Gordon Lightfoot: The Last Troubadour
Vložit
- čas přidán 15. 05. 2023
- There are great musicians; there are great composers; there are great lyricists; and there are great poets. Rarely, however, there comes into the world an exceptional individual who is all these things, and when they leave,, they leave the world forever changed.
Gordon Lightfoot was just such a rare talent, a modern day troubadour whose songs captured the soul of nation, moved hearts and minds around the world, inspired hundreds of fellow artists, helped create a new genre and sound which would come to define the music of the 1960's and '70's, and left a legacy whose influence echoes in the music of today.
Gordon's career spanned 67 years, and he was still performing just weeks before his passing on May 1st, 2023. He left the world a much richer and more beautiful place for his having been in it.
Come along on a journey of discovery and celebration of Gordon Lightfoot, The Last Troubadour. - Hudba
In 1976 I was 16 yo and starving and wound in Seattle to The Center and had my 6-string so as a Busker by the fountains just looking to make enough to buy me a cheap meal and have a cheap hotel with a bed and a shower. All I knew ere Gordon songs and did my best. Made a few hundred over a weekend of cash dollars and coins but my own troubadour life cut short with a 10-year stretch in prison where I had to lean many new lessons. GL has been a lifelong hero of mine I've seen him live maybe I think 10x in past 45 years and treasure each time. He gave me hope.
Thank you for sharing your story. Music can speak to us, and change us, like few other things; it can give us hope when nothing else can. I am glad that Gordon's life and work spoke to you, and gave you comfort when you needed it. May it remain ever so. Thank you for watching, and commenting.
Well that brought a tear to a 75 year old man
Long may he live in the minds of the people
Amen. Thank you for watching, and for commenting. I'm glad my work touched a chord and resonated with your memories and appreciation of this wonderful man. May he live long in hearts and minds, indeed.
I love his music and what an exceptional man. RIP Gordon.
❤
The man who had the most influence on my musical life
Ditto. A unique, gift. So very happy, to have been able to watch this.
✨🕊✨
I first saw Gordon Lightfoot at the Fillmore East in 1963, where he played "In the Early Morning Rain" and have followed his music ever since, while living in four different continents.
His songs saw me through some tough times, with the words of his songs telling me, "You're not alone--we all have our bad times".
Goodbye, Gordon Lightfoot, you were one of a kind.
R.I.P Gordon. Thanks for the wonderful music , songs and all the love you left..
Growing up, my mom had his albums on vinyl and we'd listem to him all the time. Now that they are both gone, his music continues to remind me that he was an amazing singer-songwriter and that she was an amazing mother. Thank you Mr. Lightfoot for creating such beautiful songs and beautiful memories.
He is really one OF THE GREATEST ....ALWAYS...I know him since 1978....He was my childhood...I LOVED HIS MUSIC so much...Until Today...LOVE from GERMANY...August 2023.....I HEAR your MUSIC until I DIE...
Loved him. He was part of my youth. That voice was a gift from God. God bless him wherever he is now.
Gord..... you left a clean campsite ❤ Love you Buddy
This video was made by one guy, without any budget and only his innate talent and self-taught video and sound editing skills. He has crafted a biopic that rivals some of the best seen on television.
Awww, thank you so very much!
A true minstrel of Alan A Dale quality!
Lightfoot's work is a unique expression of traditional masculinity and delicate sensitivity that I never heard anyone else approach. Love the guy. God Bless you Gord .... thanks for the library of music I can return to again and again.
It’s rare to hear a song written by a man who thinks and cares about women. Rob Thomas is such a man.😊
This was the nicest tribute I've seen for our beloved Mr. Lightfoot. I'm not much of a cryer but I felt like it at the end. I think it really hit me he's gone and I grew up listening to his music. What a grace that's been. I had the profound pleasure of meeting him and talking for a few minutes. It's something I'll never forget.
