The fact Gordon Lightfoot (creator of the song) asked for permission by the families of the crew and gave full royalties of the song to them just makes me feel really happy but also a bit sad.
Gordon Lightfoot our Canadian son ensures that the world will never forget "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald"!! Lord be with all those lost and their families and now Gordon!
I read that when Mr. Lightfoot passed away that they rang the bell again. Instead of 29 times but 30 times ..... Adding that extra ring for Gordon Lightfoot.
Ive been obsessed with the Fitzgerald pretty much my entire life. This ballad I can listen to it continually all day and I have. I live in Michigan and when I take to the upper peninsula from down in the lower I listen to it all the way. This song, this Ballad is very emotionally powerful to me. As a younger man it was all about the ship and the ' how it happened ' as a older man im very troubled knowing how awful those men died. I was in the Great Lakes Maritime academy same place where cadet David Wise went. I hope I spelled his name correctly. I met one of the instructors who taught David. He knew very well how bad it can be out there. I dont where was worse to die in the bow or stern. This stuff really messes with me. I have a lot of experience on the great lakes not on a freighter, mostly in small craft. I was in a youth volunteer program called U.S. Navel sea cadets. Our division was the great lakes and the navy donated a yard patrol ship, named Pride of Michigan. Look it up its here on RU-vid. This was back in 1990. I served on her for 3 years. In '91 we were working with scientists studying zebra mussels back when they were not as known as they are now. Anyway we were in lake Michigan not far from the summer island and we were heading back to escanba. This huge storm hit us, I was in the pilot house so I heard all the raido traffic. We were in a gale. I sailed on this ship on the Atlantic through big rolling waves I thought that was bad. This was armageddon compaired to the Atlantic. We were fighting 20 foot waves, crashing across the bow which looked like we were going under! There are gauges that mesure the pitch and roll of the ship, we rolled a few times 42 degrees!! I was stationed at the lee helm, there is a iron bar bolted to the ceiling we called it the Jesus Christ bar. I was hanging on to that with both hands and my feet were comming off the deck! The sky was completely overcast dark and it was around 3pm. Lighting striking the water, the waves looked demonic, demons running into the ship from all sides. The verse " does anyone know where the love of God goes when the waves turn the Minutes to hours?" That is SO TRUE!!! we were only making 8 to 9 knots. I really believed this was it. The Captain, capitan Clyburn was at the helm he could hardly hang on because we were being tossed around like a cheap toy. I heard an adult in the crews quarters screaming in fear and it was a man. Remember the crew was mostly cadets. So that day of horror I can be sure pales to what the crew of the Fitzgerald went through. I get a bit emotional about that. God bless those men and for all stuck in a storm on the great lakes.
You probably suffer from P.T.S.D. after that and the Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald only magnifies the feelings you are having.Real Trauma from the inland seas that are our Great Lakes! You at least survived the trauma to re-live - they took the trauma to their watery graves!
Gad...sounds utterly horrifying. I have nightmares of being on a sinking ship and watching it slowly disappear in the depths and me trying to swim to it to rescue the people in it but I run out of breath and can't reach it. It was so real I will not go on a cruise.
@@billofrightsamend4 Yes it was scary, but the experience, the memories of all the good outweighs the real scary stuff. Sometimes scary stuff makes us a better person, a humble person. The great lakes definitely can be a humbling experience and it doesn't have to be scary to do that. Just the. Beauty the sheer size of them is a wow experience. You shouldn't let your fears rule you kellywiese8991. If you want to go on a cruise do it. I'm 50 and I let alot of time go by just doing the everyday norm. It's been a very long time since I've done anything on the lakes. What I'm trying to say is dont let life pass you by, LIVE it! Thank you for sharing 😁
I have spent 38 years on the oceans. Been through some of the worst storms. I have a pice of steel railing that I kept for a reminder. The safety railing I was holding onto snapped like a twig (solid steel). Stories about this of the Mariner’s who lost their lives gives me a blessing to them and that I have been blessed with and survived it. Christopher Wayne Alexander AB.
