To those of us living in the USA, Gordon Lightfoot IS the sound of Canada. He created that high, ethereal sound, utilizing pedal steel that just SCREAMS “Canadian” music. We love Gordon too. 🇺🇸 🇨🇦
For Canada's centennial, the government had him write a song for the 1967 celebration and this is what Gordon came up with. Brilliant and the older I get the more it reaches my heart.
Canadian LEGEND!! sidenote Harri: Mr Lightfoot was approached by the Canadian Government to write a song marking Canada"s Centennial in 1967... Hence, CRT was created... Amazing, epic song!!
I love all his songs but this is probably my favourite. It was commissioned by the CBC to celebrate Canada's centennial in 1967 and the building of the railroad from the east coast to west coast. He is a troubadour, poet, story teller and has a beautiful voice. He is a legend in Canada.🥰🇨🇦
Sad day for Canadian music lovers as Gordon Lightfoot passed away yesterday. Saw the man 7 times in my life and enjoyed every minute of it. Gordon Lightfoot has been a fixture in my vinyl collection for over 45 years. Grew up on him heard him my whole life. Greatest Canadian singer songwriter by far and Canada has a few great artists. Dude spoke us Canadians he was us. Sad day man. Thanks for the memories.
A particularly significant line: "our loved ones lie sleeping beyond the dark oceans in a place far away". This refers to the fact many of those who worked on building the railroad, especially in the section crossing the Rockies, were young men from China, who took on this incredibly dangerous work to feed their families "beyond the dark oceans" in Guangdong and Fuzhou.
@@johnross5889 Indeed, yes. In the eastern section of the CPR it was mostly Irish immigrants doing the dangerous work. It wasn't quite as bad as the sections in the Rockies (blasting tunnels, landslides, blizzards) but parts of Northern Ontario were plenty dangerous.
My first introduction to Gordon Lightfoot was when I was a young teenager. Our Dutch radio had a program called "Candlelight" where they played soft ballads and in between read poems sent in by listeners - I listened to that program secretly because it ran from 10PM to midnight. One night, they played "Song for a winter's night" by Gordon Lightfoot, and it just... grabbed me. Since I had to be in the dark anyway, I just lay there with eyes closed, and I was in the room he sang about, I saw the snow, I saw the oil lamp slowly burning down, I heard the wind... I very closely paid attention to the DJ mentioning the title and artist afterwards and wrote them down so I could go to our local music store and inquire about it (no internet back then, hee!) I found out that way that ALL of Gordon Lightfoot's songs are like that. They are true "close your eyes and BE there" songs. If you haven't already, I can very much recommend giving his "Song for a winter's night" a listen. And do it with your eyes closed so you can be in that room with the oil lamp while outside the window the snow is drifting 😊
Around the time he wrote this song Pierre Berton wrote a best seller about the building of the Railroad in the early days. I cant help thinking he read it along with the majority of Canadians who did. I was a teen back then. Another incredible love song he sings is 'Softly she Comes', and another is 'Beautiful' A great short fantasy about kids dreaming is 'The Pony Man' ...Brilliant.
For Canada's Centennial year 1967, the government of Canada asked Gordon to write something for Canada. This was the year also of Expo'67 in Montreal for our centennial. And this masterpiece is what came out of Gordon. Thank you dear man with visions of our great past and those stories told to us from our grandparents and great grandparents. We and I will always be grateful for the storytellers like yourself. Thank you and rest easy. May God bless and protect. Amen.
This song touches my soul, also a fellow Canadian, happy to have seen him twice in concert. I love his lyrics: Long before the white man and long before the wheel, when the green dark forests were too silent to be real. Fabulous song!
This is a beautiful storytelling song of the history of the railroad. Gordon Lightfoot is a Canadian legend & one of the best singer songwriters. He has had many hits through his long career such as "If You Could Read My Mind", "Sundown", "Carefree Highway", "Rainy Day People" & many more.
One of his greatest masterpieces. There is a lovely live version of this online. Railway was about 5000 miles. It should be added to the list of great wonders of the world
He’s a Canadian treasure. The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald can still bring me to tears. The way he tells the story is amazing! I think you would enjoy it
I saw and heard Gordon live twice over the many years. I have always thought that this song was something totally different from anything else he wrote. It is in my view one of the great songs to come out of these many years of the "folk" era when I had his first album in about 1966-7. Great reaction too. Well done.
Seeing Gordon Lightfoot in 1974 at Xavier University in Cincinnati was my first date with my husband! We saw him a few years back in Van Wert Ohio! Love him and his music~~
Great song. Gordon Lightfoot is a legend. BUT listen to the flat picking by Red Shea in this song. Red Shea was a MASSIVE talent and his picking on this is crazy. The engineer on this song does a brilliant job of keeping Red's guitar mainly on the left and Gord's 12 string on the right. Genius.
Gordon is a national treasure in Canada. Everyone in my generation grew up with his music either in the background or at the front of our music experience. Even those who didn't really enjoy his type of music seems to know many of his songs.
Gord's "Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald " is another VERY moving song, also based on a true event. Gord has a vast catalogue of great songs written over the course of more than half-a-century.
Truly an epic song…he wrote a few that would fit into that category. He’s one of Canada’s national musical treasures (along with Joni Mitchell, Neil Young and Rush). Thanks for another great review!
Gordon Lightfoot was commissioned to write this song by the Canadian Broadcasting Company. They televised it nationwide on January 1, 1967 as part of a two-hour special celebrating the Centennial of Canada's independence. The CBC invited Lightfoot to use their extensive library of material on Canada's history to help him write the lyrics for the song. He got the idea for the trilogy format (specifically with the slow middle section) from Bob Gibson's “Civil War Trilogy.”