Hope to see you up there Mr. Lightfoot. Eternal rest grant unto him. May his soul rest in peace. 🙏🙏🙏
What a great insight into Gord's songwriting & personality. While watching this it dawned on me yet again how important his music has been to me and what a large part of my life has been spent enjoying it.
Thanks for such an incredible gift, Gord.
Rest on.
Gordon Lightfoot's music ❤RIP
Damn Gordon used to be so hot! Especially Back in the 70s! Even in the 80s. Aside from that he was so incredibly talented. He definitely left a mark in the history of music. May he rest in peace. I hope he’s still enjoying his music up there cause we’re always gonna be enjoying it down here baby. Love and miss you Gordon Lightfoot. Thank you for sharing your talents with the world. Much love to you.❤
lOVE gORDEN lIGHTFOOT! EVERTHING
,......."A songwriting hero ! " Thanks for it all 'Gord'......may you rest in peace!
I’ve been an American fan of Gordon Lightfoot since I was 14. I’ve always recognized him as a troubadour, from the stories his songs told. Thanks for sharing this most accurate description and more information than I’d known. You’ve done a beautiful job here.
You are very welcome, and thank you for watching and commenting. i'm glad the video did honor to him in your eyes, and that it helped give you a deeper appreciation and understanding for this exceptional talent and human being.
Love Gordon lightfoot. Started listening around 17. Went to States at 18 and bought every cassette i didn't already have. Everyone back then in the uk were raving.
He was a gift. When I was a teenager saw him at the Riverboat. So talented and leaves a beautiful gift of Canadiana. Unforgettable
In Yorkville? Lucky you. Legendary time for Yorkville, it sure has changed.
Growing up in the 60's he was a profound singer of young minds searching for meanings. He was outstanding a singer of tales.
“If the word ‘troubadour’ can be applied to 20th century music at all, then Gordon Lightfoot is a troubadour, and perhaps the last one we’ll ever know. His rich lyrical style paints a tapestry of imagery, blending with simple but beautiful melody lines.”
Introduction of Gordon Lightfoot, PBS Soundstage, 1979.
GREAT tribute to our beloved Gordon, Thanks.
Thank you for watching, and for the comment. I am very glad you enjoyed it.
his music and his entire attitude towards life. Fine man, hard not to love him...
Thank you for honouring Gord.
You are very welcome, and it was a bittersweet pleasure to do so. His music was such a part of my life that I couldn't have NOT done something. Thank you for watching, and for commenting, and may his words and music always live on in you.
Goodby my friend, I love your music. It was a huge honor when I met you here in California at a concert you played in the Bay Area. You'll always be greatly missed.
For me, Gordie makes all of my memories of being a kid in the 70’s, (which are mingled with my own music playing) that of black and white photographs, of a bubble screened TV set with rabbit ears in the midst of a living room filled with wood furniture and sofa set ordained with oranges, browns, and leaf greens. The Toronto Maple Leafs and the Gardens, my dad, fishing. We ate dinner at the table at 5:00 EVERY night, together. All the kids ran out after supper to play hockey, and laughter everywhere. The tv was black and white, that gives a very beautiful feel to the world. All of this wonderful life of a Canadian boy growing up in a typical town. There were little solid state radios in what seemed like every room in every building you visited, on which Gordon Lightfoot was playing more often than not. For me, his music made me long for the Maritimes, to see the east coast of Canada was my deepest desire. His music was, to make a very cliche statement, the soundtrack of my 70’s love of family, and of the beauty of Canada. Snowball fights, fishing with dad and my brother in a small aluminum boat, in the rain and yet smiling at each other. Going to a cottage every summer throughout my whole life. We were family. It was beautiful. The music of Gordon Lightfoot, made this a living dream. Thank you Gordie. A Canadian who seemed to know what we were all living and he sang about it. I know, without any doubt, that there are a great many people who have just read this and thought…”Geez eh, this guy could have been a brother in my family, as we had those same experiences” We all miss those days. At least we can turn on the radio, or flip on a disc (preferably an 8track in my 76 Chev. Impala-THAT is great sound!) and step back, if only for 3 and a half minutes, into those beautiful days.
