first time hearing Gordon Lightfoot - The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald (Reaction!!)
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Try "Sundown " and " If you could read my mind " by Gordon Lightfoot, great songs 🎵
If you could read my mind is an amazing song by Gordon Lightfoot. It is one of the greatest songs by anyone, seriously.
If You Could Read My Mind, (one of the greatest love songs ever written) Beautiful, Sundown, Rainy Day People. You will be hooked on Gordon after these four.
Carefree Highway is another great song
If you like story tellers, Harry Chapin sings wonderful stories. Jim Croce was a master at telling a story in 3 minutes
Gordon Lightfoot did not write songs, he crafted them , carved each note and lyric out of his genius. A Canadian legend.
A Canadian legend is right! We're really proud of our Canadian singers 🇨🇦
beautifully said
Your description is exactly right!
As an American, you have every right to be proud of Gordon Lightfoot as well as Stan Rogers. Both were true masters of the craft.
Since Gordon passed, the church now rings the bell 30 times, to honor him as well.
Oh that is so sweet... I never heard that before...!
😢
bawling'@@Rommereil
😥
Actually it is 29 to honor the 29 who died on the EF, and one more to honor all the others.
Gordon really was a selfless person. The proceeds he made from this story/song was donated to the surviving families of the sailors who perished. He kept in touch with many of them up until his death. The Mariners Church in Detroit, where they rang the church bells , rang their bells 30 times in honor of the sailors and Gordon when they heard of his passing. That is respect. Thanks Polo for reacting to this. R.I.P. to Gordon and the crew of the Edmund Fitzgerald. 🙏💔
Aww that's amazing! Thanks for that little update...my husband would've loved to have known that.
I had grown up hearing this song and it was always amazing. Like you, I couldn't hear it often for the same reasons you stated. I had the opportunity to see him sing in person one year at the University of Maine. He was an amazing person, and I am so glad we can all remember the men of the Edmund Fitzgerald through this work. And I am so heartened to hear that it meant so much to the survivors of the lost that they now ring that bell for him too. That's all we can hope for our time on earth. To make a difference in the lives of others so that we can be remembered for it.
@@suecbrn Well said. 👍
I did check on that. Lightfoot made a $10,000 donation to start a scholarship fund for the maritime school in honor of the two cadets who died on The Edmund Fitzgerald. He did better than donating money to the families. He spent time with them getting to know them and may have personally donated money to them though that was not mentioned in any articles I read. One widow said when he died that he had visited her family 12 times. He also attended the dedication of the bell from the ship. He went a day early to spend time with the families. I like the fact that he spent time over the years with the families. Few famous people would do that. Gordon Lightfoot is from Ontario which borders close to half of Lake Superior. Although the Edmund Fitzgerald was an American ship, it was in Canadian waters when it sank. It is also little known that two other ships went down on Lake Superior that night.
My husband was a charter boat captain in Virginia on the Chesapeake Bay and although there is a lot of accuracy in weather forecasting these days, one must respect nature and water because it is, ultimately, very unpredictable.
Wow! I didn’t know. I’m all choked up, hearing the song again with the facts. 😢
Bob Dylan was asking once what does it feel like to be the best song writer he said i don't know ask Gordon Lightfoot
LOL, shows him to be a humble star.
@@daviddempsey8721 Coming from Bobby, the highest of tributes!
So true
False. A story about Elvis to Roy Orbison etc.
Another proud Canadian...he was one of our best..
🇨🇦❤
You have every reason to be proud - he was a great humanitarian
🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦❤
"Does anyone know where the love of God goes, when the waves turns the minutes to hours?" I've never known a more gut wrenching line in a song
Yes, incredible line.
Amen. I always tear up when that line comes up. He was a poet of immense power!
Nobody knows where the love of God goes in such circumstances. Bone chilling lyrics.
It's when the waves turn the minutes to hours.
@@alisonflaxman1566 auto-correct
My father worked on the boats as a cook for many years.....including the Fitz....
I've been aboard her a few times myself....
We knew many of the men personally......
Rest in Peace....
Michael Armagost- 37- Third Mate- Iron River, Wisconsin
Fred Beetcher- 56- Porter- Superior, Wisconsin
Thomas Bentsen- 23- Oiler- St. Joseph, Michigan
Edward Bindon -47- First Asst. Engineer- Fairport Harbor, Ohio
Thomas Borgeson -41- Maintenance Man- Duluth, Minnesota
Oliver Champeau- 41-Third Asst. Engineer- Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin
Nolan Church -55 -Porter -Silver Bay, Minnesota
Ransom Cundy- 53- Watchman- Superior, Wisconsin
Thomas Edwards-50- Second Asst. Engineer- Oregon, Ohio
Russell Haskell -40- Second Asst. Engineer- Millbury, Ohio
George Holl -60- Chief Engineer- Cabot, Pennsylvania
Bruce Hudson- 22- Deck Hand -North Olmsted, Ohio
Allen Kalmon -43- Second Cook- Washburn, Wisconsin
Gordon MacLellan- 30- Wiper- Clearwater, Florida
Joseph Mazes- 59- Special Maintenance Man -Ashland, Wisconsin
John McCarthy -62-First Mate -Bay Village, Ohio
Ernest McSorley -63 -Captain -Toledo, Ohio
Eugene O'Brien- 50- Wheelsman -Toledo, Ohio
Karl Peckol -20- Watchman -Ashtabula, Ohio
John Poviach -59- Wheelsman- Bradenton, Florida
James Pratt -44- Second Mate- Lakewood, Ohio
Robert Rafferty -62 -Steward -Toledo, Ohio
Paul Riippa -22 -Deck Hand -Ashtabula, Ohio
John Simmons -63 -Wheelsman -Ashland, Wisconsin
William Spengler -59- Watchman- Toledo, Ohio
Mark Thomas -21- Deck Hand- Richmond Heights, Ohio
Ralph Walton -58- Oiler- Fremont, Ohio
David Weiss -22 -Cadet -Agoura, California
Blaine Wilhelm -52- Oiler- Moquah, Wisconsin
May they all rest in peace.