Yes, yes, yes...Early Mornin' Rain, Don Quixote & Bitter Green would be a stellar start......& then maybe some Steel Rail Blues, Summerside of Life, Sundown, Heaven Help the Devil, Blackberry Wine, Triangle...You know what...? We just need for you to do a Lightfoot Month...!!! =)
I have listened to and played this song for decades and every time it is a fresh adventure. I live in Western Canada and have visited the scene of the Last Spike (Craigellechie, BC) many times. My Great Grandfather worked to put the telegraph line through from Brandon Manitoba to Vancouver in the 1880's and I always envision his journey through these lands when I hear this song.
I know I am late to this party. I just saw this, and am so happy that you reacted to Gord's magic. He is a master story teller, and I love this song. It is a history lesson and the separate, but connected, pieces are heart stopping.
From a later generation of Canadian singer/songwriters is Stan Rogers. His Northwest Passage covers the opening of the Canadian west. And then there's The Mary Ellen Carter and Barrett's Privateers.
Now I’m going be singing Lightfoot songs all night. I always start with “Alberta Bound”. And then I’ll probably look up Joni Mitchell singing “Coyote” at Gordon Lightfoot’s house, accompanied by Bob Dylan and Roger McQuinn in 1975. And then I’ll be on a Joni tear till the wee hours. Harri, Joni’s “River” is a breakup song, set at Christmas.
He wrote and performed this genius masterpiece on parliament hill on Canada Day to celebrate Canada's 100th birthday. We lost him at 84 years of age only 5 days ago. He can never be replaced
New subscriber here! I have loved Gordon Lightfoot’s music since I was a child in the 70s!! (Giving my age away) He has an amazing vibrato to his voice unlike anyone else. Most of his songs are folk-type songs that tell stories and have a bittersweet quality to them. Try If You Could Read My Mind or The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.
I did not know he was commissioned to write for our centennial! I used to listen to Gord’s Gold album when it was a night before a big exam in university and it would get me in a great mood to tackle anything! I did not realize back then that many died laying these tracks and over 15,000 Chinese immigrants were sought out to work on this. There was one dead for every mile of track laid between Calgary and Vancouver. More sad now when I listen to it.
Such a beautiful voice coupled with songwriting/storytelling skills that were exquisite. On top of that, he played a twelve string acoustic guitar with such skill that he often sounded like more than one person playing. He played at Symphony Hall in Boston in the 1970’s and it was one of the best shows I was ever fortunate enough to attend. Amazing artist! Great reaction. 🌺✌️
Great reaction and comments as usual Harri! I had the privilege of seeing him in concert in Greensboro,N.C. in 1987 I think it was on the front row in the Auditorium. Needless to say it was a night well spent. Not just a Canadian treasure but a gift to the whole musical world! But you already know that I'm sure! Take care my friend, Bobby (Tiffany's husband).
This freaking "song" is beyond words. Back in the early 20's I had a ticket to see him in concert. Third row. But I had anxiety and depression issues so I ended up not going. The show was literally 10 minutes walking distance from my apartment. Biggest regret of my life. I had just stopped drinking at the time. If I was still drinking I would have taken a few shots I would have gone to the show. But at the time I was in now shape to go. How I managed to go to work every day is still a mystery to me.
Hope that you had the strength and kept pushing through, and are doing well today and keep doing so moving forward. Your well being is more important than anything else.😊🇨🇦👍
Gordon also wrote and sang 'The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald'. He is know up here in Canadian as a great storyteller. Thanks for playing. Listen the aforementioned if you have not heard
This song is about a very important event in Canadian history. The building of the railway was a condition of British Columbia joining Canada. The line where their loved ones are across the dark oceans was because the majority of workers were Chinese brought in specifically to build the railroad. The muskeg mentioned is like a devious quicksand. The could lay the track across it but when the train went on it it would sink. Canada was a very difficult country to traverse, there are the rocky mountains, there is the muskeg but even worse are the rivers. Canada is a land of rivers and lakes. That is why the canoe was so important to the fur trappers and traders. A wagon was useless.
It was a commission, but it’s still a great song. The final ceremonial railway spike was driven into the Canadian Pacific Railway track in November 1885 in Revelstoke, BC. An epic effort, not without sadness, beautifully commemorated.
I haven't heard this Gordon Lightfoot song - you can hear the train smoothly speeding along the tracks. I love it. I love his song The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald which is a true story and a memorial at the same time.
I was raised on the American side of the SW Canadian Border. Last town in the lower 48 states. If you stood in a clearing (CBC was doing a documentary and asked him to do a song for it, as I recall, hopefully) and looked north, turn your head left, you could see the salt water, Islands, fish boats and Orcas, turn to the east, Mt Baker 2nd tallest Mountain/Volcano in the lower 48. Mt Rainer is the biggest and in the same state. If you had a good, clear autumn morning, you can see both mountains. To the North, you can see the Northern cascade mountains March into British Columbia to join up with the Canadian Rockies. Not a bad place to for a poor boy to grow up. Gordon Lightfoot has been part of my life since I was a wee lad. Gordon's music..especially this song, 7 island suite and the Lee of Christian Island. Takes me all the way home. Thanks Hari!