Beautifully said.
I love ending with Don Quixote. It was my favorite as a kid growing up in the 70/80s, and it is the song I introduced my (now 25 year old) daughter to when we would drive to daycare as she was a child. She loves it just as much as I did, and I fully expect that Gordon Lightfoot’s music will continue as beloved in our family.
It is such a beautiful and poetic song; the first time I heard it I was swept away, and when I first thought of how I would structure this tribute, the one thing I knew for certain was that I was going to end it a montage set to Don Quixote. Thank you for watching, and for commenting. I'm glad you appreciated the video, and long may Gordon's music live in you, and your family.
HE WAS/IS ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT GENTLEMAN 👏 🥰😇💝🤍🩵🙏🏻🙏🏻
Thank you so much,! Lightfoot was my hero for years. I used to play a lot of these songs and still do. I got to meet him once in 1970 at a concert backstage. And i'm still playing today! I had forgotten what a big influence he was in my 20's.
T H A N K S. A. L O T !!
You are very welcome. Thank you for watching.
Learned about this man after his passing. Amazing music.
Great tribute. This guy shaped my life, I was 13 when i heard the Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald and I’ve still got a painting of the ship on my wall. I so wish I could’ve met him. Sleep well Gord ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
It was the same with me; I heard "If You Could Read My Mind," and "Sundown" when I was about 10 or 11, and they really stuck with me. Then, just a few years later, The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald. When I was old enough to get a job, one of the things I did with my first paycheck was buy "Gord's Gold" on a cassette. Listening to that cemented my appreciation and love of his music.
@ferallutheran2608
I had the profound pleasure of meeting him after hanging out after a small concert on the Oregon Coast. He seemed surprised at first, but realized I was just a polite fan wishing to tell him about how I came to know his music and he told me about a special on OPB that featured his song and what happened with the actual wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald. I think his security people decided my sister and I were not a threat and were kind enough to let us stay. What a trip.❤❤❤ 36:17
G.O.A.T!! such an influence on my musical life, learned so many of his songs❤
A genius, a giant; irreplaceable. No one working now can touch him.
His music has been a big part of my life! The first song i consciously remember hearing was GO-GO ROUND when i was about four! It was on a two record set released by K TEL records of his greatest early hit songs from the '60s that my parents had acquired from somewhere! I've still got it in my record collection!Those records were played and played many times in those days! Then, over the years growing up, i would hear all of his hit songs mostly on the car radio in my dad's car! It made me a fan for life! I took my mom to one of his concerts, he was one of the first artists to perform at the newly opened Winspear Centre in Edmonton in November 1999! He sounded SPECTACULAR that night! The acoustics in that place were amazing! Every song he sang sounded just like the original recordings! Never got to meet him though! The place was jam-packed and we were in the nosebleed section! Its a night I'll never forget! He put on a great show!
GORDON lightfoot was introduced to me when I graduated in 1974. Years later when hearing the song, 'the Painter Passing Through", I realize he continued to make beautiful music. WOW!
I noticed a mark or a comment on my comment from about a month ago. I said this was the nicest tribute to Gordon Lightfoot I've seen so far. Or something like that. I watched it again and it is just a lovely, lovely thing that you've done here. It's so sad that he's gone, but I ponder what he said about experiencing death before. He said it was the absolute most peaceful thing he's ever experienced and I'm sure he is happy, at perfect rest and in perfect peace. God bless Gordon Lightfoot 🙏 🙏🙏.
