Poll: What is Gordon LIghtfoot's greatest song?

@mista2621

Жыл бұрын

The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald is my Favorite , Sundown , Rainy day People are also very good RiP Gordon , You live on in your music

@AndreTNY

Жыл бұрын

While Sundown is amazing I have to go with The Wreck of The Edmund Fitzgerald.

@danohstoolbox

Жыл бұрын

I really love old Dan's records it pulls at my heart strings

@michaelharrington75

Жыл бұрын

Probably the one you talk about in this video, for me. But, I love many GL songs.

@jimharrison5725

Жыл бұрын

My favorite was the Canadian Railroad Trilogy. I first heard it was in the 60’s.

I had the honor of meeting Gordon Lightfoot backstage after a show in Northern Michigan. The week prior, I interviewed him over the phone for a local newspaper, and I told him how my grandfather was an engineer aboard the Arthur Anderson - the ship that was on Lake Superior communicating with the Edmund Fitzgerald the night she sunk. My grandfather was part of the first rescue team to respond to the disaster. He and his crew saw the Fitzgerald vanish from their radar, and described that night as the worst storm he had ever witnessed. When I told Gordon that story he was amazed and told me "I'm proud to know you!" He was a truly kind and generous, and a complete gentleman. We talked on the phone about an hour, and after the concert he remembered me and shook my hand. I still have the photo. It's not everyday one of your musical heroes says something like that to you. I still beam inside when I think about it. RIP Gordon!

@tsav6693

5 ай бұрын

What a great story! Very cool.

@heatherwoodland5728

3 ай бұрын

How lovely and special. ♥️

@billhorstkamp98

2 ай бұрын

Wonderful story. Thank you for sharing.✌🏼

"Heroes often fail." Quite possibly one of the most heartwrenching truths.

@Kipgirl

10 ай бұрын

Yup

@cidmclean9809

9 ай бұрын

A hard truth to learn.

@pninnabokov3734

7 ай бұрын

I love his song, but "The Circle is Small" is my favorite.

@piscesempress1978

5 ай бұрын

My eyes swell up when I hear that part. The whole song is just perfect poetry.

@billhorstkamp98

2 ай бұрын

Absolute truth ✌🏼

I think it's pretty safe to say that popular music will never again have lyrics that go this deep.

@tedhardulak7698

8 ай бұрын

What do you mean?? The depth of some of our "Modern" Rap and Hip-Crap about bitches and killing and drugs are as deep as any sewer around. Even most of country now. I have XM so I dont have to deal with any of it. I thank God I was in the 70s Era of music when music meant something. (: My favorite was Neil Young doing Southern Man and Skynard answering with Sweet Home Alabama.

@piscesempress1978

5 ай бұрын

Ah come on you mean like these poetic lyrics : work work work duh duh duh or something like that by Rhianna. lol Seriously, I agree. Gord was just simply amazing.

@tommcdonough6086

2 ай бұрын

Well said, Gordon's lyrics run very deep. Personal favorites are Sundown and Carefree Highway, Gordon Lightfoot songs are good for the soul. Absolutely timeless. Love all his music.

The lines "I don't know where we went wrong but the feeling's gone and I just can't get it back" pull at my heart strings every time; the first time I heard the song in full and actually understood it was when it appeared at the end of a movie I watched - I think it was "The Last Days of Disco" when I was going through a breakup. It took on even more significance at the end of my marriage.

@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980

Жыл бұрын

That line alone shows how much he has mastered the craft of songwriting.

@CK-vp6hh

Жыл бұрын

I’m so agree …. One of those songs that take you to a time and space…. I feel such sorrow every time I hear it…

@Ocelot1962

2 ай бұрын

"I don't know where we went wrong but the feeling's gone and I just can't get it back" - Yeah, that was the lyric to the end of my marriage, too. This song because the sensation that it was and still is because Gordon captured what so many of us went through. It's cathartic in that regard.

Anyone who had been in the business could have told Gordon how his marriage tanked. But then, we would not have this hauntin, beautifulul song. I love his voice, his looks, everything, including his weakness. Becoming my age (83) has shown me no one escapes making mistakes, huge mistakes, and also how important compassion is in our lives. ❤

@ProfessorofRock

Жыл бұрын

It's so true. It's so sad.

@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980

Жыл бұрын

It’s all part of the human race. Keep rocking on Raquel.

@stuartewoldt1513

Жыл бұрын

What a beautiful way to put life

@scottbrown5316

Жыл бұрын

They who have loved much, shall be forgiven much.

@scottbrown5316

Жыл бұрын

@Pat Last He sang in Portland a song...."forgive me Lord, for I have sinned".....went the lyrics....the only time I ever heard that song....

This song and the wreck of the Edmond Fitzgerald both pull at your heart strings before he even starts singing. His beautiful voice is just irreplaceable.😢❤

@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980

Жыл бұрын

He had that magic touch.

@aaa-xd3jj

Жыл бұрын

Edmond Fitzgerald tears me apart every time I hear it.

@timmmahhhh

10 ай бұрын

I had a coworker who loved the song so much he requested it be played at his funeral. Very sadly he died at 65 in a head on car collision. His request was sadly fulfilled far sooner than anyone expected.