From what I've read, he had to come up with a new song to sing live for some sort of anniversary show in Canada...maybe for Canada Day...and he wrote it in 3 days just in time for the show
We Canadians always new Gordon Lightfoot was a genius singer songwriter. Now you know of his genius Harri. Walked down the aisle with my beautiful daughter with one of his songs (Fine as Fine can Be) and then danced with my beautiful wife with another song of his ( Beautiful ). When I leave this earth, rest assure, Gord will be playing at my funeral
Thanks Harri - brings back memories! When you are ready for more, "Early Mornin' Rain" is a gem, also "The Way I Feel" and "Black day in July". One of his biggest hits were "If you could read my mind" and "Sundown"
When life gets to be too much it helps to stop for a while and take stock of where your country has been and where it should be going. Gordon Lightfoot's song that you just reviewed Harri can help re-anchor a person and set their compass to higher goals than just getting a bigger and better this or that. There is much more to life than what we currently see around us.
Gordon Lightfoot was asked by the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) to write a song for a documentary on the building of the national railway system they were producing. This song is considered another Canadian national anthem.
Thank you, Harri.... I treasure the four CD, 88 song Gordon Lightfoot boxed set. Many gems not on the Gord's Gold (I & II) albums. "Sit Down Young Stranger" is a personal favorite, so many greats that did not chart as singles hits... Don Quixote... Ode to Big Blue... All the Lovely Ladies... I'm Not Sayin' / Ribbon Of Darkness (Live)... Poor Little Allison... Old Dan's Records... Disc: 1 1 Remember Me (I'm The One) 2 It's Too Late, He Wins 3 For Lovin' Me 4 Early Mornin' Rain 5 The Way I Feel (1993 Remaster) 6 Steel Rail Blues 7 A Message to the Wind 8 Song For A Winter's Night 9 Canadian Railroad Trilogy 10 Go-Go Round 11 Crossroads 12 You'll Still Be Needing Me 13 The Mountains and Maryann 14 The Last Time I Saw Her 15 Did She Mention My Name 16 Pussywillows, Cat-Tails 17 Boss Man (Live) 18 Something Very Special 19 Bitter Green 20 Affair On 8th Avenue 21 I'm Not Sayin' / Ribbon Of Darkness (Live) 22 Softly (Live) [1996 Remaster] 23 Mama Said 24 Station Master Disc: 2 1 Sit Down Young Stranger 2 If You Could Read My Mind 3 Poor Little Allison 4 The Pony Man 5 Cobwebs & Dust 6 Too Much To Lose 7 Summer Side of Life 8 Cotton Jenny 9 10 Degrees & Getting Colder 10 Nous Vivons Ensemble 11 Same Old Loverman 12 Heaven Don't Deserve Me 13 Don Quixote 14 Alberta Bound 15 Beautiful 16 Ode to Big Blue 17 Stone Cold Sober 18 Old Dan's Records 19 That Same Old Obsession 20 Lazy Morning 21 Hi'way Songs 22 Can't Depend on Love Disc: 3 1 Sundown 2 Carefree Highway 3 Seven Island Suite 4 Borderstone 5 Cold on the Shoulder 6 Now and Then 7 Rainy Day People 8 Fine as Fine Can Be 9 All the Lovely Ladies 10 Summertime Dream 11 The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald 12 Never Too Close 13 Betty Called Me In 14 Endless Wire 15 The Circle Is Small 16 Sea of Tranquility 17 Make Way for the Lady 18 Dream Street Rose 19 Ghosts of Cape Horn 20 Keep on Yearnin' 21 Canary Yellow Canoe Disc: 4 1 Shadows 2 She's Not the Same 3 14 Karat Gold 4 Baby Step Back 5 In My Fashion 6 Never Say Trust Me 7 Why Should I Feel Blue 8 Someone to Believe In 9 Romance 10 Broken Dreams 11 Always on the Bright Side 12 Forgive Me Lord 13 Lifeline 14 East of Midnight 15 Morning Glory 16 A Lesson in Love 17 A Passing Ship 18 Waiting for You 19 Drink Yer Glasses Empty 20 I'll Prove My Love 21 A Painter Passing Through
This was originally commissioned by the CBC Canadian Broadcasting Corporation when they did a whole series on the Railways. I believe it was called “The Last Spike “. It doesn’t take away from the brilliant songwriting and the best singing of it. Love all his music. Still playing and singing even in his mid- eighties.
The song was actually commissioned by the CBC for a special broadcast to kick off Canada's centennial year in 1967. The miniseries was produced in 1974 and called "The National Dream". (It's available online, I binge-watched it a few weeks ago.) Pierre Berton wrote both "The National Dream" and "The Last Spike" and said of Lightfoot: "You did more good with your damn song than I did with my entire book on the same subject." It cannot be overstated how important the building of the railway was to the very existence of Canada - and how difficult it was to accomplish.
Not a huge hit, but "Don Quixote" is my favorite of his. Great storytelling with a dash of social commentary. And as always beautiful voice and great melody. Plus this one has gorgeous fingerstyle guitar work.
@@ZeeStranjelz One of my favourites as well. There's a guy (Brian Ekerd) here on YT that covers Don Quixote so well, that you can close your eyes and almost swear you were listening to the original by GL. Don Quixote : ua-cam.com/video/8DJv-D0cjq0/v-deo.html If You Could Read My Mind : ua-cam.com/video/EbSd9FEPDJY/v-deo.html His covers are Amazing !!!
Great analysis and you've nailed it, Gordon is an understated musical genius of the first order. I can't believe I was 50 before I learnt of this great songwriter.
