The Mariner's Church of Detroit rang their bell 30 times in memory of Gordon Lightfoot, once for every man lost in the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, and once for Lightfoot when he passed away.
Gordon changed the lyrics at least twice after the original release. Once was because the Mariner's Church insisted that the church was not musty. The second was when discovery of the wreckage confirmed that the hatchway had not given in; this lyric and the initial claim the hatch was not properly secured had long been a sore point for the family of the sailor whose duty included securing the hatches.
My grandpa sat me down and told me this story when I was a kid in Michigan then played the song, come to find out he knew someone on the ship, song still gives me chills
The water is so cold and deep in November on Lake Superior that the bodies don't float to the surface. You're the only reactor who immediately understood that. Kudos! I really like your empathy. I think you're smart.
@@wannamontana4130 when found by divers years later, the wreck contained complete undisturbed corpses, iirc. Zero decomp, and decomp attracts the other things. The site is recognized as a burial site and no diving is allowed. My knowledge of biologic processes in deep cold water is far from vast, it seems to be a topic that does not come up often, but the report from the actual divers indicate that nothing was happening at the time.
@@jeffreysmith236 I suppose that over time the bodies will still decompose, but at an extremely retarded rate. Bacteria can still break down tissue in cold water. It may take 100 years though.
An amazing singer and songwriter but an even more amazing human being. Gordon never took a dime from the publication of this song. Every cent went to the fund for the families of the men who died. Great Writer, a Great Singer and a GREATER MAN.
Hey six workers were just killed in the Baltimore Bridge accident! What do we hear how much money will be lost.anybody know the names of the people that died hmm food for though imo
We':e become accustomed to it. The media isn't interested in human stories. They are interested in making money. It's tragic when the news media became profit centers.
I've watched a LOT of reactions to this song. Most reactors aren't as perceptive as you are - but you got what was happening right from the first verse. You're really focused and full of heart. You just got another subscriber. Enjoy your journey.
@@stpetie7686 Seeing as he developed a personal relationship with the Edmund Fitzgerald families and he handed over profits from the song to the families (licensing agreement) I would most certainly agree. I'm a Canadian who grew up on the shores of that lake. I definitely know what those Witch of November storms are like having also sailed that lake in November.
True story from 1975 and Gordon wrote the song in 1976. I was in Elementary school but remember it. Gordon Lightfoot was a great songwriter and singer.
This is a factual retelling of a shipwreck on Lake Superior in November 1975 that claimed the lives of 29 crew members. On November 10, 1975, the S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald broke in half and sank in Lake Superior. The storm she was caught in reported winds from 35 to 52 knots, and waves anywhere from 10 to 35 feet high. She was loaded with 26,116 tons of taconite pellets at the Burlington Northern Railroad, Dock #1. Her destination was Zug Island on the Detroit River. There were 29 crew members who perished in the sinking.
I’ve read from various sources that the song came out between the wreck and the investigation. Some details are apparently not accurate since the report of the investigation came after the song. Only minor stuff.
@@michellegault4122there are no facts presented in the song about the cause of the wreck. He gives a few possible explanations but nothing definitive. The official explanation is still debated today.
@@michellegault4122 technically it was heading to Cleveland with a stop at Zug Island first. Cleveland was its home port and this was the last trip of the season. I will correct myself though the lyrics do claim “at 7pm a main hatchway gave in…” and that has not been proven so I was wrong when I said that there were no facts implied in the lyrics. This is such an interesting piece of history as are most of the Great Lakes shipwrecks.
That was a great reaction. Thank you for taking the time to dig into the lyrics. I think Gordon Lightfoot would be pleased to know his dedication to this tragedy is still being discovered, felt, and appreciated to this day by younger generations like you. So much respect for you.
Detroit's Mariners Church still rings its bells each year on the anniversary of the sinking in their memory as well as all lives lost on the Great Lakes. Lake Superior is actually an inland sea; it's massive. For a ship the size of the Edmund Fitzgerald to sink as quickly as it did was ridiculous because of the cold water and treachery of Lake Superior. Nothing was recovered from this. I'm a Detroiter and remember this vividly. #WhatUpDoe
My family and I went to Duluth Minnesota for a vacation. Did a lake trip for a couple of hours. Yes that lake is huge. You get out a ways and see no land in any direction. Talked to locals and when the Northeast wind kick up in the fall it can bring waves of water 100 yards onto the shore.
I’m 73. I went to Agoura High School in California. Turns out a schoolmate was a crew member aboard her the night she sank. David Weiss was a 22 year old cadet. What are the odds that a Californian kid would be aboard a freighter on Lake Superior? The poor souls. It would have been a quick death, as the water can get down to -35 degrees in November. (I think I’d rather a quick death like this than a lingering death, like cancer, that might take months or years. You think about this when you start getting closer to the exit door.)
I grew up in Michigan back in the 70"s. Everybody knew this song. It's still haunting to me today. Gorden Lightfoot was an amazing musician. Extremely i Under rated.
As a teenager in Michigan, I watched the news broadcast when this happened. Gordon Lightfoot made sure we will never forget it. Tears me up every time I hear it.
Back in the seventies, there was no computers, cell phones, internet, email or 24/7 television. News came through radio or TV news programs or through the daily newspapers. The night this happened, a ticker tape ran across the nightly news that the ship was missing. The next morning, the newspaper announced that it had sunk. The families and friends of the men that died found out about it at the same time the general public did. If you lived anywhere near the great lakes, you followed this story.
One thing that makes this story even more tragic is that this voyage to the last voyage for Ernest McSorley, the captain of The SS Edmund Fitzgerald, as he'd planned retirement from shipping freight
Thank you for actually listening and taking in the lyrics. This shipwreck and this song had a huge impact on my state of Michigan. We are surrounded by the Great Lakes.
This story is all the more touching for being told so poetically. Gordon Lightfoot was one of Canada's great human treasures, G-d rest his soul. "If You Could Read my Mind" is one of his most beautiful and haunting songs.
I've seen many reactions to this song, and so far, you're the first one to make the scientific connection to the cold water keeping the bodies down. Smart young lady!
Ok.. The bottom of Lake Superior has an average temperature of about 34 degrees Fahrenheit. Decomposition is slowed to the point the bodies will never bloat and float to the surface.
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
Thank you for memorializing the names of the crew of the Edmond Fitzgerald. I have the misfortune of sharing my birthday with date she sank. This haunting memorial to their loss is among some of my earliest connections to a song. I never let any November 10th pass without playing this song at least once to remind me of the families who lost loved ones. My deepest condolences to the families of the crew.
