Gordon Lightfoot -The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald REACTION 

Lightfoot donated all proceeds from the song to the families of the men who died in this tragedy..

He donated all of his profits from this song to a charity for the families of dead mariners. And when Gordon Lightfoot died, he was honored at the Maritime Sailors Cathedral with an extra bell rung: one for each of the lost men on the ship, and one more for the artist who wrote about them.

"Does anyone know where the love of God goes when the waves turn minutes to hours?" Some of the most haunting lyrics of all time right there.

Gordon Lightfoot wrote this song after reading an article in Newsweek magazine about this tragedy. He was so moved by the story, he memorialize the wreck of this ship into a song. Incidentally, he considered this song to be one of his finest.

My father worked on the boats as a cook for many years.....including the Fitz.... I've been aboard her a few times myself.... We knew many of the men personally...... Rest in Peace.... Michael Armagost- 37- Third Mate- Iron River, Wisconsin Fred Beetcher- 56- Porter- Superior, Wisconsin Thomas Bentsen- 23- Oiler- St. Joseph, Michigan Edward Bindon -47- First Asst. Engineer- Fairport Harbor, Ohio Thomas Borgeson -41- Maintenance Man- Duluth, Minnesota Oliver Champeau- 41-Third Asst. Engineer- Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin Nolan Church -55 -Porter -Silver Bay, Minnesota Ransom Cundy- 53- Watchman- Superior, Wisconsin Thomas Edwards-50- Second Asst. Engineer- Oregon, Ohio Russell Haskell -40- Second Asst. Engineer- Millbury, Ohio George Holl -60- Chief Engineer- Cabot, Pennsylvania Bruce Hudson- 22- Deck Hand -North Olmsted, Ohio Allen Kalmon -43- Second Cook- Washburn, Wisconsin Gordon MacLellan- 30- Wiper- Clearwater, Florida Joseph Mazes- 59- Special Maintenance Man -Ashland, Wisconsin John McCarthy -62-First Mate -Bay Village, Ohio Ernest McSorley -63 -Captain -Toledo, Ohio Eugene O'Brien- 50- Wheelsman -Toledo, Ohio Karl Peckol -20- Watchman -Ashtabula, Ohio John Poviach -59- Wheelsman- Bradenton, Florida James Pratt -44- Second Mate- Lakewood, Ohio Robert Rafferty -62 -Steward -Toledo, Ohio Paul Riippa -22 -Deck Hand -Ashtabula, Ohio John Simmons -63 -Wheelsman -Ashland, Wisconsin William Spengler -59- Watchman- Toledo, Ohio Mark Thomas -21- Deck Hand- Richmond Heights, Ohio Ralph Walton -58- Oiler- Fremont, Ohio David Weiss -22 -Cadet -Agoura, California Blaine Wilhelm -52- Oiler- Moquah, Wisconsin

They rang the church bells 30 times. 29 for the lost souls and 1:for Gordon Lightfoot. Such a tribute!!!!

No one could tell a story in a song like Gordon. He was the Master. RIP Gordon

The line 'Superior never gives up her dead ' is literally true. The lake is cold and deep so the bodies do decompose and rise to the surface like they do in warmer waters. They are still there in and around the wreck. The families have sued documentary film makers to prevent them from publishing video and photos of the crew! They also petitioned the Canadian government , and had it designated a gravesite to prevent people from diving on the wreck.

The Edmund Fitzgerald sank in 1975. It was all over the news when it happened. Lake Superior and the rest of the Great Lakes are no joke. They're like fresh water seas, and the storms that come up on them sometimes are massive. I live less than 5 miles from Lake Michigan. Looking to the north from local beaches here, you see nothing but water, no land in sight. It's 307 miles long and 118 miles across...

This is more than a song, its a tribute!

I remember when this happened, and they announced it the next day in high school. Some of my friends had family on the Fitz, so people were screaming. They gave a pass to anyone who wanted the day off to go to church, because there were church services for the dead, even in Ohio. It meant a lot to everyone when this song came out.

When Gordon passed away, the Maritime Cathedral rang the bell 30 times - one of each of the crewmen, and one more for Mr. Lightfoot.

Love the way Gordon wrote and performed this song in the style of a sea shanty.