If I remember correctly, some CBC bigwigs asked Gordon if he would write a song about the railroad for an upcoming special. Gordon agreed, and the CBC exec said "Great, we need you to perform it on live TV this Friday." The first performance of this song was on live TV. "This song was commissioned from Lightfoot by the CBC for a special broadcast on January 1, 1967, to start Canada's Centennial year. Writing and composing it took him three days. " from wikipedia
I also love this song and I only recently heard it! I love your description of the guitars sounding like a very smooth train! There are some very sad facts about the workers! They were not all young men! They were native Americans and Chinese workers brought over from China! These workers were not treated the same way as other workers who were paid more and were given money for food, and were given shelter! All lot of the Native Americans and the Chinese workers starved to death or were killed building this railroad! The were the Navvies ( short for navigators), one Chinese worker was killed when an explosive went off near his head; no one thought it was worth it to warn him! These are the dead men to silent to be real! A sad historical time!.Gordon lightfoot did such a wonderful job creating this trilogy song! I love it! It was written at the request of the Canadian Government I did some searching to find out the sad facts behind this beautiful song! I am learning to sing it!
I’m in the mood for stew and Whiskey 😉 My Dad, also Gordon, had a number of Litefoot’s records. I was born in 1969, so I knew this music well. Dad and I saw Gordon L’ in concert, in 2017, in our native Ohio, and were glad to see this poet/musician play his music. The Rock Hall should have inducted Gordon in his lifetime,…one of their errors.
I have traveled a great deal on trains, around the world, including across Canada, from Vancouver to Toronto. This is one of my favorite tracks from Gordon L, as my Dad was a fan. Dad was a devoted traveler by train (born in 1939 -we didn’t fly on a plane as a family until 1983; I was born in 1969). Many of our vacations were on a train. The tv series, like ten years ago, “Hell on Wheels” that was filmed in Canada, about the building of America’s railroad, fascinating. From Chicago out to Utah, you have veterans from both sides of our Civil War, with former slaves, working for a wage and purpose, and immigrants like from Ireland. From San Francisco, through the mountains men who went for the Gold Rush of 1849, immigrants from China building and blasting rock to the East. And, our Native People who didn’t want their landscape scared by this metal road and steam machine, fighting “progress”.
If you look at a map of Canada, begin the song while you're looking at Montreal/Toronto area and then head west. The idea for the Railroad came from the wealthy business men and the government which was all in that general part of the country. As you head west and the rhythm and melody change you're heading into the Prairies, you can feel the speed picking up and the smoothness that flat ground allows. Then the rhythm and melody change again as the train approaches the Rockies. The tough slog up the steep, steep mountains. The descent is now headed east and it speeds up as they come back down and they speed across the Prairies but then into the Muskeg (basically the land north of the Great Lakes is very wet and boggy because the Canadian Shield is just below the surface and doesn't allow the water to drain) which caused a HUGE headache to build across because the Muskeg (bog) kept swallowing the base they tried to lay down for the tracks. And it was mosquitoe and black fly (worse than mosquitoes) country and in general just miserable working conditions. Then they make it past the Great Lakes and follow the St Lawrence River all the way to the Gaspe Peninsula (it sounds like he's saying Gas Bay) on the Atlantic Ocean. And now that he's made it back East he starts thinking of the work and the pay, the dangers, the fact that he survived but hundreds of men died to fulfil the dreams of those rich business men. And I believe that as he looks back on the work they've accomplished, as he repeats the opening verse, there's the acknowledgement that things have now changed forever, there is no going back. And the question is, is that a good thing? Have White Men actually made it better?
If you love Lightfoot, you might be interested in a complete TV special from the Candiasn Broadcasting Corp. (CBC) called "Wherefore and Why." Long live Lightfoot!
To those of us living in the USA, Gordon Lightfoot IS the sound of Canada. He created that high, ethereal sound, utilizing pedal steel that just SCREAMS “Canadian” music. We love Gordon too. 🇺🇸 🇨🇦
For Canada's centennial, the government had him write a song for the 1967 celebration and this is what Gordon came up with. Brilliant and the older I get the more it reaches my heart.
Canadian LEGEND!! sidenote Harri: Mr Lightfoot was approached by the Canadian Government to write a song marking Canada"s Centennial in 1967... Hence, CRT was created... Amazing, epic song!!
I love all his songs but this is probably my favourite. It was commissioned by the CBC to celebrate Canada's centennial in 1967 and the building of the railroad from the east coast to west coast. He is a troubadour, poet, story teller and has a beautiful voice. He is a legend in Canada.🥰🇨🇦
Also, that he wrote the song in 3 days.
And a great guitarist. Everything, lyrics and arrangement came out of his mind. He never co-wrote with anyone.
He’s a legend everywhere! If not he should be!
Gordon RIP you will be missed.
Sad day for Canadian music lovers as Gordon Lightfoot passed away yesterday. Saw the man 7 times in my life and enjoyed every minute of it. Gordon Lightfoot has been a fixture in my vinyl collection for over 45 years. Grew up on him heard him my whole life. Greatest Canadian singer songwriter by far and Canada has a few great artists. Dude spoke us Canadians he was us. Sad day man. Thanks for the memories.
A particularly significant line: "our loved ones lie sleeping beyond the dark oceans in a place far away". This refers to the fact many of those who worked on building the railroad, especially in the section crossing the Rockies, were young men from China, who took on this incredibly dangerous work to feed their families "beyond the dark oceans" in Guangdong and Fuzhou.
And sadly, too many died of all races.
@@johnross5889 Indeed, yes. In the eastern section of the CPR it was mostly Irish immigrants doing the dangerous work. It wasn't quite as bad as the sections in the Rockies (blasting tunnels, landslides, blizzards) but parts of Northern Ontario were plenty dangerous.
My first introduction to Gordon Lightfoot was when I was a young teenager. Our Dutch radio had a program called "Candlelight" where they played soft ballads and in between read poems sent in by listeners - I listened to that program secretly because it ran from 10PM to midnight. One night, they played "Song for a winter's night" by Gordon Lightfoot, and it just... grabbed me. Since I had to be in the dark anyway, I just lay there with eyes closed, and I was in the room he sang about, I saw the snow, I saw the oil lamp slowly burning down, I heard the wind... I very closely paid attention to the DJ mentioning the title and artist afterwards and wrote them down so I could go to our local music store and inquire about it (no internet back then, hee!)
