Thanks Michael for honoring Gordon. His music and musicianship have inspired so many of us and his songbook is epic. As a young kid in Canada he inspired me to take up the guitar and I am still playing 60 yrs later.
Gordon was a big part of growing up in Michigan. Every year on the anniversary of the sinking, The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald was always played. The man was a great story teller, talented musician and the world will be less without his presence.
Gordon Lightfoot was brilliant at what he did and brought to the music world ..... Underrated for his songwriting and composing..... But those that listen know how great he was .... Thanks Michael
Justin he was never underrated as Bob Dylan will verify you see with gordon it was mainly a Canadian thing he wasn't that well known globally for the simple reason he didn't put himself around I'm English but i discovered his music by chance on a market stall selling old records and the first one the way i feel in 1969 and from that moment i was hooked
Thanks for sharing with your son what a genius that man was. He's way beyond underrated, too. People have no idea how hard it is to create a distinctive melody consistently, write lyrics and give a song a personality. Gord put the listener into an environment very quickly. All the great ones do that.
When Bob Dylan says “he is my favorite songwriter .” Fairly high praise I would say. Thanks Michael for keeping musicians and non musicians(me)🎶 informed and engaged.
Gordon Lightfoot is/was my all-time favorite singer/songwriter. His uniquely beautiful voice will reverberate in my mind for all of my years, going back to as early as I can remember. There is no greater influence on my playing and singing and I hope his soul is at peace. May his words and music be heard as long as people listen to music. Sad sad day 😢
I feel the same way. Canadian neighbors moved into my neighborhood in 1966 and turned me onto gord. Changed my life. I graduated college in 1975 and I don't know where two people called me the day gord died people I haven't spoken to since the last day of college asked me if I was ok!!! That's how much of a fan i was and am! i'm from New York City. I seen him at Massey at least 20 times Waymore than that other venues. I mean, what can I say? What can we all say? I don't know what to do except ACCEPT AND CHANGE MY STRINGS MY CAPO on the fourth and play Don Quixote again and then maybe the 12 and do the house that you live in I don't know that was gords mom's favorite song if you want to believe that we haven't heard from Joni😢
I don't mourn Gordon's passing as such - it happens to all of us. Instead, I celebrate his life and the uniqueness of his music which brought joy and comfort to so many millions. Thank you, Gord. Your music and memory will live forever.
We got to see him in Boise, Idaho several years ago. Gordon’s voice was almost gone. His guitar playing was still amazing! My husband is 12 years older than me and gifted me Gordon’s music. We were able to take our 2 youngest children with us. He was an amazing story teller!
The brilliant storyteller drawing pictures in your mind with his words and the music was his canvas. Never be another like him, Bob Dylan loved his stories and riffs. Rest In Peace sir 🙏🌹
Michael, let me start with my father and I never had a good relationship. That being said, as I was growing up, the one constant was, there was always music playing in the house. ANYTHING you could think of from old time gospel, country, blues, bluegrass, rock and folk just to name some. I think that is where I got my appreciation for music and the love of the diversity. I can even remember Gordon Lightfoot playing, and I do think "Sundown" was one of the first I heard. ALL of his music was so well done, written and crafted! Gordon will be greatly missed! ✌️
I had the opportunity to see him last year and so glad that I did....amazing songwriter and story teller....IMO Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald is the greatest lyrically written song ever....RIP Gordon Lightfoot
Hats off to you for this beautiful dedication to one of the greatest songwriters of all time. He blazed a trail for so many to follow and inspired many a musician. Thanks!
Thanks Michael. While I only understand about half of what you’re talking about musically, I love your breakdowns about why something “sounds good”. Been a huge fan of Gordon Lightfoot since the 70s. Really appreciate your take.
Thank you so much for driving into this song. Not just my favorite Lightfoot song but one of my favorite songs of all time. I was hoping you would dive into the guitar solo. It's simple, yet every note means something. Call me crazy but possibly one of the most well played guitar solos I've ever heard. When I heard that the Maritime sailors cathedral in Detroit rang the bell 30 times on Tuesday it sent chills down my spine. Anyone that's familiar with the song The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald will remember the lyrics say they rang the bell 29 times for the men that lost their lives. The 30th ring was for Mr. Lightfoot. RIP
I'd heard that about the church in Detroit, and was so incredibly touched that they thought enough of him to honour him in that way. He had genuine relationships with the families of the sailors. I saw an interview with a woman who's aunt lost someone (husband or son, not sure which). There was some kind of get-together that Gord was going to, but the aunt was very ill and couldn't attend. He asked where she was, and then got on the phone and chatted with her for a while. I believe that she passed away shortly afterward. What an amazing man.
@@missesmew I live on Lake Ontario, right where it connects to the St. Lawrence River, and while we are fairly protected from the open lake by the nearby islands, we can get some pretty impressive waves here. And Ontario is the smallest lake. I have full respect for size, power, and the weather of the big ones. Superior at full storm must have a frightening kind of majesty and beauty.
Remember the day after my high school graduation 1974 my girl friend and I laying out in her backyard trying to get a suntan and listening to top 40 radio. They must have played Sundown six times in about three hours time.
Thank you, Michael, for honoring one of the greats… There’s a documentary at tubi, “Gordon Lightfoot: If You Could Read My Mind”… if anyone is interested… shows what a humble soul he was… it is truly the end of an era.
Years ago, Canadian Idol did an entire night of just Gordon's music. It was a great example of how a great song could be reinterpreted and still come across loud and clear as a Gordon song.