I was so sad to hear of Gordon Lightfoot's passing away recently. Loved his music. One of the best songwriters & storytellers. He was a Canadian legend. This song is a beautiful tribute & 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 had many hits through his long career such as "If You Could Read My Mind", "Early Morning Rain", "Steel Rail Blues", "Ribbon Of Darkness", "Carefree Highway", "Rainy Day People", "Cotton Jenny", "Black Day In July", "Canadian Railroad Trilogy" etc.
I completely agree with you, the lyrics tell the story, but the music makes you feel it even deeper. This is the epitome of the "weeping guitars" that convey that feeling. Gordon was a true genius and knew how to mix the lyrics with this style of guitar playing to make this song "whole". Without one or the other, it would not have been nearly as meaningful or show that depth of feeling that we all feel when we listen to this most incredible song. Rest in peace Gordon and the crew of the Edmond Fitzgerald.
The Great Lakes is the largest interconnected collection of freshwater inland lakes in the world, and the primary means of commerce between the United States and Canada. The combination of the Great Lakes is virtually the same as an ocean. The Edmund Fitzgerald left a port in Wisconsin on the very western point of Lake Superior (“Gitchee Gumee”) with a load of iron ore, which is the raw material used to produce steel, and was headed to the straights at Sault Saint Marie between Michigan and Canada, to Lake Huron, and then through the St. Clair River to Lake St. Clair, then through the Detroit River into Lake Erie to Cleveland, Ohio, which is on the banks Lake Erie. The steel firms in Cleveland were going to use the iron ore on the Edmund Fitzgerald to produce structural steel. A “gale” is essentially an inland hurricane with high winds and high waves. I believe “the Chippewa” refers to the native American tribe that inhabited the area around what is now the northern United States and southern Canada around the northern Great Lakes region. The Great Lakes has their own maritime culture, and this song is a great testament to that culture. "Where does the love of God go..." None of us knows what grace God gives to those who know Him in the face of their transition to eternity, but I believe He provides peace.
Does anyone know where the love of God goes when the waves turn the minutes to hours? most haunting line. There actually was a huge recue effort but no oneknew where to look and the storm made it impossible to see any distance.
Those of us who were close to it, were affected similarly when this song came out. I grew up on an island in Lake Michigan, where the ship Carl D. Bradley wrecked south of that island in November of 1958 (a few years before I was born). The Bradley had similar circumstances, but there were three survivors who miraculously didn't freeze to death. Anyway, Gordon Lightfoot did such a beautiful tribute to the crew of the Fitzgerald that touched the hearts of two nations. Gordon Lightfoot was a true troubadour of the highest caliber, and you'll find lots of great gems in his collection that aren't so heart wrenching. He's got some beautifully romantic songs too; in fact, my bride and I had our first dance at our wedding to one some 40 years ago this June. Great reaction and thanks for giving your respect to the families and the artist in your reaction.
I was in high school when this happened. Gordon is a great storyteller. If you could read my mind, and sundown, both classics from a great Canadian Musician.
You young lady have a beautiful heart ❤️. You took the time to truly understand the song and I saw you taking notes for further research. You showed the respect to the song, songwriter, but more importantly to the men and their families that they deserve. You with your reaction and show of respect honored their memory. Thank you
The Edmund Fitzgerald was a tragic maritime disaster that occurred on November 10, 1975, in Lake Superior. All 29 crew members aboard the ship lost their lives. Here are the names of the men lost on the Edmund Fitzgerald: Ernest M. McSorley (Captain) John H. McCarthy (First Mate) James A. Pratt (Second Mate) Michael E. Armagost (Third Mate) Fred J. Beetcher (Chief Engineer) Thomas E. Edwards (First Assistant Engineer) Edward F. Bindon (Second Assistant Engineer) Nolan F. Church (Third Assistant Engineer) Ransom E. Cundy (Oiler) Thomas D. Borgeson (Oiler) George J. Holl (Wiper) Bruce L. Hudson (Special Maintenance Man) Allen G. Kalmon (Watchman) Gordon F. MacLellan (Second Cook) Joseph W. Mazes (Porter) Eugene W. O'Brien (Watchman) Karl A. Peckol (Chief Steward) John J. Poviach (Assistant Steward) Robert C. Rafferty (Steward) Paul M. Rippa (Deck Hand) John D. Simmons (Watchman) William J. Spengler (Watchman) Mark A. Thomas (Deck Hand) Ralph G. Walton (Deck Hand) David E. Weiss (Cadet) Blaine H. Wilhelm (Deck Hand) Robert C. Welch (Deck Hand) Michael E. Williams (Deck Hand) Edward J. Walus (Deck Hand) May they rest in peace.
I am a lifelong Michigander and was 12 when this happened. Not once since the wreck have I failed to tear up when hearing this song. And I was touched to my core watching you react. God bless you!
Lassie, I'm a lifelong sailor, a former lifeboat volunteer and a folk musician - and yeah, songs like this are SUPPOSED to hit you right where you live. The oceans or the Great Lakes are beautiful, fascinating, entrancing and utterly unforgiving - I've sailed on both. I've lost friends to 'em. I remember every single time we launched the lifeboat and didn't find anyone, or when we did but we didnt get there in time. Us "folkies" get a lot of stick from people about how our songs are all doom and gloom - we sing about wars, shipwrecks, industrial disasters and about love affairs that either never got truly started or that didn't end well (and in folk music "didn't end well" usually means "everybody dies.") It's not strictly true, we sing a lot of songs about gettting drunk, laid or both as well, along with the somewhat pointed political commentary we all seem to indulge in. but there is a core of truth to it. Because we sing about things that shouldn't be forgotten, about mistakes that we as a society need to learn from rather than repeat, about ordinary people in extraordinary situations that should be honored or remembered. And about difficult or dangerous ways for someone to make a living.
My friend Lee is a folk singer from the Chicago area, although he's usually traveling around the country. He's been doing it over 40 years now so he has earned a good reputation. He sort of specializes in songs about the Great Lakes and I must say I had no idea that there were so many songs about sailing the lakes, working on the lakes, and the many, many shipwrecks and deaths that have occurred over the centuries.
I remember hearing her sinking on the news. I remember while standing watch on the bridge of the USS Yellowstone AD-27, during a major storm in Nov '69 while crossing the Atlantic. I saw the pendulum swing to two degrees of our redline. If you cross the redline you keep rolling over and sink. When Gordon passed away, they rang the bell 29 time plus 1.
