First Time Hearing | Gordon Lightfoot - The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald Reaction
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It’s not country, it’s a folk “Ballad” in its purest form. The song does exactly what ballads were created to do, it relays an account of events both current and historical.
Completely agree. Reminds me of the style from the British Isles - story telling, historical account, grieving and retaining memory. Rather forcibly of the song Lord Franklin. Definitely high art of the ballad. Mr. Lightfoot is one of a kind
@@illegaleaglebear497 Lightfoot came from years in the traditional-folk milieu, and Canada has a long British-based folksong base. He is directly using the "broadsheet" ballad style. In England singers used to pass out the lyrics to their ballads (lies, fabrications and all) on cheap printouts called broadsheets. He's a master craftsman.
But is "Balladeer" a style these days?
@@bcaye If you get a flannel shirt and some suspenders, you can be a balladeer too!
He sounds like a bard from olden days. I don’t know if a perfect song exists but this is pretty close.
"The artist is very good." That's an understatement. Here in Canada, when talking about him, the sentence would go: "The artist is a legend."
...Says the country that produced Justin Bieber! 🤣
Just kidding. You made up for it by giving us Euchre and Tim Ho's.
@@nathanlawson313 you can't win them all. I would not put Beiber as a legend, and I can't really say he's Canadian because he left us with no plans to come back. There are so many Canadians that I would claim more readily than Beiber
I’m from Michigan and you sir are correct on both sides of the border.
The three best Canadian exports:
1. Rush
2. Gordon Lightfoot
3. Maple syrup
Honorable mention: Smarties
@@RushFanatic87 that's a pretty hot take. I would definitely have put Ryan Reynolds in place of Rush... :)
Most people that listen to this song do not catch/understand the line "when a wave broke over the railing". Those _railings_ are more than 20 feet above the waterline and water didn't come over the railings, the wave *broke* over the railing. The Eddie Fitz was fighting 30+ foot waves when she went down.
Bless the crew, bless the boat, Detroit will never forget you...
Back in the 90's, they dove down and removed the ships bell from the Eddie Fitz and installed one with the crew's names engraved on it. Now, on November 10th every year, the original (restored) bell is rung for each crew member, usually by a family member. It's eerie to witness.
People underestimate how dangerous the great lakes can be with quick forming dangerous weather, swells...etc.
On top of that, they were dealing with 40+ mph winds too. On open water. That’s how bad it was. That’s not even taking into account the freezing rain too.
"Those railings are more than 20 feet above the waterline and water didn't come over the railings, the wave broke over the railing."
Yes but these 20 feet are for a loaded or unloaded ship?
The Edmund Fitzgerald had a list to one site and later it was revealed that the hatches could not be closed properly and that probably the whole day water was leaking in.
The cargo hold in front was running full of water and pushed the bow under water at the end.
The Anderson was also hit by the waves but stayed afloat.
Gordon Lightfoot is definitely another Canadian icon!
That gives a far more clear understanding.
This is an ode. The line that always gets me is: "All that remains is the faces and the names of the wives and the sons and the daughters." This song charted very well, and he gave the proceeds to the families.
That line broke me as an 11yr. old boy... Just pierced my soul...I was crying for those family members.. Love the song and that line fell on my heart like a sledge hammer... GL's an Incredible songwriter!
another name for it is a ballad.
I had no idea he gave proceeds to the families.
Yes, oh yes. The line that gets me is "Fellows, it's been good to know you" from the old Cook.
I like the way he sang it in a seafarer’s dialect and language style.
Does anyone know where the love of God goes when the wave turn the minutes to hours. This must be one of the most profound lines ever writen. Gives me chills every time.
As someone who just knew he was gonna die. The love of god waits for you cause theres no peace when that happens. Maybe right at the end but not when its full force.
I heard that line in my head as if I was wearing headphones when I was in a canoe when wind and large waves suddenly came up. I had an inexperienced 16 year old in the bow, so I turned the canoe around with the intent of heading back behind a nearby island. About 30 seconds later, I heard the rest of the crew shouting at each other to turn back too! Being in the rear meant we got behind the island quicker. I'm surprised the guys in the lead canoe made it back behind the island without swamping, but they were drenched! Yep, I heard Lightfoot's line in my head as clear as if I had on headphones.
It's one of the most perfect lyrics I've ever heard. It's spare, precise, absolutely evocative, and it plays on the mind on several levels at once. There's no embellishment because none is needed. It's a hard left jab to the solar plexus in words.
Truer words have never been spoken, I did semester at sea when I was a young lad, there were a few times I thought we were all gonna die.
