Gordon Lightfoot - Canadian Railroad Trilogy (REACTION) First Time Hearing It
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 16 ก.ย. 2024
- Original video: • Canadian Railroad Trilogy
Support the channel:
💖 Donate or make a request: buymeacoffee.c...
🎁 Join for exclusive perks: / saeedreacts
X: / saeedreacts
Gear that i am using:
Camera: amzn.to/48u6y07
Mic: amzn.to/49qTB8J
Headphones: amzn.to/3URrGdq
Laptop: amzn.to/3IexGpc
Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use. No copyright infringement intended. ALL RIGHTS BELONG TO THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS
Please note that this description includes affiliate links, which means if you click on one of the product links and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission.
#gordonlightfoot
“Canadian Railroad Trilogy” was commissioned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) in 1966 to commemorate the Canadian Centennial the following year. Lightfoot wrote and initially performed the song in 1966 and released it on record in 1967. It is an evocative song with changing movements and rhythms and tempos. I especially love how the guitars are used to create a sense of the sound of the powerful locomotive with its clickety-clack rhythm on the rails. I was first exposed to this song in 1975 through a friend who performed it with his folk trio in coffee houses around Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. One of my favorite songs for nearly fifty years now.
I love how he changes tempo to sound like a train running and a whistle blowing with his voice! Just an amazing song
Gordon was a perfectionist.
He agonised over every word and every phrase and every note and every nuance.
Like many artists, he had his demons.
No one can deny the quality and prowess of his words and music and the pictures they paint and the vivid stories they tell.
A troubador with the ultimate finesse.
Thanks for sharing.
Gordon re-recorded all the songs for the "Gord's Gold" album.
Gordon was a real artist and you've picked the right person to be inspired by!!😊
Truly magnificent song! Definitely will explore more of his music.
15,000 Chinese labourers were instrumental in the construction of Canada's trans continental railway -- an estimated 600 died in the very harsh environments and working conditions in making the 5,000 km long Canadian Pacific Railway. Glad you've discovered Lightfoot. Sadly he has passed away. I was very lucky to see in him concert; just him and his guitar on stage.
Thanks for sharing that.
Glad you got to see him live.
Trans Canada rail line from Halifax to Vancouver...7,050 kilometres.
Thanks for letting me know !
@@SPAMDAGGER22
I grew up on that line, single track between Montréal and Quebec City. It went right by a fieldstone church (built long before trains), where the sermon had to pause whenever a freight rumbled by 😉
Gordon was our storyteller and did it QUITE well. Such a humble man as well. He makes us proud.
Another Gordon Lightfoot history lesson - Black Day in July.
Thanks for the recommendation!
And the Ballad of Yarmouth Castle about another shipwreck
I have a cherished DJ copy 45 from a Texas radio station.
@shonastewart7943 excellent choice.
The final bars never fail to bring me to tears.
The story is a powerful one.
A beautiful song! Gordon was a master storyteller with a voice that can give you goosebumps.
There is a monument in Assiniboine Park here in Winnipeg to the Chinese workers that lost their lives building the railroad. They were the ones that were given the most dangerous jobs.
Gordon Lightfoot passed last year and there was a memorial concert for him with a number of Canadian artists.
Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee of Rush joined Blue Rodeo who are a Canadian country rock band to do the Gordon Lightfoot song The Way I Feel
It is on the the TH-cam site Toronto Live Music.
Geddy still sounds great at 70 and Alex does a really nice acoustic solo.
Thanks for sharing this. I will look that up!
"The Navvies" were a vast band of itinerant laborers who actually built the railroads. They mostly came from continental Europe, many from the greater British Isles especially Ireland. Hence the reference to their families across the oceans, far away.
The rail goes from the Atlantic to the Pacific
For a very different flavor of Gordon Lightfoot genius, try "If You Could Read My Mind" or "Affair on Eighth Avenue" or "Circle of Steel" or "Don Quixote".
Thanks for the recommendations!
