Hey folks, thanks for watching with me. I've been reading all your messages about this disaster and have also read a lot online. Seems like it was pretty far away from what I imagined. The fact that is was only 50 years ago makes for a very dark and tragic tale. My thoughts are with all those that were affected. This is undeniably a beautiful song to commemorate what happened.
When Gordon died, the chappel in Detroit added him to the times the bell was rung for the Edmund Fitzgerald. From 29 to 30, all proceeds from the song when to the families. RiP Gordon.
As a Canadian, I can attest to the fact that GL was one of Canada's great storytellers. He sang about the Canada he dearly loved and occasionally about our American neighbors. One of his most powerful songs was also one of his least known masterpieces....Black Day in July. This song was about the Detroit riots in 1968 and made you feel like you were living through it all over again. He is a national treasure in Canada and his legacy will continue for generations.
Gordon Lightfoot is legendary. The song is based on fact - he wrote it 'cuz he didn't think the tragedy had gotten enough notice when it sank on Nov. 10, 1975. His hometown was Orillia, Ontario, Canada - his funeral was held there a few blocks from where his bust sits outside the Opera House. Among his many other songs are "Rainy Day People", "If You Could Read My Mind" and "Sundown".
"Gitchigomee" is the Indigenous name for Lake Superior, the largest of the Great Lakes on the upper midwest US/Canadian border. It means "great water" or "great sea". The melody is akin to that of old sea shantys. "Hurricane" is a perfect comparison for both the composition and the nature of the song.
Things you should know to understand. "Superior, it's said, never gives up her dead." Superior is deep, and its northern latitude means that it stays incredibly cold all year. Cold enough that bodies don't break down and rise to the surface. So, are never recovered. The storms can and do have hurricane-force winds 75 MPH and over. Also being freshwater lakes the frequency of the waves is shorter than salt water. In a storm, the ships take a terrible beating as they are hit by the force of the water much more often, and with less time to recover from the last wave, they can remain in the trough of a wave and not have time to rise to the next one before they are hit again. There are over 3600 ships known to have been lost on the Great Lakes. They make the Bermuda Triangle look like a minor inconvenience.
His voice had changed quite a bit by this point. I'm glad he was still playing, just saying that you should hear the original studio version, or a live version from earlier in his life, when his voice was more deep and full 👍
He never stopped recording or touring till shortly before his death. But yes I agree he had an amazing voice when he was in his prime. Listen to any of his classics from the 70s. His voice in this recording is nothing compared to his younger self. I grew up listening to and loving Gordon lightfoot. It was a sad day when I heard he passed.
As others have mentioned, "If you could read my mind" and "Sundown" are two of his best known songs. I saw him in an early 80s and he was terrific. His voice had begun to change a bit here, but he had a great baritone when he was younger. "Beautiful" may be my favorite sing of his.
His voice was so much fuller when he was younger, he was a brilliant Singer Songwriter Performer. I remember the wreck it filled the newspapers and airways for some time. For yourself you should hear the album version. He did a great Ode to the Canadian Railroad, and so many beautifully written songs
- The Fitz was an (iron) ore boat fresh out of the Duluth/Superior harbor on Lake Superior (one of America's Great Lakes). It sank in a terrible storm on November 10, 1975. - I get the shivers every time I hear this song because I live up here near Duluth MN and recall that night, and that storm vividly. Was listening to local am radio around 9:00/10:00pm when the call went out locally for the Coast Guard crews to man the USCG cutter "Woodrush" for a rescue mission. - We commemorate this day by only once every year on Nov. 10, lighting the old Split Rock Lighthouse beacon on the North Shore of Lake Superior. I've attended the ceremony numerous times. The beacon WAS lit last year on one extra night to mark the passing of Gordon Lightfoot. - I see you smiling at his incredible wordsmithing. It's story telling at it's best. - Damn straight! Get a twelve string! :)
"If I Could Read Your Mind" is another Gordon classic and great song. He is a great story teller with the way he let's you in to the songs. Don't think I've ever heard a song of his that there was ever any doubt about what the song is about.
1975 is when the Fitz went down .. that was a legendary storm. Gordon didn't want the men to be forgotten. All money made off this song goes to the families of the 29 men. Superior is an inland sea and storms are vicious.
