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Auburn Annie · 11-07-2003, 04:12 PM

Excerpted from SONGBOOK liner notes:

Gordon Lightfoot:
Master Craftsman of Popular Song
by Nicholas Jennings
"I Simply Write About Where I Am and Where I'm From"

Painfully shy and sometimes comically self-deprecating, the man responsible for such unforgettable songs as "Sundown," "If You Could Read My Mind," and "The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald" is more likely to point to Stephen Foster or Bob Dylan as a model composer than himself…. <snip> ….Lightfoot's lyrics, however, stuck with tried-and-true images and themes--and influences dating back to his boyhood. "Biscuit City," with the phrase "banjo in my hands," echoes Stephen Foster's famous "banjo on my knee" from "Oh! Susanna" (Lightfoot learned Foster's songs in school and remained a fan of his work).

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“I was at a concert in Edmonton shortly after the release of the Sit Down Young Stranger album (aka If You Could Read My Mind), which contains the "Song for Stephen Foster" ("Your Love's Return"). Before doing that song, Lightfoot sang several lines of Stephen Foster's "Beautiful Dreamer" a cappella, then commented on what a great songwriter Foster was.” (Roedy Black) 9/4/96 newsgroup posting

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INFLUENCES ON LIGHTFOOT =======================
Here is a list of some of the major influences on Lightfoot. While there are certainly other artists who had a lesser impact on him, these, based on comments from Lightfoot over the years, seem to be the people who had the greatest and most lasting effect. STEPHEN FOSTER

Foster of course is the famous 19th century American songwriter with songs to his credit such as "Swanee River", "Beautiful Dreamer", "Old Folks At Home", among others. Lightfoot and Foster share a romanticism and to quote Marco Adria from his book "Music Of Our Times" which has a chapter devoted to Lightfoot, "Lightfoot and Foster share a passion for taste, craftsmanship and the animation of song and folklore." Lightfoot claims the common bond between his songs and Foster's are the "simplicity and individual character of each melody. We all took Foster songs in school and some of that rubbed off on me. I was always a fan of Stephen Foster." There are even some direct parallels in Lightfoot's lyrics to Foster's: Lightfoot's "banjo in my hands" in "Biscuit City" to Foster's "banjo on my knee" from "Oh Susanna". "Biscuit City" in particular has been cited as a very Fosteresque song in both lyric and melody. Some other Lightfoot/Foster similarities include, quoting Adria, "Foster wrote for the commercial market, without abandoning his innate artistic standards, just as Lightfoot has done. John Howard's reference to Foster in this regard applies equally to Lightfoot: 'The market never soiled Foster's work - it merely gave him a voice that could be understood.' Second, for Lightfoot and Foster alike, the autobiographical component is present in the songs, although most autobiographical detail is disguised or transformed by the exigencies of the well-made song. Third, both Lightfoot and foster share a poetic stance of romanticism. In Foster's songs this is made clear in the expressions of longing (Old Folks At Home) and sensual imagery (Jeannie With The Light Brown Hair). In Lightfoot's work, romanticism is most evident in the contemplations of the Canadian wilderness, although the wilderness Lightfoot celebrates is not one that remains untouched by civilisation. For him, the romanticism of the wilderness is complete only when man has imparted order to it, as the famous line from the "Canadian Railroad Trilogy" states: 'The green dark forest was too silent to be real.' Thus, it is not the Canadian prairies or Rockies that he praises, but the prairies and Rockies transformed by the steel rails. It is not the land that is noble, but the land sowed with the sweat and tears of the anonymous naavies. We can also see romanticism in the imaginative names for women he has created in his songs: Lavender, Cotton Jenny, Bitter Green, Sundown, Dream Street Rose, and Knotty Pine."

From Lightfoot FAQ Part III Section A (Wayne Francis) 7/1/98

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Sorry this is so long, folks.

[This message has been edited by Auburn Annie (edited November 07, 2003).]