Thank you for that list.
RIP
James Pratt was my aunt's husband, she's 81 now still lives around Erie PA.
My husband was on the Arthur M. Anderson, following the Fitz. I feel ill remembering.
He never made a dime from this song,all proceeds went to the families of of the crew
Well, he totally did. Concerts, etc. But yes Gordon was amazing and the more I listen to him the more his brilliance shines.
Lol yeah he was still putting butts in seats he gets that money.
Became a Gordon Lightfoot fan as a kid. My older brother was a fan, which turned me on to him, and I used to work on a farm where one of the sons was a good friend, and had the Sundown album. We used to put it on, and just sit there on the floor and listen.
As great as his music is, The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald is still my favorite. Had the absolute privilege of seeing him in concert on three occasions, and he did not disappoint (even at 80). RIP, sir… fair winds and following seas. Thanks for leaving us your legacy in music.
I was in a bar in Green Bay about 20 years ago when this song came on. There were about 50 people in the bar and they all stopped what ever else was happening and started singing the song with a passion I've seldom seen. Church Choirs singing at funerals don't have that type of feelings. Tears in most eyes before it was done. Simply the most powerful musical experience of my life......unexpectedly in a dive bar. God is good.
Wow!
What a truly beautiful story ❤️
Thank you so much for sharing that ❤
As a 58 year old Canadian girl...I have heard this song 1000 times.
As sad as it is...we never turn it off.
When it comes on the radio...
When it comes on a playlist...
When someone puts on a Gordon album at a kitchen party...
We all listen and ..we all sing along in honor of the 29 men..and their wives and their sons and their daughters ❤❤❤❤
We miss you Gordon Lightfoot ❤
I love northern wisconsin , a very passionate people. You witnessed true soul felt togetherness . I bet a few of them have/had family in the shipping trade.
Went to a BBQ bar up by the UP. We would throw rib bones to the bears while having cocktails.
Loved the 70s!!😅
It's very common, even today, for that to happen, especially in the Great Lake states (which I grew up in)
Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful story! ❤❣️
When Gordon passed the Maritime cathedral in Detroit rang the bells 30 times. 29 for the crew of the Edmond Fitzgerald and 1 for Gordon which I felt was a great honor.
Coolbeans!
It's not a cathedral, it's a church. What struck me most is how small it is. It's a building with a long (for America) history
I live in metro Detroit and didn't know this. Saw Gordon perform the song at Pineknob a couple years
after this terrible event. Nice tribute for a great singer...
Bloody hell I'm crying again
😩
“Does anyone know Where the love of god goes when the waves turn the minutes to hours”
One of the best lines ever in a song
An astounding lyrical conveyance of total despair &abandonment.
You are so right, the line makes my heart cry.
I agree !
As well as all that remains are the faces and names of the wives the sons and the daughters, this song is golden.
As a fan of lyrics I don't think anyone ever touched that Brilliance and depth and sadness
I listened to this event in real time on my radio. I lived on a farm near Lake Superior. I was studying that night, a student at Northern Michigan U. I was transfixed at what was happening. The tragedy has never left me because Lake Superior is a beautiful gift and a dreadful curse depending on the season, but Lightfoot’s rendition of these events are so poignant and so respectful. Superior is a force rarely tamed in winter’s wrath. Thank God for his grace that this has not been repeated.
I remember that night, too. I lived on the other side, in Sault, Canada. My family lived near the lake most of my life and we had never seen anything like that before. She surely was the Witch of November. The shock and sadness on both sides of the border were palpable.
My parents are from Aura, MI, a couple miles from Lake Superior. The loss and the song meant a lot to our
family.. We saw Gordon perform the song in concert, a couple yrs after the event. Touched all our hearts.
I lived in Ohio and I too remember when this happened. The song always makes me cry
@kathrynhink7379 Many people don't know that there were two ships that left at the same time, The Arthur M. Anderson. The two ships, the Anderson and the Fitzgerald, departed Two Harbors, Minnesota with similar cargo. Late in the afternoon, 50-knot winds were blowing across Lake Superior. The Anderson reported receiving hurricane-force winds of 75 knots. At around 3:30 p.m., the captain of the Fitzgerald radioed out to the Anderson, stating the Fitzgerald had a “bad list,” had lost both radars, and was taking heavy seas over the deck in one of the worst seas he had ever encountered. Soon after, he asked the captain of the Anderson to assist him with radar plots until he could make it to Whitefish point. The last radio communication took place at 7:10 pm. Captain Cooper asked how the ship was weathering the storm and Captain McSorley reported, “We are holding our own.” It is believed that the Fitzgerald sank suddenly soon after without sending out any distress signals.
I can't stop my tears whenever I hear this song. I grew up on and in mother Superior. I lost and uncle and brother-in-law 20 years AFTER the Fitz... an unexpected storm while fishing at Stannard rock. Broke the boat in half (of course). Uncle's body retrieved (obese) BIL nevermore.
