posted July 29, 2000 08:49         

"If you ever thurn that page again
And you need a friend
If you ask me I'll tag along."

posted July 29, 2000 09:49            

I can't agree with you more. That is one of my all-time favorites.

posted July 29, 2000 13:16           

When I was growing up in Central Kansas, there was a man who lived in my little town, everyone called him Pony Man Jack. He ran the pony rides at all the local events. None of Pony Man Jack's ponies ever flew, nor did jack ever hoop and holler at Mr. Moon's front door, but in the children's minds... well who's to say?

Gordon Lightfoot has many songs that invade the adult heart and mind, many of them perhaps hit too many still raw nerves to be my favorite. So I choose one that affirms the child that still lives in all of us. Even those of us who have grown into fine cynics of our age.

posted July 29, 2000 17:53            

I think I mentioned in one of my posts that Gord announced at a concert I attended in March that House You Live In was his mother's all-time favorite. He then added somberly, "She's gone now." He then paused, turned to the band and said, "So why the hell are we doing it?" LOL

Great song.

posted August 28, 2000 18:49           

My favorite Gordon Lightfoot song is one he definitely wrote, but I am not sure he ever recorded himself:

"Weeping Willows, Cattails" was recorded by Jane Olivor on her Colombia Records album "The Best Side of Goodbye" in the late seventies. The lyrics are exquisite and the melody fluid and dreamlike.

posted August 28, 2000 23:32            

As for the original topic..."Spanish Moss",
or "Triangle" for the way they make me feel.
I leave earth during both of those songs.
I've been listening to "Bells of The Evening"
and "Fine as Fine Can Be" a lot lately too.

posted August 29, 2000 23:02           

Yes, I agree, she has a tremendous voice! I am eager to see her again soon here in LA. I've been in touch with her assistant--she's touring a limited amount, mostly on the east coast lately. No albums likely soon :-(

quote:

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Originally posted by charlene:
The song title is "Pussy Willows, Cattails".
I haven't heard that name (Jane Olivor) for ages. What a tremendous voice!
Char

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posted August 30, 2000 22:01            

Charlene???

posted August 31, 2000 00:02            

it rings a bell..I have a couple of old cassettes of hers in a box somewhere and I think J.M. might be on one of them. He is so lovely to listen to.
Char

posted October 09, 2000 03:25            

Greetings to his fans!!
<S>
Maria

posted October 15, 2000 22:47           

quote:

---

Originally posted by NewRhythm:
Hello!
I would say "Softly" has been my fav. for a while. Although I'm not the cheatin' kind I can almost picture what she looks like. I can visualize the whole song as if it were real. I can almost see her lips in the shadows and that perfume.....Not many songs can yank you into a dreamworld. This one does it for me. The other one I like is "Beautiful" which I attempt to sing to my wife!

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posted October 23, 2000 21:41           

But I've gotta say, after watching the CBC version of the Reno concert, I got goosebumps hearing only one song: "Restless." He played that at his Grand Forks, N.D., concert a few years ago, and I had a similar reaction. I was extremely fortunate to meet him after the concert, and I asked him where he came up with the inspiration for "Restless." He said he couldn't say for sure offhand, couldn't really explain it. It just came out a good tune. I thought he was being modest. I told Gord I had virtually every album he'd made, and had just purchased the United Artists compilation. He groaned...but then seemed genuinely grateful when I told him how much I liked "Restless," "I'll Tag Along" and a few other newer songs.

posted November 11, 2000 09:52           

Is it simply about GL's relationship with a woman... or is there a deeper meaning?

posted November 17, 2000 18:04           

You see, this song is especially meaningful to me because my ancestors were all Canadians and most of them were railroaders. My great-great-grandfather, great-grandfather, grandfather and several uncles were railroaders -- some on the Canadian National and others on the Canadian Pacific. As a child, I remember taking the train to go see Grandma and Grandpa in Gananoque (Ont.) in the late 1940's and early 1950's. Grandpa, who had retired as an engineer from the Canadian National, had lots of stories and old pictures that could keep a small boy fascinated for hours on end. Plus, this was when steam locomotives were still in operation and he'd take me down to the roundhouse to see the smoking giants. Years later, I too would become involved with railroading, and even lived out a boyhood dream by actually getting to run a train!

posted November 24, 2000 10:41         

I have many favorites, as my father (who went to Highschool with Lightfoot) would listen to him all the time, and would very often point out to me where and why Gord wrote the song. For example, he'd say to me... "Gord wrote this one about Marchmount." Which is a small community outside of Orillia.

I can remember being little and hearing the song "You are what I am" comming from dads old cassette player when he would be working in the basement on his day off.

I guess it's hard to say what my exact favorite one is, as I love so many for so many different reasons, but I like Summer Side Side of Life, Go, go round and I'd do it again.

Gordon truly is the best thing that ever came out of Orillia... It's just too bad that here he gets overshadowed by Stephen Leacock and stuff. It's really a shame, and I wished our City council would start a museam or something.... Heck, they even took down the signs "Home of Gordon Lightfoot" as you are coming into town.

Sad.

But in my mind, Gordon is the best folk singer to step into the spotlight.

posted November 24, 2000 19:27         

Well, Orillia is quite a strange place... I don't understand why they are as backwards as they are. From what I've been told there is about 10 families with "All the money" and they control what goes on... It took 2 generations to change the "Tourist and retirement town" stature the town started to create just after WWII. But hey, it's where I live.

The city put up new signs about a year and a half ago, and I haven't seen the "Home of Gordon Lightfoot" Signs since.

Here is the Orillia City website, and it looks to me as if it's the one city council has put up.
http://www.city.orillia.on.ca/

I don't know why Gord always seems to take a backseat to others from Orillia, although in the past 5 - 10 years he's got a hiking trail named after him, as well as a small auditorium in the Opera House.

Heck when he helped finace a hockey rink here about 25 years ago, all they did was put up a picture and small plaque saying that he helped them out...

But as soon as Brian Orser (He's not even from Orillia, just practiced there) won silver for figure skating at the Olympics, they renamed the same rink "The Brian Orser Arena"

Orillia is definatly strange... As I said before, I'd love to see a Gordon Lightfoot Museum or even a Statue...

If you all start a petition, I'll sign it. I think it's a shame on how they treat him myself.

At anyrate, I don't mind taking pictures for people to scan in, but Orillia is now under about 6 - 8 inches of snow. I think you'd like pictures better from the summer.

But I'm on my way to Orillia, to my parents place tonight, as soon as I post this here. I'll see if my Dad has any good pictures of Orillia, Or the Mill at Marchmount, or Coldwater... (All the surrounding areas)

Problem is, is that I don't have a scanner. Also too, I would just like to tell the webmaster that I like is trivia page. I only scored 9, but I had to laugh, cause I did better than my Dad.

At anyrate I have really hard question for people.... I don't know if the webmaster wants to post it or not, but if he does, I can send it to him.

I might be able to come up with a highschool picture of Gord if I can get access to a scanner.

At anyrate, I'm off, and let me know if you start a petition, I'll gladly sign, and can even "Hand deliver" it to the mayor or bring it up at a City Hall meeting, (which is televised locally) if we get enough names.

posted November 25, 2000 02:42            

I am glad to hear you liked the quiz. It's been a longterm project for me to update this section, so please send me the "tricky" questions you have. Just make sure you include the correct answer

Hi Charlene,