His songs have caused me to pause what I’m doing, turn the volume up, and go on his beautiful through the tune and lyrics. I’ve shed many a tear during his songs. Being near 70, I was fortunate enough to follow his rise through the charts. He will forever be missed but his songs will also forever keep us in tune with our own hearts. Well done Professor.

@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980

Жыл бұрын

With songs like these, you have to stop and listen closely to the story.

@als1023

Жыл бұрын

Same thoughts , age and experiences, thanks for posting !

@cdd4248

Жыл бұрын

Yes. I cry like a baby..in the car, home, elevator..teehee. Like a Baby.

@katherineskrzynecki3347

11 ай бұрын

RIP Gordon, you were indeed a legend in music!

Wow! Never knew the story behind this song until now. Thanks for bringing this to light and celebrating the musical genius that Gordon Lightfoot was! We're losing the legends one by one and it's sad because very few, if any, make music like this anymore. RIP, Gordon!

@Bonzi_Buddy

10 ай бұрын

The music industry is vapid and it includes national radio. While there has always been "industry plants" and other manufactured bands that are just a creation of some deep pocketed producer, there was always the opportunity to have some DJ spin a record that is heard and then they achieve fame. Social media has certainly changed the landscape, but often these same shady producers are utilizing that same social media they way they did radio and they also are infesting all the top platforms... as well as still picking what gets played on the radio and what isn't played. What is sad is there is not the true "top 40" type radio stations that play a mix that appeals to the masses where people get exposed to all kinds of genres and learn to like things they never expected. It is just programmed garbage! Sad stuff. These music shows on TV are junk too. They often pick singers with vocal gimmickry, a pathetic backstory but not stellar talent. Some quality singers are discovered without a doubt... and frankly those shows probably fare better than what "rises up" on modern music charts.

@bruceb5481

10 ай бұрын

​@@Bonzi_BuddyI hope more people will read your reply. I was associated with the music business just after the payola scandal in the 1950s and into early '80's. Nuff said 😢😮😢😮

This wasn't just a song; it was poetry set to music. The beautiful guitar playing & strings borders on hypnotic.

@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980

Жыл бұрын

The instrumentation is phenomenal. Well done, Mr. DeCaro 👏🏾

@valeriegarrity5773

Жыл бұрын

I love "Sea of Tranquility" also. It's wonderful to just sit and crank up the volume and immerse oneself in the powerful music. You can have any flavor you happen to see. 🎵

@richardcooper3507

Жыл бұрын

I loved almost every song this man performed. I was fortunate to see this legend perform. That performance & Peter Frampton at the same venue are among my best experiences at any concert. I sat front row within 25 ft from the man Frampton. Eye contact with the crowd. It was almost as if he was peering into my heart. I love both of those guys so much! Music can reach into your soul & changes you. I idolize Peter Frampton & Gordon Lightfoot for the same reason. They both made you feel the lyrics in your heart. They gave me so much joy. Frampton has been my idol from the first time I heard him on vinyl at the age of eleven. Now about my love for Gordon Lightfoot. I think the first time I heard him I was five years old. As many say about him, he was a songsmith. His lyrics & composing combine with the guitars & they dance together in perfection with his amazing almost haunting voice. From the first song, I was hooked & have been for 52 years. He was perfect at hitting every note so precisely. He played guitar as flawlessly as he sang. He was as close to perfect as a performer has ever been. You have to really listen because every time you find new subtleties in his guitar playing. The man gifted us with beautiful perfection. RIP Gordon, you've done enough for the world. And thank you!

@CurtHowland

4 ай бұрын

Check out Rick Beato's "What Makes this Song Great"

Never fails when I listen to "If You Could Read My Mind" I get a lump in my throat and goosebumps on my arms. There never will be another as talented as Gordon Lightfoot. RIP.

@daBEAGLE1017

Жыл бұрын

Definitely a tear jerker.

@teresaquappe2228

Жыл бұрын

Heart wrenching

@ProfessorofRock

Жыл бұрын

Same here. It's one the best ever.

@cypherglitch

Жыл бұрын

@@ProfessorofRock it was one of the very few songs that settled me when I was a toddler

@cypherglitch

Жыл бұрын

@@ProfessorofRock it was one of the very few songs that settled me when I was a toddler

Why is this wonderful man NOT in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame??????? Pathetic. Opportunity missed! Thank you for spotlighting one of our national treasures. We will miss him forever and he will never be truly replaced ❤

@jamiethornton6101

Ай бұрын

Because the HOF is ran by a bunch of morons!

Gordon Lightfoot recorded so many great songs during the 1970's. "If You Could Read My Mind" has always been my favorite. A really heart-wrenching song.

@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980

Жыл бұрын

It’s such an amazing song.

@scubashooter

Жыл бұрын

Mine too!

@patsyhughes9046

7 ай бұрын

My favourite song of all time. It touches my heart every time I hear it.

Gordon Lightfoot has so many great songs including Sundown, my personal favorite. Can you believe that he's not in the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, mind boggling.

@ProfessorofRock

Жыл бұрын

Another mindboggler for sure. Thanks Daniel!

@IDPhotoMan

Жыл бұрын

Oh i believe it. The "Hall of Fame" is and always has been a complete joke.

@rich56ca

Жыл бұрын

I mean why not? A lot of folk singers in there already.

@jerrylev59

Жыл бұрын

The HOF charges artists big bucks to come and accept their award. It's an overrated tourist trap.

