he has sung and written some of the most haunting sons i have ever heard , but all fantastic songs, P.S. the bell from the Edmund Fitzgerald still stands as a monument
My Great Uncle Frederick Beetcher was a Porter on the Fitz and was one of the 29 men who were lost. Love this song and the tribute it pays to the sailors, not just on the Fitz, but to all the Great Lakes sailors.
As a child I loved this song but as a sailor in the United States Navy later on, I have a new appreciation for it. May your uncle and all who perished never be forgotten!
God bless you and your family John, as well as all the loved ones for those who perished, an eerie yet beautiful song paying tribute to such a sad event, I love his reaction and ability to appreciate the song as well as the event. Thank you for sharing John.
Watching this 2 days after Gordon's passing (2023). I just watched a tribute to Gordon from a guy named Rick Beato who said that this song was recorded in one take. I was 15 when this tragedy happened. I just watched another video where on Tuesday May 2nd, 2023 at the Mariner's Church cathedral in Detroit, they rang the bell 30 times - 29 for the crew and one from Gordon. This is a timeless song - as it should be.
I was 15 years to come still when this went down but we listened to it in school in madison wisconsin and it always and stills rings deep. What a song.
Mr. Lightfoot did a beautiful job of telling the story. He had to change just a couple of facts to make it work but not much. They were actually headed for Detroit and not Cleveland. It’s a truly fascinating story. They still are not absolutely sure of exactly what happened to “Big Fitz”. They say that the bodies of the crew, because of the extreme cold of the lake, are still in tact and It’s actually illegal to try to dive to the wreck…..
Yes true true, they came to Sueprior WI, my hometown, to the taconite facility at BNSF. One of our family members parished that night, my dad was 10 when it sank….my dad worked for BN for 30 years, at that same taconite facility. They tore the dock that the Fitz loaded up. But the pictures and all are stunning. If it wasn’t for Lightfoot our, their story wouldn’t have been told. Aurthor Anderson still is constantly coming into port here in Superior, WI/Duluth MN (ship that was behind the Fitzgerald) I’ll always have so much love and respect for Lightfoot. He’s now apart of the crew, was 29….now 30💔
Every time I listen to this song, Gordon Lightfoots voice actually sounds like the Northern winds telling the story. No one else could have performed this song. Haunting.
This is one of the greatest songs ever written. It's a eulogy, a funeral service. It's a tale of warning. It's a tale of loss, of sadness. The camaraderie of the people on that ship facing this terrible thing together. The people in Detroit grieving for them. The relationship of Canada and the US, our trade and how the communities on both sides of the border mourned this loss. It's about the geography of the region, the environment/weather of the region, the harshness that the people that live and work there can experience. It calls to the heritage/language of a place that has long existed. It explores the technicalities of the tragedy. And it does all this in a hauntingly beautiful real way. This is one of the greatest songs ever written.
This line always gives me chills, along with Al Stewart’s lyrics from “Roads to Moscow.” Two broken Tigers on fire in the night Flicker their souls to the wind
Nobody survived this wreck, the families decided to leave the dead down with the ship, to this day every ship that passes the wreck site rings their ship bell 29 times.
The depth and temperature of the water prevented any recovery operations. The same factors also preserve the bodies. There is very little decay, and since it is the decay that produces the gases that cause bodies to float, they remain submerged. This wreck is closed for diving, and that includes, I believe (I could be wrong) remotely operated vessels (ROV's) as well.
@@dstone1701 they did do a singular research/recovery dive to recover the Fitz's ships bell. Prior to the recovery, the bell founder struck a new casting with the crewmembers names engraved on it. So they memorialized the crew with the new bell, and the original bell now sits in the Whitefish point lighthouse museum
I live on Lake Michigan and have most of my life. The Great Lakes are amazing in so many ways. In 1970 I graduated from high school and one of my classmate from high school and neighbor wasTom Bentsen. He was an oiler on the Edmund Fitzgerald and was one of the 29. Tom was 24 years old and was so happy to be doing what he wanted. The first time I heard this song I was driving back from Los Angeles to Michigan, I was in Utah. I remember it vividly. Gordon's song was so strong and so sad and so beautiful at the same time. I couldn't drive and had to pull over. I'm so glad you played this and shared your reaction. You are correct - your site is so much fun and happy and greatly appreciated. But, your compassion for this was beautiful. Thank you. Tom was such a happy guy and I'm sure he's smiling down on you for sharing this. Peace brother.