Canadian Railroad Trilogy, this was written for the Canadian 100th anniversary. The story goes that Lightfoot was approached by the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corp), they wanted a song that celebrates Canada. Four days later Gord presented them with the Canadian Railroad Trilogy
I was 16 when the Edmund Fitzgerald went down, and I've lived in Michigan most of my life. I live on Lake Huron now, but I've been to Superior many times. It's the largest source of fresh water in the world, and it's so deep and so cold on the bottom, that the bodies of lost sailors never rise to the surface. Superior in truth never gives up her dead. That's what is meant by that particular lyric.
It’s not just the coldness but that and the lack of oxygen in the water to that prevents the bodies that drown and sink into the depths of Superior from decomposing and thus floating up to the surface.
This is a true incident. On Nov 10, 1975, the Edmund Fitzgerald sank. She (here ships are referred to as she) had been caught in open water by a huge storm that included waves up to 50 feet and winds gusting up to 90 miles per hour. There are plenty reports of what had happened that day and night. No one knows for sure exactly how she sank, there was no distress call, she just disappeared. The shipwreck site, in Canadian waters, has been ruled off limits for divers by the government to protect the site as a graveyard.
The studio version is well worth a listen. Lightfoot's attention to detail is very evident. Bob Dylan was among Lightfoot's admirers. The Edmund Fitzgerald sank November 10, 1975. You were only off by eighty years.😆
I remember when the Edmund Fitzgerald went down in 1975. Gordon Lightfoot was the Canadian Troubadour. Anything from his album Gilds Gold is worth a listen. RIP Gordon!
Every verse in the song tells the tale of the Edmund Fitzgerald and the crew and every hour and minute of it's sinking. To put the words to song in such a haunting respectful like Gordon did, is a testament to his songwriting. Along with the likes of Bob Dylan, probably one of the best lyracists ever.
One of the best song writers ever and this is his most famous song. For decades my husband I would go see him every time he was touring. I saw him again in his final year.
The song lyrics mention that the Fitz was "coming back from some mill in Wisconsin". That's a reference to Superior, Wisconsin which was the port of departure for the Fitz. Superior is also where I grew up and I remember the storm that Fitz went down in. I had the pleasure of seeing Gordon live in the 80's when I lived in California. Thanks for appreciating Gordon's music and sharing the video with us.
Gordon has a vast and deep catalog. Many will recommend the hits to you. But since you are appreciating the sheer poetry of his work, I recommend the more obscure 'The Last Time I Saw Her'. And I'll give you a sample line...'That was so long ago that I can hardly feel what I felt before. But if time could heal the wounds, I would tear the threads away that I might bleed some more.'
I heard this on the radio the other day. I know in my heart that it was a poem set to music. It's a haunting tale and melody. I love it and hate it at the same time.
Funny< Bob Dylan was one of Gord's biggest fans.Sundown , If You Could Read My Mind, Early Morning Rain ....... he's worth a deep dive. Female favorite in the genre Joan Baez ( dated Dylan ) he told her she would never be more than a Minstrel Diamonds and Rust was her EPIC reply , denied for years it was about him. Made her a small fortune.
Unfortunately this is the best live version on youtube. The studio version is much better. Its a tad slower which is more fitting and his voice sounds much richer.
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
This was Lightfoot's second song about an actual disaster at sea. The first was "Ballad of the Yarmouth Castle", the story of a cruise ship which burned at sea in 1965.
This was a pretty significant event in my childhood, my father worked on the Lake freighters at the time and we lived in Thunder Bay a port city on the west end of Lake Superior. So it hit pretty close to home for many people here. My dad's ship was already home for the winter season when this happened. Love my twelve string. The sea shanty feel was probably on purpose. Next to go, the "Canadian railway trilogy".
This live version is much higher than originally recorded… I saw him live in 1986 and he was lower then as well… curious as to why they raised the register… usually they lower it with age.
The Big Fitz was over 720 feet in length, A bulk oar Freighter, and went down in November of 1975. For the storm, think an ungodly gale in the Baltic with 70ft waves. To this day, they still don't know why she went down. I think she sits in about 750 feet of water or more.
Enjoy listening to Sundown; If you could read my mind love; and one of my all time favourites, Beautiful. His catalog runs deep. GL was a truly great Canadian. As are most things Canadian he was under appreciated.