@PabloCruise1

Жыл бұрын

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is a sham.

As a fellow Canadian I feel he never really got the credit he so rightly deserved . Good on you Adam for shining the light on him if only for a moment.

@joeyank2451

Жыл бұрын

Are You Kidding Me I’m In America And I Know For Sure He Was Loved Here A True Legend

I married a Canadian in 1968 so I took many trips to Canada for visits with his family. I discovered Gordon Lightfoot. I brought his music back home in Virginia and introduced him to my friends. I followed him all my life, including many concerts. He was a story teller of the best kind.

@kerriwilson7732

Жыл бұрын

🇨🇦

This was a great tribute. He lived a good full life, but his passing still hurts. But we can’t keep them forever. 💔 RIP Gordon Lightfoot. 💐🕊️

Gordon Lightfoot reminds me of hearing the AM radio playing in my mom's kitchen in the 1970s.

@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980

Жыл бұрын

I just read in the news that most cars are getting rid of AM radio! Sucks 😔

@justjoolz97

Жыл бұрын

Yes!

@demetriuscooksey7147

Жыл бұрын

Same here.

@eagle1371

Жыл бұрын

Totally!

As someone who grew up in Canada the 60s and 70s, it wasn't so much that you were a Gordon Lightfoot fan, but that his music was part of the makeup of Canadian culture. If you were into music at all, you heard Gordon Lightfoot. His music was just everywhere. It didn't matter that he was an amazing instrumentalist, or that he had a unique voice, or that he had songwriting skills that even Bob Dylan envied. He had all those things and many more, but uniquely for the time, he was part of the heart and soul of what made you a Canadian.

@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980

Жыл бұрын

I just found out the other day from one of my teachers that Canadian radio stations are REQUIRED to play songs from Canadian artists, and I brought up Gordon Lightfoot.

@FarrellMcGovern

Жыл бұрын

@@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980 Yup. Otherwise we would be overwelmed by American Culture. It is know as the "CAN-CON" or Canadian Content regulations. And it is the reason why we have such a robust artistic & cultural part of Canadian life. They have to play a percentage of their total on air music by Canadian artists.

@susanmacdonald4288

Жыл бұрын

Exactly! I was born in 1964, so was I much more interested in pop music in the 70's, but I was also listening to the radio, so I got to hear a lot of different music (and thank you, whoever came up Can Con). So I wasn't huge fan at the time, but I liked his music when I heard it, and his music was there all the time. Part of the musical background to my growing up. I've been listening to a lot of his music since he passed, and I'll hear one and think "hey, i forgot that one...that's pretty terrific!" I also heard some I'd never heard before, and think "hey, that's terrific!" I was going to say that I wish that I'd become a fan sooner, but I think maybe I've always been one.

@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980

Жыл бұрын

@@FarrellMcGovern I agree. Honestly, I stand with Canada here.

@visaman

Жыл бұрын

​@@susanmacdonald4288 another '64 baby. We always had the radio on in our house, usually country, but I would crank up C-FOX, when my parents went out for the day. 😂

As a Canadian, we always kinda felt like he was ours. It really warms my heart to see the outpouring of love coming from the south side of the border. It really shows that Gordon belongs to the world. Thank you all. ❤

@paulwojnilowicz5265

10 ай бұрын

We share the falls one of the seven wonders of the world!

@dollydagger4306

10 ай бұрын

I'm proud that he was a Canadian.

@carolmoore1038

8 ай бұрын

He was still doing shows pretty late in his life and at one very small venue we got to meet him and chat with him for quite a while. Probably 10 of us stayed after the show while he was packing up and kept him company. Awesome down to earth guy. When he passed I probably would have cried anyway, but somehow after meeting him I felt like I had lost someone I knew

@Fercough

3 ай бұрын

There's a lot of admiration for Gordon Lightfoot in the UK. Especially in the north of England, it touches hearts.

@richardchambers3533

2 ай бұрын

Along with Rush, April Wine, Guess Who, Neil Young, to name a few.👍

Just amazing lyrics. Every time he relates to being the unseen ghost who will never be set free, or the failed hero... It's just so well written. In lesser hands, those themes could come across as incredibly cliché. Instead he finds a haunting balance between heartache, devastation, humbleness, and bitterness.

@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980

Жыл бұрын

Those similes and metaphors are so palpable.

@cdd4248

Жыл бұрын

Nicely Stated

Gordon Lightfoot was one of the greatest ever - a true legend.

@ProfessorofRock

Жыл бұрын

NO question. What a loss.

@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980

Жыл бұрын

💯

I don't often associate the word perfection with many singer/songwriters. But, Gordon Lightfoot deserves that label. RIP to one of the greats.

@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980

Жыл бұрын

Truly. Unmatched top tier excellence.

@Geezer-yf8hv

Жыл бұрын

RIP Gordon! A world icon, a Canadian treasure, but a jewel to the whole world!

@Geezer-yf8hv

Жыл бұрын

He was a special singer/songwriter, in the same class as Jim Croce, Cat Stevens, Harry Chappin, etc…

I've been a Lightfoot fan since I discovered his music in 1969. I once put on a Lightfoot album as background music while I was doing some chores around the house. I discovered I couldn't do both, because the poetry of his music demanded my attention. So, I put the chores on hold and sat down to listen. He was a superior craftsman of words and music.