I agree. It was a heartfelt reaction from Jamal. I have seen Gordon Lightfoot, back when he was battling his illness and looking gaunt yet he put on an incredible performance. Love him and his music.May all of these sailors be resting in Heavenly peace.
As a Michigander, who is old enough to remember when the Edmund Fitzgerald sank, this song always makes me cry, even after 49 years since it came out. He told the story of the ship so well and the music is so haunting. Lake Superior is the largest of the Great Lakes, the deepest and the coldest since it it the farthest north. The winter gales coming out of Canada starting in November can be vicious with winds 50-100 m/h creating huge waves and freezing rain, sleet and snow. The water is so cold that bodies don't bloat and float to the surface from decomposition, they stay down in the depths. Which is why they say that Lake Superior never gives up her dead.
The lake is also actually an inland sea, and inland seas are worse in storms than open seas since the waves have nowhere to go to release the energy from the force of the winds. The water that hits the land and bounces back out into the waters causes the force of the waves to increase with each slap into the shoreline. This also causes the waves to be higher, more dangerous on Lake Superior.
That someone of your generation takes time to listen to these very heartfelt story-telling songs of the past, speaks so much about the depth of your heart and soul!!
Seems legit..... you can usually tell when someone's full of shit and someone's real, not always but most of the time.... This seems to be one of those instances, right from the heart
Yes! My sons 6th grade teacher was Mr. Pratt! And he was related to that gentleman! Mr. Pratt taught at PineRidge Elementary in Magalia CA. I believe he lived in the Bay Area b4 moving to the North State.
I was at a karaoke bar in Kewanee, Illinois close to ten years ago and sang this song. When I was done a man came up to me and shook my hand and thanked me for singing it he considered it a tribute and was touched. His Uncle was Third Mate on the Edmund Fitzgerald the night it wrecked!
Omg I can't even imagine how that had to have affected him, not sure how old the man you were talking about was, but I'm guessing he was kinda young when The Fitz went down, hearing that his uncle was a member of the crew..
Update, in the song Gordon sings they rang the bell in the Maritime Chapel 29 times for each crewman. On May 2, 2023 they rang the bell 30 times signifying Gordon, who died on May 1st, has joined the crew of the Edmund Fitzgerald.
When the bell was raised from the Fitzgerald and the ceremony was in motion they rang it 30 times right then. The extra ring was for all the thousands of sailors that call the Great Lakes their eternal resting spot.
Yes true true, they came to Sueprior WI, my hometown, to the taconite facility at BNSF. One of our family members parished that night, my dad was 10 when it sank….my dad worked for BN for 30 years, at that same taconite facility. They tore the dock that the Fitz loaded up. But the pictures and all are stunning. If it wasn’t for Lightfoot our, their story wouldn’t have been told. Aurthor Anderson still is constantly coming into port here in Superior, WI/Duluth MN (ship that was behind the Fitzgerald) I’ll always have so much love and respect for Lightfoot. He’s now apart of the crew, was 29….now 30💔
As a 14 year old, I remember being in my folks tavern when this song came on the jukebox just after it was released, soon after this incident. The barroom chatter would just grind to a murmur during the playing of the song, as if in reverence to the lives lost. It was powerful back then, and as the years go by.....gets more powerful every year.
Not a big fan of cover song for the most part but this may be the best cover version of a song ever made ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-SpiXS62EwyI.html
Two days after his passing, the Mariner's Church in Detroit rang the bell 30 times to honor Gordon. I cried even harder when I heard they did that. A fitting tribute.
Rest In Peace to one of the great songwriters. This haunting song is very dear to everyone from the Michigan area. Your reactions are always sincere, it’s very difficult to not feel moved by hearing this song.