Thank you so much for watching, and then watching again! And thank you as well for your kind words, and your positive feedback on the video. Gordon's music has meant so much to me throughout my life, and I wanted to honor him as he was due, and to do so in a way that would resonate with, and move, those to whom he had meant so much as well. A lot of work went into planning out the arc and structure of the video, finding source video and still images and searching through them for the best clips and segments, and editing together the final product. When you make videos, you never know if all of the hundreds of decisions, large and small, and the quality of your creative and technical skills, are going to pay off in something that accomplishes what you wanted and set out to accomplish. I am grateful to every viewer, but especially to those, like you, who take the time not only to watch, but to express their appreciation. It means a lot to me. God bless you, and God bless Gordon Lightfoot richly, as he richly blessed so many of us.
Excellent. A great overview of an extraordinarily prolific and influential musician. Good weaving in of the personally complex and very human artist.
Excellent-my favorite overview, and I’ve watched them all. Thank you for this.
You are quite welcome, and thank you for watching, and for the kind words. I consider them a high compliment, and I am very glad you enjoyed it.
@@ferallutheran2608
I commented that this tribute is the best one I've seen in all of CZcams. It was so well presented and so very touching at the end. I think it just became clear that he has passed eventhough I recognized that intellectually, this tribute made my heart realize it. 💔 Thank you so much. Rock on....
Thank you for watching, and for your kind words. I am very glad I could contribute something meaningful to his memory and for all those who loved him and his music
Gripping. Never a huge fan... but never changed the channel either. What a talent... what a Man.
The reason no one writes like Gordon Lightfoot is that no one thinks like Gordon Lightfoot. His lyrics are the only ones that I truly listen to.
A very good observation. Gordon was well-read, a lover of history, a skilled writer and poet. He studied and worked and learned all through his life, and it all went into his lyrics. Today, few people read, few can write, history is seldom taught outside of university, and few people care about or respect it.
Today is November 10th, 2023, remembering the crew of the Edmund Fitzgerald . 29 lost in 1975; one more lost on May 1st of this year💔💜
Wonderful so inspiring! I forgot What an absolute genius he was!!
Thank you for watching, and for commenting. I am very, very glad the video moved and inspired you. Gordon was definitely a genius, often overlooked in his later years due to his age and genre. He was very influential on me in my teens and 20's, and his music has always been with me since.
Thank you so much for making this video. It’s like reliving your own life through his music.
You are very welcome, and thank you for watching. I'm very gratified it affected you that way -- that was one of the intended effects I hoed to achieve for those who, like us, grew up with Gordon.
Excellent video of an amazing man. RIP Legend
Thank you for watching, and for commenting. I am glad you enjoyed the video.
I've always wanted to hear an album of Lightfoot singing hymns.
A Canadian legend...
GORDS GOLD !! THANKS FOR THE TUNES GORDON. EVERY TIME I PLAY EDMOND FITZGERALD I MEET AND HAVE A CHAT WITH A NEW PERSON WITH A CONNECTION TO THAT SONG. AND THANK YOU FOR THE TIPS IN MY JAR. 👍🎶🎵🎸🎤
His songs were like reflective discussions of which you never tire.
That is a very insightful, and beautiful description.
@@ferallutheran2608 Gracias 🙏
YEAH GORDON YOU ARE THE BEST REST IN PEACE
This is a wonderfully 'painted' tribute from a wide palette of interview and performance videos and stills that presents a beloved troubadour full spectrum (as Gord would want it all shown) and was a delight to watch. Thank you for your work on this! Shades of Ken Burns here for sure.
Thank you very much for watching, and for your comments. It especially means a lot to me that you think Gordon would have approved, and that you appreciated my intent and desire to show him for the whole of his experience, life and evolution both as a musician and a human being. To me, it is precisely these things, and the complexity of humanity itself, that mark the best troubadours and make their work truly sing.
Исключительный исполнитель, мелодист, очень тонко чувствующий и передающий музыку. Великий музыкант!
Он действительно был всем этим. Спасибо за просмотр и за ваш комментарий. Надеюсь, его музыка всегда будет с вами
Gordon is the biggest musical influence in my life. RIP
Lovely tribute to Gordon Lightfoot. He’s a light that will never go out. What an amazing talented modest man.
