Gordon Lightfoot's impact

What follows are three recent comments from Canadian musicians about their memories of Gordon Lightfoot, as reported by the CBC.

"He had a way with words in that he wasn’t just writing songs, he was painting Canada."

Damhnait Doyle, singer/ host on the CBC Music radio network

"His voice... always gave a shade of melancholy to everything he sang. As much as he would try to do songs that were super happy, they always had, you always were wondering like, 'What’s behind all this?'..." -

Jim Cuddy, singer-songwriter

"Every time you drop a needle on one of his songs, one of his records, his voice is going to unleash a joy in your heart that you maybe forgot was there."

Tom Wilson, singer-songwriter

Bob Dylan once said of Lightfoot: "I can’t think of any Gordon Lightfoot song I don't like. Everytime I hear a song of his, it’s like I wish it would last forever ... Lightfoot became a mentor for a long time. I think he probably still is to this day." Dylan inducted Lightfoot into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame at the 1986 JUNO Awards, and described Lightfoot as "somebody of rare talent."

Dylan covered Lightfoot's "Shadows" at his Edmonton concert in 2012.

One year ago, the Bob Dylan Center officially opened in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It is also the home of the Bob Dylan Archive -- a treasure trove of items Dylan and others have collected during his life, which includes notebooks, song drafts, rare recordings, and photos.

Is it possible that one day the Gordon Lightfoot Centre and Gordon Lightfoot Archive will open in Orillia, the University of Toronto, or at another Ontario location?

But with Lightfoot's passing, what is needed (also) is a series of one-hour made-for-television episodes about his life and music, similar to the long-form style of filmmaker Ken Burns, whose in depth documentaries appear on PBS. Episodes could comprise of (Lightfoot’s) early Years and career beginnings, as well as the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s and 2000s. The CBC Radio and Television archives probably contain hundreds of hours of Lightfoot material.

Nicholas Jennings is one of Canada's most respected music journalists. In 2017, his definitive biography of "Lightfoot" was published. Earlier this month, in an interview, he said "... it was kind of a fast and reckless life he [Lightfoot] lived for a number of years when he was really at the top of the charts internationally, and... it took its toll on him... He spent the rest of his years, once he, through sheer force of will, was able to quit drinking, quit smoking, and clean up his act. He spent the rest of his days trying to make amends. I mean he put it in a very unusual phrase he used which was, he was in a state of redemption or state of repentance, because he really did see it that way, that he... was guilty of these misdeeds and he wanted to make it up to the people in his life...."

Jennings also wrote the liner notes for Gordon Lightfoot: Songbook in 2016, 88 songs covering Lightfoot's entire career, including 18 that are rare or previously unreleased. One of them is "Forgive Me Lord". The lyrics include:

"Make my world a better place to be
Remove these chains and set me free
Give my face a different point of view
Forgive us Lord if we run to you"

Lightfoot did three interviews with host George Stroumboulopoulos, in 2008, 2011, 2015. Here's a short excerpt from the 2015 interview.

Stroumboulopoulos: "Are you a reflective man? Do you think about the life you've led?"

Lightfoot: "Do I ever! Yeah, I do. I regret some things. I've been in a state of repentance for a long time now."

Stroumboulopoulos: "How's that feel?"

Lightfoot: "It feels good. It's felt better, sometimes it hasn't. At other times... but right now it feels pretty good. It's been better, but right now it's pretty good."

"Race Among the Ruins" is the opening track on Lightfoot's 1976 album, Summertime Dream.

He ran with endurance the race marked out for him, and finished well.

Rest in peace, Gordon Lightfoot.

David Buckna, Kelowna