This song tears me up every time I hear it. It hit me hard when I was young. Now that I'm older, and have been through what this songs brutally honest content is about, it knocks me to my knees. THIS is songwriting at its best. It doesn't get any better than this.

@ProfessorofRock

Жыл бұрын

Brutal with a capital B! Thanks Jimmy!

@LazyIRanch

Жыл бұрын

So many songs from my youth are like that, they were just songs when I was young, but now they are part of my life story, embedded in my soul. I'm in my 60s now, but even today I'll hear an old song and have that dim bulb in my brain light up and I finally get what the songwriter meant! I've loved John Prine since I was a teen, I know most of his songs by heart and most are fun upbeat kinda silly lyrics that lift my mood. After my mom died and we were cleaning out her house to sell it, I went home drained so I played some Prine to make me feel better... yikes. He jerked every tear I thought I'd already cried. There's this song called "Souvenirs": _"All the snow has turned to water Christmas days have come and gone Broken toys and faded colours Are all that's left to linger on I hate graveyards and old pawn shops For they always bring me tears I can't forgive the way they robbed me Of my childhood souvenirs Memories, they can't be boughten They can't be won at carnivals for free Well it took me years to get those souvenirs And I don't know how they slipped away from me..."_

@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980

Жыл бұрын

Raw, unadulterated emotion.

@johntiggleman4686

Жыл бұрын

The Professor is correct that songs today never approach this kind of writing. Actually, outside of a handful of songs, most of the music from the mid 90s on just don't hit me hard (exception: Johnny Cash's cover of Nine Inch Nails "Hurt;" that just yanks the tears from my eyes).

@tonymaiettasr.7340

Жыл бұрын

@@LazyIRanch Emotions. Great post. Yes, songs can bring that out. In my youth I was never into the words of songs. But now in my 70’s I find myself listening to old favorites and really feeling those words. Thanks

This man had such a way with words and delivered them in a way that will never be equaled. RIP Mr. Lightfoot.

@ProfessorofRock

Жыл бұрын

No question. Thanks Jana!

@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980

Жыл бұрын

He’s one in a TRILLION.

@zachfarrell234

Жыл бұрын

@@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980 Maybe 1 in 8 billion.

Dear Professor; I grew up listening to Casey Kasem , and you make his loss tolerable. Your talent and depth of music appreciation, personal stories of your family really hit home . I admire your knowledge and business savvy ❤ Thank you for all the wonderful episodes , they all are hits.

@williamj.dovejr.8613

Жыл бұрын

He has picked up where Mr. Kasem left off ...a perfect successor!

@es330td

Жыл бұрын

Born in 1971 I remember well listening to Casey Kasem's "America's Top 40" every week. I had never thought about it but if there was still an "America's Top 40" show Professor would be a worthy successor.

@LivingMyBestLifeIAm

Жыл бұрын

Yes!

@karinwolf3645

Жыл бұрын

So did I!! Thank you, professor!

Gordon was a huge part of my childhood. My father was stationed in New Brunwich from 1972 to 1975 and my parents played his albums all the time. My mom's been gone for 30 years and I can't hear one of his sing without thinking of her. Thank you, Gordon. RIP to them both.

@melissatodd673

11 ай бұрын

New Brunswick , most beautiful place …..

Mr. Lightfoot was, absolutely, the poet laureat of music. The lyrics of this song, particularly: "When you reach the part where the heartaches come, the hero would be me. But, heroes often fail" Holy hell, that hits

@ProfessorofRock

Жыл бұрын

Your exactly right! Beautiful!

@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980

Жыл бұрын

JUST PERFECTION.

Gordon was definitely one of the best singer/songwriters. I've loved "If you could read my Mind" since the 70s. There is definitely something magical about that song. It's almost haunting.

@ProfessorofRock

Жыл бұрын

What's your favorite line from the song Mike?

@MikeB-1965

Жыл бұрын

@@ProfessorofRock I had to think about that one but I suppose the opening line, "If you could read my mind love, what a tale my thoughts could tell." That's a pandoras box right there. Just think if you could read your lovers mind or vice versa. We all sometimes think things we don't want to, or shouldn't, express. It would be informative yet sometimes wonderful and sometimes hurtful. The lyrics are full of similes relating to the challenges of relationships that we can all connect to. The lyrics are deep and really makes the listener think. That's what makes the song so engaging.

@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980

Жыл бұрын

It is very haunting if you let the words seep into your very soul.

Thank you Professor of Rock for an outstanding tribute to Gordon Lightfoot. Your sincere thoughts are easily recognized as coming from your heart. Mr. Lightfoot had a way of relating the human condition from his experiences to many people through his songs. We have lost a treasure , but his legacy will remain.

I've been playing this song every day for a long time, as I am watching my marriage dissolve, and our separation begins tomorrow. I, too, was absolutely taken by it since I first heard it at eleven years old, as if it was a foreshadowing for me decades ago. Powerful and touching, it is a work of musical genius. It is my flagship song at this stage in my life, haunting yet cathartic.

@jamesspalten5977

Жыл бұрын

Best of luck to you, Amy. Heroes often fail...