Same
Rest in Peace Gordon Lightfoot, your music will live in forever ! Much love from Atlantic Canada
Gordon Lightfoot is still performing, he is a timeless Canadian musician, historian, and poet.
Canadian Treasure / Living Legend
When Canadians need to point out a singer is Canadian it’s just a little sad. In America some radio stations play 100% Mexican music and nobody goes to jail🤣
@@acemarcola not sad Proud. Canada’s 🇨🇦 population is a small fraction of the rest of North America so we claim and stand by everyone from here. Except Bieber y’all can have him.
@@acemarcola Funny how they all had to come to America to get recognized. Gordon Lightfoot, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, and others all got famous when they LEFT Canada. Just saying.
@@tanyamcpeek9846 no thank you..... ;-)
"The church bell chimed till it rang 29 times...." Such a hauntingly beautiful song
And this year, they rang it 30 times. The final bell ring was for the memory of Gordon Lightfoot.
Gordon donated a large % of profits from his song to the National Maritime Center to help the wives and children of this disaster and others.
Sounds like something he'd do. He keeps in touch w/the families to this day, far as I know.
All profits
It's also considered Canadian history, as she sunk on the Canadian side of the Lake Superior. Anyone who grew up around the Great Lakes in Ontario knows this tale. I played it to get my music badge when I was in Boy Scouts.
😀
This song and story is cherished here on the Minnesota side too in the twin ports here about a few hundred miles from the border.
Yes! It’s huge in MN
The wreck site is only in Canadian territory by a mere 1000 feet. The Americans should annex the wreck site from Canada. Those American sailors deserve to rest in American waters if they can't be brought back up to the surface.
@@HoshizakiYoshimasa lol you know that is not ever going to happen. And why? This country shows respect to that gravesite, and any ship wreck where life was lost. It doesn't matter what their nationality is. Maybe you should show some of the same respect.
All 29 members of the crew lost their lives on the ship. Their bodies are still preserved in the frozen waters of Lake Superior.
"When the waves turn the minutes to hours" one of the greatest lyrics ever
Always gives me chills. Along with "All the remains are the faces and names of the wives and the sons and the daughters".
But, you left maybe the best part out.
Does anyone know where the love of god goes.....
@@NicStryker1027 I was in the Coast Guard, and this song, especially that line, always hit me. I've been in that type of weather. The feeling is indescribable.
@@johnmiller7682 it really puts perspective on what the sailors were feeling at those last fateful minutes. 😢
This is folk music at it's best. I heard Gordon never took any money on this song, it all went the 29 family's of the crew. That was so nice of him to do. what a class act he is.
"Does anyone know where the love of God goes when the waves turn the minutes to hours?" Such a chilling, haunting and beautiful line. And no, there were no survivors. Such a tragedy.
Absolutely. It's the line that's always stuck with me.
Always gets me, The utter hopelessness those men suffered through.
Anyone who's been in a bad storm at sea knows what that's like. That's really what it feels like too. The minutes turn to hours.
@@chardtomp USCG Retired, North Atlantic during a Nor’Eastern storm, Bearing Sea, Gulf of Alaska. Our ships/boats ride like crap, they can take a beating but they’ll get you home.
You know the line that gets me, "she'd have made Whitefish Bay if she'd put 15 more miles behind her." What might have been.
Bob Dylan said Gordon was "the greatest balladeer of our time!" He's a Canadian performer still doing concerts in his late 80's.
I was incredibly saddened to hear that he passed away last week at the age of 84.
RIP
This song is a pure masterpiece, a sad, haunting, beautiful masterpiece. The music and Gordon Lightfoot's voice just fantastic. The next one should be "If You Could Read My Mind", then "Sundown" better yet "Carefree Highway". This live version was perfectly done, it's as if you were sitting in the studio while it's being recorded, he really did the song proud. Thanks for doing this!
If you could read my mind is one of my favorite songs ever.
Song for a Winter's Night too. I actually love them all. 😊
Yes, indeed. Carefree Highway is the one he needs to listen to next from Gordon.
All bangers!
Yes all of them hits for sure, but then there's The Great Canadian Railroad Trilogy.
One of my dad's best friends, his brother died on the Edmund Fitzgerald. Never knew him but heard all of the stories. People don't realize how many shipwrecks there were on the Great Lakes. And in the grand scheme, the Edmund Fitzgerald was not that long ago.
Gordon Lightfoot is a story teller. I would put him in the same genre as Harry Chapin and Jim Croce. I think the next one from Gordon should be "If you could read my mind." Also, a lesser known song "The Canadian railroad trilogy".
Add Stan Rogers - Northwest Passage to that list.