11-07-2003, 04:12 PM	#6
Auburn Annie Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Upstate New York Posts: 3,101	Excerpted from SONGBOOK liner notes: Gordon Lightfoot: Master Craftsman of Popular Song by Nicholas Jennings "I Simply Write About Where I Am and Where I'm From" Painfully shy and sometimes comically self-deprecating, the man responsible for such unforgettable songs as "Sundown," "If You Could Read My Mind," and "The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald" is more likely to point to Stephen Foster or Bob Dylan as a model composer than himself…. <snip> ….Lightfoot's lyrics, however, stuck with tried-and-true images and themes--and influences dating back to his boyhood. "Biscuit City," with the phrase "banjo in my hands," echoes Stephen Foster's famous "banjo on my knee" from "Oh! Susanna" (Lightfoot learned Foster's songs in school and remained a fan of his work). ************************************************ ************************************ “I was at a concert in Edmonton shortly after the release of the Sit Down Young Stranger album (aka If You Could Read My Mind), which contains the "Song for Stephen Foster" ("Your Love's Return"). Before doing that song, Lightfoot sang several lines of Stephen Foster's "Beautiful Dreamer" a cappella, then commented on what a great songwriter Foster was.” (Roedy Black) 9/4/96 newsgroup posting ********************************************** ******************** INFLUENCES ON LIGHTFOOT ======================= Here is a list of some of the major influences on Lightfoot. While there are certainly other artists who had a lesser impact on him, these, based on comments from Lightfoot over the years, seem to be the people who had the greatest and most lasting effect. STEPHEN FOSTER Foster of course is the famous 19th century American songwriter with songs to his credit such as "Swanee River", "Beautiful Dreamer", "Old Folks At Home", among others. Lightfoot and Foster share a romanticism and to quote Marco Adria from his book "Music Of Our Times" which has a chapter devoted to Lightfoot, "Lightfoot and Foster share a passion for taste, craftsmanship and the animation of song and folklore." Lightfoot claims the common bond between his songs and Foster's are the "simplicity and individual character of each melody. We all took Foster songs in school and some of that rubbed off on me. I was always a fan of Stephen Foster." There are even some direct parallels in Lightfoot's lyrics to Foster's: Lightfoot's "banjo in my hands" in "Biscuit City" to Foster's "banjo on my knee" from "Oh Susanna". "Biscuit City" in particular has been cited as a very Fosteresque song in both lyric and melody. Some other Lightfoot/Foster similarities include, quoting Adria, "Foster wrote for the commercial market, without abandoning his innate artistic standards, just as Lightfoot has done. John Howard's reference to Foster in this regard applies equally to Lightfoot: 'The market never soiled Foster's work - it merely gave him a voice that could be understood.' Second, for Lightfoot and Foster alike, the autobiographical component is present in the songs, although most autobiographical detail is disguised or transformed by the exigencies of the well-made song. Third, both Lightfoot and foster share a poetic stance of romanticism. In Foster's songs this is made clear in the expressions of longing (Old Folks At Home) and sensual imagery (Jeannie With The Light Brown Hair). In Lightfoot's work, romanticism is most evident in the contemplations of the Canadian wilderness, although the wilderness Lightfoot celebrates is not one that remains untouched by civilisation. For him, the romanticism of the wilderness is complete only when man has imparted order to it, as the famous line from the "Canadian Railroad Trilogy" states: 'The green dark forest was too silent to be real.' Thus, it is not the Canadian prairies or Rockies that he praises, but the prairies and Rockies transformed by the steel rails. It is not the land that is noble, but the land sowed with the sweat and tears of the anonymous naavies. We can also see romanticism in the imaginative names for women he has created in his songs: Lavender, Cotton Jenny, Bitter Green, Sundown, Dream Street Rose, and Knotty Pine." From Lightfoot FAQ Part III Section A (Wayne Francis) 7/1/98 ######################################### Sorry this is so long, folks. [This message has been edited by Auburn Annie (edited November 07, 2003).]