@phins2dright

Жыл бұрын

@Amy Caldwell Been there, done that and bought the t shirt. It was one day a few weeks before my separation when I knew the marriage was on life support this song came on. I listened to the lyrics and for the first time completely understood the song. It captured every thing I was feeling. Painful but as you said, cathartic at the same time. Even now 10 years later hearing this song transports me back to that time. Good luck on your journey. Even though there will be hard days, there are better days ahead.

@lokisan100

Жыл бұрын

Hugs.

@peoplehavetherights

11 ай бұрын

Amy, may God bless and keep you in your time of tragedy. I wish you all the best.

@conscientiousdefector

7 ай бұрын

I’m so sorry Amy. I hope are doing Ok.

Thankfully, I lived in the same lifeline as Gordon Lightfoot!! Jim Croce is up there for me too. He was a true Master of his craft. His music meant many things to a lot of us. Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald is such a haunting song. If You Could Read My Mind is a song that most of us can relate to in regards to regrets we may have. I can't listen to it without falling apart.

@elizabethbrauer1118

Жыл бұрын

❤ Jim Croce ❤

@tr5947

Жыл бұрын

@johnnyjohnson1326 I consider "Edmund Fitzgerald" one of the greatest songs ever written.

@debbieolandese4912

Жыл бұрын

I cry every time I hear this song.

@wakeuporsleep9686

10 ай бұрын

Gordon lightfoot and Jim Croce played together at the farm house

"Save a Prayer" is easily, far and away, Duran Duran's best song. I couldn't be more pleased to learn that Gordon was an inspiration for it.

@ProfessorofRock

Жыл бұрын

Isn't it amazing? What are your other top Duran Duran songs?

@laurat1129

Жыл бұрын

Me, too.🙂

@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980

Жыл бұрын

You know you’re a legend when even an 80s new wave band takes inspiration from your music.

@GuitaristPAX

Жыл бұрын

Ordinary World absolutely amazing song 💛

@paisleyprincess7996

Жыл бұрын

DD sung that song the same day Prince died. Man…I bawled

Regret is a very powerful emotion. Devastating, if you let it.

How can anyone call out one song as the best? Early Morning Rain was the first Lightfoot song I put on my Spotify list as I grew up in the Vancouver area and woke up to the rain on many a morning. But so many songs take me back to my parents' livingroom as I'm one of your contemporaries and my parents played his records often.

In 1979, my girlfriend took me to see Gordon at Massey Hall. A great hall with great acoustics. The concert was mesmerizing. I always thought of him as a poet who put his poems to music. As a flawed individual, as most of us are, he could reach us on an emotional level like few can. This song resonates on a scale like Don Maclean's Vincent. Both paint pictures in the mind that are cinematic complete with soundtrack.

@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980

Жыл бұрын

How was the experience?

@jenx5870

Жыл бұрын

Aaah, Vincent. I remember when I was a teen in the 80s, and hearing that song for the first time. It made me cry. I still haven't been able to get through that song without shedding a tear, for some reason. If You Could Read My Mind, on the other hand, was just a beautiful song that I liked, until recently. Now, I add it to the shed a few tears pile. I still can't believe we have begun to call him "the late Gordon Lightfoot". Another one of the greats from my childhood gone. May he RIP.

@irazzimmer85

11 ай бұрын

Great analogy, comparing it to Vincent

Gordon is legendary in every sense of the word. Just pure songwriting magic, especially if you've had an influence on Bob Dylan. Appreciate this one man

@kenperkins7921

Жыл бұрын

GORDON WAS A HEROE OF MINE

@ProfessorofRock

Жыл бұрын

Even more so now. What songwriter. What a singer. Thanks RC32.

@RC32Smiths01

Жыл бұрын

@@kenperkins7921 He was a hero to us all!

@RC32Smiths01

Жыл бұрын

@@ProfessorofRock Absolutely!

@micnorton9487

Жыл бұрын

​​@@RC32Smiths01 I didn't know his first popular song was in '62.... That's class though when one legend compliments another legend and it turns out they're mutually admirational... Ozzy Osbourne and Post Malone for instance although Posty hasn't been around long enough to quite be a legend yet lol...

"If you could read my mind" is absolutely still one of my favorite songs ever! Unbelievably beautiful and haunting. And yes, it still makes me cry. 💜

Great segment, Adam! A lot of great stories circulating about Gord as we share our memories of this Canadian icon. An interesting fact is that he attended Westlake Music College in LA to learn how to write his own song charts, thus retaining the publishing royalties to his music, which turned out to be a very wise financial decision! There is a move afoot up here in Toronto to rename Young Dundas Square (our version of Times Square) to Gordon Lightfoot Square, which would be a fitting tribute to him.

@ProfessorofRock

Жыл бұрын

Thanks for sharing Robster. Where are you in Canada exactly? What's the closest state to it?

@robster7316

Жыл бұрын

@@ProfessorofRock Toronto. Closest major cities are Buffalo NY (about an hour) or Detroit MI (about 4 hours) by car.