I'm not far from Myrah Canyon in British Columbia. It has 18 train trestles in about 11 km
Which is no a biking and walking trail. I can't help but to think of this song when I go up there. If anyone finds themselves near Kelowna BC take advantage of this free attraction.
The building of the railroad was a condition of the western most province, British Columbia, joining Canada. Crossing the mountains to the rest of Canada was almost impossible, so the trains were vital to connect the east and the west.
Thank-you! This was always a favorite.
Impressive storytelling once again. Enjoying this journey! Thanks for joining me 😄
Canada is 9,306 Km's across and the railway runs most of it. A of people died building it from dynamite blasting passage ways through mountains, landslides. building bridges, illnesses, and many other reasons. I really liked how Gordon could make the guitar sound like a train on the tracks as its picking up speed which also represented how the workers were rushed to lay track. Thanks for reacting to this and I'm glad you enjoyed it. "Black Day in July" is another good historical song of his. In interviews, he has emphasized the importance of using his music as a vehicle for addressing social issues and promoting understanding. It is about, the 1967 Detroit Riot, or Detroit Rebellion, which began on July 23, 1967 when police officers raided an after-hours club in the predominantly African American neighborhood of Virginia Park. The raid was part of a crackdown on illegal drinking establishments, but it quickly escalated into a violent confrontation between police officers and the club's patrons. Over the course of the next five days, the riot spread to other parts of Detroit, resulting in looting, arson, and violent clashes between police and protesters. The riot, at that time, was the deadliest civil disturbance in American history, with 43 deaths, 7,200 injuries, and $50 million in property damage.
Thanks so much for taking the time to share this. I am learning a lot through this channel and comments like these.
@SaeedReacts. You can learn a lot about a lot of things from Gordon. This is the first time I've listened to this since he passed away. I'm a fan since 1969 & lost count of all the times I saw him perform. I get upset still when I hear him.
Saeed, that railway was 5000 km long, and was completed in late 1885. This country is more 'huge' than you can imagine until you try to drive across it. OMG....you think you'll be driving forever ! LOL When we did it, we drove (from the east coast) long days, and took four days to get to Calgary. After that we drove at a more leisurely pace, enjoying the mountains, etc. so a few more days until we finally reached the Pacific. This country is truly magnificent.
Those distances are immense compared to our small country Belgium. Takes like 3 hours to cross it diagonally 😅
Hope to visit Canada one day, from what i have seen it's so beautiful.
Musical historian is the perfect description of Lightfoot. When I was young and growing up with his music on the radio, he was just a folk singer of the time. Now that I look back, I appreciate his music more for what it represents.
Incredible songwriter and singer. Hope to explore many more of his songs.
@KaliFlamingo Stan Rogers was also great at writing songs that told history and the life of sailorson Canada's Maritimes
A song of Gordon Lightfoot that deserved more coverage than it got when it came out in 1967. I got to see him shortly after the song came out and it blew us all away. He appeared with a four piece band that included a guitarist named Red Norvo I believe who was phenomenal. It was , because of the small size of the backing band, much more personal than the version in Gord's Gold Album and I would recommend it highly. Gordon Lightfoot and Joni Mitchell are Canada's greatest gifts to the world. Gordon's music ranges from the intensely personal (Sundown, If you could read my mind, Beautiful, Early Morning Rain) to the historical including what you just heard plus (Black Day in July, Edmund Fitzgerald ) and more in between. He is a story teller with few peers and I have loved his music for almost sixty years. He really is a human and musical treasure.
they certainly are, but don't forget Leonard Cohen and Neil Young. A surfeit of riches!
Definitely want to explore more of all these artists . Its really inspiring listening to these songs and i learn a lot from them.
I believe you are talking about Red Shea. He was the lead guitarist for Lightfoot for years
11:48 This last section before we hit the chorus again, sounds like a train starting up and gaining speed. If you listen for it, you can almost hear the chug chug, chug of the wheels turning. Gordon was amazing. ❤
Some are good at writing lyrics, others at writing music, and others still are good singers. This man was all three. Gordon Lightfoot was a very talented modern day troubadour. Thanks for choosing this song, Saeed. I think I like it even better than "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald".