I'm a commercial fisherman in Alaska, and this song has one line that hits me every time. "Does anyone know where the love of God goes, when the waves turn the minutes to hours?"
I was in a very tough spot in a storm late one night, after listening on the VHF to the Coast Guard picking the crew of another boat that sank nearby (FV Roslyn). At about 2 am I had 2 wheelhouse windows blown in by a giant wave. Lost almost all my electronics, water 6" deep sloshing through the wheelhouse, multiple alarms going off... 60 miles offshore and only able to make about 2 knots.
The longest night of my life, and I honestly thought that it might be it. Those waves turned the minutes to hours, for certain - and I have never felt so alone.
Goodness, terrifying. And this man knew how to capture that feeling in a few words
And thank you for sharing . How awful.
I hear you.
Oh my God!!!
Such a dangerous job you do !
Thank God you made it home to your loved ones ❤
Thank you for sharing your story with us ❤ 🇨🇦 ❤🇺🇸 ❤
Thank you.
I am not a sailor but that is the line that breaks my heart. I cannot imagine being in such a situation.
I am a Michigander and growing up in 70s the news of the Fitzgerald was huge. It's hard to listen to this song without tears especially after going to the museum at Whitefish Point on Lake Superior. I literally wept as the story was retold. You should visit Michigan's UP, go to the museum I guarantee you will never again listen to this song without tears or being on verge of them.
It was huge in MI. I live in Metro Detroit, but my family is from Aura, MI. A small town a couple miles from
Lake Superor, so the song had special meaning. Saw Gordon perform the song in concert, a couple yrs after
the loss.. Haunting
I've never listened to this song without weeping, and I'm not from the U.S. or Canada. Used to be a little embarrassing if it came on while I was out with other people. Gordon Lightfoot, the words, the cadence, the timbre of his voice, the accompanying music, put me on that ship every time. Exquisite music, emotive delivery.
I'll never watch you again, you ruined the song and the listening. you need to stop babbling while the music is trying to do it's job.
@@nedacoffee7778 copyright rules mean that reaction videos cannot play through uninterrupted. I used to think the same thing, but Polo does a very good job compared to some. I keep coming back to his channel.
I was 8 and heard it on WLS-AM89 in Chicago. Probably the only news story that I even listened to at 8. But it stuck. And when Gordon released the song, my mom took me to the record store and I bought the 45 rpm record and wore it out. As I grew older, it grew inside my mind as a mammoth event. In high school, I went to county libraries to sort thru microfische on everything I could find...interviews I had to inter-library request due to it being audio. I was down the rabbithole. I have since seen all of the documentaries on tv and on youtube (restored) and followed the final dive that determined the cause thru scientific means. I felt complete but also felt empty as the journey ended..except for the annual ringing of the bell which I watch every year. Tears never fail.
The only experience I have is standing on the shore of Superior on 11/29/16 north of Houghton, MI, and experienced 2 things: goosebumps knowing those brave men were still there and secondly, I will never traverse that Lake because I am overwhelmed by it.
I used to be a commercial fisherman. When this song would come on i would see the toughest guys i know cry. This has become an anthem for anyone lost at sea. Goosebumps everytime.
Every time I hear this song I think about the crew of the Arthur Anderson who were accompanying the Fitzgerald. When they lost contact with her and feared the worst, they turned around and went back out into that hell to try to search for her and lend aid. Their actions define valor.
@badgermoon9229 I never knew that. Great comment.
Cheers from Canada.
@@frankaq3951 I read an account by one of the hands on the Anderson of that night. He described what was going on on the bridge and gave a good picture of the storm they were in. It was every bit as described by the lyric "Does anyone know where the love of God goes when the waves turn the minutes to hours." Unfortunately I forgot where I found it, but it was quite a stunning read.
Does anyone know where the love of God goes when the waves turn the minutes to hours? I made it back to port, but I've been there. Where you start praying you can be good enough to make it through and end up praying just please, please let it be okay.
This is NOT on the karaoke menu in Kodiak, Alaska.
Bob Dylan said every time he heard a Gordon Lightfoot song he wished it would last forever….that he died never having had a bad song…..a true Canadian Icon……
Watch the Midnight Special version of IF YOU COULD READ MY MIND…..
..
YES! I feel like that live version has sooo much emotion
I’m Canadian and grew up on the Niagara side of Lake Ontario, a much friendlier lake than Superior. We heard this song often, we all knew all the words to it. Gordon Lightfoot is considered a treasure. Thanks for choosing this one Polo!
I live across from you on Lake Ontario in NY.
I grew up about 15 miles off the south shore of Lake Superior... and that is a violent lake in the fall. We saw waves 20+ feet high when the storms would roll in. I cannot imagine what it would have been like on a boat during any of those storms.
I grew up tucked in a section of Wisconsin where Superior was north and Michigan was east and I have been on both lakes many times. In 2015 I had the unique pleasure of being on Superior on the ice hiking to and exploring the sea caves, and 6 months later I was exploring those same caves via kayak. The ice gets hard enough to safely walk on maybe once every 5 years (2015 is the most recent) because the prevailing winds are from the northwest and there are no significant geological features between the arctic circle and Superior to slow them down. Those winds are cold and strong and fickle. The shoreline on the south side of the lake would freeze, then those winds would kick up and the wave action would break up the ice making it dangerous.
@@erinnswan7063We call the area the “Miami
Of Canada “. Love it!