Omg. Haven't heard this in YEARS. Very special song and a true memorial about this infamous shipwreck in the Great Lakes. 🙏🏻 Always brings a tear to my eye. 🚢

"All that remains are the faces and the names of the wives and the sons and the daughters" and Gordon donated all royalties from this song, which are substantial as this was arguably his biggest hit, to those who lost their loved ones in this tragedy.

I was 15 still remember

I was 9 when this was in the news. Lake Superior is so large that storms do reach hurricane level intensity. And the water is so cold that bodies don't decay and float up, they stay preserved at the bottom of the lake.

The Mighty Fitz sank on my 6th birthday. I grew up a few miles from Lake Erie which is a newborn compared to Lake Superior; Erie during a storm is vicious when those winds come across it from Canada. Bless the 29 souls: we will never forget you 😢.

I remember this having lived near Lake Erie and Detroit.

This happened on Lake Superior, which is essentially an inland sea, so large and deep.

I remember when this happened. It was definitely big news around the Great Lakes. We live near Lake Erie and when storms come across the lakes the winds are unreal. What was so shocking was that it was a huge ship. Mother Nature rules the world.

I lived in Detroit and worked in the aeras where they unloaded the ore ships At Ford motor company. and I have heard the bell ring 29 times for each man on that Ship. After this many years it still brings sadness to my Heart.

We are so proud of this Canadian Icon. We lost him a few months ago. He has quite the list of amazing songs ... RIP Gordie

It’s a history lesson, a geography lesson, a eulogy, a sermon and a banging great song.

Thanks to Gordon for giving the souls of those 29 men their release from Lake Superior. Just a tragedy. Great rection.

I only heard this song and story a few years ago. I have cried for your fine American sailors. I am British btw.

We all knew about the Edmund Fitzgerald. I remember seeing it on tv. Then later this song came out. It played everywhere. Didn't matter what type of music you listened to, you heard this song & you stopped what you were doing & listened. I always felt so sad for the families. I will NEVER forget hearing the news.

This song never fails to give me chills. He does such a great job of making you feel like you were there. Great, honest reaction, Jayy!

Lightfoot was Canadian and given the proximity of the Edmund Fitgerald's wreck, the incident was well-known in Canada.

the bell ringing is an annual event it rang 29 times and one more for Gordon upon his passing. Lived near Lake Ontario , the lake is smaller than Superior but the waves can reach 20 ft +

This was the first song that showed me a deep appreciation of music as a kid. From the words to the instrumental. It’s great.

Lightfoot has the most "haunting" voice ever. After you hear him sing one song you can't unhear it.

I am a retired US Navy Cook! 🇺🇸🇺🇸 This song is near and dear to my heart 💜

After Gordon passed in 2023, the bells rang 30 times in respect. His masterpiece was an inspiration and hope for the betterment of the families.

Gordon was a gifted artist, and a kind person. He contacted the families before releasing the song to make sure he had their consent. RIP.

The Edmund Fitzgerald sank in 1975. Gordon Lightfoot didn't think it got the coverage it should have, so he wrote this song about it

I saw Gordon Lightfoot in concert in about 1976. You could have heard a pin drop when he sang this song. When the sound filled the concert hall, it added to the sound of peril and mourning. Wonderful and tragic song.

Wonderful Lyricist. “If You Could Read My Mind”, “Sundown”, “ Carefree Highway” , “Song For a Winter’s Night” and “The Last Time I Saw Her Face” are some of his big hits andfavorites.

I was so sad to hear of Gordon Lightfoot's passing away recently. Loved his music. One of the best songwriters & storytellers. He was a Canadian legend. This song is a beautiful tribute & is based on a true story & the lyrics tell the sad tale of the sinking of the ship & loss of lives in 1975. Gordon Lightfoot has had many hits through his long career such as "If You Could Read My Mind", "Early Morning Rain", "Sundown", "Steel Rail Blues", "Ribbon Of Darkness", "Carefree Highway", "Rainy Day People", "Cotton Jenny", "Black Day In July", "Canadian Railroad Trilogy" etc.

I live right across from Detroit and as a child I would see the ship as it passed through the Detroit river. He had visited the Detroit church a few times. As a matter of fact One of the mothers scolded him for saying Musky old hall. So he changed the words to say Rustic hall in Detroit . Every year you can hear the church bells when they chime 29 now 30 times. The last one was for him. That was a great tribute to him as well. He wrote the song on a flight to Florida from Toronto Reading it in the paper.

