"Gordon Lightfoot - the Root of All Evil?" Topic

Apologies in advance if it turns out that he's the National Secret Folkhero of Canada, but after my previous topic on rancid music, TMP link it occurred to me that no one mentioned Gordon Lightfoot. Is it possible that his most famous songs are so appalling that the brain cells tasked with remembering his name spontaneously implode?

While his tunes are certainly melodic and easy on the ears, the true darkness resides in his lyrics.

Oh, those lyrics.

Such happy, perky tunes like "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald." Fourteen four-line verses about a ship going down in a storm. That's 64 lines of weapons-grade depression right there. He might as well had written about a plane crash, but then a rational being would've only managed to put together two verses before telling the entire story. Seriously, I think the ship sank in less time it took to sing the song. It is the one song guaranteed to end any party.

Recent intelligence has established that Al Qaeda plays this song in their training camps to get suicide bombers in the right frame of mind. "By Allah! We're all going to die anyways, but at least this way, it'll sound good!"

Then there's his song about broken love, "If You Could Read My Mind." If you put in an Ozark twang and a little steel guitar, it might've made a decent country song. It makes Roger Whittaker's "Last Farewell" sound positively upbeat by comparison.

At least its shorter than "Ed Fitz" but I blame this song for starting the whole Emo movement as hearing this in the womb no doubt programmed fetuses to permanently morose states of mind.

I suspect Kurt Cobain listened to Gordo and realized, "I'll never be as depressing as this and he's not even trying. it! I'm going to see how 12-gauge tastes!"

Y'know what I'm sayin'?

Wyatt

No. And you don't want to have the missus down to visit again and say anything like that, or she'll gut you like a mackerel.

I'm not going to say anything about this to her, not even the slightest hint. She thinks you're a nice person.

Allen

Funny, she thinks you're a nice person too. Clearly a poor judge of character

Wyatt

"Funny, she thinks you're a nice person too."

Where did you get *that* idea? She's known me too long…

Allen

My favorite send-up of that song was done on MST3K:
"They pulled in to port, everyone was ok, and they all had some lunch and felt better!"

She only listens to John Denver when I'm not around. But Carole King, Joan Baez, James Taylor, and Gordon Lightfoot make up the Curtis household lares and penates.

By the way, combining Canadian folksingers and plane crashes in the same discussion is a bit morbid. A lot of Canadians haven't gotten over the loss of Stan Rogers yet.

Allen

See if I mail you that check now!
I was just "singing" along on "If you could read my mind" as I drove home from a tee shrt soaking day.

I also happen to think that "TWotEF" is brilliant, a throwback retro something something.
Rhyming "waters" and "daughters" is ing brilliant, man.
If William Topaz MacGonagal could play the guitar, he would have written The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald. So there, Mister Smarty Pants.

But the Canadian Railway Trilogy is a masterpiece!

You are in error.

"If You Could Read My Mind Love" is a great song.

"Sundown" is beyond excellent, and easily one of the greatest songs of the 70's.

I can see her lookin' fast in her faded jeans,
Shes a hard lovin' woman, got me feelin' mean

I'm with ya, Wyatt!! God, I hate that guy's music! It's like ponderously slow fingernails on chalkboard to me.

I'd forgotten about "Sundown." I suppose that shows he can use his powers for good when he sets his mind to it.

I didn't know about Stan Rogers, but I did know better than to mix rock musicians and aircraft

Wyatt

What about old dan's records…

now there was a folk song…

Loved that album

I really like GL a lot, but Wyatt, that was funny! Especially the bit about the Edmond Fitzgerald.

It is a very good song though and some of the lyrics are pretty dark.
--
Tim

"…fellas it's been good to know ya…"

Oy.

Is this the right time to mention Harry Chapin and Jim Croce?

Only if you bring up Cat Stevens in the same sentence.

First, I have to agree that both "Sundown" and "IYCRMM" are good music; I also confess to a sneaking fondness for "Carefree Highway".

Being caught on Lake Superior when it's in a Bad Mood is no fun at all, and that was just a July ferry trip to Isle Royale; I honestly can't imagine how unfun being on an iron boat in a November storm would be. Given that I live not too far from where she sailed, I happen to like the song, but that's me. Besides, it's a *great* song to slip into the party mix…when you want your roommate's drunken friends to GO HOME!

Edmund Fitzgerald is the BEST for karaoke, if you only want to sing one song…

Or if you've been drinking before your turn to sing, you can just throw the whole ham in bone and all… muhahaha…

Bite your tongue, sir!

Hey Connard, bite yours too. Jim Croce, like Gordon Lightfoot, may be "dated", maybe even a bit "corny" and "slow" by today's noisy, in-your-face standard, but their way of telling a story through their mix of lyrics and music struck a chord with me, and also with millions of others.

Sure miss those ol' days.

If William Topaz MacGonagal could play the guitar, he would have written The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.

That may be the single most damning description I have ever heard applied to a song.

Wyatt – I just don't know how you can complain about Gordon Lightfoot when playing John Denver in public remains legal in 46 states and Guam.

NOTE: For those who missed it, today on 'Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me' on NPR, it was mentioned that Bob Dylan is doing a Christmas album.

The idea of Dylan singing 'The Little Drummer Boy' brought forth visions of horror.

Yeah, I tend to like Gordon even though my youth favored more mainstream Rock and metal bands.

Thanks,

John

Cindy's cryin' but it ain't no use,
She's got a habit and she can't get loose.
Stoppin' each and every man she meets,
Gonna be a hooker on Bleeker Street.

Very depressing. Suits me.

Fourteen four-line verses about a ship going down in a storm. That's 64 lines of weapons-grade depression right there.

SOMEONE should go back and review his times tables.

If William Topaz MacGonagal could play the guitar, he would have written The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.

That may be the single most damning description I have ever heard applied to a song.

It was meant as praise. Topaz is also a genius.

Topaz is also a genius.

I'll stand by the premise that linking any songwriter to the man who wrote "The Tay Bridge Disaster" falls somewhere between character assasination and outright slander.

If word of that praise reaches Mr. Lightfoot, I'd immerse any packages with a Canadian postmark in a tub for a week or two before opening.

"The Tay Bridge disaster" was meant to be sung, like all true poetry.
Trying to recite it is like carrying a large mirror over your head, while walking down stairs, and accidentally looking up into the reflection of your feet on the stairs. No good can come from that.

I will make no recommendation of a song to sing it to. That is an exercise left for the student.

Speaking further as a native of the state that spawned the Lovecraftian horror that is Mr. Zimmerman/Dylan, GL is Frank Sinatra compared to Bob Dylan's atonal yowlings.

Not that I have strong feelings on the subject.

Well then you should be delighted to hear that Mister Zimmerman will be releasing a Christmas album.

Can we talk about the talents of Bobbie Gentry now?…

lugal;I remember that episode;"Gorgo". And in a host segment in another episode when Professor Bobo asks Pearl,"It's not too rough to feed me,is it,Lawgiver?"

Best part of that entire ep, for my $, is the "Waiting For Gorgo" bit.

Wyatt, your just plain odd! Wreck and If You Could are Great songs! Sure, they are depressing but we need crying in your beer songs just like we need Whole Lotta Love by Zepplin.
Oh, and Dougie, don't start on Ode To Billie Joe. Also a Great song !

Did you ever see Bobbie Gentry's album covers? Awoooooo!

Yep, OFM has hit it: Bobbie's talents were for spiff album covers….

Before my time. His relevance to me was that he was the boyfriend of Cathy Smith before she killed John Belushi, and his name came up in the trial. Beyond that, I don't know much about him.

Although I do like some of his songs.