Agreed! Thank you for watching, and I am glad you enjoyed it.
Truly the G.O.A.T. 🎼🎶🎵👍
God bless you Gordon may you Rest In Peace . I love your music I had never heard of you until my American Air Force husband introduced me to you . We dated to your music in the 80S we love you ❤
Btw we have been married for 38 years your music is. Times less
#1
I found this by accident while listening to some concert videos. I’ve listening to his music a lot lately with my kids, much I did with my own dad. I live in the prairies now and I cried while listening to Canadian Railroad Trilogy while in the car the other day. It struck me as I drove back to our family farm that was homesteaded in 1885 while the ink was still drying on Confederation. My FIL still remembers how the train linked our little farm to the world. Anyway, there’s something about him that is so deeply Canadian that I don’t think I can put my finger on. This is a beautiful documentary and thank you for making it ❤
Thank you for watching, and for commenting. I am very happy you enjoyed it. I grew up far from the Canadian prairies, but it was The Canadian Railroad Trilogy, along with If You Could Read My Mind, Love, that kindled my love of Gordon Lightfoot when I was a boy. You might also enjoy my video interpretation of The Canadian Railroad Trilogy: czcams.com/video/9O_qxJAmW4c/video.html
What a legand...Wow....love his music.
great perspective on one of the best. thanks for your efforts.
Thank you for watching, and for the feedback. I'm very glad you enjoyed it.
Excellent. Thank you. ❤❤
Thank you for watching! I am glad you enjoyed it.
Loved especially old footage, street and club scene in Toronto. What were the other cool joints "Gord" played?
some people have a pathway to the Divine, Gordo is one of those people
This was fabulous!
Thank you for watching, and for commenting. I'm very happy you enjoyed it!
Trivia:-
Gordon Meredith Lighfoot Jnr.:
b: 1938-2023 May 1st:
He is of Scottish descent:
Born Ontario Canadia: died
age 84 of natural causes:
He was a travelling troubadour:
Married 3 times with several children:
He is buried in home town Ontario,
next to his parent:
I have been a Gordo fan since his career commenced. Back in the 60's he rented a cottage next door to my grandparents. He kept to himself writing songs. My wife was born in Orillia thus we have a strong connection to GL's roots. We had the pleasure of attending two of his concerts - Toronto"s Massey Hall and The Opera House in Orillia. My father-in-law was a big Gordo fan. He is interred in the same cemetery as GL.
Wow, cool that you have a personal/familial connection both to him and Orillia. Also jealous that you got to attend two of his concerts. I have been a GL fan since I was eight, and heard "If You Could Read My Mind" for the first time. Born, raised and living more than half my life in Florida, his concerts were a bit too far away :) I did end up living in a little town on the southern shore of Lake Ontario for three years, but was too busy and too poor for a concert, a fact I now regret.
@@ferallutheran2608 Fun Fact. GL performed at Massey Hall over 170 times.
Yup! I have walked past Massey Hall more than once (a long time ago now) and I would have loved to have seen him there.@@newtron1
When you get in to the choir part at about 5 minutes, to confirm, because my Dad grew up with him, Gord sang in the choir with Dad but the irony is that Gord was never chosen as a choir lead... he was really into my Aunt Leslie a long with a few others lol and he was shunned from the choir because at the age of 13 or 14 he was vocally questioning the doctrine They werent even Catholics. I think they were Anglicans actually... they were a lot more strict than now. In a typically classy way, he quit one Sunday morning by saying his aunt down in Toronto had taken ill and he needed to tend to her.
Great musician, I have liked his music since the late ‘60’s as a kid.
Saw him 5 times. Met him and Terry Clements once nice gentlemen! RIP men
Heaven gained a great singer/songwriter. Enjoy!
