It’s not too hard to come up with a list of prominent Canadian singer-songwriters. Try these for starters: Leonard Cohen, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Bryan Adams, Alanis Morissette, k. d. lang, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Robbie Robertson and Shania Twain. Impressive!
Gordon Lightfoot ranks right up there with this stellar collection of artists. Among his better known songs are ‘If you could read my mind’, ‘Sundown’, ‘Carefree Highway’ and ‘The wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald’. Probably his best selling album was Sundown (1974). His career began in the early 60s and he continued to perform for over 60 years. Sadly, Lightfoot died this week at the age of 84.
I was a tertiary student in the first half of the 1970s when ‘If you could read my mind’ was released and then the Sundown album. Lightfoot provided a gentler, more thoughtful, reflective and autobiographical contrast to some of our other high repetition LPs by the likes of Led Zeppelin, The Eagles, Elton John, Neil Young and others. A few of us from those days have been in touch in recent hours to reflect on a shared memory.
And so, at sundown today, I played Sundown.
Vale, Gordon Lightfoot. RIP.
To read a biography of Gordon Lightfoot’s life click here.
To read a tribute from the BBC click here.
To read a tribute from The Guardian click here.
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About Ian Hauser
A former teacher with a (very) modest sporting CV enjoying his retirement years. A Queenslander through and through, especially when it comes to cricket and rugby league. Enjoys travel, coffee and cake, reading, McWilliam's Cream Apera and a glass or three of wine. Footy Almanac's Thursday online editor who moonlights as a hobby editor.
Bob Dylan always said Gordy was a favourite of his. Also, it is remarkable when you consider the many hits he wrote for other artists, such as Marty Robbins ‘Ribbon Of Darkness’. Will be missed.
Even though my father liked him I liked him, too. Now That’s crossing a generational divide. You can spend a pleasant arvo on YouTube watching young people react to what Gordon called “The Boat Song”. (The Wreck of the EF)
The vid includes footage of the actual crew boarding the ship. 29 of ’em. Each would have the church bell toll once for him. Fascinating to watch the reactions of people as they realise what the song is about. A great song. All proceeds went to the families of the drowned sailors.
Also on YouTube you can listen to audio of Captain McSorley on The Arthur Anderson which was nearby. His convo with the Coast Guard is spooky.
The first Gordon Lightfoot song I heard was “Early Morning Rain.” in 1965. I heard the Peter, Paul and Mary version. Lightfoot wrote the song in 1964 but did not record it until 1966. By then Ian and Sylvia had had a hit with it in Canada and PP&M in the rest of the English speaking world. But Gordon Lightfoot’s version was far and away the best. I saw him in 1974 which may well have been his only trip to Australia.
Vale Gordon Lightfoot.
I would have been going onto 15 when If You Could Read My Mind first sounded out of Sydney radio. There was a strange mysterious magnificence in the music/lyrics/vocals that hit a chord in my soul that is rarely touched/reached by singer/songwriters. Even now, as I listen to the song, it sounds as fresh and real as it did 50+ years ago. Definitely in my top 100 songs of all time.
Saw Gordon live at Festival Hall in around 1972? He had flown direct from Canada and was very jet lagged. He put on a good performance though, accompanied by another guitarist. I think Sundown was out at this stage. The wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald is one of my faves along with ‘If you could read my mind’. His songs were good to play on guitar for this young guitarist back in the day!