SuperBlackBoot Agreed. My mother was his biggest fan when I was a girl; his songs were the background to my childhood. So talented, an amazing storyteller!
@@lorrainehinchliffe5371 I was going to say, in the US, especially outside the lakes region, and outside North America I could see him being kind of unknown or at least not super famous. But here in Canada? Lightfoot is as famous as RUSH. He just, like the Hip, never really cared to make it as big outside Canada. Within the border though, a true musical icon. Even more so to other Canadian artists.
This song is so important to us Michiganders. The sinking of the Fitz is one of my earliest memories. We were at a gathering at my grandparents when the news broke. I was very young but I could tell something very bad happened. The looks on the faces, the shock, and the silence. I have heard this song hundreds of times and it always makes me tear up. Great reaction, my friend.
Important to all of us around Lake Superior💔🤍 Yes true true, they came to Sueprior WI, my hometown, to the taconite facility at BNSF. One of our family members parished that night, my dad was 10 when it sank….my dad worked for BN for 30 years, at that same taconite facility. They tore the dock that the Fitz loaded up. But the pictures and all are stunning. If it wasn’t for Lightfoot our, their story wouldn’t have been told. Aurthor Anderson still is constantly coming into port here in Superior, WI/Duluth MN (ship that was behind the Fitzgerald) I’ll always have so much love and respect for Lightfoot. He’s now apart of the crew, was 29….now 30💔
RIP Gordon Lightfoot who left us today for a better world at the age of 84, such a Canadian Icon and fantastic singer-songwriter who inspired the likes of Bob Dylan, Jim Croce and so many others.
The line that always does me in is "Does anyone know where the love of God goes when the waves turn the minutes to hours?" Don't think I've ever heard anything that embodies human desperation quite so eloquently.
Yes!! I get chills when I hear this now. When it came out I loved it but never realized it was actually true, I was very young. Five minutes into this video, I'm crying.
I don't believe I've ever listened to this song where it didn't bring a tear to my eye Gordon lightfoot is an absolute musical and lyrical genius and the world is privileged to have him...God rest those 29 brave men's souls.
I didn’t know it at the time, but I once got to sing this at a karaoke night (edit: for the son of one of the crew). It was a request by a trucker after I sang some Hank Williams. Songs a bit of a downer, my friends always give me the business for singing it but I used to break it out every so often. So having a request, I thought why not. Afterward the man bought me a beer and told me a story about waiting. Waiting while his mother cried, waiting alongside dozens of families. Waiting for the horrible words everyone knew where coming but too afraid to speak. He told me about the smell of the cathedral. Of the way it broke his heart when they drug that bell from the water years later. Then he thanked for singing for his dad, for helping to keep the search going. Then he left. I didn’t really know what to say. It dawning on my slightly tipsy mind who he likely was. I just nodded, wished him safe travels and he left. One of friends came up later and after talking, we realized it was the anniversary of the day they called off the search. I don’t think I ever truly appreciated all that singers and song writers like Lightfoot truly do for the world. I’m from an old iron port in Michigan. We know these songs, we grow up on these stories. No one else would ever even know the names of these tales if not for men like Lightfoot. So my hat’s off to the legend. Thanks for the reaction. These men are immortal so long as we never forget the stories,
In 2002 , My youngest son who was 13 at the time , told me I absolutely had to listen to this song . So he played it and from the third note I knew what it was . I told told him I knew this song and its a beautiful tribute to 29 men and their families. The boy had tears in his eyes and informed me every human should hear this song for all generations.
Nobody would’ve ever forgot Big Fitz that ever saw her. My family always says when she passed through the Detroit River, it was an unforgettable event every time. Losing her would’ve haunted maritime Michigan for decades regardless. But god bless him for the song anyway.
Gordon's lyrical painting of the lakes and how each interact together is masterful. "Luke Huron rolls, Superior sings in the ruins of her ice water mansions", "And further below Lake Ontario, takes in what Lake Erie can send her"
Most sailors will have experienced storms and that line sums up the experience perfectly. This song is an incredible piece of work and listeners get some idea of the crew's last hours alive.