You amazed me that you got it from the beginning. Lake Superior is so deep and cold at depths that the bodies never come to the surface. My wife & I were married 4 months when this story broke the next day, we hoped there would be survivors. Gordon grew up in Canada near the Great Lakes & found it a shame that it wasn't covered but for a few articles in the newspapers. He decided he would find out as much as he could & write a song to pay tribute to those lost. The proceeds have gone to the families & will in perpetuity. Every year on that fateful day the bell chimes 29 times, Gordon died in May of 2023, when the bells chimed on that day in 2023 it chimed 30 times in his honor. A great man, musician, songwriter immortalized these sailors. God Bless his & the sailors souls.
Ashley, another great job to a great song! I have to say that I really enjoy your reactions especially because of the fact that you always have your pen and paper handy taking notes and on one else seems to do that. It tells me you’re really into the music! Keep it up! The ‘60’s to ‘80’s for me! Keep on rockin!!👍👍
I can't even guess how many YT reaction channels I have watched react to this song, but I have to say I enjoyed your heartfelt reaction the most. Bless you Ashley, you have a wonderful spirit!!
I’m a Canadian boy that grew up in Toronto area by Lake Ontario and in grade 6 when the Edmund Fitzgerald went down in Superior. I still remember Gordon Lightfoot’s song being played on the radio shortly after the tragedy. They did find the wreck many years later. Still gives me chills when I hear this song.
I knew this song, from the time I was pretty young. When I enlisted in the Navy, I was sent to basic training at Naval Training Center Great Lakes, on the shore of Lake Michigan. I arrived in November of 1990, just 15 years after the Fitzgerald sank. Hearing the winter storms howling outside our barracks, reminded me of this song. It gave me chills that had nothing to do with the cold.
Gordon Lightfoot certainly can be the master of sad songs. His Ballad of the Yarmouth Castle is even a more tragic maritime disaster song (if that's possible). His Home From the Forest and If You Could Read My Mind are pretty poignant too. Maybe Ashley leave these three until you are ready! He does have upbeat happier songs as well though - Wherefore and Why and Walls as well as the super romantic Song For A Winter's Night. All these songs and many others of his catalogue are great though!
This song was released less than a year after this tragedy, I was a teen. It was done as both a tribute and cathartic massage in an age of non-social media. People needed, in some way, to be hugged. It was constantly played on the radio airwaves.
Wow, I just happened to check out this channel, and your reaction was so heart felt. Great job. I saw someone was reaction to Gordon so I wanted to check this out.
“The lake it is said never gives up her dead..” is extra chilling when you find out Lake Superior is so deep and cold bodies don’t decompose... they are all still there frozen in time.
I was 21 in 1975. I remember hearing this come over the radio during the hourly news. Thanks for highlighting my favorite line concerning where the love of God goes....
Lake Superior is icy cold year-round. It's so cold that bacteria doesn't build up in the bodies of drowning victims, so they don't float. That is what he meant by the "the lake never gives up her dead."
Recently found your reaction channel, and I just have to say that you are so good at this. A lot of reactors really don't get the message behind the songs, but you nail it. Love watching your stuff!
•( Subscribed)• Just because you totally get this beautiful tribute ,. Yet tragic event. Grand reaction Ashley!!! Miss Gordon lightfoot sorely. One of my favorites. Thank you kindly!!!!
2/3 of the the US does not grasp the area and depth of the Great Lakes it took them many months to find a two football fields long 40 ton wreck with a crew of 29. Good reaction from you as usual a different kind of "stankface" this time Rock on Miss A.R.
Made to the Arthur M Anderson who were navigating for the Fitzgerald when the storm took out their radar and who made two searches for survivors, the second after they’d already reached safety just to turn around and risk their own lives
That was always an eerie and sad saga. The poetry draws sharp mental pictures. Go ahead and cry. I've been listening to that song and crying to it for nearly 50 years. In 1994, a diving expedition did locate the wreck. They found one body but decided to leave it where it lay, interred by the lake.
Lake Superior has a personality all her own. She is as big as all of the other 4 Lakes combined plus 3 more Lake Eries and holds 10% of the world's fresh water. There is no significant geological feature between her and the Arctic (no mountains, other large lakes, etc) to slow down those west and north winds so when they really blow at the beginning of winter the lake is dangerous. I have been on Superior in both winter and summer and she really commands respect.
I don’t know where you’re from in the US but here’s a little bit of geography/history that you might not know: The Chippewa are a Native American tribe from the area of the Great Lakes, and Gitche Gumee is the name for Lake Superior in their language & it translates to Big Water. You are the first reactor I’ve seen who caught onto the meaning of the lake never giving up her dead because of how cold the water was. Brava!
You are a good woman to engage so fully in this heartbreaking description of a heartbreaking tragedy. I remember both when the wreck happened and when this song came out. You mentioned stopping a lot through the song. Some viewers of reactions willcomment with frustration over stopping. But it was more than appropriate for this. You were sussing out the story. You were fully involved. And you were sharing your emotions. Some songs don't need that - they are light bits of fluff and don't require thought or emotion. This is not one of those. Your reaction was an affirmation of our common humanity and the dangers our world sometimes presents. Thank you.
Yup...kinda punches you right in the heart doesn't it? I was 13 when this happened. At that age you really don't know the magnitude of it, but when you do it makes you realize the depth of this song. I'm 62 and EVERY time I hear this song, I am sad for the loss of that crew and all of those who loved them. Gordon did a FANTASTIC job with this song, so poet, so thoughtful, and so respectful. Your reaction reflects what most feel when we hear this song.
Yes the crew perished and left entombed in the mighty ice water mansion. Such preservation is still kept intact as a cemetry/graveyard. FORBIDDEN TO SCUBA DIVE IN THAT AREAall families chose this way for their loved ones...actually a proper burial for mariners. All the royalties he received from this ballad he gave to the families of the crew members . Each year he attended the service at the Mariner's Chapel. ❤❤ Heart and Soul and to all REST IN PEACE.❤❤
Definitely a true story. And what’s even more is that Gordon Lightfoot asked the families of the ones lost if he could release the song. And now all the proceeds to the song goes to the families left behind that we’re lost. He took no money for that song. Such a great song. He literally put you on that boat & you were taken along for the ride. Such great Talent. He’s got a great catalog of music.
Most people who don’t live near the Great Lakes will never understand what they are like. You have to realize that the Fitz was the length of 3 football fields. I remember the night it happened quite well. There was a major storm through out the entire region. Low temperatures , 60 mile an hour winds and 30 foot waves. Such a sad end to such a magnificent boat and crew.