The Great Lakes can put many oceans to shame with their storms. I grew up near both Erie and Ontario and they are magnificent when calm. But, when they decided to roll out their anger and Mothers Nature cuts lose it is unbelievable the fury they unleash. In a way calling them Lakes is not right. They are inland seas. If you want to know how much water we are looking at think about this. All the water comes into Lake Eire. Erie dumbs it into Ontario by the Niagara river. Go to Niagara Falls and look at the water flowing over them. For most of you there will be more water in one second than you will see in your entire life. They say sailing the Lakes is harder than the oceans. I don't know, you can answer that. I've heard that you need special instructions to Captain a ship on them.
I was in the Navy for almost 8 years and have been through some rough seas too. If you want to see rough? Go up close to the Alutian Islands off of Alaska in late November and early December. That is very rough.
Spent alot of time out at sea in the navy hurricanes are no joke. Remember plenty of ti.e the front under water safety equipment straps so I would go overboard RIP 29 brave seaman❤
Thanks for your stories. Always wondered what it would be like during a storm on the sea. Water. The irony. Need it for survival, but natures greatest weapon. I was in Whitefish Point looking out and a storm was brewing. It got black. Waves were kicking on shore. I couldn’t imagine. Saw a freighter on Superior and thought, stay close.
I was a kid when this song came out. Listend to it on wls am radio chicago. Later in 1980s I was on a 600 ft ship in south pacific.i was in the navy during persian gulfwar. My ship uss proteus as19. From Guam.we hit a typhoon breaking our keel. We pumped water for 500 Mile's we didn't sink. But having a 90ft wave hit the ship is something I will never forget. Nobody died but we sat 4 months having the ship welded back together. Was hell of a ride. Gordon Lightfoot an Edmund Fitzgerald song always a gem to listen to.
My dad began his career at the Locks,n lived on Superior, in the Sault. This song makes me feel for the familys. I'm 64 now n still remember that November night. May they rest in peace 😢
Growing up on the shores of Lake Ontario, this song really hits home for me, because I have a friend that lost her uncle during that sinking, and my uncle who also worked on one of the many Great Lakes freighters, also lost a good friend, during the sinking of the Fitzgerald, which affected me deeply. What most people don’t realize is how dangerous the great lakes can be, especially in November. All of the great lakes bottoms are scattered with shipwrecks from centuries gone by. Leave it to a great Canadian, Gordon Lightfoot, to memorialize an honour The Edmund Fitzgerald, and all the crew that were lost in seconds. I can tell you from personal experience, the great lakes are just as dangerous, if not more so, then the oceans, with storms seemingly coming out of nowhere, powerful enough to sink almost any vessel no matter how big. About 10 years ago, a friend of mine, who is also my colleague at the hospital where I work, had just bought himself a private yacht, something he wanted all his life, and sacrificed everything to get. She was so beautiful, almost 100 feet long, with opulent interiors, built by hand from the keel plates up. He invited me out on the lake for a day of fun on her maiden voyage, unfortunately my family couldn’t come, but I went by myself…. Thank God my family was not there. When we left the Toronto harbor, the water was perfectly smooth, not a breath of wind, and sunny skies, on a warm August day. By the time we were about 10 km from shore, literally out of nowhere, an enormous black cloud begin to form, the winds begin to blow hard, and the waves started churning. Within a matter of 10 minutes we went from perfectly sunny clear skies and smooth sailing, to near hurricane force winds, rain, and waves at least 8-10 feet high. Even though we were in his nearly 100 foot long yacht, it was being tossed around in the waves like a dinghy, and with one wave, The engine hatch was knocked open, flooding the engine room, killing all the power. We just sat there helpless, at the mercy of the storm. There were so many times I thought for sure we were going to go under the waves. If it wasn’t for the watertight doors between the engine room and the rest of the ship, we all would have been dead (there were about 30 people aboard, including his own wife and 3 children). We radioed for help immediately (using the back up generator), by the grace of God, there was a military ship that just happened to be only 1 km from us, which is very rare, but in the summertime, The Royal Canadian Navy sails into Toronto’s harbour, docks, and gives tours of one of their frigates for the public. She was on her way back to her home port in Halifax, and it was pure luck they were just passing us soon after we lost power. To make a long story short, they were able to attach a tow line, and take us back to shore, but my friends ship was heavily damaged by the waves. I felt so bad for the