What I love about this song is what was left behind wasn’t just family but a song that pays tribute to the sailors even today. Once you have heard this song you don’t forget the sailors and their families.
I've been listening to this song on multiple reaction channels lately, (4 or 5 times this week already), and there is one line that instantly breaks me into tears: "And all that remains is the faces and the names of the wives and the sons and the daughters." It is tragic enough to think of the men who chose to work on the freighter being lost to the stormy sea, but to acknowledge the families that remain with that loss, without closure, without a body to bury, it just breaks me.
It doesn’t give me goosebumps because I heard it a lot as a kid when my dad drove me home from school and it didn’t really hit me like that then. Now it really hits me but because I innocently heard it as a kid it doesn’t really hit me like that. Am I not human?
Crying as I’m watching this. My Dad would whistle this song while we’d be in our boat fishing. I’d laugh at him saying you’re going to jinx us into sinking. I knew that it would be one of the things I would miss about my Dad. I lost Dad just before last Christmas. It feels good and hurts to hear it! Love you miss you Dad
Life is hard, saying good bye to the people we love is even harder, and then come the reminders. My dad I eat pizza and watch our favorite football team together every Saturday throughout the football season. I'm not sure I'll be able to watch another football game after he is gone. I feel for you.
I learned this song from my mum listening to it when I was a little kid. Years later, when I did a few seasons on a Lake Freighter to help pay my way through school, she admitted that she couldn't get this song out of her mind seeing me wave goodbye from on deck. We've gone to see Gordon Lightfoot perform together since then, and he still sounds as good as he did back in the 70's! I may have seen some rough patches on the Lakes, but my mum's still my anchor.
My late father fueled these ships in the 70's and 80's. He actually shared a meal with some of the crew on their final visit to Cleveland. The "Great Lakes" are not lakes in the way most people think of lakes. They're inland freshwater oceans. Huge in scale. Each one large enough that you cannot see land on the other side of the horizon. They're massive enough that they literally produce their own weather. Thank you for the awesome and respectful reaction video!
@@pilsplease7561No body of water is. The oceans, the seas, the lakes. Complacency can be a death sentence as well as just being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
So I'm a 57 yo white guy and I remember hearing this song as a very young man growing up in Buffalo in the 70's. My grandfather was the lead engineer on a number of lake liners (that's what they called them - they were even longer than ocean liners). I never thought that I'd enjoy watching people listen to music. But Jamel is so intelligent and empathetic. He's a great host that can transmit true emotions to some songs that a younger generation may never have a chance to listen to. Thanks for listening to this beautiful, haunting song by a true song writing master.
Fun Fact: This song hit #1 roughly a year after the actual disaster (wreck was November 1975, song was released November 1976). Lightfoot is said to have agonized over penning this song, trying to avoid inaccuracies, until longtime friend/producer Larry Waronker told him to play to his artistic strengths and "just tell a story". Gord is also a passionate recreational sailor on the Great Lakes.
@@OldGriz708 Yes, the wreck was 1975. The song came out one year later, in 1976. I thought that it was clear in my original comment, but I see how that can be confusing. My apologies. I'll edit that real quick.
I also heard that Gordon changed the lyrics about the hatchway in 2010 after the deckhands families became upset about the implication that human error was the cause of the tragedy. A dive team supposedly found the hatches properly battened.
I was kind of thinking the same thing that his reactions are thoughtful you can see that he's feeling the music unlike some of the others who do this same thing. Long live Gordon Lightfoot.
Watching this again now that Gordon Lightfoot has passed-away at the age of 84. Gordon Lightfoot wrote many great songs, but this was his absolute masterpiece. This is his "Stairway To Heaven." One of the all-time greatest songs ever written and recorded, and it came-out in 1976, when I was 9 years old. What an amazing era of music to live through. The whole 70s decade is riddled with masterpieces like this one and is my #1 favorite decade, with the 60s in a very close second. R.I.P. Gordon Lightfoot. 🔥
Me too...I love ballads that tell a story; especially true stories like this legendary one. It has GOT to be so much more difficult to write!!! Also, this song is so jam packed with lyrics...doesn't feel too short. Marty Robbins is an another great, who wrote gunslinger ballads (so fun to listen to...).
