When Lightfoot talked, it sounded pretty much the same as when he sang. He spoke in an old-fashioned rural Southern Ontario dialect. He never forgot the small town he came from and was buried there by people who remembered him as a neighbour. He was 100% genuine and down-to-earth, had no taste for the high life of celebrity, and everyone who listened to him understood this. But he wasn't a goody-goody, either. He made plenty of mistakes, had many regrets, and wasn't a prude. He was the sort of man you wanted to go out fishing with.

@harlowrioux5790

4 ай бұрын

What a lovely comment that sums up our Gordon perfectly. He did give the high life a go, but that turned out badly, but he survived it, thank God. He did jokingly call himself a 'cosmopolitan hick.' You nailed it by stating he was proud of his small-town roots. Anyone whose grown up in a small Canadian town or any Rural place feels his wording to the marrow. that we can hear his southern Ontario accent clearly in his singing endears him even more to me.

@philpaine3068

4 ай бұрын

@@harlowrioux5790 I remember when I first noticed that he pronounced Detroit in three syllables: "Di-chro-yit" --- which is about as Old Ontario as you can get, and almost entirely vanished from contemporary speech.

RIP Gordon Lightfoot. A true Canadian musical legend.🇨🇦✌️

Such a great artist. Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald and Sundown are two of his greatest hits. Think you will enjoy them....RIP Mr. Lightfoot.

One of the greatest singer/songwriters ever.

There is something about Gordon LIghtfoot's voice that is calming no matter what lyrics he is singing. I am glad that you have been introduced to him because this is a musician/songwriter whose music should never die. Thank you foryour reaction.

I saw him play in Toronto in 2017 at Massey Hall on Canada Day weekend. Stood there playing guitar the entire show, I believe he was about to turn 80. He sounded fantastic.

In 1986, Bob Dylan inducted Gordon Lightfoot into the Canadian Music Hall Of Fame. Dylan named Gordon Lightfoot one of his favorite songwriters, and aptly described Lightfoot as “somebody of rare talent.” The Four Gord's Of Canada ... Gordie Howe, Gordon Lightfoot, Gordon Pinsent, and Gord Downie.

Gordon and Bob were great friends and Bob came to Canada and inducted Gordon in to the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame ❤🇨🇦

Extraordinarily beautiful melody, unusual chord changes which use perfectly usual chords but in a different way, and such poignant lyrics. Incredible author, composer, performer, cited in the list of Bob Dylan's favorite authors, with Warren Zevon, Randy Newman, and John Prine ....

BEAUTIFUL!!! Gordon Lightfoot is amazing, so many beautiful songs. Beautiful guitar playing. Awesome reaction Rory and thank you Chris for this beautiful request RIP GORDON LIGHTFOOT 😊🩷🔥🤘✌️

I love Gordon Lightfoot! He has such beautiful voice along with such a great storytelling ability. Sundown The reck of the Edmund Fitzgerald Early Morning Rain The Canadian Railroad Trilogy to name a few. Cheers

Lightfoot learned that guitar plucking technique from Maybelle Carter (Johnny Cash's mother-in-law, who was a legendary country musician). I learned this fact from my old neighbour, Tommy Hunter. For younger Canadians, Tommy Hunter was a famous performer known as "Canada's Country Gentlemen," who had a country-themed variety show on CBC television from 1965 to 1992. It was called The Tommy Hunter Show (appropriately enough). Tommy was the Eddie Vedder of country music during these years, bringing everyone up to Toronto to appear on his show. Tommy also gave many musicians their first job in the music business - including a fellow named Gordon Lightfoot. On one of the occasions when Maybelle Carter had appeared on the show, Gordon came up to Tommy and asked him about her plucking technique. Tommy explained it and demonstrated it to Gordon and - just a few years later - Gordon used it extensively on his first two albums.

@harlowrioux5790

4 ай бұрын

He incorporated banjo plucking, as well. He was hanging out with Pete Seeger when it occurred to Gordon Petes technique could on occassion mesh with his own guitar playing.

I’ve been waiting for you to do some Lightfoot. So many great classics.

the most known breakup song written by the very talented Gordon Lightfoot.

You're hearing 'the greatest love of all' Whitney Houston. Gord was suing but decided after seeing how it affected Whitney, he dropped the suit. He was all class and a Canadian hero. Gord Downie loved him.

Beautiful Wow , pure feelings , very good 👍👏🏻🎸🎶 thanks Rory !!

his song The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald I hope it will be on your future reaction list it's a. true song and has great lyrics

Rush, The guess Who, The Tragically Hip, April Wine, just a few of the great bands from Canada, some only known in Canada, but that's ok!