I live in Buffalo and it was popular here too. Also, I'm a Fitzgerald so it always struck a chord for me. ❤ Gordon Lightfoot.
The person who suggested this song because, "you like stories" was absolutely correct. Gordon in s the best storyteller. You almost feel as if you were on that ship.
Yes. Polo noted that, too. ( 5:45 )
For all the years that I've listened to this, at the part where the cook comes in and says "Fellas it's been good to know you" I get a strange sense of deja vu as if I was there. ( 6:16 ) Hard to explain. Kinda' weird.
To those of us who live anywhere near The Great Lakes, this song, and this incident, are legend.
Metro Detroiter, parents from small town in UP, a couple miles from Lake Superior..
The loss and song touched our hearts.
Had Michigan studies at the end of elementary school in the late 90s and they played this song for us as we learned about the wreck. One of my favorite songs to this day. The story is legend
"Does anyone know where the love of God goes when the waves turn the minutes to hours". When I first heard that as a child, when this happened, it just chilled me to the bone. Still does.
Me too. The impending doom was very well articulated & later, the loss & the grieving. Just a powerful song altogether.
It is one of the greatest lyrics ever written
I freaking cry for those men each and every time I hear this line.
That one is an all time great bit of lyric writing. Gets a person every time.
This was consistently on the radio when I was in 7th grade. I heard it on the bus every day...❤️
We had just moved to toledo and I was in the 6th grade.with so many crewmen being from nw ohio if remember it being a very big deal.its amazing how much information is available on Utube,including the original coast guard radio transmissions with the anderson.
"Does anyone know where the love of God goes,
when the waves turn the minutes to hours?" is the line that gives me the chills every time.
Among the best and most haunting lyrics in the history of Canadian music.
It's the single most impactful lyric I've heard.
Agreed. It's pure poetry. Lightfoot clearly put himself on board that ship when he wrote the song and his lyrics show that - they put us right there alongside him.
"At 7 PM a main hatchway caved in he said 'Fellas it's been good to know ya'" is the one that gets me, there's a very eerie calmness in that line where he's forced to accept their fate
A haunting line for sure, hits hard
RIP Mr. Lightfoot November 17, 1938 - May 1, 2023
I live in Michigan, when this song comes on in the small bars across the northern parts, you can hear a pin drop so to speak. Everyone seems to take this as a time for remembrance in silence to the crew. No joke! Many Michiganders take this song when it comes on, in a whole new level of listening. It’s quite heart warming and somber at the same time.
I will second this comment
You can’t hear this song & not be affected. It’s been one of my favorites since it first came out in the 70s.
Edit to add: there’s a video version that shows the ship & crew & lists their names at the end…I got chills.
i still get a tear when i listen to it
@@bryandamkaer3646 me too.
Gordon Lightfoot is a Canadian Icon. He passed away on May 1, 2023. 84 years old at the time of his death. He achieved international success in folk, folk-rock, and country music and is credited with helping to define the folk-pop sound of the 1960s and 1970s1. His songs have been recorded by some of the world’s most renowned musical artists.
I was able to see him, his last pass through Kansas City. Still with feeling.
My cousin drove him to his final resting place. Needless to say he had a discussion with him as a fan, telling him as I’m sure he’s heard many times before what a treasure he was to music & those who loved his craft 🇨🇦
One of my all time favourites of his Polo was « If You Could Read My Mind » 🥰
Hi Polo, just discovered your channel, one of my favourites of Gordon Lightfoot’s is « If You Could Read My Mind ». Tragic love story 😓 of two people growing apart
My brother came home from Viet Nam in 1972, I think, craving Lightfoot's "If You Could Read My Mind." He recorded it on both sides of a cassette as many times as would fit and played it non-stop for a week. I fell in love with all Lightfoot's albums. They are amazing.>
This is more of a maritime ballad. My favorite Gordon Lightfoot song is "If You Could Read My Mind". That said, I love this song.
I agree "If you could read my mind" is my favorite of his songs. "Sundown" is also great
That’s a great song.❤️
That is my favourite song of his, and given how many excellent songs he wrote, that's saying something. Rest peacefully Gordon Lightfoot and thank you ❤
Sundown is my favorite
I grew up in Michigan and on the lakes. Everyone knew the story of the Edmund Fitzgerald as children and it was taken as a grim lesson to always respect the water. The Great Lakes are inland freshwater oceans, the moment you stop respecting that Mother Nature will come around to remind you of who is actually in charge.
My parents are orginally from a small town, only a couple miles from Lake Superior. I still have family that
live there, so the loss and the song had special meaning to us. My dad still fished on the lake until he passed..
This song is in a class by itself.
RIP Gorden Lightfoot and 29 others.
I spent 20 years as a marine archeologist, several of them working on 19th and 20th century shipwrecks on lakes Superior and Michigan. We documented, never took. On the ships lost in storms with the loss of all or most of their crews, you could feel the presence of their souls. This song always makes me weep for the lost mariners who surrounded me while I worked in that silent world.
Touching comment. Thanks for sharing.
I am a Marine. Retired after 22 years in 2002. My wife and I have been married since 1982, still are 22 more years later.
My question, does that qualify her as a Marine Biologist, she knows my whole body! (THATS funny as hell, come on!)
@@raybro3803it would be funny somewhere else
32 dead on the Robert McKenzie!!! Another good one!!!!
Thank you for looking for the wrecks. My fourth great uncle perished on the Manistee, November 1883.