poor guy, it was his dream, he saved every penny he ever made to purchase this boat, and planned on living on it all summer, thank God he had insurance, because the storm managed to cause over $200,000 in damages to the boat. But that’s not the worst part. I have been on the water all of my life up until that point, especially because I grew up on the waterfront, but that day changed everything. I was absolutely petrified, convinced we were all going to die, as the little ship was tossed Mercilessly in the 10 foot swells (that’s according to the naval frigate that saved us). At one point, almost the entire ship was underwater after being hit by a huge wave, I’ve never been afraid to be on the water, in fact I loved it, I was always happiest when on the water, but no more. After that day, you could not pay me enough money to set foot on any boat or ship. I know it was just a freak storm, but the psychological damage was irreversible, I even had to see a psychiatrist help deal with it, and my poor friend ended up selling his dream boat, because he too was absolutely terrified, and his wife never liked being on the water to begin with, and after that day, she refused to ever set foot on that boat again. I’m not saying to stay off the water, what happened to us could happen to anyone at any time, but when it does happen, it leaves a scar, a scar that never fully heals. I can only imagine the terror those poor men on the Fitzgerald felt as the ship broke in two and went under the waves in seconds. The lakes and oceans may be a playground for many, but is also deadly for others, treat it with respect, and don’t ever underestimate the power of the water, it can rip a solid steel ship in half in seconds, remember that the next time you want to scoff at those of us afraid to go on the water ever again.
What a great and interesting tale you have there.you are absolutely right,the great lakes are nothing to underestimate.i live on the most northerly point of lake superior and I've seen the waves and weather RIP through so hard that we could hear the waves crashing from my house which was 5 kilometers away..i can only imagine the anxiety you must feel looking back to the day you were on that yaht.absolutely,the great lakes need to be respected and how quickly they brew up storms.there are places in lake superior over 1000 feet deep and it chills me to the bone thinking of those poor souls aboard the fitz.never do I venture too far from shore when cruising Ontario great lakes!thank you for sharing your story and wish you safe travels.gods speed!
well, that is what most who do not live around or near the great lakes understands and that is the problem, they think that they are just `larger lakes', when in a sense, they could be considered what are called inland seas. not to mention they have the capability of creating their own weather.
Just wanted to say you did a hell of a great job on the imagery for this. Using authentic footage and photos really brought it to life and hit all the right emotional notes. Very satisfying, and very close to what my own head imagery for the song has always been.
Gordon's great ballad and your great imagery thank you. you took a great presentation and made it better. now i remember being on a red tractor in sandy creek new york in a crop field with a bush hog attachment over looking the surf of lake erie.in november near thanks giving time. yeah watch out for the november winds over those great lakes.
So true. If you allow yourself the images almost put you there with the absolute horror of knowing your going to die. Thanks for giving us the faces and names--never seen them before.
I read that when Mr. Lightfoot passed away that they rang the bell again. Instead of 29 times but 30 times ..... Adding that extra ring for Gordon Lightfoot. Mr. Lightfoot gave all his royalies of this song to the families of those who perished on the Edmund Fittzgerald.
I had hoped someone would make a song for the US cargo ship El Faro that sank in 2015 off the coast of Jacksonville, FL. This song has always stayed with me because of the sailors who went down with their ship. Shalom
So haunting is this song. It brings me back to that time when i heard it on the radio. This song will never die. It is beautiful, memorable, and haunting at the same time.
Growing up in Michigan I was raised with these haunting Great Lakes Shipwrecks. People don't realize how deadly our Great Lakes really are. The Fitzgerald was actually headed to Detroit and a Hatch did not open it was taken over by 35 foot waves and higher
I worked in the Upper Peninsula the summer of 1976 as a student engineer for a company that produced taconite pellets, the same as the cargo that went down with the Edmund Fitzgerald. I knew the news of the wreck prior to working there and then being on Lake Superior that summer 6 months or so after, the tragedy was still raw in Yooper’s minds. Then Lightfoot’s masterpiece came out. It was played endlessly once it dropped. I was able to tour the sister ship of the Fitzgerald which was docked in Marquette and being loaded with my plant’s taconite pellets in August 1976.