My favourite lyric from The Canadian railroad trilogy is “Long before the white man and long before the wheel, when the green dark forest was too silent to be real”
Great song and an incredible artist!
@@donalvoyageur1765 A great song, but not one that was banned in 40 American States (ie Black Day in July). The Canadian Railroad Trilogy - that covers a bit of history - clearing First Nations people from the land and the use of Chinese migrants to build the railway. It was hard and dangerous work.
A great storyteller is Tyler Childers - Nose on the Grindstone or Hard Times are great places to start.
And from a generation before, Johnny Horton.
The thing that makes this song so potent, it that Mr. Lightfoot does not attempt to tell you that this is horrible, there is no "remember their names" chorus or attempt to create a hero or villain. He just paints the picture of what happened (and does it beautifully) so that the tragedy reveals itself to the watcher.
I entirely agree. I also think that the relentless quality of the instrumentals echoes the relentless quality of the story as the ship heads towards its doom.
Technically this is a sea shanty, but Gordon is known as one of the greatest folk singeres of all time.
@Jordan Kuneyl Yes, especially since shanties have recurring refrains.
This song gut-punches you. Gordon does such an outstanding job of painting that picture….setting the stage & describing the chaos…and then the aftermath. Just so powerful.
"If you could read my mind" By Gordon Lightfoot is a great one. Just excellent. "Early Morning Rain" is another and of course "Sundown" check out all of those and more you cant go wrong with Gordon Lightfoot really.
Great tune.
I second ‘if you could read my mind’ and ‘ sundown’. Seeing Gordon play and sing live…oh man its on a different level.
As someone that grew up on the Great Lakes, this song really makes waves.🤓
Besides those listed, Don Quixote is one of my favorites.
Agree with all your suggestions but I think sundown is my vote for a second listen. It still has all of what makes him great but a bit different, more accessible pop feel.
Gordon Lightfoot is a Canadian Folk legend who knows the Great Lakes from the north end. The personal human touches are so moving.
Lake Superior is no joke. She's known as "The Lake who never gives up her dead" because the water conditions are nearly perfect for preserving shipwrecks, as well as the crew, on the lake bottom.
Right at freezing temperature (the same temperature morgues store bodies at) and little to no bacteria to decompose anything.
For these reasons, shipwrecks are left and seen as burial sites. Unlike a shipwreck in the ocean, the bodies often remain unchanged in the room of the ship they went down in for centuries.
The crew are still preserved in the ship. Divers have taken pictures and videos of the bodies. Though IMHO divers should stay the hell out of the wreck.
It is so deep that it is out of reach except by extraordinary effort and expense. Survey of the wreck was done by researchers.
th-cam.com/video/u0Lg9HygEJc/w-d-xo.html
Caitlin Doughty from "Ask A Mortician" did this episode about the the topic, guested by a family member of one of the victims of the sonking of the Fitz.
I am fascinated by that. What is it that keeps things from floating or moving down there ? It seems they're frozen in time.
@@joanmcdonald3176 @Joan McDonald this is covered in the video I linked above ⬆
But basically, dead bodies float because of built up gasses when bacteria starts decomposing the body. The depth and temperature of lake Superior prevents this, there is virtually zero bacteria in those conditions. And as Caitlin explains, morgues keep bodies right around freezing temperature if they need to store the bodies long-term, so the temperature is just perfect down there.
Add to that the facts that humans are less buoyant in freshwater than they are in saltwater, and in-land lakes have significantly fewer tidal forces, and you have the lake that never gives up her dead.
As an 11 yr. old boy this song captured my soul to the point I was in tears by the end...it really got me focused on learning more about the tragedy...and I was broken for the families that were left behind...not only the loss of life on the ship... The haunting electric guitar made this song musical perfection and pushed the pain and sadness for me...and the lyrics were just incredible... It made me a Huge fan of Gordon Lightfoot... He is Amazing!
I see it as a eulogy for the crew. Timeless music keep digging you've found gold
Yes, organ in the background, a lamenting lead guitar
I can't listen to this song without getting tears in my eyes... but I love it... it's beautiful ... a haunting memorial to those men. I would classify it as folk.
Every time
This happened when I was 14, my father at the time was a helmsman on a Canadian Lake freighter that operated out of my home town Thunder Bay on the northwest end of Lake superior. Needless to say it was a significant event to my city and family and everyone who made their living from the lake. The song is a masterpiece of story telling.
Oh man. That must have been devastating for the city. It's not that far from Duluth, right?
@@CortexNewsService not far, we visited Duluth on a regular basis about 4 hour trip.
From Duluth here. You see these damn big ships every day going through the canal or loading up on the docks and you can never imagine anything happening to them.....