Beautiful reaction, Miss Jayy! I remember clearly when that happened. It happened here on Lake Superior. I'm about 15-20 minutes from the Maritime Sailors Cathedral. It's sad to go there. People around here have a long memory for those 29 men. Last May the Mariners Cathedral rang the bell 30 times...29 for each man lost and the 30th for Gordon Lightfoot. I still cry every time I hear this. Thank you for remembering them.

4:33.... ish "Does anyone know where the love of God goes when the waves turn the minutes to hours?" What an intensely descriptive lyric!

I was a teenager when this came out. I'm a native Central Floridan, so before that The Great Lakes were just big blue dots on the North American map up near the Canadian border. We had studied lock systems in school and I knew they had them, but that was it. When I really pay attention to this song I still go right back to feeling what you just did all these years later. I was glad to learn that both countries have made Superior an official grave site and nobody can dive there even to document without special permission. Lake Superior's depths are near freezing. The bodies down there don't decompose, the usual gases don't form, and the lake never gives up her dead. The local Chippewa tribe have also knows.

Still remember that storm standing on the shore of Lake Erie in Fair Port Harbor Ohio. The waves were incredible.I was around 15 years old !!! Woke to the news the next morning. I am 63 now.

For reference from somebody who has sailed on Superior and Michigan. Lake Superior is so cold, even in summer, you have 30 minutes to get out of the water. There are up to 2500 shipwrecks on Superior. During one storm, I watched the lake literally tear a dock to kindling.

GREAT reaction!

Going back to the 17th century, there are around 6,000 shipwrecks in the great lakes, from rowboats to the Edmund Fitzgerald, the largest ship to sink in the Great Lakes. The Great Lakes are beautiful on nice sunny days, but storms can be severe and brutal on any of the lakes, and on Superior, waves up to 35+ feet can occur.

one of the best songwriters ever

True story,happened in november 1975. Last radio transmisson was,(were holding our own).

"Does anyone know where The love of God goes, When waves turn minutes To hours"

One of the very best story songs ever although it is a sad true story.

Lady, I like this setup. Face to face again. It personable. Thumbs up!! This song is a tearjerker and a classic.

I try every year to play this song on Nov 10th. I remember this. I was about 11. Just lost my momma yesterday, this song first thing i seen this morning.😢❤love this song.

I moved to Michigan in 1978, less than three years after the tragedy of the Edmund Fitzgerald. The Great Lakes are amazing. I don't how anyone not acquainted with very large bodies of water could comprehend it. Knowing the geography greatly helps in understanding this song, but it's still powerful without it. I'm just so grateful to the late Mr. Gordon Lightfoot for composing and performing this song, it illustrates the common culture among those who live around the Great Lakes, whether Canadian or American--the perils they face are the same.

Gordon Lightfoot was a Canadian singer/songwriter. In the 1970s, this was a timely story in the news, so he wrote and recorded a song about it, and it was a hit record for Lightfoot.

Lake Superior is gorgeous, but oh so cold, eerie, and desolate. At least that’s how I feel when I visit. Lake Michigan gives me different vibes. Gorgeous too, but warmer and not as desolate. I grew up near Lake Michigan. Sad song. He captures it well.

At 7:10 pm the Fitzgerald spoke to the Anderson, at which time Captain McSorley stated, “We are holding our own.” Those were the last words heard from the Fitzgerald.

This was a huge story at the time, especially for the folks around the Great Lakes like me. The Edmund Fitzgerald was the biggest ship that ever sank in the Lakes.

The Edmond Fitzgerald is the most Famous Ship Freighter in USA History..I still cry by the loss of that ship freighter Edmond Fitzgerald

Few songs music bed matches the story being delivered lyrically. The Animals "House Of The Rising Sun' has its horror film Vox Continental organ. The Jefferson Airplanes "White Rabbit" evokes the mind-altering state of an LSD trip. The Beatles "She Loves You' emotes the experience of the overwhelming flush of first love. But The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald impeccably manages to put the listener on board the doomed freighter. Even faced with the terror of the water coming in, one senses the captain and his crew's professionalism in the face of certain death. But it's the electric guitar (harmonized in spots towards the end of the song) that provides the motion for the song. By recreating the actual tilling of the great ship as she slowly loses her battle with the forces of nature. An instant classic and a song for the ages. RIP Gordon. May your soul rest in eternal peace. Something tells me there were 29 men greeting you upon your arrival at the Pearly Gates of Heaven, RNB

1) "Gitche Gumee" means "deep sea." -- Lake Superior is more than 1,300 feet deep. 2) "The lake, it is said, never gives up her dead." -- So deep and cold that the dead remain on the bottom, intact. 3) We call them "lakes," but they're really inland seas, large enough to create their own weather. The Great Lakes are no joke.

i don't comment on most of the reactions for this one but... I LOVE that you were so emotional about it. That's exactly what Gordan was going for, and it's so important that we care for the people on the ship.