@@88wildcat The guitar riff is not used but this song has been replicated by Christy Moore in the Provisional IRA song Back Home in Derry, which is also haunting and begs an inward solace.
It also has an eerie, spacey echo to it which gives it a sense of enormous size and emptiness, something that fits the line "In the rooms of her ice water mansions", implying something cold, empty and dark.
What was his name? As far as I know ALL 29 CREW MEMBERS DIED. Along with the captain, the other crew members of the Fitzgerald included porters, oilers, engineers, maintenance workers, cooks, watchmen, deck hands, and wheelsmen. Most crew members were from Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, and Minnesota.
@@The0ldg0at Not sure if you’re arguing something or genuinely curious as to their name, but that’s a rather insensitive way to ask. JC wasn’t saying their uncle survived, if that’s what you mean by your comment.
I visited the UP of Michigan a couple years back and I made it a point to spend a few hours @ the " Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum" and pay my respect to all those that have lost their lives on these waters. They are not forgotten.
Jamel, you may not read this, as this video of yours has been out there for a year now, but your reaction to this song really helps me appreciate this song AND the story of the ship and men. This may be the first time you've heard it but I've known this song for years. Your love of music across genres and years, as well as your kind personality comes through very well! 😊 By hearing the song again and through your reaction I am not only glad to hear younger people appreciate good music from a time well before they were around, but it also helps me to appreciate it. I enjoyed your thoughts and observations on this and love your channel. God bless!
Saw him in concert years ago. When he sang " And all that remains are the faces and the names of the wives and the sons and the daughters" there were relatives of the crew there and they were recognized and stood up. Standing ovation from the crowd. Very powerful. When you see the people were effected it makes it more than a song. People tragically died. R.I.P. brave souls. Amazing song.
@@shannonmichelelawson8706 Yes. It is kinda strange...you hear that song on the radio and know it is a true story. But when you actually SEE the people that were effected by it. Gives the song a whole new perspective. People lost their loved ones in a tragic manner. Lots of them were pretty young.
And this song represent so many other ships and lives lost. It's mentioned several times. And the steel trade has dwindled but there are still many ships and or lives lost in the lakes, and elsewhere. The Fitzgerald is an excellent representation of a ship lost due to powerful forces we still don't completely understand.
"Does anyone know where the love of God goes when the waves turn the minutes to hours?" That line, for me, is the most powerful line in the entire song. I mean, the imagery that line brings is chillingly haunting. And to come up with that line, To write that is brilliant and shows how Lightfoot could hang with Dylan as far as a songwriter.
patgeta2678-So true,I read somewhere that even Bob Dylan said Gordon Lightfoot was a one of a kind songwriter.Nobody can tell a story in a song better then Gordon Lightfoot.
I think Dylan had a fair bit of respect for Lightfoot, , I actually never quite got into a lot of Dylan . This seemed an odd omission when I found more folk and folk rock but
patgeta2678 Agreed. It is one of the few lines in music that makes me tear up every time I hear it without fail. It’s simply an amazing line that works deep on so many levels and connects with every person, no matter who you are.
There is something about this song that cuts through the chaos of life and gets to the heart of being human. The melody is haunting. The lyrics are simple, truthful and respectful. You feel like you were there, with the wind and the wave. You realize how insignificant we seem in the face of nature, and yet how significant we are all to humanity. I cried tears for 29 men that I never met and I mourn with their families so many years later. If we treated all lives with the same respect that Gordon Lightfoot does with this song for those 29 men and that vessel, this world would be so much better.
so true so true. have a 33 foot raider sailboat and at 3 am in the dark with the winds singing in the rigging in a blow will bring a chill to any ones heart. been there done that HATED IT!