@@michaelmn1958 A ship the size of the Edmond Fitzgerald to my knowledge has not been built since but perhaps they have found a way to do it . I do not live on the Great Lakes any more.
The line that got me was "Does anyone know where the love of God goes when the waves turn the minutes to hours?" Chills. The Edmond Fitzgerald went down with all hands. Youngest man was only 19. Lake Superior is so unpredictable and dangerous that there are sailors who will sail in oceans, but feel wary of sailing on Superior. It's also so damn cold at the bottom it preserves bodies just as fresh as they day they passed for decades. Submersibles have found bodies of crew members of the Edmond Fitz inside the wreck looking just as whole as they day it went down. So eerie and tragic.
This song always gives me chills, because I have lost family to Superior, bodies never found.
That being said, I think anyone who lives in Michigan or the Great Lakes region gets chills listening to this song, even if they haven't personally lost loved ones.
I live in Michigan and when I vacationed on Lake Superior I fully intended to visit the area where the Fitzgerald sank. When the day came, the weather started getting bad, so I erred on the side of caution and didn't go onto the waters.
@@leffew2000 I'm from the Detroit area, but a lot of my family is from the Keewanaw, up Copper Harbor way. Last time I went up there I went to visit the shipwreck museum at Whitefish Pointe (in late September), and the winds were so bad it was knocking trees down and the waves were insane. I saw 2 Lakers out there and watched these waves break on their hauls, and tried to imagine what that would be like with waves 3x that and storming.
My family up there remember the Fitz and the captain who loved to entertain anyone he saw, people at the soo, people in other boats, people on shore lol. It's scary how extreme our weather can get out there. I mean it's bad enough inland lol, but on the water there's no shelter.
I got caught in a storm in a canoe with my dad and brother once, luckily a woman saw us and called the coast guard. My dad was doing everything he could to keep the boat from tipping, while my brother and I hunkered down, but he couldn't keep the boat upright and get us to shore. Most people couldn't have even kept it upright, but he lived on a sail boat for years before we were born.
I'm grew up in the South and this song still gets me even though I have no connection to the Great Lakes.
@@sandracox4341 they do an amazing job of getting emotions across. There's a newer cover of this song by the headstones that's more haunting, though I couldn't tell you why.
Grew up 45 minutes from Lake Michigan. I was in high school when this came out, and it's still as poignant.
As a Michigan native this song and the true story behind it is ingrained in me since childhood. There are some great docs about it on youtube. They raised the bell. To hear it ring is haunting
Gordon Lightfoot is a Canadian legend. Looking forward to more reactions.
I bet more Canadians know this history than Americans...Gordon Lightfoot is a Canadian Treasure and if you are plus 45 you grew up on this song
Gordon Lightfoot also has Black Day in July about what the 1967 Detroit Riots looked like when viewing them from across the Detroit river. The riots also got more coverage across the river than it did in many places in the USA.
He has a whole list of other songs - which I will leave for others to post.
It's really something to think that this happened during my lifetime, and that ballad was a part of my childhood. It never fails to make me cry.
It is a haunting song. I was around 14 years old when it came out. The song is Americana. It got the most play on pop music stations. I heard it probably 100 times via AM radio. Lightfoot wrote and recorded many, many hits. "Sundown" is another great songs.
I don't know if it would be classified as "Americana" since Gordon is Canadian lol.
Canadian Americana?
Americana sung by a Canadiana 🤣🤣
He's Canadian.
@@fortunax22 - Also WRITTEN by Gordon, a Canadian, and the proceeds to the crew's families.
“The witch of November come stealing” is one of my favorite lines in poetry, because this is poetry.
This song is so haunting. The storytelling is masterful. Every time I hear it, I can't help but feel the tickle of fear that comes with the wind singing in the wires, the sickening dread and resignation of a stormtossed ship, the sorrow of the widows and orphans.
You can listen to this song in Miami in July and still get chills. He really puts you there.
Gordon Lightfoot is a Canadian LEGEND. He has a large catalogue of hits. An amazing storyteller.
This song always brings a tear to the eye when listening to this song. Such powerful lyrics and imagery of the sinking
It's interesting... Every other person I've seen react to this song has a moment when they suddenly realize that the story is true, and it totally changes the mood of the reaction. You're the first one that I've seen who had knowledge of the tragedy going in.
IN this case, that almost feels unfortunate. This is one of my all time favorite songs because of the emotion in it. MrLBoyd's historical narrative as he makes cuts through the story to give us tidbits of information about the ship, really feels like it broke his ability to actually respond to the depth of the music and lyrics.