I saw this ship go through the Sault locks in 1973. Hold it close to my heart.

Hey Jayy I miss y’all , great reaction , peace love and blessings always ❤🙏🤗

The wreck of The Fitz hit my family hard as years before The Fitz went down we lost my grandmother, 2 of her siblings & the pilot to Lake Superior near Isle Royale & neither the plane or the bodies were ever found. The water is too cold. This was supposed to be the captain's final voyage before retirement. Another amazing story is of the captain & crew of another ship that made port safely but went back out into that storm looking for The Fitz. True courage! Lake Superior is absolutely beautiful but is really more of an inland ocean. It's huge, cold & can be very dangerous. And huge storms can develop quickly! But as final resting places go...it certainly is stunningly gorgeous.

The bells ring 30 times now in detroit .. Gordon lightfoot was honored with that ..

I live in the upper peninsula of michigan, not far from where this happened. My house is teo blocks from lake superior and its coooooldddd, even in the summer. michigan has two separate peninsulas, the upper peninsula and the lower peninsula, only connected by a 5 mile long bridge called the mackinac bridge, so essentially two different states in one. Such a great and tragic song.

This is the profound and deepy sad tale of the loss of an entire crew of a Great Lakes ore carrier. This song is so deeply touching.

This song is a good reminder of what's missing from modern music: the ability to generate a feeling.

Gitchee Gumee is Native American/ Ojibwe name for Lake Superior. Longfellow's poem "Hiawatha's Childhood" also refers to the lake as Gitchee Gumee.

I remember the song when I was only 11 years old and it was quite the song I would listen to it on the radio every couple of hours they would play it I actually knew a child in North Vancouver BC my friend from school what's the weather for 2 weeks and then he came back and he told me that his cousin was on that ship because the family moved to BC but his cousin was still living in the US Gordon Lightfoot is now gone but the year that he passed away in November though the year that he passed away they rang the bell in Detroit and remembrance of both the crew members and Gordon Lightfoot so there was 30 times it rang

I remember when the ship went down, we lived in the upper peninsula of Michigan for a few years, the water temperature would be in the mid 50’s in July so you can imagine what it was like in the winter. Those guys didn’t stand a chance.

I live in Michigan and have saw storms out on Superior that are horrifying... In the song he says that she never likes to give up her dead... This comes from the fact that the water is so cold year round that it's too cold to allow the body to produce the bacteria that causes it to float after a human passes.. They sink to the bottom....

i'm from marquette, michigan. (upper peninsula of michigan). about 3 hours west of whitefish point. i remember that night that "the fitz" sank. marquette is right on lake superior. i'm about 2 miles from the lakeshore. it was a nasty storm, even inland. 50+ mph winds, thundering and lightening like mad. i was 11 yrs. old at the time. i remember standing out on my porch, just watching the storm, just thinking that i was glad that i wasn't on one of those ore ships out on the lake that night. i knew lake superior was in a pissed off mood that night. the waves were reaching up to 20 to 25 feet, with an occassional 30 foot waves. i had a neighbor who was on the anderson ship that followed and was in radio and radar contact with "the fitz".

Me, my parents, and my future husband saw Gordon Lightfoot back in 1977 at the Niagara Falls Convention Center. Awesome! Thank you for the reaction Jayy! God Bless!🐢🇺🇲

I've watched a dozen or more folks 'reacting' to this song (i love it) and your reaction was the most human I've seen. You wear your heart on your sleeve. I've been listening to this song since it came out in the 70s and I've never gotten tired of it. When Gordon Lightfoot died, a local radio station played this song on loop all day.

Amazing lyrics telling the story behind this tragedy! Amazing singer and songwriter!

I live in nw Indiana and work at a mill in the port of Indiana from there I can see the lake front October November December Lake Michigan gets crazy… mad respect for the brave men who work those big iron ore ships… interesting fact more people have died on the Great Lakes than all the oceans combined…

That church next to the Ren Cen in downtown Detroit is the Mariners church. They still ring the bell every year for the lost.

