Legendary Canadian Songwriter Gordon Lightfoot Dies at 84

Canada’s favorite son, Gordon Lightfoot, was one of the greatest singer-songwriters to come out of the 1970s…and that’s saying something. His name, along with the likes of Paul Simon, Jackson Browne, Carole King, Elton John, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, James Taylor, David Bowie, Randy Newman, Cat Stevens, Billy Joel…whew!…will always be on the list of those artists who became famous in what is arguably the greatest decade in history for producing legendary songwriters.

Born on November 17, 1938, in Orillia, Ontario, Lightfoot began his musical journey at an early age, playing guitar and singing in local clubs and coffeehouses.

In the early 1960s, Lightfoot moved to Toronto and began performing in folk clubs and cafes, where he quickly gained a reputation for his songwriting skills and distinctive voice. In 1964, he released his first album, Lightfoot!, which featured the hit single “Remember Me (I’m the One).”

Mr. Lightfoot, a fast-rising star in Canada in the early 1960s, broke through to international success when his friends and fellow Canadians Ian and Sylvia Tyson recorded two of his songs, “Early Morning Rain” and “For Lovin’ Me.”

When Peter, Paul and Mary came out with their own versions of those songs — their “For Lovin’ Me” was a Top 40 hit — and Marty Robbins reached the top of the country charts with Mr. Lightfoot’s “Ribbon of Darkness,” Mr. Lightfoot’s reputation soared. Overnight, he joined the ranks of songwriters like Bob Dylan, Phil Ochs and Tom Paxton, all of whom influenced his style.

NY Times

Folk music declined in popularity in the mid-sixties with the onslaught of the British Invasion. Perhaps to broaden his audience beyond the folk scene, his songs became more aimed at the Adult Contemporary market which included folk music but also pop and light rock.

Inspired by the break-up of his first marriage, Lightfoot released the haunting “If You Could Read My Mind” in 1970. The song reached #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1971. (Barbra Streisand, Johnny Mathis, Johnny Cash and numerous others have covered “If You Could Read My Mind.”)

Lightfoot’s biggest hit, and the only #1 song of his career, “Sundown,” brought him new fame and worldwide acclaim.

Then came “Sundown” in 1974. The song, about a failing relationship, reached No. 1 on two Billboard charts. Twelve years later, Cathy Smith, the song’s unnamed subject, pleaded no contest to injecting comedian John Belushi with a fatal dose of heroin and cocaine in Hollywood in 1982 and served 15 months in prison…I wrote “Sundown” using just three chords. Once I had the melody, the lyrics came pretty quickly. Songs have way of pulling themselves forward. Given the jealousy and emotional trauma I felt, I knew my relationship with Cathy was in trouble.

WSJ.com

Despite the fame garnered by the genre-crossing hit “Sundown,” Lightfoot is perhaps best known for the classic folk ballad, “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald,” a (more than six minutes long!) poetic account of the sinking of an iron-ore carrier in Lake Superior in 1975, which resulted in the loss of all 29 crew members. In a 2010 interview with Connect Savannah, Lightfoot claimed “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” was the song he was most proud of.

Robbie Robertson of the Band described Lightfoot as “a national treasure”. Bob Dylan, also a Lightfoot fan, called him one of his favorite songwriters and 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…. 

Wikipedia

Gordon Lightfoot was toured incessantly right up until the time he died (he had almost died once before and even collapsed on stage).

In mid-April 2023, Lightfoot’s declining health caused him to cancel the remainder of his 2023 tour. He died of natural causes at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto on May 1, 2023. He was 84 years old.

Gordon Lightfoot’s unmistakable baritone voice will be greatly missed by his fans, although his memorable and heart-touching songs, such as “Early Morning Rain,” which was covered many times by such diverse artists as Elvis Presley, Peter, Paul and Mary and Neil Young, will live on forever.

Gordon Lightfoot Performing Sundown on The Midnight Special