Ive heard part of the lyrics were taken directly from a newspaper story . It's just truth.
I've heard this dozens and dozens of times over the years, and it never fails to just absolutely give me the chills.
"at 7pm the main hatchway gave in. He said fellas it's been good to know ya." That line always brought tears to my eyes and a lump in my throat since first hearing it as a child.
OK. Now you heard the song. Now you heard the man. That song written back when the events happened. Over 40 years ago.
Gordon Lightfoot is a living legend. Objectiovely by any standard. A Canadian musician going back at least to the early 60s. He's over 80 now. A recipient of the order of Canada. Folk rock/Country/pop. His lists of greatest hits and albums takes up multiple pages across decades. His greatest best known hits is a double album and more. Songbook which collected them had 80 tracks iirc. His storytelling and musicianship 2nd to none. His voice sadly a pale ghost of what it was when he was younger. Almost 10 years ago he battled an unknown life threatning illness. Fourunatley he survived the scare and a short coma.
He is a contemporary to Elvis if that helps. Wrote song(s) for him and others before being given his chance. A more beloved Canadian you'll be hard pressed to find, if at all. Made it big in the USA too.
This probablly is THE song he's most identified with.
Too name a few songs is an injustice to his catalougue as a whole. With that said I will name a couple obvious ones. If You could read my mind, Canadian railroad trilogy, and Sundown be my starter list.
A few of my favourites Race Among the ruins #1 on my list, no reservations. Carefree highway another obvious one and I couldn't leave it out. Rainy day people my last suggestion. That is another that speaks to me. If there are any music awards out there that apply to him, I am unaware of any he doesn't own. Still lives in Southern Ontario to this day. His last released single was Inspiration Lady. His deep bass gone. But as a bonus track to see him as he was just a few years back, I do suggest giving it a listen. The beauty of his songs are timeless.
Still doing concerts too. I had ticks right before the pandemic hit and they cancelled it. Still angry over missing that
Right on!
I'm so glad you reacted to this. As a born and raised michiganian, this event and song is close to my heart. I'm sure it's already been mentioned here in the comments, but Gordon has donated every penny he has made from this song to the 29 families of the Fitz. Super stand up guy as well as a great songwriter and performer
Because the families of the victims sued him for the additional pain and suffering his song caused them.
She sunk instantly all hands on deck. The great lakes are the most dangerous waters to sail. The weather changes in minutes, not hours. The waves are tighter, with Lake Superior having what's called the Three Sisters. Three large waves in quick succession. This is what is now believed to have done her in.
Been chased off Lake Michigan several times due to weather, be it a thunderstorm rolling in faster than you thought, or just water being rough quickly.
Whenever we go out on Lake Erie we check the weather. Even a hint of storms and we stay home. The Great Lakes have such a history of wrecking ships.
My Dad grew up on Lake Erie commercial fishing. He also fished the Pacific. Said waves or swell was further apart on ocean. Easier to ride. Great lakes closer so can beat you up.
I'm U.S. sailor. If you can drink the water you on, you aint a sailor
@@ColonelMetus ok, didn't know that you could sail the Dead Sea.
@@bmomgrimm6242 wot
Such a masterpiece. One of my 13 and 14 year olds' favorites. I'm teaching them music really can tell beautiful stories.
Cool to see you react to this song. I lived in Michigan for 32 years, born and raised. They taught us about the Edmund Fitzgerald in Elementary School, and during music class, they taught us this song. We sang along and learned about the history and also the tragedy of this mighty ship and those who were lost. This song will always be a part of me. Each November I listen to it in memoriam of those lost. Legendary song. The Gales of November are the real deal too, I have been to Lake Michigan's shoreline to shoot video of the massive waves crashing over the lighthouses and piers. Beautiful but powerful.
Oh so true......When the month of November strolls in, get off THAT lake.
Yes. We were all taught this song in school.
I lived in Chicago and Lake Michigan is a palpable presence. When it's calm it's beautiful, but when it's angry it's merciless. Even today it is actively eating away at some Chicago neighborhoods
I grew up on the Great Lakes when the Edmund Fitzgerald sank.
Gordon Lightfoot did the world a favor by recording this song to remember the crew that died.
“Does anyone know, where the love of God goes, when the waves turn the minutes to hours?” RIP Captain & crew.
Thank you for sharing this part of American history with your viewers. God bless.
"if You Could Read My Mind" is a tricksy song. The modern remix cover makes it sound happy-clappy, while if you listen to Mr Lightfoot's original, it makes it clear that it is not happy.