The Edmund Fitzgerald was a lake ship on the great lakes ... specifically Lake Superior. The weather didn't call for bad weather but the weather turned real bad once they were sailing. November is famous for bad weather ... They were headed for Cleveland. She sank really fast .. If she made another 10 miles she might have found safe harbor in one of the bays. Gordon is our Canadian Icon and quite the story teller , he has so many hits. Check him out , also check out the Great Lakes and how big they are.
Ashley, thanks for the song, but more importantly, thanks for taking the time to learn about the Edmund Fitzgerald tragedy. The Edmund Fitzgerald was the largest ship to sink in the Great Lakes..... and was likely the largest ship to sail the Great Lakes at that time. Gordon Lightfoot achieved his purpose with this song, which was that the Edmund Fitzgerald and its crew would never be forgotten. I have lived on the Lakes my entire life, and I remember when this happened.... November 10, 1975 will always be a date that I remember.
Gordon Lightfoot was a Canadian Treasure Fun Fact: He recorded it in ONE take They did a couple of more tries, but went with the first take. ALSO he donated all the royalties to the families of the lost sailors. And he met with them to ask if they would allow him to do the song... Truly a marvelous person with a huge talent for writing songs and telling stories; with a magical voice
I was a teen from Michigan when this happened. Here we are nearly 50 years later. And whenever I hear this song I sit in silent reverence until the last of Gordon's haunting notes ends. What a beautiful and respectful reaction young lady. Thank you from your newest subscriber. I wish you much success.
Great reaction Ashley! I was a child in Michigan when this song was released. I miss the true story-tellers like Gordon Lightfoot. When he says "The lake it is said never gives up her dead when the skies of November turn gloomy." This means that when someone drowns in cold water, they may not float to the surface. This is because cold water slows bodily decomposition, which is what causes a dead body to float (gases build up in the body, causing it to float to the surface). If the water is cold enough and deep enough, the body may not decompose and will never float back up to the surface. On another note, many people may not realize what he is talking about when he says, "The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down, of the big lake they call Gitche Gumee." This is speaking of the Native American history in the area. The Chippewa tribe settled this area and called Lake Superior "Gitchi Gami". Gordon probably took his spelling and pronunciation from Henry Wadsworth Longellow who pronounced it "Gitche Gumee." "Gitchi Gami" can be translated to "great sea", which is very fitting for one of the Great Lakes. Many areas in the north are named after native American tribes. The state of Michigan gets it's name from "Michigama" which means "large lake". Also, many cities in the north are named after native American tribes or people. "Pontiac" is named after an Ottawa tribe chief famous for his rebellion in the 1760s. I remember learning all of the native history in Michigan when i lived there.
Best reaction to this song yet, Ashley. This really happened in 1975, and most of the world wouldnt have known about it either except for this beautiful song, areal tribute as you said.Church rang the bell 30 times after Gordon Lightfoot died, an honorary member of the crew.
You are spot on with your thinking of the bodies of drowning victims sinking instead of floating. The reason being the water is so cold in Lake Superior that the bacteria that normally causes gases to build in the body and make them float die right away and the bodies never rise to the surface. The wreck site of the Fitz is now a protected site and diving on the wreck is prohibited out of respect to the mariners lost and their families.
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The Mariner's Church of Detroit rang their bell 30 times in memory of Gordon Lightfoot, once for every man lost in the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, and once for Lightfoot when he passed away.
Wow, that is so touching. I’m so glad you shared that.
That’s Awesome
Having been a young boy when this happened, I remember the emotional impact of Gordon Lightfoots song.
Gordon changed the lyrics at least twice after the original release. Once was because the Mariner's Church insisted that the church was not musty. The second was when discovery of the wreckage confirmed that the hatchway had not given in; this lyric and the initial claim the hatch was not properly secured had long been a sore point for the family of the sailor whose duty included securing the hatches.
My grandpa sat me down and told me this story when I was a kid in Michigan then played the song, come to find out he knew someone on the ship, song still gives me chills
The water is so cold and deep in November on Lake Superior that the bodies don't float to the surface. You're the only reactor who immediately understood that. Kudos! I really like your empathy. I think you're smart.
The bodies don't rise because the decomposition processes and associated gasses do not proceed at the normal rate.
@@wannamontana4130 they do not proceed AT ALL. Thge water is too cold in August, all the bodies are still there,
@@jeffreysmith236 I would think crabs or microbes would get the munchy munchies over time. Do you think they are still there?
@@wannamontana4130 when found by divers years later, the wreck contained complete undisturbed corpses, iirc. Zero decomp, and decomp attracts the other things. The site is recognized as a burial site and no diving is allowed. My knowledge of biologic processes in deep cold water is far from vast, it seems to be a topic that does not come up often, but the report from the actual divers indicate that nothing was happening at the time.
@@jeffreysmith236 I suppose that over time the bodies will still decompose, but at an extremely retarded rate. Bacteria can still break down tissue in cold water. It may take 100 years though.
An amazing singer and songwriter but an even more amazing human being. Gordon never took a dime from the publication of this song. Every cent went to the fund for the families of the men who died. Great Writer, a Great Singer and a GREATER MAN.
Did not know this
Lightfoot asked permission from the families before releasing the song.
If you don't tear up when this song plays, you are dead inside.
Did when I first heard it, still do.
everytime I hear it
She caught it. "Fellas, it's been good to know ya" catches me every single time.
I mean not to disrupt, but people can still feel different types of sadness, like being sad inside while not on the outside, like me
if it weren't for this song almost no one today would have heard of this event.
Like most industry fatalities swept under the rug and never spoken of again except by those left behind
Hey six workers were just killed in the Baltimore Bridge accident! What do we hear how much money will be lost.anybody know the names of the people that died hmm food for though imo
@@joesutherland225 The names of those killed in both tragedies can easily be looked up.
@@ForbiddTV point is priorities money takes center stage and the victims statistics the families forgotten
We':e become accustomed to it. The media isn't interested in human stories. They are interested in making money.
It's tragic when the news media became profit centers.
I've watched a LOT of reactions to this song. Most reactors aren't as perceptive as you are - but you got what was happening right from the first verse. You're really focused and full of heart. You just got another subscriber. Enjoy your journey.
Same. That was probably the most thoughtful, genuine reaction to a music video I've ever seen.
I agree. Ashley has a great heart.
You got another subscriber with the great analysis
Gordon lightfoot is a true Canadian treasure . My humble opinion .
Absolutely
Totally agree
Being from the U.S., I prefer to think of him as North American treasure. But I definitely get your perspective.