Well said! Exactly, when all these things come together you get magic.
Thanks for watching.
And don’t forget performing! Excellent guitarist! Yes, he had the entire package.
They played this during the Olympics when it was held in Canada - in Winnipeg, I think, but someone will correct me if I'm wrong. He was a great storyteller. I had this album when we still listened to vinyl. We were so fortunate to have Gordon Lightfoot and Harry Chapin in our generation.
@@karehelene the Olympics in Canada were never in Winnipeg. Summer Olympics in Montreal (1976). Winter in Calgary (1988) and Vancouver (2010).
@@shonastewart7943 It was probably Calgary then. Thank you!
@@karehelene Gordon sang "Alberta Bound" with another Canadian Legend Ian Tyson at the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics. Ian sang "Four Strong Winds" with Gordon. They preformed at the Opening Ceremonies. Gordon wrote "Canadian Railroad Trilogy" for the Canada Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) for Canada's Centennial celebrations in 1967.
@@karehelene I know Gordon Lightfoot and Ian Tyson did a medley of Alberta Bound and Four Strong Winds at the Calgary opening ceremony.
@@Ed-R I don't think he actually sang Canadian Railroad Trilogy in Calgary, but I definitely remember hearing the song playing during the Olympics. Perhaps it was a network television (U.S.) feature?
I'm the same, but in opposite terms. I know some metric due to cooking and school, but kilometers I always have to look at ths exchange tables to put it in miles lol.. Gorden was Canada's G.O.A.T. such a great storyteller. If You Could Read My Mind is one of my favs, next to Edmund Fitzgerald which will always by close to my heart, as I remember when that tragedy occurred. All proceeds from that song went to the families of the crew. God Bless You, Gordon. May you rest in peace. This song is also one of his legendary greats. Thank you, Saeed. And if you ever get a chance, share with us your Belgian poet/composer's works. ❤😊
Always have to look up the conversion 😅
Really amazing song again. Such beautiful writing and the way its delivered is really impactful.
Hope to explore more of his music soon.
Thanks for watching, Deborah. Have a great weekend!
Love Gordon, he was never afraid to write about Canadian things.
Gord used to make this the closing song of his concerts.
There is a really good visualizer version of this song on TH-cam, don't know who did it but they must have been reading my mind when they made it. Also I believe it took Gordon three days to write this song.😊
Will look that one up. Another masterclass in writing!
When gord sings the last of the song "And many are the dead men too silent to be real " it is about the extreme conditions under which they worked. The Worst part was the tunnels they had to cut through the Rockies. The mountains themselves took as many or possibly More lives than any other conditions and one of the primary reasons was the use of Pure Nitroglycerine instead of Dynamite! Many men were blown up in trying to place it in the tunnels and likely many transporting it to the job site.Also the numerous rock falls as they were making the trails up the sides of the mountains. No doubt many more fell down mountain sides in the laying of rail beds and rails on steep inclines up into the Mountains!
They made a. Animated book of this song. Absolute beautiful
Oh really? Will look that up.
I'm glad you reacted to this. Like The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, I imagine that I'm there. Mr Lightfoot was a master storyteller
He definitely was. This is truly a masterclass in storytelling
Thanks for reacting to this one, very good observations you made. This song is a true masterpiece by a master musician. As my late father put it after a Lightfoot concert I took him to Lightfoot was “sheer musical genius”!
Magnificent song. Thanks for watching.
A famous Canadian author Pierre Burton wrote a book about the building of the Canadian Pacific Railroad. He said Gordon Lightfoot summed up the building of the railroad in a seven minute song!
If Jacques Brel is the Belgian singer you are referring to, I would definitely put him up there with Gordon in terms of composing great ballads although he perhaps described human psyches more than their geographies and histories. (Well, Gordon did that too, of course.)
