly paid homage to the man the same day and acknowledged that his death represents the departure of a national treasure in Canada. He took us to that not-so-far-away land and painted an audio portrait of it best viewed in the intimacy of our minds. Sundown ... Carefree Highway ... Beautiful ... The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald ... and so many more, so often on an otherwise mundane or even lousy day they came on the radio and immediately lifted our spirits and took us to a better place. It is not a small thing when an artist can accomplish that so frequently and, seemingly, so effortlessly.
Saying that you are a Gordon Lightfoot fan, not unlike admitting that you are fond of Neil Diamond's quietly impressive music, doesn't earn you much in the way of street cred, especially with younger generations. But informed listeners know what you mean and acknowledge both that you know the good stuff when you hear it and that your tastes are timeless. There is something to be said for each in this ever-changing world. Thanks, Gordon, and God speed to your better destination. You will be missed here as the music and the memories live on.
I was a folk music fan in the 60's. I lived in Buffalo, NY. and in 1969, my then boyfriend and I were scheduled to go to the Mariposa Folk Festival in Ontario to hear, among others, Gordon Lightfoot. My boyfriend had to work that weekend and we couldn't go. I was so disappointed that he said, "Well, there's this other music festival not too far from us in August, let's go to that one." That's how I ended up at Woodstock.
I missed a Gordon Lightfoot concert five years ago this month because I had such bad morning sickness. My husband was like "you'd be the youngest person their by thirty years!". I'll never get the chance to see him in concert now. But I did get to take my son to see Don McClean last summer though :) He's stuck gong to concerts with me forever now as payback!
I too was sorry to read of Gordon Lightfoot’s passing. I first learned of him from covers of his work, the best of which (IMHO) was Marty Robbin’s version of Ribbon of Darkness. Every November KFGO radio in Fargo would play The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald. On one such ocassion I recall my mother commenting on the evocative lyrics of The Edmund Fitzgerald, especially ‘…the wind in wires played a tattletale sound as the waves broke over the failing, and every man knew as the Captain did too, t‘was the witch of November come stealing,’.
Truly one of the great song writers of the 20th Century and one of may reasons to love Canada.
I just finished reading comments on Lightfoot’s passing, in NYT. One person wrote, “He sang us through our youth”. So, so much nostalgia for the man and the times. It resonates deeply.
Taking a break from politics today to acknowledge in more depth what Charlie alluded to in brief: the passing of Gordon Lightfoot and the sense of loss so many of us feel. Justin Trudeau rightly paid homage to the man the same day and acknowledged that his death represents the departure of a national treasure in Canada. He took us to that not-so-far-away land and painted an audio portrait of it best viewed in the intimacy of our minds. Sundown ... Carefree Highway ... Beautiful ... The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald ... and so many more, so often on an otherwise mundane or even lousy day they came on the radio and immediately lifted our spirits and took us to a better place. It is not a small thing when an artist can accomplish that so frequently and, seemingly, so effortlessly.
Saying that you are a Gordon Lightfoot fan, not unlike admitting that you are fond of Neil Diamond's quietly impressive music, doesn't earn you much in the way of street cred, especially with younger generations. But informed listeners know what you mean and acknowledge both that you know the good stuff when you hear it and that your tastes are timeless. There is something to be said for each in this ever-changing world. Thanks, Gordon, and God speed to your better destination. You will be missed here as the music and the memories live on.
I was a folk music fan in the 60's. I lived in Buffalo, NY. and in 1969, my then boyfriend and I were scheduled to go to the Mariposa Folk Festival in Ontario to hear, among others, Gordon Lightfoot. My boyfriend had to work that weekend and we couldn't go. I was so disappointed that he said, "Well, there's this other music festival not too far from us in August, let's go to that one." That's how I ended up at Woodstock.
I missed a Gordon Lightfoot concert five years ago this month because I had such bad morning sickness. My husband was like "you'd be the youngest person their by thirty years!". I'll never get the chance to see him in concert now. But I did get to take my son to see Don McClean last summer though :) He's stuck gong to concerts with me forever now as payback!
You can’t hop a jet plane the way you can a freight train.
Well said
I too was sorry to read of Gordon Lightfoot’s passing. I first learned of him from covers of his work, the best of which (IMHO) was Marty Robbin’s version of Ribbon of Darkness. Every November KFGO radio in Fargo would play The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald. On one such ocassion I recall my mother commenting on the evocative lyrics of The Edmund Fitzgerald, especially ‘…the wind in wires played a tattletale sound as the waves broke over the failing, and every man knew as the Captain did too, t‘was the witch of November come stealing,’.
Truly one of the great song writers of the 20th Century and one of may reasons to love Canada.
Big fan here of both Gordon Lightfoot and Ian Tyson. Both wrote hauntingly beautiful melodies. Both will be missed.
I just finished reading comments on Lightfoot’s passing, in NYT. One person wrote, “He sang us through our youth”. So, so much nostalgia for the man and the times. It resonates deeply.
I was raised on classical music. Gordon Lightfoot was a treasure.
Very well said.