@racegts

Жыл бұрын

That would be a fitting gesture to name that square after Gordon, but don’t let Trudeau have ANYTHING to do with it. I’m convinced that Gordon still had many years left in him and the Vax mandate most likely ( imo-40+ years in medicine) took his life, on his FB page it shows him getting the 🦠💉 in March of 21’- the average time span from 💉 to “sudden death “ is about 24 months!!! Needless to say I’m very upset by this needless loss along with the hundreds of thousands of others. 😢

@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980

Жыл бұрын

I say, rename the square. 😊

@leilanirocks

Жыл бұрын

Would be a wonderful tribute

Gordon is very relatable. The one I tend to really connect with? “Carefree Highway”, great song for bad days, takes me back to childhood, a carefree special time, old folks referred in the lyric gets me thinking of my grandparents. As B Gibb stated, “good music comes from human experiences and stirs deep emotion”(sic)

@ProfessorofRock

Жыл бұрын

He really knew how to write something we all felt or would feel.

@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980

Жыл бұрын

Carefree Highway is wonderful no doubt. Barry was right!

I'm only diving deeper into Gordon Lightfoot in the last few months. I was already practicing If You Could Read My Mind on my guitar when he passed. There are some songwriters who really resonoate with me in the poetry of their lyrics, the stories they weave, the emotion they bring. Dan Fogelberg and Jim Croce are chief among them in my book. And so is Gordon Lightfoot.

@steveyeager6177

Жыл бұрын

Have you watched Rick Beato video "what makes this song great" about "If you could read my mind"

@msbrech

Жыл бұрын

@@steveyeager6177 oh yes.

@williamstefens

Жыл бұрын

Rick Beato's break down of this song is incredible. I especially love how Rick focuses on all the incredible complexities of the instruments and how Gordon did an amazing job of blending the guitar with the string section to invoke the pain and heartbreak Gordon must have been feeling at the time.

@irazzimmer85

11 ай бұрын

Question Just purchased a guitar. One of the first songs I want to learn to play is “If You Could Read My Mind”. Is it a song that will be easy to learn? I have never played an musical instrument other than the stereo Thanks in advance letting me know about this quest

@msbrech

11 ай бұрын

@@irazzimmer85 there are several online resources that can give you the chords for that song. I don't know how far along you are in your own journey ( I'm coming back to the guitar after about 20 years, and I was never that good to start with), but you can definitely find some simplified chord sequences for it if you need to. Good luck to you!

I have loved Gordon Lightfoot my entire life!

Brought tears to my eyes; the pain in his word and the grief in his voice…

@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980

Жыл бұрын

Gives you goosebumps, doesn’t it?

Once again, Adam, you increase the emotions of a song tenfold just by adding your own. Gordon Lightfoot was a great storyteller, but so are you.

@ProfessorofRock

Жыл бұрын

Thank you dearly! Made my day!

@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980

Жыл бұрын

Absolutely 👍

@Denozo88

Жыл бұрын

​@Professor of Rock your video of wreck of the edmund fitgerald was the best tribute to an artist I've seen you do.

Carefree Highway and Early Morning Rain were my theme songs as I hitched around the country in my youth.

Back in the early '70's when they added radios to the school buses (to soothe the savage beasts, I think!), I used to hear this and Sundown and I totally fell in love with his voice. I have never fallen out of love with it. I was lucky enough to see him at the Utah State Fair in 1985 and it was the best concert I'd ever been to. No one was screaming, no one was stoned, and the amplifiers weren't turned up so loud that your ears bled. It was comfortable, companionable - like sitting down with your best friends and just enjoying the evening together, everyone singing along. I cried my eyes out when I heard he'd passed. No one can hold a candle to the Minstrel of the Dawn. I've truly been "the victim of his minstrelsy" and I've loved every minute of it. 💔

Since going through a divorce, I can't hear "If You Could Read My Mind" without crying. Heroes often fail.

Carefree Highway has always been my favorite Gordon Lightfoot song, but it's so difficult to truly pick a "greatest" from his catalogs because they're all so wonderfully good! God rest your soul, Mr. Lightfoot. Thank for you for brining so much joy to so many.

@visaman

Жыл бұрын

I sing it in the shower. ❤

@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980

Жыл бұрын

There’s a whole selection of Gord’s Gold.

@tywebbgolfenthusiast8950

Жыл бұрын

Mine too. In 1974 I had a girlfriend named Ann, she left me not knowing what to do.

@valeriesmith3218

6 ай бұрын

He was leaving Phoenix on the I17 and saw the sign for CAREFREE Highway going to Carefree and Cave Creek Arizona. I love going there on the Weekends in the Winter those towns are Lovely.

Songs with feeling do not get any better than this one. Great post Prof!

@ProfessorofRock

Жыл бұрын

NO truer words were ever spoken! Good call Mark!

As a Canadian who thought that world of Lightfoot, all I can say is well done Professor of Rock! Fantastic video!! Thank You for paying tribute to a Canadian Icon!!

when a guy can open his heart so honestly to the world the world listens

Can't believe we lost him at the start of this month!😢

@ProfessorofRock

Жыл бұрын

It's a painful loss... for sure.

@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980

Жыл бұрын

Right after Harry Belafonte! 😢

My wife and I were fortunate enough to see him in concert just before the pandemic. His voice, understandably, wasn't what it was back in his prime, but he could still play the 12-string and make it look easy. Gordon will always be a favourite. Rest well my friend.

@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980

Жыл бұрын

You know, we all get older every day. I understand.

I've loved him since the 70's!! Every now and then, I listen to "Gord's Gold". It's always nice to hear, every time.

When I was younger, I thought the song was about the Abbott and Costello movie "The Time of Their Lives"... about a ghost from a wishing well.