People would be surprised to know how dangerous shallow water and high winds are to making waves so intense. Worked as a shrimper for years and the most dangerous waves was always high winds in shallow water. You can't describe that feeling of heeling over and wondering if she coming back or that feeling when she doesn't. God Bless the Coast Guard.
When I was in the Navy we went thru a typhoon. I couldn't help but hear those words over and over and over in my head. because gods love was nowhere near us for four straight days.
When I watch reactions to this song and there is no reaction to the "does anyone know where the love of god goes" i immediately turn it off because, that is one of the best lines in a song of all time.
Thank you Jamal for not interrupting this song too many times. I could tell you were interested in FEELING it rather than making it about you. Great reaction.
When you live around the Great Lakes and when November rolls round and you get a night with the cold blowing nasty wind, you remember “the gales of November” and this song comes right to your mind. I remember when it happened. Such shock!
@TTCGamer Thats your opinion and there arent many who would agree with you. It just shows your ignorance of Gordons body of work and your own bias. If you werent following this channel I would bet you any money you had never heard of Gordon Lightfoot before now. But being ignorant of someones work does not diminish what they have accomplished even though people like you may try to. It rather highlights your own limited education of Musicians and music. I bet you're barely 21 if that and yet you think you know it all. Youth truly is wasted on the young
@TTCGamer Anyone disses Lightfoot...i'll kill em!! Anyway pretty sure you were referring to Stripes, but that's just my photographic memory at it again...?
I came out of the lock into whitefish bay into 10' seas in a 55' tug once. As I passed whitefish point I looked off to my starboard and said to my crew who were all in the wheelhouse with me "Boys, I hope Gordon Lightfoot doesn't have to write a song about us after this"
@@Cherokeelion Especially in the area as lethal as Lake Superior. You respect and fear the waters, and respect those that have passed before you, for you never know if or when you may join them in their frozen rest.
It's interesting to see a younger black guy's reaction to older white music. lol. He seems to be genuinely intrigued by this classic. BTW, I'm staying on DRY land.
I agree. Growling up in Michigan, the sinking of "The Fitz" was one of the worst to happen and I remember the news coverage of the search for any possible survivors and the wreckage washing up on the beach at White Fish Bay.
"Haunting" is the way I've described this. Perfect in every way... arrangement, instrumentation, tone, mood... you name it, Gordon nailed it. Still sends chills down the spine and brings a tear to the eye after hearing it a thousand times.
Gordon Lightfoot and Harry Chapin...my all time favorites. This song is a hauntingly beautiful tribute to those who lost their lives on the Edmund Fitzgerald. I've seen Gordon perform numerous times including in the recent years and he's in his 80's and still going strong. :)
I have heard this song a thousand times, and it still hits me every time. Does anyone know where the love of god goes when the waves turn the minutes to hours. It paints such a picture in ones mind and the only things that remains is the faces and names of the wives and the sons and the daughters. Oh that one is a punch in the gut heart ache. Growing up in Wisconsin I was only 5 years old when this happened, perhaps it is one reason I have such strong reverence for keeping this story alive. A few years back "The Headstones" redid this song. A faster pace little more rock and roll, but still very good job. I like it a lot, but there is nothing like Gordon's voice as your said.
Thank you Jamel for featuring a truly haunting beautiful tribute to the 29 souls that rest on piece on Superiors lake bed…Gordon made sure all the proceeds from this song went to the survivors…how many artists do that?🇨🇦🇺🇸
I have heard that, to this day, whenever a US military ship passes the location of the wreck, all crew members are called on deck and salute the deceased as the military ship blasts its horn 29x.
@@roberthudson1959 Iwould say you are both correct. The Navy use to send Frigates through the great lakes every year but no longer does on a regular basis. I believe the USGC has one cutter permanently stationed there but it is predominantly an Ice Breaker. All USN personnel go through basic at Great Lakes but I believe it is mostly land based training.
My grandfather (mom's dad) was one of the 29, she was the oldest of 6 kids. I was born 4 days after it went down, they didn't tell her until after because she was 9 months pregnant. It's good to know people still listen to this song.
