List your favorite songs (all of them) in descending order from IYCRMM. This one's a real gut-wrencher! Here's my list:

1. IYCRMM
2. Minstrel of the Dawn
3. Me and Bobby McGee
4. Your Love's Return
5. Saturday Clothes
6. The Pony Man
7. Poor Little Allison
8. Approaching Lavender
9. Baby It's Alright
10. Sit Down Young Stranger
11. Cobwebs & Dust

[ March 05, 2006, 19:15: Message edited by: marc in maine ]

IYCRMM
Sit Down Young Stranger
Approaching Lavender
Saturday Clothes
The Pony Man
Baby It's Alright
Your Love's Return
Cobwebs & Dust
Me and Bobby
Poor Little Allison
Minstrel of the Dawn

[ March 05, 2006, 10:36: Message edited by: brink- ]

Baby It's Alright.

IYCRMM
Minstrel of the Dawn
Approaching Lavender
Sit Down Young Stranger
Poor Little Allison
Baby It's Alright
The Pony Man
Saturday Clothes
Your Love's Return
Me and Bobby
Cobwebs and Dust

[ March 07, 2006, 20:32: Message edited by: spanishmoss ]

IYCRMM
Mnstrel of the Dawn
Approaching Lavender
Cobwebs and Dust
Baby It's Alright (oops. forgot this one...)
Sit Down Young Stranger
The Pony Man
Me and Bobby
Your Love's Return
Saturday Clothes
Poor Little Allison

[ March 09, 2006, 19:57: Message edited by: LSH ]

IYCRMM
Saturday Clothes
Your Love's Return
Minstrel of the Dawn
Sit Down Young Stranger
Baby It's Alright
Approaching Lavender
The Pony Man
Cobwebs and Dust
Poor Little Allison
Me and Bobby... (NEVER liked this song)

[ March 05, 2006, 03:39: Message edited by: Sheryl ]

In order of most to least (but not dislike or hate.)

If You Could Read My Mind

Sit Down Young Stranger

Your Love's Return

The Pony Man

Saturday Clothes

Baby,It's Alright

Approaching Lavender

Me & Bobby McGee

Minstrel Of The Dawn

Cobwebs & Dust

Poor Little Allison (Not that crazy about it,but it's "nice". ) ;) he should've gone w/ the unreleased "Too Much to Lose",a much better tune.

If we can get two more lists from two others I'll do a song "ranking" of what we have so far.

Everyone except Borderstone missed Baby It's Alright. Let's re-rank, folks!

I didn't notice that! :eek: How can ya forget that song? It's way cool! :cool:

By the way,Brink didn't forget it either. ;) I'd count Touhy's but he only picked that one song.

B! I went back and edited it. I did forget it. lol You were the best on this one!

Awww...thank you. :redface: You just live to make me blush...don'tcha? :D

Umm, you forgot the song that comes BEFORE IYCRMM, Baby It's Alright!!

Oops, I'm the new guy, AY!

IYCRMM
Minstrel of the Dawn
Approaching Lavender
Sit Down Young Stranger
The Pony Man
Poor Little Allison
Baby, It's Alright
Your Love's Return
Saturday Clothes
Me and Bobby McGee
Cobwebs and Dust

1. Baby It's Alright
2. Poor Little Allison
3. The Pony Man
4. If You Could Read My Mind
5. Saturday Night Clothes
6. Me & Bobby McGee
7. Minstrel Of The Dawn
8. Sit Down Young Stranger
9. Approaching Lavender
10.Cobwebs & Dust
11.Your Loves Return.

[ March 07, 2006, 17:44: Message edited by: James Suber ]

Thanks y'all for y'alls cooperation. Here are the song rankings so far, based on the 1st eight lists:

1. IYCRMM.....................11 (no surprise)

2. Minstrel of the Dawn.......39

3. Sit Down Young Stranger....41

4. Approaching Lavender.......43

5. The Pony Man...............45

6. Baby It's Alright..........46

7. Saturday Clothes...........48

8. Your Loves Return..........54

9. Poor Little Allison........62

10. Me and Bobby McGee.........65

11. Cobwebs and Dust...........74

I missed this topic the first time around!

1. IYCRMM
2. Sit Down Young Stranger
3. Saturday Clothes
4. Your Love's Return
5. Approaching Lavendar
6. Minstrel of the Dawn
7. Baby It's Alright
8. Poor Little Allison
9. The Pony Man
10. Me and Bobby McGee
11. Cobwebs & Dust

Cobwebs & Dust seems like a children's sing-along to me; it gets a bit tiresome. I've never much liked Gord's version of Bobby McGee. The Pony Man has a nice melody, but I'm not too keen on kids' songs. The rest are top-notch.

I agree except for "Bobby McGee". Am I the only one who likes this version? It seems like a good porch song with all that clapping and tapping.

I too love Me and Bobby McGee. Frankly, I think people are (subconsciously) afraid to list it higher because they know Lightfoot didn't write it. It has always been one of my favorites from this album. I won't rank 1 to 11 because everything below 4 is really just a random number. My first four (in order) are Sit Down Young Stranger, Minstrel Of The Dawn, Me And Bobby McGee and If You Could Read My Mind. Heresy, I suppose, but that's the way I feel (pun intended).

I've listened to three versions of "Me and Bobby McGee": Kristofferson's is very slow and depressing to me. Joplin's is high strung and just plain bad. Lightfoot's is, well, light and friendly, which is certainly more enjoyable. Are there other popular versions you like?