I was almost two when the Fitz went down. I remember the first memorial we had. Being from Michigan this was a HUGE deal. Gordon Lightfoot brought this to light for so many outside of the Great Lakes area. We learned about it in school every year, have been to the memorial when I was younger. I remember when they found the wreck and was able to bring the bell home. They had a special on TV where they went back under to the ship like they did the Titanic. The best part for me is when I was stationed overseas in the Military, whoever ran the radio station would play this song every day about the same time. It was a little taste of home in the Spanish landscape.
Also fun fact. The lake is so cold that bodies will not float to up.
I have always appreciated the way he tells the story, done in a way to give honor and respect to the lives of the Edmund Fitzgerald crew and their families.
This song broke my heart in 75/76 when I first heard it . I was a freshman in college and have lived in Michigan all my life and spent my summer vacation all my growing up years on the northern great lakes.
This ballad still grabs my heart ! . .
Rest in Peace Fitzgerald . . 🌹☮️
(Those men still remain on their ship to this day . The frigid waters of Superior have preserved their bodies there.)
Gordon's "Sundown" is amazing. Many others too, will have to listen to Gord's Gold tonight, been a long time! Soft Rock / Pop was the classification along with Jackson Brown, Bread, America, etc.
"Sundown" is about John Belushi, who was sneaking around seeing Gordon's gal, who would eventually give Belushi that fatal dose that killed him. True facts
@@fredzeppelin3969 not quite. Same woman, different times. Song was written in '74 and she didn't meet Belushi til '76. Song was written about her.
Gordon Lightfoot is one of the most beloved singer/songwriters in Canada. He's regarded as a national treasure. The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald is one of his masterpieces but there are other great, great songs by Lightfoot. My favorite is the Canadian Railroad Trilogy. Also, Cotton Jenny, and In the Early Morning Rain. Thank you for featuring Gordon Lightfoot on your show and Happy New Year from Canada!
This is the kind of song knowing a little about the history helps with your appreciation. I was in high school at the time and living in the upper peninsula of Michigan. I've always appreciated this song.
Yooper here too!
The weather over the Great Lakes, especially Superior, Michigan and Huron, can turn deadly at any time.
This song was history in haunting, poetic form sung as a ballad and a fantastic work of folk artistry in my humble opinion.
what most do not think about up here in the great lakes, is that the lakes have the ability to create their own weather.
This is a beautiful tribute by one of the best Canadian singer songwriters. This is based on a true story & the lyrics tell the sad tale of the sinking of the ship & loss of lives in 1975. Gordon Lightfoot has had many hits through his long career such as "If You Could Read My Mind", "Sundown", "Carefree Highway", "Rainy Day People", Canadian Railroad Trilogy" & many more.
Such a part of our heritage. He’s the reason why many Canadians became interested in our history as a country. Legendary storyteller.
I am impressed that you knew of this event and your details. much more than anyone else I've seen do a reaction to this song.
My favorite song of all time. He has always been my Mom's favorite singer so this song has always been a part of my life. Still chokes me up every time.
It’s almost like a ballad ( poem ) folk music. Lots of use of poetic devices like personification, foreshadowing, alliteration, imagery, etc. knowing that this really happened gives me chills every time I hear it.
In the Middle Ages, Gordon Lightfoot would have been known as a balladeer going from village to village telling the news in song form. He is considered a national Canadian treasure. I've read that he gave all the proceeds that were raised by the sale of this song to the families of the Edmund Fitzgerald.
My complements on you knowing the history of the Edmund Fitzgerald most reactors didn't have a clue.
I grew up in Wisconsin. Learned this song in elementary school (early 80s).
Lake Superior is deep, cold, and the weather can change in a heartbeat.
This song tears me up every time.There is a video of this song that shows the photos and names of all that were lost that day,and some photos of their families.Its rough to watch.
Gordon is the pride of Orillia, Ontario. He started out playing small clubs and folk festivals in Toronto area along with others such as Joni Mitchell and Neil Young. In his 80's now. I'm in my 70's now and still never tire of hearing this song.
I am so glad you covered this. The line that always hits me is "Does anyone know where the love of God goes when the waves turns the minutes to hours."
As a 10 year old growing up in Michigan I became fascinated with this story when it happened. It was the first song I ever bought. One of the old 45 vinyl releases.
And Gordon Lightfoot is a Legend…
The last words from the ship was from the Captain to the Carl Bradley "We're holding our own." I knew a guy that was on the Fitz for a summer job in '75 before going back to college, whenever he talked about the men on that ship it was with reverence but he was also haunted by it.
The Bradley sank in 1958. The communication was with Capt. Bernie Cooper and the Arthur M. Anderson, who heroically braved the storm to search for survivors.