Gordon Lightfoot "Sundown" & "If You Could Read My Mind"
Gordon Lightfoot remembered the exact night this happened as a huge storm rolled through the area where he was playing a gig. In the interview he claimed he was thankful he was inside and out of the frozen, howling wind with the whipping rain. When the report of the disappearance of the ship came through the next day; the song began to be born. The instrumental pauses are deliberate for the listener to grasp the sacredness and depth of each verse and to prepare for more tragedy and grief to come; sort of an emotion as the men on the Edmund Fitzgerald experienced, "When the waves turn the minutes to hours."; and the grief felt by their families after.
Important highlight. I never heard that detail. I can feel it.
Thank you for that addition!
The sister ship to the Fitzgerald, the Arthur Anderson, was a few miles behind the Edmund Fitzgerald and was the last to hear from her is still working Lake Superior today.
I didn’t know that, thank you.
It always makes me cry....my throat closes up and my body heaves like I am feeling their emotions .....
The Edmund Fitzgerald, and her crew, and their families, will never be forgotten as just another statistic thanks to Gordon Lightfoot and this song.
I grew up hearing this song. It’s a deep and emotional song. I always listened silently as a kid because I could tell I needed to show respect.
Same
I lived in the UP from 80 to 85, knew the story and the song well before we moved away. You respect that lake or it will make you regret it.
What a Gentleman. If not for him and this song , this tragic event would have silently all but faded away.
So very true.
For me, one of the most heart wrenching lines in a song …… When suppertime came, the old cook came on deck Sayin "Fellas, it's too rough to feed ya"....At 7pm a main hatchway caved in He said, Fellas it's been good to know ya" it makes my heart ache like nothin else...God bless those unfortunate souls 🙏
Gordon Lightfoot used to play Massey Hall in Toronto every year for his birthday November 17th, and as long as I was flush, I bought a ticket for his concert.
Gordon Lightfoot was an exceptional musician. He was a composer/arranger as much as a singer/songwriter.
Pretty much everything he's ever written was a nation wide hit. Some of his bigger hits would have received some air play in the States, back in the day.
The one you just played and a song called, If You Could Read My Mind, are my personal, all time favourites.
Nothing but love for Gordon Lightfoot, the scrawny kid from Orillia, Ontario Canada 🇨🇦 R.I.P. sweet troubadour.🧓🏽✌🏽
Sundown too
"Does anyone know, where the love of God goes, when the waves turn the minutes to hours" sends chills down my spine whenever I hear it. The most bone chilling verse I can think of.
I agree 100%. As a retired musician and songwriter myself, I've often wondered how he came up with that line. If I was able to ask Mr. Lightfoot one question before he passed, I would've asked him about that.
The love of God never goes away, it’s always there for those who seek it. Sadly, we live in a fallen world, and truly awful things happen. The love of God is the escape, the promise, the grace.
Polo, give Gordon Lightfoot's "Sundown" a chance, it's amazing.
Agree 💯
The best
A really clever song, it was many years from hearing it as a child that I learned it wasn’t inspired by Australian Aboriginal music.
The story behind ot is wild
"If You Could Read My Mind" and "Sundown" are two more of his songs that were big hits for him. More standard singer/songwriter folk stuff that I think you're more likely to add to a playlist.
One of the greatest ballads about a true event ever written.
Gordon Lightfoot is a master story teller as he can make the listener feel the events as much as possible.
All 29 of the crewman are stilled entombed aboard the Fitzgerald.
The wreck has been designated a protected site and diving on the wreck if prohibited.
The family members of those lost have stated they want all of the sailors left aboard with their ship mates.
The bell was removed from the wreck and now sits in the maritime museum and a bell with the names of all the crew was put back on the wreck in its place.
I grew up in Michigan and this song is woven into my soul. Gordon Lightfoot managed to tell the story AND capture the wild swell of the 100+ ft. waves rolling on Superior that night. I have seen the Arthur M. Anderson several times while visiting White Fish Point and Copper Harbor on the Keweenaw Peninsula (the ship following the Fitz the night she went down), and I always think of the last words they heard radioed from the captain of the Fitz: when the Anderson captain asked how they were doing, the Fitz replied, "We're holding our own." I was lucky enough to get to see Gordon Lightfoot in concert in Wisconsin (where I live now) and everyone stood, with cell phones and lighters lit when he sang this song. I bawled. Utterly powerful song and haunting tribute the ship and crew. I've always been a fan of Gordon's, ever since I first heard If You Could Read My Mind Love. That's another great song with a beautiful melody, switching between major and minor keys.
“If I Could Read Your Mind” is his masterpiece. Melancholy in an entirely different melodic way, poetry to music.
Yes, a great song too!❤
I agree. ❤ I think the remake was something else. I also really like Sundown, as well.
My brother lives in the U.P. near Whitefish Bay. I went to the lighthouse there...and even on a warm sunny summer day (I know it sounds corny HOWEVER) i swear to you I heard this song CLEARLY in my head while looking out from the gorgeous shoreline. Its a song I will never forget. Thank you for the respectful reaction 😌😎
It’s not corny at all. Whenever I stand on the shores of Lake Superior, both rugged and beautiful, I can’t help but hear this song in my mind too 😢
Know Whiteface Bay. We stayed some years ago in a lighthouse/bed and breakfast on Lake Superior. We could see the ships in the distance. That night a huge storm with lots of lightening. I too thought of this song.
Thank you for exploring this one!
It's an emotion you can only feel on the shores of Lake Superior
@@MornaLohmaeno it's an emotion you can feel if you've ever lost a man to the water.