I found out that way that ALL of Gordon Lightfoot's songs are like that. They are true "close your eyes and BE there" songs. If you haven't already, I can very much recommend giving his "Song for a winter's night" a listen. And do it with your eyes closed so you can be in that room with the oil lamp while outside the window the snow is drifting 😊
Around the time he wrote this song Pierre Berton wrote a best seller about the building of the Railroad in the early days. I cant help thinking he read it along with the majority of Canadians who did. I was a teen back then. Another incredible love song he sings is 'Softly she Comes', and another is 'Beautiful' A great short fantasy about kids dreaming is 'The Pony Man' ...Brilliant.
For Canada's Centennial year 1967, the government of Canada asked Gordon to write something for Canada. This was the year also of Expo'67 in Montreal for our centennial. And this masterpiece is what came out of Gordon. Thank you dear man with visions of our great past and those stories told to us from our grandparents and great grandparents. We and I will always be grateful for the storytellers like yourself. Thank you and rest easy. May God bless and protect. Amen.
This song touches my soul, also a fellow Canadian, happy to have seen him twice in concert. I love his lyrics: Long before the white man and long before the wheel, when the green dark forests were too silent to be real. Fabulous song!
Hi Harri, Thank you for doing my request. I trusted that you would appreciate it. I'm so glad that you're back! - Brooklyn Mike
This is a beautiful storytelling song of the history of the railroad. Gordon Lightfoot is a Canadian legend & one of the best singer songwriters. He has had many hits through his long career such as "If You Could Read My Mind", "Sundown", "Carefree Highway", "Rainy Day People" & many more.
Gordon Lightfoot is a Canadian treasure. I have always loved this song. Early Morning Rain is another good one. Cheers
My grandfather was a foreman who helped build tunnels through the Rockies for the Canadian railways in the 1890's.
You are blessed to share in this amazing heritage of building a country.
Wow, wow, wow...! I don't think I've ever seen someone do a reaction to this Masterpiece...! Can't Wait...!!!
One of his greatest masterpieces. There is a lovely live version of this online. Railway was about 5000 miles. It should be added to the list of great wonders of the world
Gord just died and you need to check out a song called "Black day in July" regarding the U.S. civil rights movement.
He’s a Canadian treasure. The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald can still bring me to tears. The way he tells the story is amazing! I think you would enjoy it
I saw and heard Gordon live twice over the many years. I have always thought that this song was something totally different from anything else he wrote. It is in my view one of the great songs to come out of these many years of the "folk" era when I had his first album in about 1966-7. Great reaction too. Well done.
Seeing Gordon Lightfoot in 1974 at Xavier University in Cincinnati was my first date with my husband! We saw him a few years back in Van Wert Ohio! Love him and his music~~
Great song. Gordon Lightfoot is a legend. BUT listen to the flat picking by Red Shea in this song. Red Shea was a MASSIVE talent and his picking on this is crazy. The engineer on this song does a brilliant job of keeping Red's guitar mainly on the left and Gord's 12 string on the right. Genius.
My favorite Lightfoot song and yes the guitars feel like locomotive! One of the best singer songwriters in the past 60 years!
Gordon is a national treasure in Canada. Everyone in my generation grew up with his music either in the background or at the front of our music experience. Even those who didn't really enjoy his type of music seems to know many of his songs.
Gord's "Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald " is another VERY moving song, also based on a true event.
Gord has a vast catalogue of great songs written over the course of more than half-a-century.
He's already done that...
Been a FANatic since the '70s. Great choice, Harry. This is one of his best and can't believe someone is reacting to this wonderment. Good on ya, Lad.
Truly an epic song…he wrote a few that would fit into that category. He’s one of Canada’s national musical treasures (along with Joni Mitchell, Neil Young and Rush). Thanks for another great review!
and Leonard Cohen and Jane Siberry and KD Lang and Ian & Sylvia.
Gordon Lightfoot was commissioned to write this song by the Canadian Broadcasting Company. They televised it nationwide on January 1, 1967 as part of a two-hour special celebrating the Centennial of Canada's independence. The CBC invited Lightfoot to use their extensive library of material on Canada's history to help him write the lyrics for the song. He got the idea for the trilogy format (specifically with the slow middle section) from Bob Gibson's “Civil War Trilogy.”
Gordon turned 83 this week. Try Early Mornin' Rain, Don Quixote, looking at the Rain, and many more. Thanks, Hari!
Yes, yes, yes...Early Mornin' Rain, Don Quixote & Bitter Green would be a stellar start......& then maybe some Steel Rail Blues, Summerside of Life, Sundown, Heaven Help the Devil, Blackberry Wine, Triangle...You know what...? We just need for you to do a Lightfoot Month...!!! =)
Song for a Winter's Night, original version
@@ZeeStranjelz Yep 💯👍🏻 !! Don't forget about "Race Among the Ruins" .
I have listened to and played this song for decades and every time it is a fresh adventure. I live in Western Canada and have visited the scene of the Last Spike (Craigellechie, BC) many times. My Great Grandfather worked to put the telegraph line through from Brandon Manitoba to Vancouver in the 1880's and I always envision his journey through these lands when I hear this song.
I know I am late to this party. I just saw this, and am so happy that you reacted to Gord's magic. He is a master story teller, and I love this song. It is a history lesson and the separate, but connected, pieces are heart stopping.
Awesome piece of history...from the U.S. side.