Canada has produced a lot of top-notch folk singers. Gordon, Leonard Cohen, Joni Mitchell, Stan Rogers, etc.
@@stpetie7686 Seeing as he developed a personal relationship with the Edmund Fitzgerald families and he handed over profits from the song to the families (licensing agreement) I would most certainly agree. I'm a Canadian who grew up on the shores of that lake. I definitely know what those Witch of November storms are like having also sailed that lake in November.
True story from 1975 and Gordon wrote the song in 1976. I was in Elementary school but remember it. Gordon Lightfoot was a great songwriter and singer.
I remember the night it happened. We lived in west central Wisconsin. I was 10. I remember the snowstorm.
This is a factual retelling of a shipwreck on Lake Superior in November 1975 that claimed the lives of 29 crew members. On November 10, 1975, the S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald broke in half and sank in Lake Superior. The storm she was caught in reported winds from 35 to 52 knots, and waves anywhere from 10 to 35 feet high. She was loaded with 26,116 tons of taconite pellets at the Burlington Northern Railroad, Dock #1. Her destination was Zug Island on the Detroit River. There were 29 crew members who perished in the sinking.
I lived in upstate NY and remember when this happened
I’ve read from various sources that the song came out between the wreck and the investigation. Some details are apparently not accurate since the report of the investigation came after the song. Only minor stuff.
@@michellegault4122there are no facts presented in the song about the cause of the wreck. He gives a few possible explanations but nothing definitive. The official explanation is still debated today.
@@cydrychI meant details like it wasn’t headed to Cleveland. Stuff like that. Just minor.
@@michellegault4122 technically it was heading to Cleveland with a stop at Zug Island first. Cleveland was its home port and this was the last trip of the season.
I will correct myself though the lyrics do claim “at 7pm a main hatchway gave in…” and that has not been proven so I was wrong when I said that there were no facts implied in the lyrics.
This is such an interesting piece of history as are most of the Great Lakes shipwrecks.
That was a great reaction. Thank you for taking the time to dig into the lyrics. I think Gordon Lightfoot would be pleased to know his dedication to this tragedy is still being discovered, felt, and appreciated to this day by younger generations like you. So much respect for you.
Ashley I love watching your reactions. You listen, think and care. Don't ever change. You are the best.
First time watching you👍🏻
I agree. She sifts through things and gets to the meaning very quickly.
Detroit's Mariners Church still rings its bells each year on the anniversary of the sinking in their memory as well as all lives lost on the Great Lakes. Lake Superior is actually an inland sea; it's massive. For a ship the size of the Edmund Fitzgerald to sink as quickly as it did was ridiculous because of the cold water and treachery of Lake Superior. Nothing was recovered from this. I'm a Detroiter and remember this vividly. #WhatUpDoe
I believe the Edmund Fitzgerald’s ship’s bell was the only object recovered.
My family and I went to Duluth Minnesota for a vacation. Did a lake trip for a couple of hours. Yes that lake is huge. You get out a ways and see no land in any direction. Talked to locals and when the Northeast wind kick up in the fall it can bring waves of water 100 yards onto the shore.
I’m 73. I went to Agoura High School in California. Turns out a schoolmate was a crew member aboard her the night she sank. David Weiss was a 22 year old cadet. What are the odds that a Californian kid would be aboard a freighter on Lake Superior?
The poor souls. It would have been a quick death, as the water can get down to -35 degrees in November.
(I think I’d rather a quick death like this than a lingering death, like cancer, that might take months or years. You think about this when you start getting closer to the exit door.)
I grew up in Michigan back in the 70"s. Everybody knew this song. It's still haunting to me today. Gorden Lightfoot was an amazing musician. Extremely i
Under rated.
Who underrated Gordon Lightfoot and when? He was incredibly successful and popular and famous.
I remember when this happened. I still cry everytime I hear this song. Gordon LIghtfoot was extraordinary!!!
As a teenager in Michigan, I watched the news broadcast when this happened. Gordon Lightfoot made sure we will never forget it. Tears me up every time I hear it.
Back in the seventies, there was no computers, cell phones, internet, email or 24/7 television. News came through radio or TV news programs or through the daily newspapers. The night this happened, a ticker tape ran across the nightly news that the ship was missing. The next morning, the newspaper announced that it had sunk. The families and friends of the men that died found out about it at the same time the general public did.
If you lived anywhere near the great lakes, you followed this story.
@@objectiveobserver4278How bad was the storm on land that night?
It's a very true and sad story!! It happened on Lake Superior back in November 1975😔
One thing that makes this story even more tragic is that this voyage to the last voyage for Ernest McSorley, the captain of The SS Edmund Fitzgerald, as he'd planned retirement from shipping freight
Thank you for actually listening and taking in the lyrics.
This shipwreck and this song had a huge impact on my state of Michigan.
We are surrounded by the Great Lakes.
This story is all the more touching for being told so poetically. Gordon Lightfoot was one of Canada's great human treasures, G-d rest his soul. "If You Could Read my Mind" is one of his most beautiful and haunting songs.
I've seen many reactions to this song, and so far, you're the first one to make the scientific connection to the cold water keeping the bodies down. Smart young lady!
Ok.. The bottom of Lake Superior has an average temperature of about 34 degrees Fahrenheit. Decomposition is slowed to the point the bodies will never bloat and float to the surface.
Bacteria cannot grow there and unlike the salt water oceans, fish don't live that far down in the lake.
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
Thank you 🙏🏿 Thank you 🙏🏿
❤
Thank you for memorializing the names of the crew of the Edmond Fitzgerald. I have the misfortune of sharing my birthday with date she sank. This haunting memorial to their loss is among some of my earliest connections to a song. I never let any November 10th pass without playing this song at least once to remind me of the families who lost loved ones. My deepest condolences to the families of the crew.
❤❤❤
Thank you for that list of victims. I'm going to print it out. 😢
The most beautiful poetry to describe a horrible event. Magnificent production, True Genius
I was so sad to hear of Gordon Lightfoot's passing away recently. Loved his music. One of the best songwriters & storytellers. He was a Canadian legend. This song is a beautiful tribute & 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 had many hits through his long career such as "If You Could Read My Mind", "Early Morning Rain", "Steel Rail Blues", "Ribbon Of Darkness", "Carefree Highway", "Rainy Day People", "Cotton Jenny", "Black Day In July", "Canadian Railroad Trilogy" etc.