I'm sorry about the loss of your grandfather, and thank you for sharing it. Lightfoot did something incredible - wrote a song to make sure your grandfather, you and the rest of your family, and others like you won't ever be forgotten by all of us, without the song being manipulative or exploitative.
Oh ya...lots of people listen to this song. All along the north of Lake Superior we’ve heard many play it, the Split Rock lighthouse does a tribute every year and personally we have visited the Great Lakes Museum in Paradise many times on our Lake Superior motorcycle ride just to pay our respects. We actually met a man who was on the ship following the Fitz that night...he is a volunteer at the museum. No worries...we never forget. Thx for sharing your story.
I recently watched a video on Ask a Mortician RU-vid channel about lake Superior and the wreck. It's good to know that the wreck was declared a grave site and is controlled by the families and protected from divers exploring it. So sorry for your loss.
Gordon Lightfoot’s voice takes you there, to the scene. He makes you feel it. One-of-a-kind song; Exceptional storytelling. They don’t write songs like this anymore.
The cultural importance of this song cannot be over looked. It deeply affects anyone who was a sailor and anyone who knows tragic loss. It played a big part in me becoming a US Coast Guardsman.
I cry (can't help it) everytime I hear this song and I've heard this song a thousand times. I've watched dozens of reactions to this song and have never felt like the reactors "get it." They don't get the tragedy. These were good people doing a HARD job. YOU got it. I could tell during your reaction you felt uncomfortable at times, because you were experiencing a tragedy that you suspected was going to happen but weren't quite sure how it happened or how the singer would portray it. I don't know why I'm hearing your take on it just now after hearing all of the others, but I appreciate the emotions I see from you. Bless you.
My younger friends always laugh at me when they see this on my playlist....they don’t understand it’s classic storytelling...a modern day vocal history being passed down thru the generations. One of the best tributes to those lost at sea ever....
@@windwoman3549 Grew up on Lake Huron myself. Was where I learned to swim, boat, fish, ice fishing... they're a huge part of life up in the midwest, from the pastimes to the sports to affecting the weather itself!
Good storytelling music is priceless. Hearing them on vinyl just a little bit of heaven. Gordon Lightfoot, Jim Croce and my favorite Harry Chapin. I just found you and I subscribed and liked this video. Finding someone you vibe with the lyrics and the music is priceless. Peace ✌ and love🎶
I've never even been to Michigan, but it still slays me every time. On the other hand, today is the 9th anniversary of the massive tornado that ravaged my college town of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, so I'm already in a memorial mood.
Same- born in ‘72 this song was a staple in my early years growing up in Detroit. Saw the actual bell from the Edmund Fitzgerald at the shipwreck museum in Whitefish Bay.
There are ballads, and then there's "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald." This was a work of heart, soul, and genius. This will be Gordon Lightfoot's legacy and I hope they play this every Sunday in the Maritime Sailors' Cathedral after he's gone.
Lived less than a mile from Lake Michigan all my life and I can assure you the Great Lakes are no joke. Especially when you see what they do to weather and storms.
I grew up in Michigan. Haven't been back since 1980. Old fart. Lol. The wrecks that are on the bottom of the Great Lakes, all have stories. Was living in Eaton Rapids when the Edmund Fitzgerald went down went down. Then dealt with the blizzard of 1970-1980. Took 3 weeks to unbury everything. Welcome to the upper Midwest. Lol.
Sir, your reaction and analysis of this song is one of the most honest and beautiful that I have seen. Something as simple as a sea shanty is elevated to a masterpiece and the power of words and music are no greater realized than in this song. Dig a little deeper into the genius of the great Gordon Lightfoot and you won't be disappointed. Well done.
Legend. Absolutely one of the most powerful tunes. Lightfoot has the soul of a poet and storyteller. He is one of the best. Don’t you just feel the wind through the wires of the Big Fitz? I love listening to this artist. Such a soul. Thank you.