Have seen Gordon live several times over the years. Never disappointed. He is 83 and still playing concerts. Legend. 🎼🎶🎵🇨🇦🇨🇦
Gordy created the best folk ballad ever with this one. I like his tune "Home From the Forest" as well.
From a later generation of Canadian singer/songwriters is Stan Rogers. His Northwest Passage covers the opening of the Canadian west. And then there's The Mary Ellen Carter and Barrett's Privateers.
Many great artists have covered his song "Song For a Winter's Night" and its definitely worth reacting to!
A canadian legend and a wonderful storyteller.
Now I’m going be singing Lightfoot songs all night. I always start with “Alberta Bound”.
And then I’ll probably look up Joni Mitchell singing “Coyote” at Gordon Lightfoot’s house, accompanied by Bob Dylan and Roger McQuinn in 1975. And then I’ll be on a Joni tear till the wee hours. Harri, Joni’s “River” is a breakup song, set at Christmas.
He wrote and performed this genius masterpiece on parliament hill on Canada Day to celebrate Canada's 100th birthday. We lost him at 84 years of age only 5 days ago. He can never be replaced
New subscriber here! I have loved Gordon Lightfoot’s music since I was a child in the 70s!! (Giving my age away) He has an amazing vibrato to his voice unlike anyone else. Most of his songs are folk-type songs that tell stories and have a bittersweet quality to them. Try If You Could Read My Mind or The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.
LIghtfoot ,the greatest folk singer to ever draw a breath ,period .He is the Shakespeare of folk song to me .
I did not know he was commissioned to write for our centennial! I used to listen to Gord’s Gold album when it was a night before a big exam in university and it would get me in a great mood to tackle anything! I did not realize back then that many died laying these tracks and over 15,000 Chinese immigrants were sought out to work on this. There was one dead for every mile of track laid between Calgary and Vancouver. More sad now when I listen to it.
Gordon has a place in my heart! Glad that dude is still performing! Always loved the song "Cotton Jenny".
Such a beautiful voice coupled with songwriting/storytelling skills that were exquisite. On top of that, he played a twelve string acoustic guitar with such skill that he often sounded like more than one person playing. He played at Symphony Hall in Boston in the 1970’s and it was one of the best shows I was ever fortunate enough to attend. Amazing artist! Great reaction. 🌺✌️
You took this song on! Kudos to you!
It was actually a theme song for Public Broadcasting in Canada.
Glad to see you acknowledging a great Canadian storyteller. The video is special to watch
Great reaction and comments as usual Harri! I had the privilege of seeing him in concert in Greensboro,N.C. in 1987 I think it was on the front row in the Auditorium. Needless to say it was a night well spent. Not just a Canadian treasure but a gift to the whole musical world! But you already know that I'm sure! Take care my friend, Bobby (Tiffany's husband).
As far as I know he's still doing live concerts but I have been listening to his music since 1971 he's a great storyteller
Thanks Canada! This is Fantastic! 🤠✌️🇺🇸🥞🏡🐎
This freaking "song" is beyond words. Back in the early 20's I had a ticket to see him in concert. Third row. But I had anxiety and depression issues so I ended up not going. The show was literally 10 minutes walking distance from my apartment. Biggest regret of my life. I had just stopped drinking at the time. If I was still drinking I would have taken a few shots I would have gone to the show. But at the time I was in now shape to go. How I managed to go to work every day is still a mystery to me.
Hope that you had the strength and kept pushing through, and are doing well today and keep doing so moving forward. Your well being is more important than anything else.😊🇨🇦👍
With all of the hits he has had this multi part song is my favorite. It speaks to your soul.
You can feel the momentum of the powerful steel train pumping through you in this song. It’s genius
Gordon also wrote and sang 'The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald'. He is know up here in Canadian as a great storyteller. Thanks for playing. Listen the aforementioned if you have not heard
This song is about a very important event in Canadian history. The building of the railway was a condition of British Columbia joining Canada. The line where their loved ones are across the dark oceans was because the majority of workers were Chinese brought in specifically to build the railroad. The muskeg mentioned is like a devious quicksand. The could lay the track across it but when the train went on it it would sink. Canada was a very difficult country to traverse, there are the rocky mountains, there is the muskeg but even worse are the rivers. Canada is a land of rivers and lakes. That is why the canoe was so important to the fur trappers and traders. A wagon was useless.
It was a commission, but it’s still a great song.
The final ceremonial railway spike was driven into the Canadian Pacific Railway track in November 1885 in Revelstoke, BC. An epic effort, not without sadness, beautifully commemorated.
I haven't heard this Gordon Lightfoot song - you can hear the train smoothly speeding along the tracks. I love it.
I love his song The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald which is a true story and a memorial at the same time.
He is such a great story teller. It did paint a picture of the history. A little sad but progress happens. Great pick and analysis Harri.
with winter coming on, check out his "Song For A Winter's Night"
I was raised on the American side of the SW Canadian Border. Last town in the lower 48 states. If you stood in a clearing (CBC was doing a documentary and asked him to do a song for it, as I recall, hopefully) and looked north, turn your head left, you could see the salt water, Islands, fish boats and Orcas, turn to the east, Mt Baker 2nd tallest Mountain/Volcano in the lower 48. Mt Rainer is the biggest and in the same state. If you had a good, clear autumn morning, you can see both mountains. To the North, you can see the Northern cascade mountains March into British Columbia to join up with the Canadian Rockies. Not a bad place to for a poor boy to grow up. Gordon Lightfoot has been part of my life since I was a wee lad. Gordon's music..especially this song, 7 island suite and the Lee of Christian Island. Takes me all the way home. Thanks Hari!