I completely agree with you, the lyrics tell the story, but the music makes you feel it even deeper. This is the epitome of the "weeping guitars" that convey that feeling. Gordon was a true genius and knew how to mix the lyrics with this style of guitar playing to make this song "whole". Without one or the other, it would not have been nearly as meaningful or show that depth of feeling that we all feel when we listen to this most incredible song. Rest in peace Gordon and the crew of the Edmond Fitzgerald.
This is a true story .I live two blocks from the shore of lake Michigan in Wisconsin . I remember when this happened. God bless you
You're an amazing reactor. You take the time to analyze and learn, instead of interruptions guessing. I truly enjoy you ma'am!!!
The Great Lakes is the largest interconnected collection of freshwater inland lakes in the world, and the primary means of commerce between the United States and Canada. The combination of the Great Lakes is virtually the same as an ocean. The Edmund Fitzgerald left a port in Wisconsin on the very western point of Lake Superior (“Gitchee Gumee”) with a load of iron ore, which is the raw material used to produce steel, and was headed to the straights at Sault Saint Marie between Michigan and Canada, to Lake Huron, and then through the St. Clair River to Lake St. Clair, then through the Detroit River into Lake Erie to Cleveland, Ohio, which is on the banks Lake Erie. The steel firms in Cleveland were going to use the iron ore on the Edmund Fitzgerald to produce structural steel. A “gale” is essentially an inland hurricane with high winds and high waves. I believe “the Chippewa” refers to the native American tribe that inhabited the area around what is now the northern United States and southern Canada around the northern Great Lakes region. The Great Lakes has their own maritime culture, and this song is a great testament to that culture. "Where does the love of God go..." None of us knows what grace God gives to those who know Him in the face of their transition to eternity, but I believe He provides peace.
The best, most genuine, and proper reaction I've seen. Saw that video more than 8 years ago. Felt 100% the same.
Thank you, Ashley, for your intelligent and heartfelt reaction to Gordon Lightfoot's tribute to all the lives affected by this tragic sinking.
Does anyone know where the love of God goes when the waves turn the minutes to hours? most haunting line. There actually was a huge recue effort but no oneknew where to look and the storm made it impossible to see any distance.
You got the line right…..bodies don’t rise in the cold water
Ashley, I love the fact that you have such a tender & sensitive heart...Please don't change and stay beautiful that way!!!
Those of us who were close to it, were affected similarly when this song came out. I grew up on an island in Lake Michigan, where the ship Carl D. Bradley wrecked south of that island in November of 1958 (a few years before I was born). The Bradley had similar circumstances, but there were three survivors who miraculously didn't freeze to death. Anyway, Gordon Lightfoot did such a beautiful tribute to the crew of the Fitzgerald that touched the hearts of two nations. Gordon Lightfoot was a true troubadour of the highest caliber, and you'll find lots of great gems in his collection that aren't so heart wrenching. He's got some beautifully romantic songs too; in fact, my bride and I had our first dance at our wedding to one some 40 years ago this June. Great reaction and thanks for giving your respect to the families and the artist in your reaction.
I was in high school when this happened. Gordon is a great storyteller. If you could read my mind, and sundown, both classics from a great Canadian Musician.
You young lady have a beautiful heart ❤️. You took the time to truly understand the song and I saw you taking notes for further research. You showed the respect to the song, songwriter, but more importantly to the men and their families that they deserve. You with your reaction and show of respect honored their memory. Thank you
A fantastic Singer-Songwriter that left a fantastic legacy. All true, just like Gordan.
Of all of the reactions to this ballad yours is the best, I Love you.
The Edmund Fitzgerald was a tragic maritime disaster that occurred on November 10, 1975, in Lake Superior. All 29 crew members aboard the ship lost their lives. Here are the names of the men lost on the Edmund Fitzgerald:
Ernest M. McSorley (Captain)
John H. McCarthy (First Mate)
James A. Pratt (Second Mate)
Michael E. Armagost (Third Mate)
Fred J. Beetcher (Chief Engineer)
Thomas E. Edwards (First Assistant Engineer)
Edward F. Bindon (Second Assistant Engineer)
Nolan F. Church (Third Assistant Engineer)
Ransom E. Cundy (Oiler)
Thomas D. Borgeson (Oiler)
George J. Holl (Wiper)
Bruce L. Hudson (Special Maintenance Man)
Allen G. Kalmon (Watchman)
Gordon F. MacLellan (Second Cook)
Joseph W. Mazes (Porter)
Eugene W. O'Brien (Watchman)
Karl A. Peckol (Chief Steward)
John J. Poviach (Assistant Steward)
Robert C. Rafferty (Steward)
Paul M. Rippa (Deck Hand)
John D. Simmons (Watchman)
William J. Spengler (Watchman)
Mark A. Thomas (Deck Hand)
Ralph G. Walton (Deck Hand)
David E. Weiss (Cadet)
Blaine H. Wilhelm (Deck Hand)
Robert C. Welch (Deck Hand)
Michael E. Williams (Deck Hand)
Edward J. Walus (Deck Hand)
May they rest in peace.
I’m Canadian and 55 years old. When Gordon played, it’s not a song, but a tale. This song moves about everyone I know to this day.
@14:32- "I'm trying not to cry"- I'm a man of the sea, and everytime I hear this song I shed more than one tear.
Bless you.................
One last thing you seem as if you have a good and pure heart. Please don't loose that in the rest of your life. May God bless you once more
4.12.24. This happened my senior year of high school … November 10,1975🇺🇸 I remember that morning like it was yesterday “Lake Superior”
It was my freshman year and it was truly tragic.
I am a lifelong Michigander and was 12 when this happened. Not once since the wreck have I failed to tear up when hearing this song. And I was touched to my core watching you react. God bless you!
Lassie, I'm a lifelong sailor, a former lifeboat volunteer and a folk musician - and yeah, songs like this are SUPPOSED to hit you right where you live.
The oceans or the Great Lakes are beautiful, fascinating, entrancing and utterly unforgiving - I've sailed on both. I've lost friends to 'em. I remember every single time we launched the lifeboat and didn't find anyone, or when we did but we didnt get there in time.
Us "folkies" get a lot of stick from people about how our songs are all doom and gloom - we sing about wars, shipwrecks, industrial disasters and about love affairs that either never got truly started or that didn't end well (and in folk music "didn't end well" usually means "everybody dies.") It's not strictly true, we sing a lot of songs about gettting drunk, laid or both as well, along with the somewhat pointed political commentary we all seem to indulge in. but there is a core of truth to it. Because we sing about things that shouldn't be forgotten, about mistakes that we as a society need to learn from rather than repeat, about ordinary people in extraordinary situations that should be honored or remembered. And about difficult or dangerous ways for someone to make a living.