I remember going to see the revue "Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris" in Montreal in the 1960s. He was a brilliant composer...his music is very well-known in Quebec and probably influenced many Quebecois chansonniers like Gilles Vigneault.
A few years ago, CBC produced a re-examination of Canadian Railroad Trilogy which explored some of the "darker" aspects that you mention about how the railroad was developed and its impacts. (None of which detract from the song.)
th-cam.com/video/hh7xNDcA6f4/w-d-xo.htmlsi=comePsgs2wW0uGx-
I wasnt in this particular case, but yes Jaques Brel is a legend!
@@SaeedReacts. Yes, sorry! I realized after posting my comment that you were referring to another singer.
By the way, you talked about how long it may have taken Lightfoot to compose this great song. In the video I attached, it reports that Gordon said it took him 3 days! Of course, it was a commission so who knows how long he was thinking about it beforehand?
Gordon wrote very few History songs. Al Stewart (Year of the Cat) has many songs which include fictionalized accounts of actual history. His songs are wonderful also.
Great reaction to one of my all time favourites! ❤️🇨🇦
Thanks so much!
Gordon lived in Toronto and I was lucky enough to live there from 72-78 and hear him in concert 4 times at Massey Hall; a small concert hall with wonderful acoustics. He would only play there and this is what we heard. Thanks for the memories!
Another storyteller was Harry Chapin. He is from the same era but died suddenly at too early an age; car crash. Listen to "A better place to be" and bring Kleenex!
And Gordon has so much more to offer from so many wonderful years. I miss him!
Glad you got to see him!
I recorded a reaction to a Harry Chapin song, but its not uploaded yet.
@@SaeedReacts. I saw Harry 4 times. Lively shows. Very upbeat! Listen to his live album! 😁
For Harry Chapin story telling.... Mail Order Annie l ,,, Mr Tanner ... and if you want autobiographical... I Want To Learn A Love Song ... Taxi and Sequel ..and Cats In The Cradle (words by his wife)
@@badplay156 you are a real fan. "Mail order Annie" is so overlooked!! ✌️💖🌹
It’s the second longest single railway in the world (Toronto to Vancouver) only beat by one in Russia which makes sense since it’s the only country bigger than Canada!
One of my all-time faves! Thank you!!!!!
Amazing song. Thanks for watching.
A km is roughly 6 tenths of a mile. (100 kilometers is 62 miles.) Canada is about 4600 kilometers wide from coast to coast, just under 2,900 miles.
Thanks so much for shedding some light on that!
Great reaction.
Thanks so much!
For another great story song from Gordon, I recommend his other shipwreck song, "The Ballad Of The Yarmouth Castle" a true story of a passenger ship that caught fire in the early 1960's and burned -taking 99 people with it. Truly haunting song. I also recommend "Don Quixote" which has some of his best lyrics IMO.
Thanks for the recommendations! Definitely want to check those out!
He has a way of drawing you in to his stories 👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻
1 mile is 160,934 centimetres 😂😂😂
He definitely does.
Thanks, thats helpful 🤣
@@SaeedReacts. 🤣🤣🤣🤣
One of the ultimate story songs ever is Don Maclean;s "Vincent"
I have only checked out his rendition with Home Free. Definitely need to check out the original.
I'm glad that you've done another Gordo reaction! Keep them coming!
Another masterclass in storytelling. Amazing! Thanks for watching.
Probably my favorite Gordon Lightfoot song but he has some many good ones. Besides the ones you've reacted to his best known ones are probably If You Could Read My Mind, Sundown, Rainy Day People, and Early Morning Rain. Again, so many good songs. I especially love Don Quixote and Softly.
Thanks for the recommendations.
1km = 0.62 miles
1 mile = 1.6km
Yes! I swear i always know it. Except when im on camera 😅
Thanks for reminding me ! Much appreciated.
@@SaeedReacts. I always have to look it up.