From what I've read, he had to come up with a new song to sing live for some sort of anniversary show in Canada...maybe for Canada Day...and he wrote it in 3 days just in time for the show
We Canadians always new Gordon Lightfoot was a genius singer songwriter. Now you know of his genius Harri. Walked down the aisle with my beautiful daughter with one of his songs (Fine as Fine can Be) and then danced with my beautiful wife with another song of his ( Beautiful ). When I leave this earth, rest assure, Gord will be playing at my funeral
Thanks Harri - brings back memories! When you are ready for more, "Early Mornin' Rain" is a gem, also "The Way I Feel" and "Black day in July". One of his biggest hits were "If you could read my mind" and "Sundown"
Love just about any song from him. A true poet. Thank you!
The tempo changes immediately reminded me of the train speeds. It was a beautiful, informative story.
Beautiful and inspiring ballad. One of my favorites!
This is one of my favorite Gordon Lightfoot songs. This song and "City of New Orleans" are probably the two best railroad songs.
just the FREAKING best history lesson put to music.
I always loved and respected this song. So glad you found this gem of a tale and actually played it. What a treat.
When life gets to be too much it helps to stop for a while and take stock of where your country has been and where it should be going. Gordon Lightfoot's song that you just reviewed Harri can help re-anchor a person and set their compass to higher goals than just getting a bigger and better this or that. There is much more to life than what we currently see around us.
There is a wonderful video to acommpnay this song.
Gordon Lightfoot was asked by the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) to write a song for a documentary on the building of the national railway system they were producing. This song is considered another Canadian national anthem.
Thank you, Harri.... I treasure the four CD, 88 song Gordon Lightfoot boxed set. Many gems not on the Gord's Gold (I & II) albums. "Sit Down Young Stranger" is a personal favorite, so many greats that did not chart as singles hits... Don Quixote... Ode to Big Blue... All the Lovely Ladies... I'm Not Sayin' / Ribbon Of Darkness (Live)... Poor Little Allison... Old Dan's Records...
Disc: 1
1 Remember Me (I'm The One)
2 It's Too Late, He Wins
3 For Lovin' Me
4 Early Mornin' Rain
5 The Way I Feel (1993 Remaster)
6 Steel Rail Blues
7 A Message to the Wind
8 Song For A Winter's Night
9 Canadian Railroad Trilogy
10 Go-Go Round
11 Crossroads
12 You'll Still Be Needing Me
13 The Mountains and Maryann
14 The Last Time I Saw Her
15 Did She Mention My Name
16 Pussywillows, Cat-Tails
17 Boss Man (Live)
18 Something Very Special
19 Bitter Green
20 Affair On 8th Avenue
21 I'm Not Sayin' / Ribbon Of Darkness (Live)
22 Softly (Live) [1996 Remaster]
23 Mama Said
24 Station Master
Disc: 2
1 Sit Down Young Stranger
2 If You Could Read My Mind
3 Poor Little Allison
4 The Pony Man
5 Cobwebs & Dust
6 Too Much To Lose
7 Summer Side of Life
8 Cotton Jenny
9 10 Degrees & Getting Colder
10 Nous Vivons Ensemble
11 Same Old Loverman
12 Heaven Don't Deserve Me
13 Don Quixote
14 Alberta Bound
15 Beautiful
16 Ode to Big Blue
17 Stone Cold Sober
18 Old Dan's Records
19 That Same Old Obsession
20 Lazy Morning
21 Hi'way Songs
22 Can't Depend on Love
Disc: 3
1 Sundown
2 Carefree Highway
3 Seven Island Suite
4 Borderstone
5 Cold on the Shoulder
6 Now and Then
7 Rainy Day People
8 Fine as Fine Can Be
9 All the Lovely Ladies
10 Summertime Dream
11 The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald
12 Never Too Close
13 Betty Called Me In
14 Endless Wire
15 The Circle Is Small
16 Sea of Tranquility
17 Make Way for the Lady
18 Dream Street Rose
19 Ghosts of Cape Horn
20 Keep on Yearnin'
21 Canary Yellow Canoe
Disc: 4
1 Shadows
2 She's Not the Same
3 14 Karat Gold
4 Baby Step Back
5 In My Fashion
6 Never Say Trust Me
7 Why Should I Feel Blue
8 Someone to Believe In
9 Romance
10 Broken Dreams
11 Always on the Bright Side
12 Forgive Me Lord
13 Lifeline
14 East of Midnight
15 Morning Glory
16 A Lesson in Love
17 A Passing Ship
18 Waiting for You
19 Drink Yer Glasses Empty
20 I'll Prove My Love
21 A Painter Passing Through
This was originally commissioned by the CBC Canadian Broadcasting Corporation when they did a whole series on the Railways. I believe it was called “The Last Spike “. It doesn’t take away from the brilliant songwriting and the best singing of it. Love all his music. Still playing and singing even in his mid- eighties.
The song was actually commissioned by the CBC for a special broadcast to kick off Canada's centennial year in 1967. The miniseries was produced in 1974 and called "The National Dream". (It's available online, I binge-watched it a few weeks ago.) Pierre Berton wrote both "The National Dream" and "The Last Spike" and said of Lightfoot: "You did more good with your damn song than I did with my entire book on the same subject."
It cannot be overstated how important the building of the railway was to the very existence of Canada - and how difficult it was to accomplish.
Not a huge hit, but "Don Quixote" is my favorite of his. Great storytelling with a dash of social commentary. And as always beautiful voice and great melody. Plus this one has gorgeous fingerstyle guitar work.
Poetry...!
Totally agreed, one of my fav Gord songs too!
It's a great song, but you're right, not one that a lot of people know.