My friend Lee is a folk singer from the Chicago area, although he's usually traveling around the country. He's been doing it over 40 years now so he has earned a good reputation. He sort of specializes in songs about the Great Lakes and I must say I had no idea that there were so many songs about sailing the lakes, working on the lakes, and the many, many shipwrecks and deaths that have occurred over the centuries.
I remember hearing her sinking on the news. I remember while standing watch on the bridge of the USS Yellowstone AD-27, during a major storm in Nov '69 while crossing the Atlantic. I saw the pendulum swing to two degrees of our redline. If you cross the redline you keep rolling over and sink. When Gordon passed away, they rang the bell 29 time plus 1.
You understand the song perfectly.
You amazed me that you got it from the beginning. Lake Superior is so deep and cold at depths that the bodies never come to the surface. My wife & I were married 4 months when this story broke the next day, we hoped there would be survivors. Gordon grew up in Canada near the Great Lakes & found it a shame that it wasn't covered but for a few articles in the newspapers. He decided he would find out as much as he could & write a song to pay tribute to those lost. The proceeds have gone to the families & will in perpetuity. Every year on that fateful day the bell chimes 29 times, Gordon died in May of 2023, when the bells chimed on that day in 2023 it chimed 30 times in his honor. A great man, musician, songwriter immortalized these sailors. God Bless his & the sailors souls.
You really got me with this reaction. Thank you for being so honest and vulnerable.
Ashley, another great job to a great song! I have to say that I really enjoy your reactions especially because of the fact that you always have your pen and paper handy taking notes and on one else seems to do that. It tells me you’re really into the music! Keep it up! The ‘60’s to ‘80’s for me! Keep on rockin!!👍👍
I can't even guess how many YT reaction channels I have watched react to this song, but I have to say I enjoyed your heartfelt reaction the most. Bless you Ashley, you have a wonderful spirit!!
The element of this song that always gives me the chills is the haunting guitar.
His beautiful song "The Summer Side of Life" is a wistful, nostalgic sweet song.
I’m a Canadian boy that grew up in Toronto area by Lake Ontario and in grade 6 when the Edmund Fitzgerald went down in Superior. I still remember Gordon Lightfoot’s song being played on the radio shortly after the tragedy. They did find the wreck many years later. Still gives me chills when I hear this song.
I knew this song, from the time I was pretty young. When I enlisted in the Navy, I was sent to basic training at Naval Training Center Great Lakes, on the shore of Lake Michigan. I arrived in November of 1990, just 15 years after the Fitzgerald sank. Hearing the winter storms howling outside our barracks, reminded me of this song. It gave me chills that had nothing to do with the cold.
Gordon Lightfoot certainly can be the master of sad songs. His Ballad of the Yarmouth Castle is even a more tragic maritime disaster song (if that's possible). His Home From the Forest and If You Could Read My Mind are pretty poignant too. Maybe Ashley leave these three until you are ready! He does have upbeat happier songs as well though - Wherefore and Why and Walls as well as the super romantic Song For A Winter's Night. All these songs and many others of his catalogue are great though!
This song was released less than a year after this tragedy, I was a teen. It was done as both a tribute and cathartic massage in an age of non-social media. People needed, in some way, to be hugged. It was constantly played on the radio airwaves.
A BRAVE CREW AND A FAMOUS SINGER WHO HONORED THEM ARE NOW WALKING WITH ANGELS TOGETHER IN HEAVEN.
Thank you, ma'am. The thoughtfulness and respect you showed in this reaction is heartwarming. Thank you.
I’m impressed with your open minded intelligence, and approach to listening and learning. You’re refreshing to watch and share the experience with.
Wow, I just happened to check out this channel, and your reaction was so heart felt. Great job. I saw someone was reaction to Gordon so I wanted to check this out.
“The lake it is said never gives up her dead..” is extra chilling when you find out Lake Superior is so deep and cold bodies don’t decompose... they are all still there frozen in time.
The bodies prob get eaten by crabs or small microbes. I doubt they are still down there. But I don't know.
I was 21 in 1975. I remember hearing this come over the radio during the hourly news. Thanks for highlighting my favorite line concerning where the love of God goes....
Lake Superior is icy cold year-round. It's so cold that bacteria doesn't build up in the bodies of drowning victims, so they don't float. That is what he meant by the "the lake never gives up her dead."
R.I.P. Gordon Lightfoot. Such a modern day troubadour/Bard/story teller.
What a beautiful and thoughtful reaction to this heartbreaking song.
Recently found your reaction channel, and I just have to say that you are so good at this. A lot of reactors really don't get the message behind the songs, but you nail it. Love watching your stuff!
•( Subscribed)• Just because you totally get this beautiful tribute ,. Yet tragic event. Grand reaction Ashley!!! Miss Gordon lightfoot sorely. One of my favorites. Thank you kindly!!!!
the late 60 and early 70 was the hay day for story songs . a rabbit hole worthy of everyone's time
Grew up in Detroit. Heard this song when I was 10 back in 74. As haunting then as it is now.
You sure? Because this tragic event happened- November 10, 1975👍✌️
@@kennyhuskisson2684 Just remember hearing in on the radio. Thought it was 74 but 75 or 76 would have to be the year. 11 or 12 years old.
Darling im 50 and being doing marine work for decades and i steel get all choked up and teary eyed when i hear this. Itll rip at your soul.
2/3 of the the US does not grasp the area and depth of the Great Lakes it took them many months to find a two football fields long 40 ton wreck with a crew of 29. Good reaction from you as usual a different kind of "stankface" this time Rock on Miss A.R.
Yesssss, .... very genuine and engaged reaction. No "stank face" LOL!!!
Lyrically this is one of the best songs Ever !Tragic Story!
"We are holding our own." - Final radio contact with the Edmund Fitzgerald
Made to the Arthur M Anderson who were navigating for the Fitzgerald when the storm took out their radar and who made two searches for survivors, the second after they’d already reached safety just to turn around and risk their own lives
The Arthur M. Anderson is still in service on the Great Lakes.
That was always an eerie and sad saga. The poetry draws sharp mental pictures. Go ahead and cry. I've been listening to that song and crying to it for nearly 50 years. In 1994, a diving expedition did locate the wreck. They found one body but decided to leave it where it lay, interred by the lake.
A beautiful reaction. You are the only reacter who figured out about the bodies and cold water
Great reaction. Understanding both the tragedy and poetry of this song. Brings tears to my eyes every time I hear it.
