Gordon Lightfoot, whose lyrics and vocals made him one of the most prominent folk singers of his era, passed away yesterday. He was 84.
Gordon Lightfoot remains best known for his 1976 song “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald”, which chronicled the sinking of the titular freighter that left all 29 crew dead. That song reached #2 on the Billboard hot 100 and stands as one of the greatest story songs ever, thanks to lyrics like The captain wired in he had water comin’ in / And the good ship and crew was in peril / And later that night when his lights went outta sight / Came the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.
But that was hardly Gordon Lightfoot’s only hit. Throughout his career, the singer-songwriter earned four Grammy nominations, including two for “Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald”, losing Song of the Year to the Barry Manilow-penned “I Write the Songs” and Best Pop Vocal Performance to Stevie Wonder for “Songs in the Key of Life.” His other most famous song, “If You Could Read My Mind”, was nominated in that same category and was later covered by Johnny Cash. Cash wasn’t the only prominent fan of Lightfoot’s. Bob Dylan once said, “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.”
Gordon Lightfoot’s career spanned decades, releasing his first album in 1966 and capping it off with his 21st and final coming out in 2020. The year prior, he was the subject of a documentary called Gordon Lightfoot: If You Could Read My Mind, which had the participation of the likes of Alec Baldwin, Tom Cochrane, Sarah McLachlan, and more.
After leaving United Artists for Warner Bros., Gordon Lightfoot gained his most fame, with a series of other singles. In addition to the aforementioned “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” and “If You Could Read My Mind”, there was the certified gold “Sundown”, “Carefree Highway” and “Rainy Day People.” It was that song that he closed his final show on October 30th.
What is your favorite Gordon Lightfoot song? Leave your condolences in the comments section below.