One day, circa 1977, I drove down to the big city and called on Gordon at his home in Rosedale.. At that time, I was a photographic student from KW who wanted to do a photojournalistic piece on him. He invited me in and spent a half hour, explaining why this could not happen in the immediate future. As he sat by his piano in the front parlour, he took time to explain that he was currently planning an extensive tour and that his time was committed to be away for far too many months than I had left in school, to do this project. That day, I had left my Leica's in the car and had therefore come away with no photographs. But I did come away with an utmost respect for this kind and gentle person, whom I had been a long-time fan of, ever since my vice principal, whose office i was a frequent visitor of, back in 1970, had first turned me on to Gordon's music. Years later, my wife and I had seen Gordon in concert, just him and his guitar, and re-affirmed our utmost respect for his incredible talent. His CD was loaded in my car's player, before and on, the day that he had passed away. The memories and his music be enjoyed well into our future. Thank you Gordon. You were truly a humble and an extraordinary man and, as my experience proves, as forthright as seen in this CBC clip.
Handsome man. He is right. Writing is about observation, close observation of life. And yes, sometimes you think of an idea right before bed, or if you are really lucky, you wake up with the tune in your head.
@@Gabrielishere there's a lot more to that story. I wish she would've had the opportunity to give her side of what happened with Belushi. Which apparently was set up and arranged by LA's narcotics unit.
i recall an interview with Gordon saying "If you could read my mind" was written at the time of his marriage breakdown and his producer convinced him to lighten up and change the sentiment. He did and we got a great song.
@@sweetcaroline2060 Somehow I feel like I heard the announcement before it was a big announcement. I was thinking, “I heard that last night”, at the time it broke big.
Fascinating to see him at this young age of about 29 and reenacting the process of writing a song. Just saw him a week ago in Tarrytown, New York. He's quite a different person now at age 78, frail lbut still a great storyteller and funny, too. He commented in concert that many of his songs a verse or two can be lopped off and it's not much different, but not so for the likes of The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald. One of the greatest songwriters ever. When listening, I want his songs to go on forever, as Bob Dylan said.
Rest in Peace Gordon, you were truly one of the best songwriters in the history of the entire world and this video shows why you were so great. I'm glad that I found this amazing video. I loved your music and I will miss you so very much, a legend! 8:23am, 05/15/2023
Nice to hear the progression of ideas from Gordon. Also, to see his notation of the melody. As well as his talent as a guitarist and singer, he was knowledgeable about music arranging. Now that he has passed, all those beautiful songs are his legacy to the world.
WNEW-FM radio host Vin Scelsa used to invite three or four musicians to discuss songwriting at the New York's Bottom Line club. He had some memorable shows with a host of musical luminaries
His music offered a passport into parts of history and all of the human condition. His work is woven through the permanent fabric of Canadian culture and the global quilt of folk music. His final record “Solo” can now be considered a beautiful closing chapter on a wonderful book of music.
Now that's an amazing process. Wake up with a line in ur head, and write it down somewhere, relating it to a melody. I do the reverse. A melody comes into my head, a rough idea of instrumentation enters my mind. Only a few weeks later does lyrics begin to be typed into my notes app on my phone.
that is just not important. Bob Dylan. NEITHER of them need the others recognition to be solid and no artist does. Irrelevant to any artist is what artist likes them. Not at all what matters. It's like when someone says about a new guitarist, that they are the next hendrix...
Gordon Lightfoot learned about songwriting from Bob Dylan, but Dylan never treated Lightfoot like a protégé. Rather, they were friends and contemporaries.
Artists like Lightfoot can talk all day long about their techniques and methodologies. At the bottom line, however, Lightfoot was just endowed with natural talents that very few possess.
what... did people stop. By the way.. Beatles and stones didn't... are they did not write music in your eyes? That is just stupid... music works many ways. Yes, I write and use paper too... other great musicians don't also..
It seems that to be born Gord, or Gordon, or Gordie in Canada places one under the light of an auspicious star (sounds like the making of an intriguing NFB doc!). 'We' all know that Mr. Lightfoot is an icon, a legend, a treasure, and many more like qualifiers, but sometimes it seems that we too complacently accept this and don't pay attention to the profundity of his presence in national culture and psyche. Yes, he was once THE Canadian pop star and remained so with his entirely idiosyncratic sound and compositional style, and this is no small feat. As far as I know he was the first Canadian to have a song banned on American radio stations ('Black Day in July') and set the mode for such other 'counter imperial' poems as 'American Woman' and Young's 'Ohio'. He still lays claim to the one truly national epic ballad (The Canadian Railroad Trilogy) and to being the proletarian poet laureate of the true north, capable of an unembellished posey that is richer for its clarity. His personification of Lake Superior as 'sing[ing] in the rooms of her ice water mansion' is but one example...who could ever eroticize that vast, ostensibly indifferent lake so? And he was moved by music and feeling, not fame. If ever there was a grizzled White Knight of the Great White North it is he. We dub thee Sir Gordon - no - LORD Gordon - of Pre-Cambrian Shield!
conoci su música en los 70, me cautivo de inmediato, bellos sus temas, aun que solo llegó a mis oidos if you could read my mind, sundown y wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald. Con los años me adentré mas en conocer sobre su vida e interpretaciones.....y todo por medio de youtube
It also helps to have a beautiful heart.. and an excellent ear. I live very close to the city he was raised in, worked there for years and always wondered if I would ever see him. Of course he lived somewhere else by then, but Orillia sure is proud of Gordon Lightfoot. And, you many not realize it but Glenn Gould spent his youth just outside Orillia on the same lake at his families cottage.. There are videos of GG walking and conducting not 10 minutes from town.
When Gordon was young and hip Nico was looking for a song to make her famous before her Velvet Underground days after she had been in movies. She recorded Gordon's tune "I'm Not Sayin'". She ended up recording "These Days" by Jackson Browne too. Gordon of course kept writing tunes. So many classics.
[ re: towards the end of the video ] notice his musical penmanship ... the basic fundamentals. hey kids, rappers etc. learn the rudiments like Gordie did. you will also be rewarded.
That was pretty cool ..that was different and interesting... it would have been cool if they did that for a whole bunch of artists and writers Comedians filmmakers and all that
Look at all of the musical talent that is born and raised in Canada. Mitchell, Lightfoot, Healy, Cohen, the list goes on and on. Bachman and all of the musicians that came out of that Winnepeg connection, Burton Cummings. For a nation that has only a population of what 30-40 million, so many talented people come from there. Neil Young. I think that says something about the nation as a whole. I don't exactly what it says, but it is only good.
Robbie Robertson & The Band: Richard Manuel, Garth Hudson, Rick Danko (Levon was from Arkansas!). Buffy Saint-Marie. Ian and Silvia. Bryan Adams. Can you think of others?
Maybe...after decades, he noticed he was the only one around that stood the test of time...and realized he was a genius. He was a Living Treasure of the world. It's a much dimmer place now.
Lucky thing the film crew were there in his house to film him as the song came to him in his sleep. Imagine if he'd had writer's block and slept right through.