@@hersh328 yeah I had just gotten done reading about the Bradley so it was on my mind I knew it was the Anderson the sad thing is I actually live in Anderson so I should have remembered it even better LOL
The interesting part of Lake Superior is that it’s so cold a body won’t gas and float hence “she won’t give up her dead”. Amazing song and story
The cadence and chord progression is designed to echo the classic sea shanties of the 19th century.
I'm a Minnesota boy. My dad grew up about 90 miles north of Duluth, the harbor the Fitzgerald called home. I've seen the memorial a few times since I was a boy. Just like the Movie "The Perfect Storm" no one knows for sure what happened but this has always been "the" song to honor it. And the interpretation of the lake he gives is Ojibwe (Chippewa) meaning great (or big) water. Gitchi Gumee. And as far as more Gordon Lightfoot? Check out "If You Could Read my Mind"...
Genre-wise, it's folk rock, which is very close to country. But it really is mostly an old ballad of a type that has existed in English folk music for hundreds if not thousands of years. I know Lightfoot considered this his masterpiece, and it's clear why. As for a follow up, I'd go with "Sundown," which is quite different and gives a good view of his range.
I always thought it has the feel of a sort of sea shanty-the repetition of the melody, the steady beat, it just has a nautical feel to me.
It is the poetry and the history that makes it a folk song.
Grew up in southern ontario.
The Edmund Fitzgerald is well known and well remembered in Canada. Not just because of Mr. Lightfoot.
Gordon Lightfoot, Edmund Fitzgerald released in 1976 .
Edmond Fitzgerald went down in 1975.
He was one the greatest Song Writers , EVER.
Gordon WROTE the History.
Bob Dylan's favorite song writer.
RIP Gordo ,, 5 / 2o23
This song was recorded,, in studio live... one take.
"We are holding our own, going along like an old shoe." Last radio transmission of the Edmund Fitzgerald. A few moments later she was gone.
When this song came out, they played it on the pop\top 40 station in the DC area. Everyone was divided. You either loved it or hated it. Most of the detractors thought it was just too long. I've always loved it. Thank you for the memory.
Does anyone know where the love of God goes when the waves turn the minutes to hours.
My favorite line in the song.
Mine too!
I lived on the shore of the Great lakes and remember oh so vividly the weather and the day the Edmonton Fitzgerald was lost. My birthday in November 1975. I had served in the US Navy and our Destroyer (i.e. tin can DD) was at sea in the path of 2, hurricanes and a monster typhoon. To this day i get chills from my head to my toes for those in the path of a hurricane. There were only 11, or 12, of us who were able-bodied to stand watch and man the bridge. God bless the men and their families.
I really appreciate your analysis of this song. What amazes me and what may be lost in the analysis was that this ballad was written shortly after the tragedy - it shows how much of an impact the news was at the time.
For Gordon to beautifully and respectfully craft such a tribute while the "wives and the sons and the daughters" were still trying to heal and move on with their lives amazes me to this day. Very tastefully done, it became an instant classic.
When this song came out. It was everywhere. Country. pop, rock. Even the disco stations played it.
I remember listening to the radio when the report was released that the Fitzgerald had gone down. Many years later I used to drive around Lake Superior regularly and often stopped at the same rest stops. One on the Canadian side when travelling the north shore, and one on the American shore. From either location, if anyone was standing there they would have been able to watch it go down
Hi MrLBoyd, I grew up in the 70s & I enjoyed your Gordon Lightfoot show. His music is important to me, and it’s so incredible that you shared your first time reacting to such a perfect, legendary song, “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.”
It’s probably his signature song, other than Canadian Railway Trilogy, or Carefree Highway, or If You Could Read My Mind, or Rainy Day People…what a shocking allegory of a real event in maritime history.
The most staggering thing about that great song, is that we can feel the hopelessness: at 7pm (the main hatchway gave in…”) and the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald began, and by “11 that night” (“when its lights went outta sight…”), it was over-the lives of the entire crew of 29 were stolen in a, literal, meteorological mystery and maritime murder.
What a beautiful, prolific organization of lyrics and mystery, and no Hollywood ending. Just pure, heartbreaking, Canadian tragedy. No “silver lining,” no reconciliation, just sorrow and heartbreak. All the ingredients for a profound anthem and a poetic tribute to a somber, history-marking event. I’d love to hear you take a deep dive into the lyrics, verse and chorus, of “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.”
Gordon Lightfoot is the quintessential singer-songwriter, up there in the pantheon of greats like Bob Dylan, James Taylor, Alicia Keyes, Carole King, and Billy Joel, and his place in music history must not be overlooked or undervalued.
I’m waiting for Gordon to come to Los Angeles. So I can see him for the very first time.