I was so sad to hear of Gordon Lightfoot's passing away recently. Loved his music. One of the best songwriters & storytellers. He was a Canadian legend. My husband & I saw him in concert once. This song is a beautiful tribute & is based on a true story & the lyrics tell the sad tale of the sinking of the ship & loss of lives in 1975. Gordon Lightfoot has had many hits through his long career such as "If You Could Read My Mind", "Early Morning Rain", "Steel Rail Blues", "Ribbon Of Darkness", "Carefree Highway", "Rainy Day People", "Cotton Jenny", "Black Day In July", "Canadian Railroad Trilogy" etc.
And, Sundown!!! 😊🌞
Also a music legend, and human legend. But yes, Canadian first... :)
Cotton Jenny!
These men were drowned which is considered the most painful death...can you even imagine being trapped behind that steel and knowing your fate ? Bless them all and their families.
Most didn't drown, probably. The ship sank in water shallower than the ship was long. The bow was forced down by a wave and due to flooding didn't have the buoyancy to recover. The ship plunged into the lakebed at about 45mph, with practically no warning and enough force to break her in two.
Her crew died of massive blunt trauma and deceleration trauma as they would have been slammed against the bulkheads. Surely none were conscious to know they were drowning if they survived impact. Horrible to think about, but probably merciful, considering.
I’ve heard that drowning is the most peaceful death. Don’t know how either of us can prove ourselves right, since it seems we are both currently alive!🤣
Unless you choke, then it is not. But, the water was so cold at that time, they probably didn't know what hit them ...hopefully
As a sailor, being trapped and burning to death is our true nightmare. Drowning is not so bad, particularly if the water is cold enough so you don't really feel it.
The water pressure that deep likely knocked them out before they could suffer too much.
Gordon Lightfoot is a Canadian Icon and a fantastic story teller. This song will put a lump in your throat. The Maritimers Church rang the bell 30 times when Gordon past away, 1 for each man on the Edmond Fitzgerald and 1 for Gordon.. R.I.P. Gordon.
I was buying Gordon Lightfoot records in the early 70s. Still have most of them. If You Could Read my Mind being one of my favourites... of course 😊
From a news story following Gordon Lightfoot's death: "The flag outside the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., flew at half-mast Tuesday in memory of Canadian music icon Gordon Lightfoot."
I was 11 when this song hit the airwaves and I remember listening to it and really liking it because I felt so sad for those affected by the tragedy that occurred and the lost sailors of the Edmund Fitzgerald. Thanks for another great reaction video Polo. This documentary about it is really well done Edmund Fitzgerald Documentary 1995 Excellent! I love Gordon Lightfoot, other great songs are "If You Could Read My Mind" and "Sundown"
Lucky to have seen this man in concert! Brilliant singer , songwriter and fellow Canadian ❤🇨🇦
Gordon Lightfoot was a great story teller ... wonderful writer and musician.
For the first time since Nov. 10/75 the bells of the Mariner's Cathedral in Detroit, rang 29 times and 1 more for Gordon to mark his passing by the families that also commemorate the day their sailors were lost. The Toronto Sun wrote that that the number 30 symbolizes the end of a written copy in journalist's circles. He was 84.
Lightfoot's a master songwriter. Try, "If You Could Read My Mind,"
One of the most perfect songs ever written, composed, and performed.
I went down the rabbit hole of checking out a few others react to the song because growing up in the area it’s a special song to me.
I have to say of the 4-5 people I saw react to it you are the only one that listened to and felt the song. Thank you for giving this memorial the attention and thought it deserves as you were listening.
Michigander and parents from the UP, a couple miles from Lake Superior...
Jamal_aka_Jamel did a beautiful reaction. He felt every word.
@@bungalowmoyes👍🏽
Greatness. That is what you are about to listen to.
Gordon Lightfoot is a Canadian icon. This song touches me every time I hear it. Gordon donated all the proceeds from this song to the families of the crew of the Edmund Fitzgerald.
Gordon had a lot of great songs
If you could read my mind
Sundown
Carefree Highway
Early Morning Rain
to name a few.
He was such and icon that he’s an icon to Canada and the us
May 1 2023 was sad sad day.
I would second any of these but I’d go with Sundown, personally.
After this song, "Early Morning Rain" is my personal favorite among the dozen or so "must listens."
My first job I had growing up in Southwest Michigan was with a woman whose son was lost on the Edmund Fitzgerald. I started working there in 1977. I guess I never realized how recent the tragedy had occurred . She went to the memorial every year,her son’s name was Thomas Bentsen, she’s past long ago since then God bless their souls💙🕊💙🕊💙
I grew up in SW Michigan as well. I was 11 when this tragedy occurred. My Uncle knew the the guy from St Joseph. We thought it was awesome when Gordon released this song to benefit the families of the victims.
Gordon wrote all of his music. We played "Beautiful" at our wedding. I saw him 6 times in concert. "The Canadian Railroad Trilogy" is one of his legendary songs.
We had Beautiful sung at our wedding too.
I went to see his concert in 1990, all the tunes were great and done very professionally. I did not expect the railroad song to be the one to impact me the most, the sound was so incredable and guitar utterly fantastic!
I saw him in Northern Alberta in 1967 for our Centennial. I have been a fan of him for more than 50 years.
One of the best song ever written ,hands down !
My mom loved Gordon Lightfoot's music and everytime I listen to him I can only think of her. ❤
The guitar riff used in every verse sounds to me like a mournful wailing cry in the storm.
