This is one of the most beautiful songs ever written. "The hero would be me. But heroes often fail. But you won't read that book again because the ending's just too hard to take." "S" tier for me. You'll get there in about 20 years.
@juliayankey7777
Жыл бұрын
That line is a knife to the heart. But in the best way
@markstoudenmire4935
Жыл бұрын
Yeah, that line gets to me every time.
@Wolverines77
Жыл бұрын
S+ for me...
@dakotaslim
Жыл бұрын
Exactly. I was in high school when this came out. It was a good song, but nothing else. Now I can't listen to it without tearing up. Andy and Alex are still young enough that, on some level, they believe that they will always be the hero that will not fail. Right now, the "ghost that can't be seen" is the layered and devastating nuance of the lyrics. A & A "don't get it". But they're not supposed to at this point. They need to accumulate some scar tissue. They should listen to this song every 5 years. There are so many incisive insights into the human condition in this 3 minute song that it could have been written by Shakespeare.
@trevortamboline279
Жыл бұрын
Couldn't have articulated it better.
@wjc780114
Жыл бұрын
This is an S tier song all day long in my opinion. This song is about Gord’s divorce from his first wife and the part you don’t understand about the ghost and castle and chains is explained quite well here in this analysis from SongMeaning. FROM SONG MEANING: This song makes me cry when I hear it. It reminds me of when I was a kid, and couldn't understand it. And now that I'm older and have lived this song, it resonates so much with me. There's so much in this song that it's hard to break down. But here's how I see it. "If you could read my mind, love What a tale my thoughts could tell Just like an old time movie 'Bout a ghost from a wishing well In a castle dark, or a fortress strong With chains upon my feet, you know that ghost is me And I will never be set free As long as I'm a ghost that you can't see." This verse describes what is going on in the man’s mind, feeling trapped and invisible, not sure how to mend the relationship or make his feelings known. The figurative chains on his feet keep him from both expressing his feelings and from leaving … he feels powerless. He wishes she could read his mind -- hence the song title -- because that would be the only way for her to really see how he feels. The second verse, "If I could read your mind, love, what a tale your thoughts could tell Just like a paperback novel, the kind the drugstores sell When you reach the part where the heartaches come The hero would be me, but heroes often fail And you won't read that book again because the ending's just too hard to take." describes the woman's mind, like a romance novel or a fairy tale - dreaming of the knight in shining armor she hopes for her love to be. He realizes that she wanted for him to be the hero, the knight in shining armor … but he failed. And now she won’t come back to him because it is too painful and she already knows how it will turn out. "I'd walk away like a movie star who gets burned in a three way script, Enter number two A movie queen to play the scene Of bringing all the good things out in me But for now, love, let's be real I never thought I could act this way And I've got to say that I just don't get it I don't know where we went wrong but the feeling's gone And I just can't get it back." Here, he describes the end of the paperback novel and what was simultaneously occurring in his mind. His pride (as the movie star) makes him want to walk away rather than compromise or communicate. He thinks that there's some other woman out there who will bring out all the good things in him, and he won't have to work on the relationship or deal with arguments. In "escaping" from the relationship and the chains upon his feet, he is expecting to find the perfect relationship to take its place, but realizes this is unrealistic and can’t figure out why he thinks this way. The last verse, "If you could read my mind, love, what a tale my thoughts could tell Just like an old time movie, 'bout a ghost from a wishing well In a castle dark or a fortress strong with chains upon my feet But stories always end And if you read between the lines, you'll know that I'm just trying to understand The feelings that you lack I never thought I could feel this way and I've got to say that I just don't get it I don't know where we went wrong but the feeling's gone and I just can't get it back." Relationships, like stories, come to an end. He uses an interesting tactic to show the abrupt end - unlike the first verse where he finishes the thought, he interrupts the verse to say “but stories always end.” He can’t understand how she doesn’t care anymore, in the powerful line, " And if you read between the lines, you'll know that I'm just trying to understand the feelings that you lack." This is oh so representative of the lack of clear communication in so many relationships. We sit there, feeling so many things that we just can't express. And we wish that the other person could just read our mind and understand us. But our pride gets in the way. And we are silent. Then those feelings gradually fade and we can't understand where they went or how our relationship went wrong.