Gordon Lightfoot is an Canadian legend! Love his music!

November 10, 1975. I was 10 years old, and just moved in with my grandparents. I now live on the southern shore of Lake Superior, literally just minutes from the lake. Those winter storms are brutal!

Melissa Ward here.. as an ohioan ive known this story since I was in my midteens,sadly it was a heartbreaking tragedy We all knew of this when it sunk. My brother inlaw lives up on lake Erie. He was a fishing captain for many years. Rip to all that died and now to Gordon.

I do like to see some of your reactions as you do have a good, sensitive nature to the content of songs & pay attention to them. This was a great song in the very lyrical way Gordon Lightfoot pays tribute to the memory of those lost in this shipwreck (& also brings attention & tribute to those left behind by such a sad story.) I don't remember the details but I believe that the profits he received from this song went to the families of those left behind? I could be mistaken on this. I am glad that you are starting to expand the number of artists you react to & explore some Canadian artists also, as we have a LOT of talent in a lot of different styles that have been EXTREMELY good - (as government policies in this country made sure to support Canadian artists.) I hope this (& your reaction to Alannah Myles & some others?) is just the start of your discovery of what my country has to offer. All the best. ❤

Lake Superior is huge. It took me a day and a half to drive over her top half before properly heading west when driving to Vancouver.

Thank you Ma'am. I appreciate your input.

The searchers basically said they would have made safety in another 30 minutes Or less if they had overcharged their engines.

I remember when this happened me and my dad just got into the upper peninsula of Michigan my dad had a cb radio in the car it was picking up the transmissions from the Edmund Fitzgerald my dad pulled into a marina on us2 heading west...we pulled into a marina..my dad told about the may day transmissions..I was 13 at the time I didn't understand what was happening but I still remember it until this day

I remember so well when this happened. It was shocking that such a huge modern ship could be lost in a storm with no obvious cause, other than the storm itself.

Every year the ring the bell 29 times for each man who died and when Gordon died they rang the bell 29 times for him

Thank you again for your reaction. I appreciate your reactions. This was a real incident. They never found the bodies. Please also react to Bobby Goldsboro 1968 song: "Honey", which was his biggest hit in 1968, a tearjerker about the death of a man's young wife. The song, written by Bobby Russell, was recorded in one take. It became the largest-selling record in the world for 1968 and topped the Hot 100 for five weeks.

I was once out at the light in St. Joseph, MI during a snow squall. It doesn’t take but a heartbeat to understand there’s a power much bigger than you working there. And I was technically on a pier soooo… You can die quick on the Lakes if ye be foolish.

Proud to be a Canadian. 🇨🇦

When storms come up on the Great Lakes they can be day.

I live near the Lake Erie shore. Yes, November is the worst month of the year, out on the Great Lakes. Beware the Witch.

I was a little kid living along the northern Lake Michigan shoreline the night the Edmund Fitzgerald sank in November of 1975. My mother recalled recently that this particular evening was very stormy and blustery, big waves on the lake. This ship went down very quickly and disappeared from radar, leading some to believe that it essentially torpedoed into a giant wave and never came up. The windows on the bridge were all found to be smashed-in. Captain McSorely's last transmission was "we're holding our own".

Gordon Lightfoot was arguably Canada's greatest singer-songwriter, rivaled only by Neil Young IMO. The one big difference is that Young had to go to the States to become successful, while Lightfoot stayed in Canada and managed to find success gradually, first at home and then internationally. He was Bob Dylan's favourite songwriter, and the two were friends. His songs are pretty much anthems in Canada, and there are many of them. The best would include Canadian Railroad Trilogy (another historical song, this time about the building of the Canadian Pacific Railroad), Black Day In July (about the 1967 Detroit race riots), Summer Side Of Life (a sunny-sounding song about a Vietnam War vet with PTSD), Did She Mention My Name, The Way I Feel, The Circle Is Small, Ribbon Of Darkness, If You Could Read My Mind (many peoples' favourite Lightfoot song), Go-Go Round, Sundown, and many others - I'm barely scratching the surface here.

I don't have the words for what can happen on Superior in the winter.

This happened on Lake Superior.

The bodies remain in Superior; the cold, deep water preserves them. The site is protected by the Canadian government from exploration, recovery, etc., as it is a tomb.

The Maritime Cathedral Church bells now rings, 30 times they included, Gordon lightfoot 😢