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Obit: Gordon Lightfoot (1938-2023)

02 May 23 - 12:28 AM (#4171287)
Subject: Obit: Gordon Lightfoot: 1938 - 2023
From: Stilly River Sage

Gordon Lightfoot, Canadian Folk Legend, Dies At 84

From National Public Radio:
Canadian folk-rock icon Gordon Lightfoot has died at the age of 84.

Lightfoot died at a Toronto hospital on Monday night of natural causes, according to his publicist. The singer-songwriter had long suffered from serious health problems that caused extensive hospitalization in 2002.

Lightfoot hailed from a tiny town in Ontario. He first made his name in Toronto's coffeehouse scene. There, he impressed folk music stars Ian and Sylvia, who helped introduce him to the world outside Canada by recording some of his songs. Lightfoot himself found international fame in 1971, with a song called "If You Could Read My Mind."

That song, says former Toronto Globe and Mail music critic Robert Everett Green, contains what would become some of Lightfoot's favorite themes: loss, longing and nostalgia.

"It's a song about inarticulateness," Everett Green said. "But somehow, it really makes an amazing case. Here's someone who really can't say what he wants to say, yet by singing about that inability, he connects."

Lightfoot's voice was raspy and regretful, the perfect complement to his rugged hinterlands look. But the hearty facade hid a roiling personal life.

In a 1983 NPR interview, Lightfoot – one year sober at the time – discussed his struggle with alcoholism. "The people that were very close to me were beginning to question my credibility and my decision-making process," he confessed, adding: "Now, the irony is that they still question my credibility and my decision-making process."

Many of Lightfoot's songs about Canadian wildlife, streets and weather doubled as cultural elegies — like his 1976 hit "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald," a dramatic retelling of a real-life maritime disaster.

"As he's singing it, you're getting the strong sense that not only is one ship going down, but a whole way of life is disappearing," says Everett Green. "It's something kind of dusty and genuine and isolated, and it's gone."

Lightfoot never displayed the range or inventiveness of such contemporaries as Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell, but some fans found the consistency of his wistful ballads reassuring. Everett Green says Lightfoot's best songs, such as the often-covered "Early Morning Rain," described a fading world.

"You can't jump a jet plane like you can a freight train," says Everett Green, quoting the song's chorus. "The freights crossing the prairie, with that great lonely moaning-whistle sound, have been obliterated by jet travel and the shrinking of spaces and the invasion of the hinterland that formerly was one of Canada's strengths."

Gordon Lightfoot wrote more than 400 songs about what he loved — and what he missed.


There are links to performances embedded on the NPR page.

02 May 23 - 12:28 AM (#4171288)
Subject: 2023 Obit: Gordon Lightfoot
From: Hagman

Made it to 84.

02 May 23 - 12:46 AM (#4171290)
Subject: RE: Obit: Gordon Lightfoot 1938-2023
From: Rapparee

I just saw this. All I can say is, “Well, DAMN!”

02 May 23 - 03:24 AM (#4171297)
Subject: RE: Obit: Gordon Lightfoot (1938-2023)
From: GerryM

Saw him perform, double bill with Doc Watson, at Stanford, 5 May 1974.

02 May 23 - 03:33 AM (#4171298)
Subject: RE: Obit: Gordon Lightfoot (1938-2023)
From: GUEST

A legend passes. RIP Mr Lightfoot and thanks for the music.

02 May 23 - 04:05 AM (#4171299)
Subject: RE: Obit: Gordon Lightfoot (1938-2023)
From: fat B****rd

RIP Mr. Lightfoot

02 May 23 - 05:58 AM (#4171302)
Subject: RE: Obit: Gordon Lightfoot (1938-2023)
From: gillymor

Bummer. He wrote 'em and sang 'em at a very high level.

02 May 23 - 06:52 AM (#4171306)
Subject: RE: Obit: Gordon Lightfoot (1938-2023)
From: Mrrzy

And there goes my adolescence.

02 May 23 - 09:25 AM (#4171317)
Subject: RE: Obit: Gordon Lightfoot (1938-2023)
From: Tattie Bogle

Sad to hear this news: one of our favourite singer/songwriters ever. Gone to his final “Sundown”. Happy memories of his concert in Glasgow in 2016.

02 May 23 - 09:40 AM (#4171319)
Subject: RE: Obit: Gordon Lightfoot (1938-2023)
From: Felipa

Lightfoot actually toured in his early 80s. I saw/heard a video on youtube and was impressed. More details, including re health issues at https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/gordon-lightfoot-dead-obituary-123471

02 May 23 - 09:53 AM (#4171321)
Subject: RE: Obit: Gordon Lightfoot (1938-2023)
From: Charmion

He never stopped touring. Mere weeks before he died, the cancellation of a whole season of performances was announced.