Thank you!!
Although they started a search in a matter of hours, the wreck was not found for 192 days. No bodies recovered.
Also, the ship was 729 feet long and sank in 530 feet of water. One possibility is that it may have speared the bottom. This would have had the effect of throwing the crew forward in what would be very similar to a head on crash into a brick wall and it probably killed them all upon impact.
As mentioned in the Song.. "Superior it's said , never gives up it's dead"... The water is so cold, that bacteria will not form on the body, so the bodies will not rise to the surface
Read Great Lakes Shipwrecks & Survivals.
There's a few chilling facts about the wreck.
It's in 2 pieces; if i'm right, the back half is in front of the front.
@@markdubois4882 You are correct and I think is what would happen if a ship of 729 feet came down a 30 foot wave in only 530 feet of water.
@@markdubois4882 Yea, when I learned we talked about it in a university class I had within the last decade, they still aren't sure how it split the way it did or settled on the lake floor in the order/positions it did.
Girdon Lightfoot is a Canadian icon.He is in his 80s and still singing
They may have broke up. This was an unknown phenomenon when the waves were so big that for a few seconds only the bow and the stern would be supported with the rest of the ship being unsupported. Not even remotely designed for this, the ship would literally break in two. Not much time to do anything but offer a short prayer.
Dove deep. This is when the waves are so big that downward angle of the ship after coming off of the top of the wave is so steep that the bow can not rise on the next wave and the bow punches "dives" through the surface of the water. If you are really really really lucky the ship maintains enough buoyancy to recover but usually she dives to the bottom just like someone diving off of a diving board at a pool. Just enough time to mutter, oh..........
I'd always heard "broke deep," implying that the ship's hull had been smashed open somehow. But dove deep makes more sense for where it happened.
The likely scenario is that, weighed down by the wave, the water that had already accumulated on deck, the water coming in from the bottom from scraping Six Fathom Shoal, and the cargo itself, the Fitzgerald went under a rogue wave and just never came back up. Then it broke in half on the bottom. There would have been no time for the crew to do anything or even know what hit them. Those poor men had no chance.
...fellas, it's been good to know ya!
I have a great visceral memory of this song. Back in High School days, me, my bro, and 2 friends were driving aboot the town, and this came on the radio. Without a word, he turned it up to max. We hit a red light, and the guy in the red Camero beside us, who was listening to rap, turned his radio down, and nodded heads with us to this track.
this is musically life changing. realizing how lyrics chosen correctly can draw emotions and visions from the listeners. My top ten of any genre.
Gordon Lightfoot is a fantastic rabbit hole for sure.
thanks as always!
I remember hearing about this on the radio while driving to high school. It was a big deal in 75 as this ship was massively strong. All knew the Fitzgerald within days. RIP SAILORS.........
Gordon Lightfoot is one of the last of the great troubadours. He is a legend & is sadly missed. 😢
Gordon turned 83 last month and released another album titled “solo” in 2020. God bless him!
Gordon Lightfoot song in the Folk Genre, Just like John Denver. All hands went down with the boat! RIP to them.
This song still brings a tear to my eye 45 years later after it’s release, great reaction, not to be funny, but, the “genre” I attach to it is good music, food for the soul, love your reactions my sir !!!!
Greetings from the Great Lakes freighter Joseph L Block which was built one year after the Fitzgerald disaster. We are currently downbound "with a load of iron ore 36,000 tons more than the Joseph L Block weighs empty" heading to the port of Indiana Harbor. Only a few more trips left in our season!
Thanks for reviewing this song!
Growing up I was blessed with learning how to sail on Lake Superior. We’d spend days on end out in the open waters. People don’t understand just how truly deadly those waters are. Once offshore you can easily loose sight of land in any direction & the water temperatures alone will kill an average person in a matter of minutes. Put it this way, today the water temperature in open water is around 41F. That means if you hit the water your going into shock near immediately & your body will start shutting down quickly because the cold water sucks the warmth of your bodies internal organs below their abilities for operation. Truly a horrific way of going out!
And that's in warm weather..
Welcome to the rabbit hole of Gordon. One of the most prolific song writers of the 60s, 70s and 80s, a Canadian poet and troubadour. He is still around. All of his songs are my favorites, no way to chose just one. Might try, Sundown, Circle of Steel, Ribbon of Darkest, Canadian Railroad Trilogy, A Song for a Winters Night, he was very folk, all of his music told a story.
I've always loved the eerie, haunting tone of his song.
This song means so much more to anyone who has spent time on a ship in a storm.
When you can see the lights of the port, but you're not sure if you'll be able to reach them.