@ihaveinsomnia1

Жыл бұрын

LOL 😂😂😂 I think about Abbott and Costello when ever I hear this song! I haven't seen that movie since the 70s.

I discovered this song’s meaning after my first year of marriage, I totally understood this classic, love it Professor, thx for the history.

@ProfessorofRock

Жыл бұрын

Thanks Marlin!

@7spann

Жыл бұрын

@@ProfessorofRock much love , excellent content my friend

This song contains some of the best uses of simile ever, and I was blessed to hear it live once- and it was perfectly sung! Great show Professor!

@markhodge6621

Жыл бұрын

u 17:23 UintahIjj. hy

@ProfessorofRock

Жыл бұрын

You are exactly right. Amazing.

@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980

Жыл бұрын

I remember my third grade teacher showing us similes like these.

Gordon was a fabulous wordsmith…his music got me through high school and college. Rest in peace, Gordon. 💚🙏🏻🎵🎼🎶🎤☮️

“The hero would be me. But Heroes often fail.”

Gordon Lightfoot was a HUGE part of my childhood. I still have the albums that I bought back in the 70s. One of my absolute favorites of his would be "The Circle is Small"

How sad. What a talented musician, composer, and lyricist. I didn't realize how close this was to his own life.

Just like birds of a feather We too have followed the golden sun It feels so good Knowin' the watchman's gone

Gone way too soon but NEVER to be forgotten. RIP Mr Lightfoot and thank you for the music.

Early Morning Rain is one of my favorites from him.

@ProfessorofRock

Жыл бұрын

A great choice my friend.

@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980

Жыл бұрын

Love it.

My earliest musical memory was hearing "Sundown" on the radio for the millionth time back in the 70s when I was about maybe 3 years old. I remember asking my mom why that same song was on the radio 15 times a day. That was when i first began to understand the concept of a "hit song".

Yeah, that is one of the problems I had with GL. When I was younger, I could not really appreciate him. Now, I just turned 60, and listen to him again. And just go "Wow". This is pure talent, and a poet.

If You Could Read My Mind played in the closing credits of the underrated film Wonderland. A beautiful song.

@ProfessorofRock

Жыл бұрын

Wow. No kidding.

@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980

Жыл бұрын

Amazing.

Gordon will always have a spot in my heart. My dad and I spent hours together listening to him driving to my hockey practices and games. When I hear him, it brings all those great memories back. Nothing more Canadian than Gordon Lightfoot and hockey.

@pjpredhomme7699

11 ай бұрын

maybe some tim hortons coffee and poutine

@karlshuler1011

11 ай бұрын

@pjpredhomme7699 neither of those. Back then, we never went to Tim Hortons it was as big as it is today. Poutine wasn't either.

Wife and I was listening to Gordon’s hits just last night. Perfect timing. Gordon is a treasure. An amazing songwriter. Anyone who can write a documentary (Edmond Fitzgerald) and make it mainstream is a master.

My family had this album when it was titled “Sit Down Young Stranger”. When the house was sold I made sure to keep this album. My favorite songs are “Minstrel of The Dawn” and “Approaching Lavender”.

The guitar parts are mind blowing.

@ProfessorofRock

Жыл бұрын

Amazing!

@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980

Жыл бұрын

This backing track is so, so beautiful.

"Home is where the heart is and sometimes a good home is broken" Rest in peace Gordon.

@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980

Жыл бұрын

Musical genius.

I had an eight-track player and my mom gave me Lightfoot’s album. My mom was a Canadian so she loved him. I listened to that album over and over again on Saturday nights in junior high. His voice was mysterious and haunting.

For some reason his lyrics and melodies stick in my mind...and have for 50 years

As a young teen, I had the same reaction to this song..

@ProfessorofRock

Жыл бұрын

Thanks for sharing!

@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980

Жыл бұрын

It’s a masterpiece.

I first learned this song in my middle school choir, and like you I didn't really understand it, but it was a beautiful song. Forty two years later I finally understood it on a level I never imagined I could.

@ProfessorofRock

Жыл бұрын

Wow! thanks my friend.

@LazyIRanch

Жыл бұрын

Wow, your music teacher was epic to introduce you kids to such beautifully crafted music! They knew what they were doing. You probably don't remember a lot of other songs your choir performed, but you sure remember that one. Our music teacher taught us some Carpenters songs, which I thought were lame at the time. As I matured, my appreciation for their music increased. I fell in love (hard) when I was 20, and all the sudden that goofy song we learned in middle school made sense! "Such a feeling's coming over me There is wonder in most everything I see Not a cloud in the sky, got the sun in my eyes And I won't be surprised if it's a dream" (Top of the World)

@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980

Жыл бұрын

We seem to appreciate more as we get older. That’s natural.

@1TheShawnster

Жыл бұрын

@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980 True. However, I understood it so much better, at least partially due to a divorce that I never expected. The primary difference was that she was the one who inserted the interloper into the equation.

@1TheShawnster

Жыл бұрын

@LazyIRanch - Ah yes, we definitely learned and performed several Carpenters tunes, including that one. I also played the trumpet, so I learned a lot of the music from the '60s and '70s. We were fortunate.