Gordon has such a huge library. He's a very thoughtful singer/songwriter; every note, every second of music seemingly perfect.
I live in Mighigan and the Great Lakes are beautiful and terrifying! The lakes are more like inland seas. I remember when this happened and when they pulled up the bell. There is a place called Whitefish Point on the coast of Lake Superior where they have a ship wreck museum. Visited it many,many times. The bell of the Edmund Fitzgerald is there,as well as other ship wrecks from the Great Lakes. This story is so heart breaking and true!
You're correct! In the 80's I sailed with a friend around big bay and he sternly warned me not to fall overboard. I listened! That beautiful lake is so scary! Peace from Northern Michigan!
I love the tradition of leaving wrecks where life was lost in situ as a watery grave but bringing up the ship's bell as a memorial. Scavenging recent wrecks strikes me as disrespectful (scavenging for stuff, not exploring it to find out what happened) but the bell means so much to the survivors and family members.
I’m on Lake Erie at the Welland Canal. The Fitz came through regularly. I actually remember the storm . It was bad here. Can’t imagine how bad it was on Superior
When suppertime came, the old cook came on deck sayin'
"Fellas, it's too rough to feed ya"
At 7 PM, a main hatchway caved in, he said
"Fellas, it's been good to know ya"
*Out of all those masterful lyrics, that's the verse that did me in. I think because between those sentences it went from just a tale to a very real tragedy. Gordon Lightfoots music stirs the soul.
This song 50yrs later still gives me chills…..we moved to northern Michigan in Jan of 75 and I remember this event. I’ve been to Lk superior in may/June and there’s still ice on the lake. Not enough ppl give the Great Lakes the respect they deserve.
"Does any one know where the love of God goes
When the waves turn the minutes to hours?"
This song came out the year I turned 11, and those words have never quite left my mind. I'll never get tired of hearing this song.
The thing that pops into my mind when someone says a song about a ship is "Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale, a tale of a fateful trip . . ."
Michigander here. Much respect to the Great Lakes--especially Superior. It is frigid. The bodies they have found in shipwrecks at the bottom of Superior are encased in ice are intact because bacteria cannot survive in the cold down there. Hundreds and hundreds of shipwrecks in the Great Lakes. The ones with bodies are off limits and are lawfully dubbed as graveyards. The Lakes behave like mini oceans, they have rip currents, tides, and huge waves. Wonderful, historic ballad. I love his lyrics. As you said, this ballad has very clear visuals.
I have swam in Superior in the middle of summer and I can tell you Michigan and Erie feel like bath water compared to Superior. I grew up in IL 10 miles from Lake Michigan so spent a lot of time in and on the lake. Later I lived in NY state about 30 miles from Lake Erie and spent a lot of time there too.
Parents from UP, a couple miles from Lake Superior. I live in Metro D... It meant a lot to us...
@@gigicostlow4414 I didn't swim. I just sat in 18 inches of Lake Superior water for a couple mins.
It was the middle of summer, 80 degrees out, sun shining and the water was still freezing cold!!
100% Finlander, who is Never cold in the winter..
@@jenscheibner792 About like me. I was visiting family friends that lived on the lake. It was in August and really warm. I swam for maybe 5 minutes and had enough. I climbed out and sat on their pier in the sun wrapped up in 2 big beach towels and couldn't stop shivering. I finally ended up going inside and taking a hot shower. I was a winter loving person back then and rarely got cold.
Gordon was such an iconic Canadian singer, poet, musician. My favourite Canadian singer. Everyone needs to listen to his complete collection.
Thanks for honouring the unparalleled talent of proud Canadian legend Gordon Lightfoot. This song always brings a tear.
I live in Windsor Ontario just across the river (1 mile) from Detroit Mich. I have been to the Mariner's church many times, its right at the border tunnel exit. Have swam in every one of the great lakes at least once. Superior in August was bone chilling cold but Erie being the shallowest was warmest. Every Canadian I know can sing this song, it's a classic
Haunting…is the one word that comes to mind when I think of this song! I perfectly understand when you say that you have to be in a certain mood to listen to this type of song. One of your comments that really struck a chord with me was, paraphrasing,
great movies I’ve only seen once…never caring to see again, but great none the less. This is a tribute song, worth listening to, many times, but you DEFINITELY have to be of a certain mood to do so!
If You Could Read My Mind is another great song by him!
Thanks for the great reaction and Thanks Canada for sharing your great troubadour with us!!!
If You Can Read My Mind is a great song.
Despite hearing and listening to this ballad over a thousand times, I still shed tears. Superior is the greatest of the Great Lakes. While this ballad tells of one shipwreck, there are hundreds more in Superior and thousands among all of the Great Lakes. Each one carried a crew just like the Fitzgerald. I weep for them all.
This is that rare song that, when you hear it, you are compelled to stop what you're doing, and just sit and listen to the lyrics. That fantastic guitar break in between each verse, is soaring up, after the story told in the lyrics take you down. When it's over, its hard not to consider it the perfect piece of storytelling.
This song is perfection. The baseline at its lowest marks the end of a statement. The lead guitar tells of the pain. The drums come in at the right time. It is all so beautifully done. I’m from Minnesota so I remember it well.
I don’t know if you have reacted to any Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young songs, but Neil Young wrote an absolutely chilling song about the Kent State massacre. Right after it happened it David Crosby and Neil Young went there. There saw the memorials on campus and Neil went home and wrote the song Ohio. That song pulls at my heartstrings. It’s something I will never forget. I was in high school when that happened.