Lake Superior has a personality all her own. She is as big as all of the other 4 Lakes combined plus 3 more Lake Eries and holds 10% of the world's fresh water. There is no significant geological feature between her and the Arctic (no mountains, other large lakes, etc) to slow down those west and north winds so when they really blow at the beginning of winter the lake is dangerous. I have been on Superior in both winter and summer and she really commands respect.
Expression 101: Gordon Lightfoot's "old man of the sea" voice was MADE for this song!
I don’t know where you’re from in the US but here’s a little bit of geography/history that you might not know: The Chippewa are a Native American tribe from the area of the Great Lakes, and Gitche Gumee is the name for Lake Superior in their language & it translates to Big Water.
You are the first reactor I’ve seen who caught onto the meaning of the lake never giving up her dead because of how cold the water was. Brava!
It’s not a playlist song but it’s a tremendously beautiful ode to the lost.
I love your reaction. Very Empathic. What this Crew went through when they Died. Thank You.
You are a good woman to engage so fully in this heartbreaking description of a heartbreaking tragedy. I remember both when the wreck happened and when this song came out.
You mentioned stopping a lot through the song. Some viewers of reactions willcomment with frustration over stopping. But it was more than appropriate for this. You were sussing out the story. You were fully involved. And you were sharing your emotions. Some songs don't need that - they are light bits of fluff and don't require thought or emotion. This is not one of those. Your reaction was an affirmation of our common humanity and the dangers our world sometimes presents. Thank you.
Yup...kinda punches you right in the heart doesn't it? I was 13 when this happened. At that age you really don't know the magnitude of it, but when you do it makes you realize the depth of this song. I'm 62 and EVERY time I hear this song, I am sad for the loss of that crew and all of those who loved them. Gordon did a FANTASTIC job with this song, so poet, so thoughtful, and so respectful. Your reaction reflects what most feel when we hear this song.
Very good reaction!! Gordon was a poet!! You're the only reactor who knew the science!! Very impressive!!
Yes the crew perished and left entombed in the mighty ice water mansion. Such preservation is still kept intact as a cemetry/graveyard. FORBIDDEN TO SCUBA DIVE IN THAT AREAall families chose this way for their loved ones...actually a proper burial for mariners. All the royalties he received from this ballad he gave to the families of the crew members . Each year he attended the service at the Mariner's Chapel. ❤❤ Heart and Soul and to all REST IN PEACE.❤❤
Definitely a true story. And what’s even more is that Gordon Lightfoot asked the families of the ones lost if he could release the song. And now all the proceeds to the song goes to the families left behind that we’re lost. He took no money for that song. Such a great song. He literally put you on that boat & you were taken along for the ride. Such great Talent. He’s got a great catalog of music.
I think you did a great job with this! Well done, thanks!
Most people who don’t live near the Great Lakes will never understand what they are like. You have to realize that the Fitz was the length of 3 football fields. I remember the night it happened quite well. There was a major storm through out the entire region. Low temperatures , 60 mile an hour winds and 30 foot waves. Such a sad end to such a magnificent boat and crew.
Watched a documentary on it and you are correct the water is so cold at the bottom the bodies are preserved but they never float
The Edmund Fitzgerald was a lake ship on the great lakes ... specifically Lake Superior. The weather didn't call for bad weather but the weather turned real bad once they were sailing. November is famous for bad weather ... They were headed for Cleveland. She sank really fast .. If she made another 10 miles she might have found safe harbor in one of the bays. Gordon is our Canadian Icon and quite the story teller , he has so many hits. Check him out , also check out the Great Lakes and how big they are.
Ashley, thanks for the song, but more importantly, thanks for taking the time to learn about the Edmund Fitzgerald tragedy. The Edmund Fitzgerald was the largest ship to sink in the Great Lakes..... and was likely the largest ship to sail the Great Lakes at that time. Gordon Lightfoot achieved his purpose with this song, which was that the Edmund Fitzgerald and its crew would never be forgotten. I have lived on the Lakes my entire life, and I remember when this happened.... November 10, 1975 will always be a date that I remember.
Gordon Lightfoot was a Canadian Treasure
Fun Fact: He recorded it in ONE take
They did a couple of more tries, but went with the first take. ALSO he donated all the royalties to the families of the lost sailors. And he met with them to ask if they would allow him to do the song... Truly a marvelous person with a huge talent for writing songs and telling stories; with a magical voice
I was a teen from Michigan when this happened. Here we are nearly 50 years later. And whenever I hear this song I sit in silent reverence until the last of Gordon's haunting notes ends. What a beautiful and respectful reaction young lady. Thank you from your newest subscriber. I wish you much success.
Great reaction Ashley! I was a child in Michigan when this song was released. I miss the true story-tellers like Gordon Lightfoot. When he says "The lake it is said never gives up her dead when the skies of November turn gloomy." This means that when someone drowns in cold water, they may not float to the surface. This is because cold water slows bodily decomposition, which is what causes a dead body to float (gases build up in the body, causing it to float to the surface). If the water is cold enough and deep enough, the body may not decompose and will never float back up to the surface. On another note, many people may not realize what he is talking about when he says, "The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down, of the big lake they call Gitche Gumee." This is speaking of the Native American history in the area. The Chippewa tribe settled this area and called Lake Superior "Gitchi Gami". Gordon probably took his spelling and pronunciation from Henry Wadsworth Longellow who pronounced it "Gitche Gumee." "Gitchi Gami" can be translated to "great sea", which is very fitting for one of the Great Lakes. Many areas in the north are named after native American tribes. The state of Michigan gets it's name from "Michigama" which means "large lake". Also, many cities in the north are named after native American tribes or people. "Pontiac" is named after an Ottawa tribe chief famous for his rebellion in the 1760s. I remember learning all of the native history in Michigan when i lived there.
Excellent contribution to this thread. Thank you
You got it in one! You're an impressive young lady! Subbed.
Best reaction to this song yet, Ashley. This really happened in 1975, and most of the world wouldnt have known about it either except for this beautiful song, areal tribute as you said.Church rang the bell 30 times after Gordon Lightfoot died, an honorary member of the crew.
You are spot on with your thinking of the bodies of drowning victims sinking instead of floating.
The reason being the water is so cold in Lake Superior that the bacteria that normally causes gases to build in the body and make them float die right away and the bodies never rise to the surface.
The wreck site of the Fitz is now a protected site and diving on the wreck is prohibited out of respect to the mariners lost and their families.
Gordon Lightfoot was an amazing singer. song writer. He was a story teller!
Another great song of Gordon's is "If you could read my mind"