His voice as it was circa 1968 is in constant replay on my mental radio.

02 May 23 - 11:21 AM (#4171329)
Subject: RE: Obit: Gordon Lightfoot (1938-2023)
From: GUEST

When I.first heard him, he was Gordy Lightfoot, singing country songs on the BBC Light Programme. A great, as well as prolific, songwriter. RIP.

02 May 23 - 12:03 PM (#4171334)
Subject: RE: Obit: Gordon Lightfoot (1938-2023)
From: meself

From the obit., this surprised me: 'Lightfoot himself found international fame in 1971, with a song called "If You Could Read My Mind."' I assumed he had 'international fame' long before that ... ?

02 May 23 - 02:28 PM (#4171345)
Subject: RE: Obit: Gordon Lightfoot (1938-2023)
From: Tattie Bogle

Yes, he toured Europe in the 1960s and had some other "hits" before that one.

02 May 23 - 02:52 PM (#4171346)
Subject: RE: Obit: Gordon Lightfoot (1938-2023)
From: meself

And I found this an odd statement, re: Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald:

'"As he's singing it, you're getting the strong sense that not only is one ship going down, but a whole way of life is disappearing," says Everett Green.'

What's this 'whole way of life' that's 'disappearing'? AFAIK, the big lake ships are as busy as ever, and they still require crews ... ?

And this - '"The freights crossing the prairie, with that great lonely moaning-whistle sound, have been obliterated by jet travel and the shrinking of spaces and the invasion of the hinterland that formerly was one of Canada's strengths" - is pretty much nonsense, and has little if anything to do with Early Morning Rain.

I suppose there was an element of nostalgia in much of Lightfoot's work - but that could be said of almost any writer of capital-F Folksongs.

02 May 23 - 03:17 PM (#4171348)
Subject: RE: Obit: Gordon Lightfoot (1938-2023)
From: Charmion's brother Andrew

Meself, Lightfoot had, if not international fame before 1971, international notoriety. His "Black Day in July," written after the 1967 Detroit race riots and released on "Did She Mention My Name?" in '68, was widely banned from radio play in the U.S.

02 May 23 - 03:36 PM (#4171350)
Subject: RE: Obit: Gordon Lightfoot (1938-2023)
From: Gallus Moll

Rest easy, Gordon. Loved your songs and singing from way back - and really enjoyed seeing you at Glasgow Royal Concert Hall in 2016 (canny believe it was that long ago,,,,)

02 May 23 - 04:13 PM (#4171353)
Subject: RE: Obit: Gordon Lightfoot (1938-2023)
From: GUEST,Lin

To Stilly River Sage,

Thank you for providing the information from the National Public Radio about Gordon Lightfoot.
I have been a big fan for such a long time and sad to hear of his passing. Heard it mentioned on one of my local TV stations here in California yesterday and first thought was "Oh, no."
Yes, Joni Mitchell and Bob Dylan always got the fame for being the greatest songwriters but I think Gordon Lightfoot was in that category too but didn't get the same kind of notoriety in the public eye. Maybe he shunned away from that but his songs were of equal greatness..

02 May 23 - 06:08 PM (#4171360)
Subject: RE: Obit: Gordon Lightfoot (1938-2023)
From: meself

'Lightfoot never displayed the range or inventiveness of such contemporaries as Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell, but some fans found the consistency of his wistful ballads reassuring.' Now that's a back-handed compliment if I ever heard one.

02 May 23 - 07:19 PM (#4171364)
Subject: RE: Obit: Gordon Lightfoot (1938-2023)
From: GUEST,DrWord

What Charmion said.
Dennis

02 May 23 - 08:17 PM (#4171368)
Subject: RE: Obit: Gordon Lightfoot (1938-2023)
From: Amergin

I'm spending the day today editing a story for a sub call from one of my favourite speculative fiction magazines, and listening to Gordon Lightfoot on my iphone. His death, though not unexpected, still stings.

The love for his music is something me and my mother share. She introduced his music to me. I was in the process of recording a stepbrother's tapes, and she said check this out.

I was hooked from the first chord.

I'm one of those people who get fixated on a song or album and listen to it over and over and over, until something else sparks my ear. Soon, I had half his songs memorised, especially my favourites like "Ode to Big Blue" and "Don Quixote".