Gordon says The Wreck being a hit was a fluke but I believe this was a story the Lord wanted told, by Gordon Lightfoot. After all, it was God who gifted him with the ability to write such beautiful music. As Alec Baldwin said in the documentary, Gordon sang poems
On how he wants to be remembered: "I'm gonna leave a clean campsite when I get out of here." Classic Gord.
Yes, what a wonderful way to put it. And a good way to be remembered.
Fabulous ❤❤❤
Thank you! Very glad you enjoyed it.
He is easy to listen to
I had just started grade 7 that week at the middle school right next door to McMaster Hospital when Gord had his aneurysm and was rushed there; my music teacher never said anything about it!
A lot of people believed Gordon had died, and still continued to for many years. When he actually passed, some people were surprised, because they thought he had died long ago.
@@ferallutheran2608 Well he almost did; he arrested twice that night and lost a lot of blood; I forget how many transfusions he had to have.
Ok, besides Lloyd Robertson, who are the other interviewers?? I’m having trouble putting names to faces!!! Thanks
Wonderful film with such great background of his life, his music, and his artistry. I only missed seeing Ronnie Hawkins as a part of this film, as I know they were great friends from the early 60's and throughout their lives. Really well done! Thank you!
czcams.com/video/5r6aNtwFnWE/video.html
czcams.com/video/pXCzHT8L3gc/video.html
Wow, there was not a bit wrong with his acting in the clip with Bruce Dern that they showed here! He seemed to be a natural to me. Oh, well.
I didn't think he was bad, either -- especially for someone with no training or experience. But Gordon was a perfectionist, and also shy -- I am not at all surprised he felt uncomfortable seeing himself on the screen, and was not satisfied with his performance. We all see ourselves differently than others see us, whether we see ourselves as being better or worse, smarter or dumber, more beautiful or more ugly, more of this or less of that, than we actually are.
@@ferallutheran2608-- Yep, well said. I think that's what it very likely boiled down to in why he turned away from it. But I would think that the professionals behind the movie would have assured him that he was good. Well, if they did, he begged to differ, haha!
“The Last Troubadour” was not, sadly Mr Lightfoot. It was the Swedish teacher of that honey voiced singer Richard Dyer-Bennett and a few of the songs of his teacher can be found on CZcams
The words that haunt in the song Edmond Fitsgerld are Does anyone know where the love of God ges !!!when the gales of November come early.The lake it is said never gives up her dead when gales of Noember come early.😢😢❤❤❤
@ 30:39 of this video, this song? what is the title of this song? Was it ever released? I can't find it. Help! It is amazing!
The song is called "I'll Tag Along," off Gordon's "East of Midnight" album in 1986. There are several different recordings of it at various points in his life. This is the track off the original album. It is, indeed, a beautiful song.
czcams.com/video/riFSrJar-PA/video.html
What a great video! Where did you get all this footage? Great job assembling all this.
Thank you, and thank you for watching. I'm very glad you enjoyed it. The video clips were all sourced from CZcams, after an extensive bit of searching.
@@ferallutheran2608 AMAZING MY DARLING...THANK YOU FOR THIS BEAUTIFUL GIFT...😇😍🙏🏻
In reference to Gordon talking about his first divorce...he is shown with 3 women but only the first 2 are his wife. The third woman, whom he's standing beside, is a singer/songwriter. I don't recall her name 🤔
What was the name of the song that opens this biography? I’m not familiar with it. I just can’t place it from any of his albums that I have.
And you won't be able to. For some reason, Gordon never recorded it -- at least as far as anyone I know, knows. Probably the only place you can hear it (or see it) is in the video linked below, when he performed it on a CBC broadcast in 1968. It truly is a wonderful song, and we're very fortunate this clip survived.
czcams.com/video/OYkMBxbgrew/video.html
Nobody makes death sound as sweet as ol Gordie Lightfoot lol 28:29
He was very much at peace with it.
I love GL,but Bob Dylan is the last troubadour.
Fair Enough :)
Friend troubadours and minstrels have been around for centuries where there is a human story to be told there will be people to relate it