Fantastic job on your video. I was in the Army when this was a big hit on the radio and I have the record on vinyl somewhere. Your video deserves 50 million or so views like the original track which has nothing but a photo of the album cover. (There are several official versions on RU-vid with varying numbers of views.) 🧨
I loved this song when it came out and still do in July 2022. It's beautiful and hauntingly sad. All those precious lives lost. All the families left behind to carry on. God bless those who had to live through this tragedy. ❤️🤟
I remember very well the night, when the Fitzgerald went down. I was 13. Denny Anderson from WDIO (tv station in Duluth, MN) was the first broadcaster in the USA, to break the news. So, so sad. 😢😢😢
It's like being stuck in the Devil's Triangle what happened to me when I was a young girl and my daddy took the 31-foot boat of his to the Bahamas suddenly the sea turned upside down and it was very very scary I'm wondering if that ship rolled over on its side riding the waves back in
As a former member of the Coast Guard, it easy to understand how the ocean can almost be flat at times......and then look so terrifying in short order. When "The Winds of November" blow early......every sailor knows how that feels...
wonderful tributes to everyone on the ship, Gordons voice and song perfect to tell everyone this sad story, we must not forget our brave sailors, ever,
The first time I heard the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald I broke down and wept. And whenever I was in my car, and it came on the radio I had to pull over, because I couldn't see where I was driving. Here it is 2023 and the tears still come. I will never forget those 29 and the family who lost their loved ones.
What can one say? Was up there that night . Superior is a haunting, mysterious lake. Guess like so many things..you had to have been there, lived there, seen it. God Bless them all.
Visited the museum at Whitefish point last year and was stopped in my tracks as the first thing you see as you walk in is the ships bell. What an amazing thing to see rita in front of you.
I rang te bell 29 times. Being a sailor it is an honor.I was in school the day they Announced her missing. We lived S of Erie so it was pretty shocking.
This was a beautifully done tribute. I'm not a sailor but an aviator and this made me tear up. We all share a common bond when our brothers and sisters lose their lives doing a job they love. RIP sailors.
My Grandfather was in the Merchant Marine Service out of Sydney Australia. He and some mates in the sevice made pilgrimage to Lake Superior to pay respects to their lost merchant marine brothers. He always talked about the Great Lakes as through they were some snarling beast waiting to snatch you away. Scared the hell out of us as kids.
I was born in 1963 so I remember this song playing on AM radio and even as a child just listening to the songs words and the way the music hauntingly carries you along you knew it was serious and the way Gordon sang it gave it a feel and drew on you to take it to heart...... And to hear him sing "Does anyone know where the love of God goes when the Gail's of November come early"....... That shakes me to my core, it lets you feel the sense of panic and terror that must come with being on raging waters......😕
I have seen several videos well done, but I really think this one captures the reality of the loss. I graduated soon after this event. December 1975, class of 1976. Gordon Lightfoot captured this piece of tragic history masterfully...I tear up to this day.
The Maritime Cathedral is in downtown Detroit Michigan, every year on the anniversary of the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald the church bells ring 29 times in memory of the sailors who lost their lives in that terrible storm.
I remember this song like it was yesterday. Working in a convenience store right after I graduated. All good things must end as they say, but never forgotten.
I remember playing with my Toy boats in the Pool with this song playing in the background. That was such fun. And then at the Jersey Shore every weekend... Until JAWS came out in the theaters. Talk about empty beaches.
I doubt very much I'm only saying this as AN old 70+ senior ( CANADIAN )I doubt that anybody could have written a better song than GORDON regarding this terrible tragedy .I lived for a while in THUNDER BAY ONTARIO and saw some of SUPERIORS temperaments . I had a brother that worked on the lakers for a while he had great respect for SUPERIOR !