In about 2006/2007 I found out he was coming to town. I bought two tickets and gave one to my mom. It took some persuading, but she finally accepted. She goes, "But what if you start dating again?" I'd go "Well, they better understand that I wanted to do something with my mom."

Maybe not those exact words, and possibly with alot of sarcasm and cursing, from her end...but she accepted.

So we went one late summer's day to the Arlene Schnitzer Hall.
His voice didn't carry the same magic it had when he was young. It was thin, reedy. But we didn't care. It was Gordon, and he sang most of his hit songs.



Thank you for the magic, Gord. Thank you for the memories.

"He shouts across the ocean to the shore
Till he can shout no more"

03 May 23 - 10:19 PM (#4171441)
Subject: RE: Obit: Gordon Lightfoot (1938-2023)
From: pattyClink

Rest in peace, fine balladeer.   

And a Bronx cheer to the miserably inadequate and slighting obituary from our friends at NPR, apparently still trying to be the cool kids.

03 May 23 - 10:31 PM (#4171442)
Subject: RE: Obit: Gordon Lightfoot (1938-2023)
From: Stilly River Sage

Chances are that obit was a piece on file, like they have them for many people. A place-holder of sorts.

04 May 23 - 01:18 AM (#4171447)
Subject: RE: Obit: Gordon Lightfoot (1938-2023)
From: meself

So they don't even have the excuse that it was a rush-job at the last minute.

04 May 23 - 07:21 AM (#4171464)
Subject: RE: Obit: Gordon Lightfoot (1938-2023)
From: gillymor

Yep, surprisingly NPR dropped the ball on that obit.
No better tribute than to just listen to the man himself- Steel Rail Blues with the great Red Shea on gtr.

05 May 23 - 03:57 AM (#4171548)
Subject: RE: Obit: Gordon Lightfoot (1938-2023)
From: GUEST,Jerry

Yes, Steel Rail Blues was always my favourite, though there were scores of other good ones that were never hits. Like Dylan, his most famous songs were not necessarily his best ones, but unlike Dylan and others, he didn’t keep reinventing himself or his music, just was consistently good whilst the rest of the world might be moving on trying something different.

05 May 23 - 01:21 PM (#4171563)
Subject: RE: Obit: Gordon Lightfoot (1938-2023)
From: gillymor

A lot of folks covered GL's songs and one of my favorites was Tony Rice's rendition of Early Morning Rain.

12 May 23 - 12:23 PM (#4172061)
Subject: RE: Obit: Gordon Lightfoot (1938-2023)
From: GUEST,paperback

Thank Canada…for Gordon Lightfoot, Eh

“Lightfoot became a mentor for a long time. I think he probably still is to this day.” – Bob Dylan

“I can’t think of any Gordon Lightfoot song I don’t like. Every time I hear a song of his, it’s like I wish it would last forever. ” – Bob Dylan

“I’ve always been trying to write songs like Lightfoot. A song of mine like “Come Monday’ is a direct result of me trying to write a Gordon Lightfoot song.” – Jimmy Buffett

Gordon Lightfoot has created some of the most beautiful and lasting music of our time. He is Bob Dylan’s favorite singer/songwriter – high praise from the best of us, applauded by the rest of us.” – Kris Kristofferson

“Gordon Lightfoot looms pretty large in my life as a writer and an artist in general. I never travel anywhere without at least two of his records with me.” – Ron Sexsmith

“When my first album came out in 1986 my manager called and said that we’re really big in Canada. I thought it all had to do with that great singer-songwriter tradition up there and when you have that discussion, it all comes back to one guy, Gordon Lightfoot, it all has to come back to Gordon Lightfoot.” – Steve Earle

“I always knew Gordon Lightfoot was a really great songwriter, but his stuff even sounds better and better all the time. It’s just so really good to me. It’s just like that’s what should be in a dictionary, you know, next to a really good contempory folk song, is a Gordon Lightfoot song.” – John Prine

“I was a Gordon Lightfoot fan before he ever had a song out. You just knew he was pure talent and he was going to be successful. Gordon has written and recorded some of the greatest music ever.” – Ronnie Hawkins

“He’s a great, great songwriter and a great man. I love everything about him and he’s eccentric on top of that. I don’t know him real well, but I feel like I do. He did a show at my high school, in fact, I was walking to the show and a Cadillac pulled up, window rolled down and it was the man himself who said, ‘How do we get to the Ancaster High School?’ I said, ‘Follow me.’ And it was a beautiful show. It was ever so simple. It was in the gym.” – Daniel Lanois



https://hipquotient.com/blame-canada-for-gordon-lightfoot/
(I wonder who's getting his Monte Carlo?)