Gordon passed away about 6 months ago, I think. He was a 1970s staple. Great singer/songwriter, and storyteller.

I first heard this song on Trigger Happy TV back in the day, beautiful song to play on guitar! RIP Gordon Lightfoot ⭐️

I grew up listening to Gordon, he was an excellent song writer and story teller. ❤ 7:40 7:44

You now have to react to The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, by Gordon..a true story of a shipwreck on Lake Superior 10 Nov 1975. He donated all the proceeds to the families of the 29 men who perished that night😢

I wish you played the studio version. It’s just gorgeous. This is great but the sound not what Gordon deserves. One of the best singer songwriters of our time ☮️

@nycsue

5 ай бұрын

Agree he sounds great, but the studio is just surreal. Hauntingly beautiful.

Ii too wish Gordon could sing this song forever....it is so atmospheric, peaceful and suited for a brisk, but overcast Fall afternoon.

4:52 If there's ever a film about Gordon Lightfoot, I'm calling it now he'll be played by Chris Pratt.

I am adding to my previous comment. If you want to hear another Canadian band with a singer with a unique voice please check out The Crash Dummies Superman's song Brad Roberts has a very interesting voice. Also I don't think you have done any Guess Who yet. Please check out Undun. Burton Cummings the lead singer has a voice that even Robert Plant commented on. Both bands are from my hometown of Winnipeg, Canada Cheers

gordon deserves way more attention he is seriously overlooked in todays music world hes written some of the most beautiful songs ever penned!

Johnny Cash did cover this song, i hope you could react to Johnny version ❤

Gordon, like him or not, he is a great story teller and lyricist!!😊

Impressive pickup, Rory! Right you are about this song having been ripped off by a later songwriter. Gordon learned about it a few months after Whitney Houston's “The Greatest Love of All" had become a hit. Lightfoot initially commenced legal proceedings against Houston and the man who had written the song for her but subsequently changed his mind - as he didn't want to ruin a promising new career for Ms Houston. Canadians, eh!

@Roryreacts

5 ай бұрын

See that’s the difference between an artist and a record company, respect to him for that

one person that I can remember doing a cover of this song was Johnny Cash.

VOLUME ⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️UP PLEASE

this song was made with the breakup of his marraige tho due to him falling for another woman and sundown was a song about the other woman im sure he started to open up his eyes to what she was.as for the melody being used in another song.gordon took whitney houston to court for using it in one of her songs then stopped due to not wanting to hurt her reputation after realising it was her backroom team that he should of gone after.im sure he might of got some kind of royalties from it

@harlowrioux5790

4 ай бұрын

. Brita, Gordons first wife put up with Gordons chronic womanizing for the seven years they were married. Add to that Lightfoot's explosive and unpredictable temper as well as punching his hand into a wall during an argument with Brita (he broke his hand doing that, btw,) and Brita was constantly walking on eggshells. The end came when Brita came home early from a trip to Sweden in order to surprise Gordon-and was he ever surprised as she found him in their bed with another woman. She left with their two toddlers that day. The irony is Lightfoot spiraled into a deep depression as he was served divorce papers. He said he spent months curled up on the floor unable to function in his now empty home. Cathy Smith didn't enter the picture until the divorce was still dragging on. Gordon tried desperately to win Brita back, leaving Smith repeatedly in a fruitless effort to reverse the course of the divorce outcome. Brita and Gordon did in fact attempt multiple recollections during the proceedings, but inevitably Gordon would screw it up and he'd slink back to Cathy Smith. Gordon never got over Brita and some of his most beautiful and Joyous love songs are inspired by Brita. Beautiful, Song for A Winters Night, You Are What I am and some were written years after their divorce. ITCRMM was indeed about the disintegration of his marriage to Brita-it's more complex than it's given credit for in terms of meaning. It is a articulate song about the inarticulateness that happens between two people who once loved one another, It's about being honest-'he failed Brita 'as heros often d it's about admitting you no longer have the same intenxe feelings for someone you once loved-finding it impossible to fix. It's about telling someone you once loved you need to move on as he has a new woman in the wings. And yet, he still loves this woman as he continually refers to her as 'my love.'

This is the best of the live versions tho imo even if he screwed up the lyrics in the first chorus substituting feel for act. 🤔

Burned in a three way script.

Thanks Chris. Too bad this recording was not a little better. I think Bob Dylan said something like " The only bad think about a Gordon Lightfoot song is that it ends."

Can barely hear the song, check your audio!

Whitney Houston stole the melody and Gord decided not to sue her.