[ January 13, 2007, 11:54: Message edited by: marc in maine ]

Could have some validity, but not true in my case. I ranked "On Susan's Floor" third when I ranked 'Don Quixote' songs--I love that song. Also, "Changes" is perhaps my second or third fave from the debut album. I think if there's any subconscious bias going on here, it has more to do with the fact that there's such a well-known, drastically different version that everyone knows, which is, of course, Joplin's version.

This is both difficult and interesting, because this was one hell of an album. What’s fascinating for me is to see how the songs are ranked by Lightfoot vets compared to newbie’s. Also, because this album was his first commercial success, it introduced many a fan to Lightfoot (I happen to go back to the beginning), it wouldn’t surprise me if “If You Could Read My Mind” (I hate that IYCRMM stuff) ranks No. 1 on most lists. Don’t forget the album was titled, “Sit Down Young Stranger.” Here’s my attempt at a rating:

1. Your Love’s Return
1. Sit Down Young Stranger
2. Saturday Clothes
2. If You Could Read My Mind
3. Minstrel Of the Dawn
4. Approaching Lavender
5. Cobwebs & Dust
6. The Pony Man
7. Me And Bobby McGee
8. Poor Little Allison
9. Baby It’s Allright

The ties are because I couldn’t make my mind up, and the first four songs are certainly interchangeable.

1. Sit Down Young Stranger
2. Poor Little Allison
3. Approaching Lavender
4. Baby It's Alright
5. Minstrel of the Dawn
6. IYCRMM
7. Cobwebs & Dust
8. Saturday Clothes
9. Your Love's Return
10. The Pony Man
11. Me and Bobby McGee

1.The Pony Man
2.Poor Little Allison
3.Your Love's Return
4.Saturday clothes
5.Approaching lavender
6.Me & Bobby McGee
7.Minstrel of the dawn
8.If you could read my mind
9.Sit down young stranger
10.Cobwebs & dust

RenoRick, you forgot "Baby It's Alright."

You're right. I'd put "Baby it's allright" at #10, then "Cobwebs & Dust" at #11.By the way, the reason I ranked IYCRMM at #8 is because, I don't understand some of the lyrics,which are obscure.

1 Saturday Clothes
2 Cobwebs and Dust
3 Poor Little Allison
4 Minstrel of the Dawn
5 Sit Down Young Stranger
6 The Pony Man
8 Approaching Lavender
9 If You Could Read My Mind
10 Me And Bobby McGee

Daylight Matty, you also forgot "Baby It's Alright"! That must be a pretty forgettable song!

On the contrary, I wouldn't be surprised if he had it stuck in his head at the same time he is posting this. :redface: Yet he still forgets it. (That's how I am sometimes) :D

whoops! I did forget. I think I'll put Baby, It's Alright at #6 and move the rest down. Thanks W Claw and Shutup and deal.

I don't rank "Me and Bobby McGee" higher,simply for the fact that I like the more "romantic" ones just a bit better but,as always,not by much.

"Poor Little Allison" is ranked in a definete way. For some reason,it just really doesn't hold my intrest too well. *shrug*

1. IYCRMM
2. Minstrel of the Dawn
3. Pony Man
4. Approaching Lavendar
5. Poor Little Allison
6. Baby Its Alright
7. Sit Down Young Stranger
8. Saturday Clothes
9. Your Love's Return
10. Me and Bobby Magee
11. Cobwebs and Dust

About time I put my two cents in.
1. IYCRMM
2. Your Love's Return
3. Minstrel of the Dawn
4. Pony Man
5. Cobwebs and Dust
6. Approaching Lavender
7. SDYS
8. Saturday Clothes
9. Poor Little Allison
10. Baby It's Alright
11. Me and Bobby McGee

A few comments:
1) I first heard IYCRMM when I was not yet 17; I still remember where I was--in a car (1960 Ford Falcon) with a bunch of other kids my age, including, to my left, a girl that I was hoping to have some fun with. When the song came on the radio, I was enraptured, and told the girl to shut up so I could listen. How many times would that happen to a hormonal teenager--to pick a song over a girl? That must have been some song...
2) I imagine that some think that Love's Return is just a little too mushy, with all the strings, but have you ever heard a more beautiful melody? Has Red Shea ever been in better form? Listen to it a few times in a row, and it just gets better.
3) A couple of years ago, the Rez and I batted this song around, when someone asked about the meaning of The Minstrel of the Dawn. You can look up the comments there if you're iterested.
4) Brings back all of the innocence of childhood; my girls used to love it when they were little.
5) Strange...GL's comments in the Songbook are nothing like my impressions of this song ("Breakup of a marriage due to a third person"..."very chauvinistic"). To me it just sounds like someone who's been isolated, whose life has stagnated, and is ready to give it all up to find true love.
6) Very sensual.
7) Fine song, perhaps a little dated now.
8-11) Nothing wrong with any of these songs; it's just that the others are so strong that they pale in comparison. "Allison" is, I'm sure, someone we all knew in high school. "Baby It's Alright" is OK; I like the verse "Your hair is all atangle, your thoughts are all astray". I was never really grabbed by "Bobby McGee"; I find Joplin's version a bit obnoxious (more like the presentation was more important than the song itself), and the ending ("I call him my lover, etc.") just nonsensical in the context of the song. GL's version is lightly melancholy, but he doesn't seem to be putting himself into it--maybe just because the song isn't his.
I'll shut up now.
DQ