@@ZeeStranjelz One of my favourites as well. There's a guy (Brian Ekerd) here on YT that covers Don Quixote so well, that you can close your eyes and almost swear you were listening to the original by GL.
Don Quixote : ua-cam.com/video/8DJv-D0cjq0/v-deo.html
If You Could Read My Mind : ua-cam.com/video/EbSd9FEPDJY/v-deo.html
His covers are Amazing !!!
@@allengrant On my way...
Gords Gold is a great album.
Seconded.
Indeed!
I'm impressed there's a "react" to this absolute gem. Thx.
This should be our national anthem.
Gotd is a national treasure in Canada.
He was commissioned to write this song for the centennial in 1967.
Great analysis and you've nailed it, Gordon is an understated musical genius of the first order. I can't believe I was 50 before I learnt of this great songwriter.
Listen to Song for a Winter's Night. It will transport you to a snowy sad night.
The fucking IMAGERY in that first verse…*POETRY!*
If I remember correctly, some CBC bigwigs asked Gordon if he would write a song about the railroad for an upcoming special. Gordon agreed, and the CBC exec said "Great, we need you to perform it on live TV this Friday." The first performance of this song was on live TV.
"This song was commissioned from Lightfoot by the CBC for a special broadcast on January 1, 1967, to start Canada's Centennial year. Writing and composing it took him three days. " from wikipedia
My most favorite Gordon Lightfoot song!
This is my absolute favourite Gordon Lightfoot song and I love all his songs 🥰🥰🥰
It's a masterpiece ❤🇨🇦
I also love this song and I only recently heard it! I love your description of the guitars sounding like a very smooth train! There are some very sad facts about the workers! They were not all young men! They were native Americans and Chinese workers brought over from China! These workers were not treated the same way as other workers who were paid more and were given money for food, and were given shelter! All lot of the Native Americans and the Chinese workers starved to death or were killed building this railroad! The were the Navvies ( short for navigators), one Chinese worker was killed when an explosive went off near his head; no one thought it was worth it to warn him! These are the dead men to silent to be real! A sad historical time!.Gordon lightfoot did such a wonderful job creating this trilogy song! I love it! It was written at the request of the Canadian Government I did some searching to find out the sad facts behind this beautiful song! I am learning to sing it!
Love that insight about the guitars mimicking a locomotive.
I’m in the mood for stew and Whiskey 😉
My Dad, also Gordon, had a number of Litefoot’s records. I was born in 1969, so I knew this music well. Dad and I saw Gordon L’ in concert, in 2017, in our native Ohio, and were glad to see this poet/musician play his music.
The Rock Hall should have inducted Gordon in his lifetime,…one of their errors.
Another great one is "Did She Mention My Name"
I have traveled a great deal on trains, around the world, including across Canada, from Vancouver to Toronto. This is one of my favorite tracks from Gordon L, as my Dad was a fan. Dad was a devoted traveler by train (born in 1939 -we didn’t fly on a plane as a family until 1983; I was born in 1969). Many of our vacations were on a train.
The tv series, like ten years ago, “Hell on Wheels” that was filmed in Canada, about the building of America’s railroad, fascinating. From Chicago out to Utah, you have veterans from both sides of our Civil War, with former slaves, working for a wage and purpose, and immigrants like from Ireland. From San Francisco, through the mountains men who went for the Gold Rush of 1849, immigrants from China building and blasting rock to the East. And, our Native People who didn’t want their landscape scared by this metal road and steam machine, fighting “progress”.
Canada's troubadour
Gordon Lightfoot was not just a Canadian genius, he was a world figure. He is and will always remembered in Michigan as well as the rest of the USA,
I've loved this song for 50 years at least.
If you look at a map of Canada, begin the song while you're looking at Montreal/Toronto area and then head west. The idea for the Railroad came from the wealthy business men and the government which was all in that general part of the country. As you head west and the rhythm and melody change you're heading into the Prairies, you can feel the speed picking up and the smoothness that flat ground allows. Then the rhythm and melody change again as the train approaches the Rockies. The tough slog up the steep, steep mountains. The descent is now headed east and it speeds up as they come back down and they speed across the Prairies but then into the Muskeg (basically the land north of the Great Lakes is very wet and boggy because the Canadian Shield is just below the surface and doesn't allow the water to drain) which caused a HUGE headache to build across because the Muskeg (bog) kept swallowing the base they tried to lay down for the tracks. And it was mosquitoe and black fly (worse than mosquitoes) country and in general just miserable working conditions. Then they make it past the Great Lakes and follow the St Lawrence River all the way to the Gaspe Peninsula (it sounds like he's saying Gas Bay) on the Atlantic Ocean.
And now that he's made it back East he starts thinking of the work and the pay, the dangers, the fact that he survived but hundreds of men died to fulfil the dreams of those rich business men.
And I believe that as he looks back on the work they've accomplished, as he repeats the opening verse, there's the acknowledgement that things have now changed forever, there is no going back. And the question is, is that a good thing? Have White Men actually made it better?
I’d love to hear your reaction to Gordon’s “The Patriot’sDream”!
BEAUTIFUL STORY TELLER
If you love Lightfoot, you might be interested in a complete TV special from the Candiasn Broadcasting Corp. (CBC) called "Wherefore and Why." Long live Lightfoot!
Lightfoot in 1967 at the 100th anniversary of the completion of the railroad was commissioned to write a song commemorating the event.
You might do Don Quixote and Christian Island as well as Ode to Big Blue. You'll love them all.
Gordon wrote this to celebrate the Canadian Centennial in 1967 since Canada would not exist without the railway connecting our country east to west!
I first heard this on a documentary about the TransCanadian Railroad and had to immediately download it.