I had heard that song when i was about 6 yrs old and as i got older i got into hard rock and otherthings and forgot about it. I actually talked crap on Lightfoot and then somewhere in my 30's i heard that song again and decided to check him out. Turns out ive been a Gordon Lightfoot fan and didnt even know it. All these yrs 😢

You summed up Gordon Lightfoot in one word, "integrity". Amen

The most beautiful, saddest song of all time. Thank you mr. Lightfoot

@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980

Жыл бұрын

Thank you Gordon for the music 🙏

My wife passed away in January of 2022. I'll never forget driving up the highway while waiting for the phone call to come to the funeral home to pick Jessica's ashes up. If You Could Read My Mind came on the radio at that moment. I can't explain it, but I've never heard it the same way ever since. It seemed to bring out everything that I felt, and will forever bring me back to that time.

What a Canadian legend!! So many great songs. Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald is my favorite from GL. He was such a great storyteller!! RIP GL!

@ProfessorofRock

Жыл бұрын

A master. No question.

@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980

Жыл бұрын

Perfect song.

An amazing Canadian and troubadour!!!! He will be sorely missed!!!

A great sad song. Writing about a marriage that failed. Wishing it could be back. Knowing it never will. Trying to apologize to her for all the pain and sorry.

Gordon was an essential folk singer/story teller in the 60’s and 70’s. His work is vetted out through time.

@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980

Жыл бұрын

So influential.

He was such a great storyteller. He had so many hits “If you could read my mind” is one of my favorite songs by him. Rest in peace, Gordon Lightfoot.

@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980

Жыл бұрын

So many classics.

I was fortunate enough to have seen him in concert twice. I loved how, each time, virtually all of the audience in their adoration of him would sing along with him but never loud enough to overwhelm his performance.

@davidrowinski2160

2 ай бұрын

I also saw him twice. Once at the outdoor venue called Pine Knob in the '70s. The other in Royal Oak , MI a couple years ago. A 40-year+ span with no loss of talent.

When people die we are asked to give thanks for that life . Gordon’s fans are in deed Grateful . It’s a better world I think with his songs in it . ❤

@tomp3146

4 ай бұрын

Yes! Absolutely... There's nothing like his music. Very 70s. My childhood. I can listen to his stuff over and over and over.

My therapist was a Gordon Lightfoot fan. He used this song as a means to understand the importance of connecting with our dark side, our shadow. The song is a beautiful example of someone going deep down, having the courage to see himself honestly, taking responsibility and most amazingly giving that journey for the world to see/hear. Usually it is stuff that stays within a private space and with very few. RIP Gordon, you were a big part of who I am today. Thank You

I turned 68 years old yesterday, which got me to thinking about my life. Gordon Lightfoot's music has been the musical score for the story of my life. It has always expressed how I've felt and my sentiments as my life has played out. Although I never met Gordon in person, I consider him a life long friend whom I'll truly miss.

@cdd4248

Жыл бұрын

I am 60 and I too felt like I had lost a best friend.

I heard this song when it came out. I was maybe 7? Like you I was too young to understand it all but felt it all even at that young age.

My favorite Gordon Lightfoot song

Thank you for this beautiful profile on Gordon Lightfoot. There will never be another singer songwriter like him again. Truly one of a kind.

@ProfessorofRock

Жыл бұрын

NEVER! He's was the embodiment of musical integrity.

@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980

Жыл бұрын

He was one in a trillion, meaning no artist today may ever rise to Gordon’s level of genius.

It just occurred to me how much the Canadian artists have filled my listening hours.The Guess Who and Gordon being my favorites. Gordon's songwriting ranks with any of the greats, not in volume, but in quality. I will listen to him until my hearing fails, he wrote songs that expressed what most wish they could. Thanks for the lasting effects of your music, RIP.

@ProfessorofRock

Жыл бұрын

There was something in the water! Great music.

@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980

Жыл бұрын

And we also saw Rush and Bryan Adams.

How can someone high up in the record company listen to that song and not realize that this is a hit.

@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980

Жыл бұрын

They must be out of their minds.

I lost my father last month, just a few weeks before Gordon Lightfoot passed away. Lightfoot was my father's favorite singer. And being that we just didn't see eye to eye on much, I just refused to give the music a chance. But I have been listening to Lightfoot, along with many of dad's other favorites, over the past few weeks. I certainty have to admit I might have let my stubbornness get in the way of listening to some good music, and maybe some shared moments I could have had with dad. Dad's favorite GL song was Sit Down Young Stranger.

@janiephillips4842

Жыл бұрын

I'm very sorry for your loss. I lost my daddy last year, two days before father's day. We had a difficult relationship, but I always loved him. Time has gone so fast. It doesn't seem like it has been a year, I feel like it was yesterday. Anyway, I'm sorry and I hope you are okay. 🌷💔

I never thought about why, I just loved this song as soon as I heard it. And so many others, particularly "Affair on 8th Avenue".

"Heroes often fail..." is such a heartwrenching lyric...

I bought my first premium stereo system in the late 70’s. An enclosed sound room was used to select the speakers. They played Lightfoot’s music for the calmer listening sessions (vs the loud and high energy rock and roll songs of that time). That song, along with Sundown, were played to highlight different speakers qualities. It wasn’t about having the biggest subwoofer to feel the base. His songs helped the sale of quality speakers during that time period.

His greatest hits CD has a permanent home in my car’s CD player. When he’s at his best, he sounds mournful, wistful and nostalgic all at the same time. 🎉