My husband went to school with several of the kids who’s fathers parished on the Edmund Fitzgerald.......Toledo, Ohio. The Edmund Fitzgerald used to dock at my home town port of Huron oh on occasion. My Grandpa supervised the machinery in the mill there. The style of music here is called a dirge.
I used to work with Bob Rafferty’s niece. She said that her mom was a single mother with not a lot of money, and that her uncle would bring them all the food they had leftover from the ship.
I love this song. In fact, every time I hear it, my eyes tear up listening to the story Gord tells of the brave men of the Edmund Fitzgerald. It's a beautiful piece of music with lyrics that are deep and haunting. And yes, Jamel, Gordon LIghtfoot's voice is absolutely perfect to sing those lyrics.
Canadian music bends toward story telling. Gordon Lighfoot is a classic ! Neil Young, Leonard Cohen and Joannie Mitchell fall into the same genre of greatness. 🇨🇦
The people that disliked this should be ashamed. This isn’t just a song. It’s the true story where men lost there lives. And it took many years for there families to get closer when they finally found the ship. And figured out why this tragedy happened. If you don’t like song fine but how’s about a like for the the men and there families lives which would never be the same.
If they dont like it they dont like it. Does not matter if it's a song about a true story of tragedy. If they dont like the tune they dont like the tune...end of story. That said I like the song even though it's a story about real a tragedy. Am I allowed to sing along with it or would that be disrespectful to your sensitivities??? 🙄🙄
No one should be a shame because they dislike a song. People are entitled to their opinions and it’s fascist to vilify them on aesthetic taste no matter how noble a song’s sentiment.
The Dossin Great Lakes Museum on Belle Isle in Detroit has a standing exhibit on the Edmund Fitzgerald with a recording of the shore to ship communications. It’s absolutely heart wrenching to here the final calls from shore with no response ...
I was born at 12:02am on November 11th. So I always feel tied to this song. Being from Michigan and spending lots of time of the Great Lakes feeling that power and fishing around the many wrecks, I just connect deeply. God bless!
Fuckin A. I was on the Eisenhower carrier for two years and once we got caught in a hurricane and I saw 100 ft swells that broke the flight deck. Men who’d been in the service 30 years were just staring jaw dropped like little kids. I thought of that line first thing. I feel for your buddy.
Just like to add they rang the bell 30 times at the Mariner's Cathedral in Detroit when Gordon Lightfoot passed away. Once for each sailor on the Edmund Fitzgerald and once for Gordon. Beautiful song.
Heard and saw Gordon sing this song earlier this month at the CNE Bandshell in Toronto. He'll be 84 in a few weeks and is fading a bit but still puts on a great show. So glad I finally managed to get to a concert by this national treasure.
On of the worst facets of growing older had been the realization that even if I spend literally every waking hour of my life listening to never before heard songs... that's 16 hours a day, seven days a week, for how ever many years I have left... I will NEVER be able to experience all of the amazing works of art that music has produced. Seems like such a crime against enlightenment. Thank God I got to hear this one. I thank God that you did too.
Same. I was just a kid when this happened but distinctly remember the adults talking about it, and hearing bits on the radio...not full comprehension but I knew a ship sank and people died and it was so sad.
I live in the U.P of Michigan. Every time gale winds are posted in the fall / winter, I think of the Fitz. Lake Superior is the deepest and coldest - capable of splitting a legendary Great Lakes ore carrier and sinking her within minutes.
Born and raised in Milwaukee wisconsin. Although in 19 now this song is neer and dear to my heart. No matter what age anyone is in the midwest we will never forget the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.
It was November 10, 1975. I grew up just north of the twin cities in Minnesota so this shipwreck was just HUGE news for a long time. My family made many road trips to Duluth and further north. If you go to Duluth, there's a visitor's center right next to the canal where the iron ore ships enter Duluth harbor, and the visitor center has an Edmund Fitzgerald display. Been there many times. I get goosebumps and I always cry when I listen to this song.
I remember sitting on the beach on the north shore of lake superior in grand Marais mn just bawling my eyes out at 12 years old the first time i heard this song, RIP Mr lightfoot you'll always be the voice of my childhood home
