AWholeLottaGold
GordVille
When we are at my Dad's place over on the Island for Father's Day I (temporarily, promise!) swiped a reasonably recent Gordon Lightfoot biography by Canadian music chronicologist Nicholas Jennings.
It's a straight-up, rapid fire telling of the guy's life that doesn't go that deep, which is understandable given how close Lightfoot kept everything to his chest.
But I did learn a thing of twenty, including how much differently Lightfoot wrote his autobiographical songs, which were all brush strokes and spontaneously prosed, compared to his historical story songs that were meticulously researched and worked over, sometimes even after they were recorded*.
And then there is the fact that, after he cut Albert Grossman loose, Lightfoot pretty much controlled everything, including his publishing and his touring, via his Early Morning Productions.
Which brings us to 'Early Morning Rain', a tune that has been covered on the order 300 times, which must of kept, and likely still is keeping, the cash register ringing.
Now, you likely recall the Ian and Sylvia, and the Peter, Paul and Mary versions of Rain, but who knew that a little hippy band from San Francisco called the Warlocks also recorded it in 1965 before they became The Grateful Dead (see above).
Heckfire, a few years later even Frank Sinatra came calling looking a little of that old Lightfoot magic.
Lightfoot gave Sinatra 'If You Could Read My Mind' and the Chairman Of The Board was all set to record it after it had first been re-arranged into a semi-swinging 'Summer Windian' - type thing backed with an orchestra.
But then, as the orchestra started to play, Sinatra threw the lead sheets on the floor and exclaimed:
When we are at my Dad's place over on the Island for Father's Day I (temporarily, promise!) swiped a reasonably recent Gordon Lightfoot biography by Canadian music chronicologist Nicholas Jennings.
It's a straight-up, rapid fire telling of the guy's life that doesn't go that deep, which is understandable given how close Lightfoot kept everything to his chest.
But I did learn a thing of twenty, including how much differently Lightfoot wrote his autobiographical songs, which were all brush strokes and spontaneously prosed, compared to his historical story songs that were meticulously researched and worked over, sometimes even after they were recorded*.
And then there is the fact that, after he cut Albert Grossman loose, Lightfoot pretty much controlled everything, including his publishing and his touring, via his Early Morning Productions.
Which brings us to 'Early Morning Rain', a tune that has been covered on the order 300 times, which must of kept, and likely still is keeping, the cash register ringing.
Now, you likely recall the Ian and Sylvia, and the Peter, Paul and Mary versions of Rain, but who knew that a little hippy band from San Francisco called the Warlocks also recorded it in 1965 before they became The Grateful Dead (see above).
Heckfire, a few years later even Frank Sinatra came calling looking a little of that old Lightfoot magic.
Lightfoot gave Sinatra 'If You Could Read My Mind' and the Chairman Of The Board was all set to record it after it had first been re-arranged into a semi-swinging 'Summer Windian' - type thing backed with an orchestra.
But then, as the orchestra started to play, Sinatra threw the lead sheets on the floor and exclaimed:
'Forget it. I can't sing this. There's too many words.'
Imagine that!
______
In addition to Dylan, whom Lightfoot had a weird passive/aggressive relationship with, even Elvis recorded 'Early Morning Rain' and was still performing it in the summer of 1977 shortly before he left the building for good...
As for an historical story song that was lyrically modified after the fact...Late in his life Lightfoot changed 'The Wreck of the Edmond Fitzgerald' to make it clear that it was more likely a rogue wave, and not a hatch left unsecured by the crew that led to the ship's demise.
______
In addition to Dylan, whom Lightfoot had a weird passive/aggressive relationship with, even Elvis recorded 'Early Morning Rain' and was still performing it in the summer of 1977 shortly before he left the building for good...
As for an historical story song that was lyrically modified after the fact...Late in his life Lightfoot changed 'The Wreck of the Edmond Fitzgerald' to make it clear that it was more likely a rogue wave, and not a hatch left unsecured by the crew that led to the ship's demise.
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2 comments:
I know this cover. Good one. Bet they aren’t singing this in New York.
Chuck--
Sounds like a very good bet.
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