R.I.P Gordon Lightfoot your music helped me adjust to life in Canada as a young immigrant girl when I felt overwhelmed I would just listened to your music
Gord had a few fans…John Prine was his biggest admirer. Tony Rice devoted an entire album to his songs. Bob Dylan considered him a mentor throughout their respective careers. Joni Mitchell and Neil Young followed down the trail that he blazed. The list goes on and on. Gordon’s one downfall was that he was too shy and humble to engage in self-promotion. A true poet/troubadour. Also terribly underrated as a guitarist.
I was at a sing-along last night at the home of friends (we sang a lot of Gord's songs), and they had been to one of his concerts. He said that you didn't go to a Gordon Lightfoot concert if you wanted to see a showman...Gord would just walk out, sit down and start playing. Not a lot of chitchat. And you're absolutely right about him being underrated as a guitarist. I listened to If You Could Read My Mind last night with headphones on, and Gord's playing made me want to weep. But in a good way.
@@susanmacdonald4288 I have found that most pop/folk/country musicians cannot read music. They play by ear or use tablature. Gordon was a self-taught singer, guitarist and pianist but he was an exceptional sight reader. He used this skill to get work as a sideman in bands and recordings studios after he dropped out of music school where he was a jazz composition major. He could have added flashy lead solos to his songs as he had the skills and knowledge. Instead he served the song rather than his ego. He also never went electric but chose to perform mainly acoustic arrangements.
Michael, I just found your channel here because I was looking up my late countryman, Mr. Lightfoot. I'm an English Major, I studied grammar and grammatical structures in my undergraduate courses. The furthest I came musically was high-school concert band, but it has been a while since I played trumpet. Playing guitar, or anything that involves chords, like a piano, was something that was always beyond my patience, so my parents never enrolled me in those lessons. I was wondering how to write music and while I can track and time syllables, I don't always understand the significance of which notes need to be played. Thank you for your tribute and attention to my national troubadour, not many younger kids understand what this guy was all about, and I'm ashamed to say, I don't understand a lot of him myself besides his radio hits.
Cheers from Nova Scotia,Canada.Our Country mourns the loss of an icon.I,d love to hear you do Tony Rice,s cover of Lightfoot's "Whispers of the North". Rice's solo is Mind Boggling. Possibly one of the greatest flat top solos ever taken.
Thanks for honoring him this was a great reaction!! I would love you to do another Billy Strings..Billy Strings comes alive specifically. There is so much great guitar playing to talk about PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE! You won’t be disappointed!
Thanks for honouring Canada's troubadour. Lightfoot combined poetic lyricism with memorable melodies. He was a superb guitarist and his unique baritone voice captivated his audiences. I saw him at Massey Hall in Toronto and his charismatic performance mesmerized the crowd.
It was a blessing to be a teenager in the 70s, 80s. Gordon Lightfoot's "Sundown" was a beautiful song, very easy to sing along like most songs during those years😊R.i.p. Gordon Lightfoot, I'll be playing your songs😊
As a young child, hearing this song, when it was new…. Not a musician yet.. Really digging the song, No Idea what the song what about and not caring , I just liked it and it was magic coming out of the speaker,30 years later as a musician and was asked to play this song, real quick on the fly, on stage… the song came back to me and I definitely remembered the melody and etc 30 years later… what a great tune….the magic was kinda gone due to the fact that I had been playing music for 30 or so years, and 15 of those year’s professionally… Anyway what a great tune, RIP Gordon Lightfoot.
Thanks for taking some time to look at Gordon's work. Almost 50 years later, the line "Does anyone know where the love of God goes when the waves turn the minutes to hours" has to be one of the best ever.
RIP, Gordon You were an amazing talent. One of a handful of artists who's voice/style was immediately recognizable... ... like Dylan, Karen Carpenter, Satchmo, Patsy Cline, and Sinatra. You will be missed.
Chordtone Lightfoot. 🙃🙂 I was blessed to grow up in Toronto in the 1970s when Gordon was performing annually during March break at Massey Hall at the height of his creativity.
The story of Sundown: the title refers to Cathy Smith, a somewhat notorious groupie whom G.L. was involved with romantically. The same lady with whom John Belushi did speedballs...and died thereof. 0:01
As a proud Canadian, thanks for your tribute to a true Canadian icon. It's not just that his music was so amazing, it's his lyrics. Every song tells an intricate story. Gordon Lightfoot songs are true experiences. RIP Gordo
As an advanced beginner, I found this one of your best videos where the music theory AND playing the licks was doable. Would love to watch more videos at this level - your teaching style rocks.
Thanks Micheal, great tribute. You want a interesting cover of Gordon's song "the wreck of the Edmond Fitzgerald " look up canadian band the headstones.
That feeling of sadness that also feels good is called poignancy. It is the sadness that feeds your soul and makes you appreciate the light more. It is what I am drawn to :-)
I love your tutorial… This is such a timeless classic, Gordon Lightfoot was phenomenal… One of my all-time favorites! Michael, with absolutely no disrespect intended because I love the way you explain this Song… How does it all apply if we are to take it and play it with the Capo on the second fret as Gordon does?
Originally recorded for tv and is being played back at a slightly sped up rate putting it 450 instead 440. It is the same issue you were noticing in the Pink Floyd Echoes Live at Pompeii video.
Gordon Lightfoot was, indeed, a genius. It's worth noting that Tony Rice did an entire (absurdly good) album of his music. And I can remember listening to Gord's Gold on infinite repeat back in the 80's. Thank you for remembering him.
I'm not sure if Gordon set out to write hit songs, or if he was just so good that a lot of his songs became hits. Thank you for this video. I'm not a guitarist, but I appreciate learning about it. I've learned a lot this past week. And I have to say that your guitar is beautiful...the birds up the neck are wonderful.