I believe he and band recorded the released version in one take. They made him try several times more and then went with the first. They tried to make him cut it for commercial release; he refused. They released it his way. What a performer and artist.
Here what Pete Seeger said about 12-string guitars: "When you play the 12-string guitar, you spend half your life tuning the instrument and the other half playing it out of tune".   Guitar Player Quotes to Live Your Life By "I'm not sure what the origin of this particular instrument was (though we may find out later), but maybe it was a crafty guitarist who thought: “You know what's better than six strings? Double! Twelve strings!”.  Here are some things to know about 12-string guitars:  They have a thicker, more ringing tone than a standard six-string guitar.  The strings of the lower four courses are usually tuned in octaves, and the upper two courses are tuned in unison.  The neck of a 12-string guitar is wider to make room for all the strings, which can make it more difficult to fret than a 6-string guitar. Some famous musicians who have played 12-string guitars include:  Lennon: Used a Framus Hootenanny 12-string acoustic on the Beatles' Help! title song and "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away".  Jimmy Page: Known for his 12-string guitars, including his 1967 Vox Phantom XII.  Eric Clapton: Played a custom dreadnought 12-string guitar on his release, The Lady In The Balcony: Lockdown Sessions.    
Gordon is a fabulous musician. His guitar leads are incredible. It’s a haunting tune. That church rings 29 times each and every day. Sundown is the one you should listen to.
True story , happened when I was 4years old everybody talked about it. Made headlines in the area where I grew up , just down on the St. Mary's River which feeds into lake Superior. Brutal weather in the autumn. Give the studio version a listen , can't go wrong with Gordon Lightfoot , love him but his voice here is a bit different from his younger years.
There's an interesting story about the recording of the song back in 1976. According to drummer Barry Keane, Gord showed up to the studio with this song and played it for the band on acoustic guitar. They happened to roll tape as the band played it. Keane says the version released is that first take, in other words, the first time the song was ever performed by the full band.
As a folk song enthusiast, when I heard this when it came out in 1976 I thought it was an old tune. Somehow, I had not heard of the wreck, even though I was living back east at the time. It was not until several years ago that I found out the truth of this song. I believe it was when they found the bell. I always wanted to know what made those songs sound the way they do as I am very moved by folk tunes that seem to be in a minor key. I’m not sure that they really are. I sang in choir but never learned music theory. This is definitely one of the best songs ever written.
Gordon Lightfoot was one of the intermission entertainment artists for the 100th Grey Cup (Canada's Superbowl) back in 2012. The other entertainer, who went on stage first, was Justin Bieber with a multitude of backup singers and dancers. After Bieber did his shtick the 73 year old Gordon (8 days short of his 74th birthday) got on stage, by himself with a couple of monitors, and even though you could tell he was a little rough around the edges, he still blew away the crowd. One Canadian institution performing at another Canadian institution. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-iGK7LJaP_aQ.html
Thanks for sharing. You also might like the Bismark by Johnny Horton. Like how you listen to the whole song can tell you generally love music can see it in your eyes.
Thank you for listening to Girdon Lightfoot. I agree with others that his voice when younger was AMAZING! Definitely cgeck out some of his other songs. They have a completely different vibe and sound.
No one that's had a maritime job or trade has anything but reverence for this song. It's one of the stories of sadness that we all carry with us. Like the stories of war and accidental tragedy; RMS Titanic, Bermuda Triangle, and the USS Indianapolis
Almost certainly covered by others - Edmund Fitzgerald....not a boat. She was a Ship, a proper ship and it seems like a person from the United Kingdom would/should know the difference. A Ship may launch boats from itself. Also, I cannot hear it without tearing up. How he can sing it without tears is a mystery to me frankly.
In 1867 when Canada became a country a promise was made to build a railway from coast to coast and they did it. Gordon wrote the Great Canadian Railroad Trilogy as an homage to that accomplishment. So, Black Day in July, The Railroad Trilogy and Sundown....listen to them all.
Every time i hear this song it reminds me of another tragedy , i lost both of my grandpa's to coal mine accidents before i was born 1 was known as the Island Creek No. 22 mine disaster in Holden WV where 18 men lost their lives theres a little bit on line if Interested but there' s a song that was adopted for what happend it was first writen and done by Meril Travis and there been many covers of it my favourite was Johnny Cash and the song is Dark as a Dungeon maybe you would want to react to it 🤷♂️
I lived about 60 miles from where it went down. The day it went down me and a good friend went stream fishing, we were just about to the creek when the wind got so strong trees started to fall. Needless to say we got out of there.