@@SaeedReacts.Lol you are too funny 🤭🤭
@@SaeedReacts.Lol..Saeed you are just too funny😅
Gordon only had 3 weeks to research and create the song. He did well...
Gordon had so many great songs. Have you heard the Wreck of the Edmond Fitzgerald? True and very sad.
That was the first song i checked out of him.
I did seem to have some mic issues on that video, so apologies in advance
Canada and the US were building continental railroads at the same time.
Did not know that. Thanks for letting me know about that!
Gordon was a balladeer.
Johnny Cash A boy named Sue.
I reacted to that one, but it is currently blocked on TH-cam. I put it on my patreon in the meantime. As soon as its unblocked I will post it to TH-cam
I would also suggest Hurt, In the Ghetto, Last Night I Had The Strangest Dream, and The Man In Black
Exactly. A Bard.
Great song and reaction
Such a great song! Thanks for watching.
Amazing art. For obvious reasons, he didn't mention the overriding political issue: "Build it now, or we'll probably lose the West to the U.S." They made it, too!
Just came up with a new word... SONGUMENTERY
Thats a good one! Definitely fits well with this song and also The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.
I highly recommend " 7 Minutes In Heaven " by Reba
Do the official music video.
Thanks for the recommendation!
around 5580 miles .
Thanks for letting me know!
There isn't a bad song on the "Gord's Gold" double album.
Check out Don Quixote ...
We use km in Canada 😊
Ooh! I did not know that.
Love live the metric system 😃
@@SaeedReacts. Pretty much only the USA uses imperial (and a couple of small areas here and there in the world lol)
I swear you are Vinny from Brooklyn.
Cousin Vinny 😄
My Land - Sonata Arctica reaction pleasee 🙌🏻
Thanks for the recommendation
Early morning rain. By Gordon Lightfoot
Great reaction! However I would recommend staying away from Gord's Gold. These redone songs were unnecessarily "jazzed up" obscuring the vocals and guitar of the original release.
Thanks for letting me know about that.
I agree. The original versions are better.
Listen to his guitar. He tells a story with his guitar, too. In The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, it's the absolute relentlessness of the waves. If you didn't know anything about the words it's actually a really boring song. The same repeated stanza over and over and over.... Yawn. BUT that was the point. The wind and the waves are relentless and unending.
In this, CRT, the guitar IS the train. She gets started heading West and has to deal with the landscape of Ontario then heading across the flat Plains she speeds up until she hits the Mountains and the Pacific. Then she turns around and heads back East across the completed tracks and further East than before as she heads into the Gaspe Peninsula (Newfoundland & Labrador). Gord's Guitar sings the song of the Train as Gord sings the song of the people and the land.
HEY SAEED - RE THE CANADIAN PACIFIC RAILWAY
Showing results for how long is the cpr line
Search instead for how longis the cpr line
20,100 kilometres
Canadian Pacific Railway
Thanks so much! That is long!
If You Could Read My Mind and Sundown are two other great songs and are very different from this one and Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald
Thanks for the recommendation!
Remember that Canada has two official languages, English and French. There are great songwriters and singers in both languages. French language singers who hold the same position of respect in that same generation were Gilles Vigneault and Félix Leclerc. Vigneault's "Mon Pays" would be good for you to react to. So would bands like Cano and Harmonium. The sisters Kate and Anna McGarrigle composed and sang brilliantly in both French and English. Another singer who delved into history and tradition was Stan Rogers.
Thanks for letting me know about that
Belgium has 3 official languages. And we too have artists that do this in each language region. But its almost like we forget or ignore the people that sing in a different language here.
@@SaeedReacts. Ah, yes, I forgot that a dialect of German is the third language of Belgium. I forgot to mention that we also have singers of national fame who sing in the languages of our First Nations. For example, Susan Aglukark sings mostly in the Inuktitut language of the Inuit people.
You needed to have the still video up behind, it makes it much more understandable and touching.