I always feel like the instrumentation feels like churning water. The guitar lick takes you up and down like waves, the bass is the urgency and danger, the drums and cymbals are the crashing water, and the high almost bell-like guitar note that rings out is the wind cutting through everything. It's evocative.
Apparently the recording was done in 1 take!
Vincent by Don McLean. It's a beautiful song about Vincent VanGogh.
Beautiful. Haunting. Heartbreaking. One of my absolute favorites. Great recommendation.
A song that grips you.
One of my favorite songs
I cry every time I hear this song. I'm a native Michigander and remember this day clearly. This song will keep the crew alive every time someone plays it.😢❤
when he died they rang the bell 30 times, 29 for the crew and once for Lightfoot. they gave him a hero's memorial and he deserves it for immortalizing this tragedy.
Lightfoot, Dion and Cameron. Three fine Canadian artists.
The verse that gives me chills--every time, since I first heard the song on the radio in 1976--is "Does anyone know where the love of God goes, when the waves turn the minutes to hours."
Love, love, LOVE Gordon Lightfoot. "If You Could Read My Mind" is another FABULOUS song by this artist, that and so many others. As for disaster ballads, another good one is "New York Mining Disaster 1941," the 1967 American debut hit single by the BeeGees, of all things. I thought they were a one-hit wonder. Silly me.
Superior never does give up her dead. After a certain depth it is too cold and there isnt enough oxygen in the water for normal decomposition to take place.
It is not only a great song lyric, it also adds depth and truth to the story.
Also, it’s deep enough not to mix with the surface weather which also contributes.
The first time I swam in Superior it was a hot summer day well into the 80s. I was accustomed to the summer temperatures of Lake Michigan. I screamed like a little girl.😂
I was looking for this comment before adding it myself. The whole ballad is incredibly somber and heartfelt but that line hits me hard because I’ve grown up on the lake and shake my head when people talk about how the lake without the respect it deserves…… and each year we have new graves built just off shore for the ones that forget this line
Gordon Lightfoot was a genuine troubador ❤ I've lived in Michigan my whole lfe. I was 20 yrs old when this happened. Its still a punch in the gut to all in the region.
The line that always get me is "Does anyone know where the love of God goes when the waves turns the minutes to hours" So profound - you can feel the desperation of the men trying to survive this storm.
The water in Superior is so cold and deep, that dead bodies sink and don't bloat and float back to the surface.
😳🥶🥺😭
"The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" is epic. Gordon's ability to immortalize this wreck was legend in its lyric and melodic pacing. The driving cadence is reminiscent to the listener of the (imagined) pitch, yaw, and roll of the ship being buffeted by the wind and swell of the waves. You almost feel yourself out on the water in the whip of the storm with the ship and crew, and the realization hitting home that the ship is in grave danger. I consider this to be Gordon's greatest song. Gordon, as a folk singer and writer, was exceptional at writing compelling lyric about significant events or life experiences.
One other folk singer, who sadly died too soon (airplane disaster) -- Stan Rogers - also wrote amazing songs about people, places and events. His songs about the demise of the fishing life in the Maritimes "Make and Break Harbour," and the immortal Franklin expedition "Northwest Passage" are stellar standouts. Definitely have a listen to him if you get the chance.
Your comment about having a wide scope of music is notable. The more music you listen to, and the less you confine yourself to a narrow range of musical style, the better off you are. Most songs have something of value to impart, whether in lyric, melody, or expression, and every listener is enriched by them and their outlook widened.
Thanks for your reaction. :)
In a community theatre in Northern California, I directed a play called 10 November. It was all about this wreck and all who lost their lives. The cast, crew and I did hours of research so we could best understand what happened that day and the men who died that cold, sudden and lonely death. Our last performance was on the 10th of November, and we were all feeling the power of the story. There were two people in the audience who had relatives on that ship. One who was ill and couldn't make the trip and he survived and another who lost her uncle to the lake. Th experience was haunting, and I will never forget it.
6:01 Its called A BALLAD. Still gives me chills after almost 50 years
I’m a white woman. I remember this. I walked home at 9 years old weeping.
We remember; the wives, the sons and the daughters.
The Edmunds Fitzgerald - I still weep.
For all ages... the sailor understands the risk of his voyage. Out there... you know... there is nothing... no one. No saving grace in the face of peril. The hardest man will humble himself before the power of the ocean. My first voyage, our ship left Pascagoula to run from an incoming hurricane. There was no way around it. Our ship tossed and pitched so violently, I watched 27 year veterans turn green, show real fear, and neglect duty. A crew of hundreds... and there were 18 of us still running the ship. The rest were sick or hiding. The Captain left the bridge to hide his sickness. I was the new guy taking lots of heat before that night. No one ever said a word again. When it was over... we cleaned up the puke and the mess, and to their credit, I never heard one man belittle another at his vulnerability during the storm. But every man knew who had and who had not proven their salt that night.
I have always loved this song. I grew up near the Great Lakes, so it resonated with me.
Another great story from Gordon Lightfoot is The Canadian Railroad Trilogy. Just like he got the cadence of the waves in this song, he gets the cadence of the train wheels on the tracks perfect as he tells the story of the building of the Canadian Pacific Railway, the first transcontinental rail in Canada. Lightfoot was commissioned to write something for the Canadian Centennial in 1967 and he chose the railroad which connects the country and the people who built it.
Yes!
Yes, another classic story. Great song
This is a real event. Let that sink in deeply... Those men lost their lives.