Please check out sundown and early morning rain. Beautiful songs from a Canadian artist. They’ve been played for decades and covered by thousands of people. Try to figure out the meaning of sundown, I dare you
Gordon was right up there with Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Robbie Robertson and Ian Tyson as great Canadian songwriters. I was a college student in Minnesota when this ship went down. Hint: It was the 1970’s not the 1800’s. It was a huge story in the Great Lakes area.
Listen to his greatest hits album "Gord's Gold". Each song is a masterpiece of lyrics and musical composition. "If you Could Read My Mind" is arguably his greatest masterpiece. There are plenty of other great songs on his albums, but this is a quick way to sample the best. You'll hear how much stronger his voice was when he was in his prime.
The ship carrier iron ore (taconite pellets - round and about the sizeof marbles). The load was 26,000 tons (52,000,000 pounds). The ship was commonly called the "Fitz". Ships, while they may have a male name, are referred to by sailors with feminine pronouns. Such as "She" was a great ship. It was a great honor for the "Fitz" to be the first ship through the Soo Canal, to officially begin the Great Lakes shipping season.
I was always told that if it could go to sea it was a ship, if it stayed inland it is a boat. Obviously plying the waters of the Great Lakes the Edmund Fitzgerald stayed in fresh water but it had ocean going capability so it would be classed as a ship. When Jim died they changed it so now the bell rings 30 times.
The 70s had the best singer songwriters and lyricists. Just a few are Al Stewart, Jackson Browne, Dave Mason, Todd Rundgren, John Prine, Bonnie Raitt, Bob Seger, Bernie Taupin, Neil Peart, and Neil Young. Many more too.
That line, "The Lake never gives up her dead," is in reference to what happens because of the temperature of the water. It's so cold, and in many places so deep, that when someone drowns in the lake, it can be very hard to find the body because the bacteria that proliferate after death and normally cause the body to bloat making it float to the surface...that doesn't happen when the water hovers down in the high 30's-low 40's Fahrenheit year-round. So bodies just stay in the depths making it very hard to recover bodies in that lake, especially if lost in a storm far from shore. Do yourself a favor and listen to the older version when his voice was at its height...and you can see a picture of the ship in this version: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-9vST6hVRj2A.html
Actually, he is Canadian born to Scottish parents. Many Scots immigrated to the US and Canada in the 18th and 19th centuries. But many Irish had also immigrated to Scotland in the 16th and 17th century so who knows, He may have some Irish ancestors.
You owe it to yourself to check out his song called "Beautiful"... Even if it doesn't make a reaction video it is well worth it. Every man with a guitar should learn that song because one day when you meet the right person it will be such a meaningful song... Thanks as always for the great reactions and cool song choices! For pop flamenco fun from the 70s with lots of moodiness check out "On the border" from Al Stewart. Another picture painter of a song
Gordon Lightfoot is a Canadian Icon....This is a great song...an even greater one is 'Canadian Railway Trilogy' that tells of building the Canadian Railway from the east coast to the west coast...It's perfection IMO....Sadly, this particular video of Gordon is when he started losing his voice & clarity. The original version is much easier to understand as his voice was clearer and stronger. ...He was in much better voice in his younger years.
Can't quite fathom why you think he's telling a joke about the cook - that the ship was being so violently storm-tossed that he had to tell the men that he couldn't feed them. Don't think you get it. Lake Superior is the size of Austria or the U.K. & has waves of over 50 ft. high. That's 15.24 meters.
Lake Superior never gives up its dead. This is because the waters of the lake are cold enough to keep the bacteria in a human body from creating the gasses that normally allow a dead body to float to the surface.
Do "29" by Sierra Ferrell and 600 lbs of Sin. It's about the 29 coal miners killed to Montcoal mining accident and it is HAUNTINGLY BEAUTIFUL! Check the live version. Love Gordon, "Sundown" is my favorite song of his. Also if you like a 12 string listen to the album version of "Break My Heart Sweetly" by John Moreland. It's one of those that will tug the heart strings...