@cosybully
Жыл бұрын
Thank you for taking the time to explain this song in such detail.
@adrianstevens2146
Жыл бұрын
Thank you as well, that was very enlightening. It helped me to understand the lyrics in a new way.
@davewagner7280
Жыл бұрын
Epic analysis
@danielkelleher2419
Жыл бұрын
Great song that resonates more as you go through life! One of the great breakup songs! An all timer!
@truthteller9681
Жыл бұрын
The 60’s and 70’s produced the best songwriters! Great music with lyrics that paint a picture!
@salinagrrrl69
Жыл бұрын
Its a forgottem art like cursive writting.
@chrisdelisle3954
Жыл бұрын
If you haven't done it, yet, the next song would be "Carefree Highway."
@Flowerchick1967-tq1vn
Жыл бұрын
Still brings me to tears every time I hear it.
@RyneMurray23
Жыл бұрын
I get chills when I listen to or play this tune on my guitar. You need to hit his song "beautiful" next❤️👍🏼
@joelds1751
Жыл бұрын
My favorite from Gordon. Think I was 10 when it came out on the radio, would listen after my mom put me to bed. Ah, the wonder years.
@urbangrouse
Жыл бұрын
Such a beautiful song, and such a great storyteller! And speaking of stories, next one you should hit is The Canadian Railroad Trilogy... epic! Cheers!
@fleurdelis2976
Жыл бұрын
This is an amazingly beautiful song. It’s S Tier in my opinion. We lost one of the greats. RIP Mr Lighfoot. Thank for sharing your amazing talent with us.
@1jamyc
Жыл бұрын
Just noticed while listening this time - about the absolute finality of the emotion. The end of the song really represents the emotion of what hes singing about. The last 10 seconds "... but the feeling's gone, and I just can't get it back" then a few chords , then OUT! no fades, no endless repeating the chorus, no big buildup - -it just ENDS!!! Thats how you write a song, kids!
@hunterharrell7491
Жыл бұрын
Another song of his that is very complex lyrically and very unique both lyrically and instrumentally is "Seven Island Suite" definitely worth a listen!
@rockshot100
8 ай бұрын
Lyrics are beautiful. Not many songs at the time came remotely close. To ME, the melody sounds like a chain, or two lines moving in a gentle pace converging but still moving at the same pace sometimes apart, sometimes crossing. Hard to explain, but graceful.
@eepruls
Жыл бұрын
This is such an amazing song. A classic.
@SaverioP
Жыл бұрын
This song always gave me such melancholy feelings. Beautiful song, but difficult to listen to for me.
@kimmorris6801
Жыл бұрын
He cannot get the love and friendship back, he’s a ghost to her and himself in a way. He’s lock away in his own hell 😢
@tkmoore6057
Жыл бұрын
The line “with chains upon my my feet” is the most profound, to me. So, even as a ghost, who could theoretically go anywhere, he’s still held back by the weight of the loss.
@jeremyshelman9716
Жыл бұрын
This was a respectful reaction, but I think this song is S tier. I don't think you really have lived with it long enough. It's a masterpiece.
@JFinSD2
Жыл бұрын
I agree that this song doesn't really hit you until you get into your late 30's/early 40's. I know when I first heard this song, I was probably about 15 and I liked it but I didn't really appreciate it until I was about 40..
@steveullrich7737
Жыл бұрын
Exactly an easy S-tier but you're probably right maturity and/or listening with the lyrics would help.
@deecal2001
Жыл бұрын
Always loved this song. But I can barely get through listening today. 25 yrs ago Was head over heels in love & he chose someone over me & there was nothing I could do. I’ve tried but never been able to feel that way again.
@Mike-ky9jz
Жыл бұрын
You can't always expect these young guys to know greatness when they hear it...🤷🤷
@ballyastrocade5672
Жыл бұрын
@@Mike-ky9jz Well, to be fair, a lot of young guys their age didn't "get it" back when it came out, either. Some songs just don't resonate as much when you're young and still have most of your life ahead of you; it's only when you start reaching the point where you're becoming aware that you have more life behind you than ahead of you that you understand what the song is really saying.
@steveturner3999
Жыл бұрын
One of the greatest songs ever written, sung and produced. Timeless. I’m 65 and I still get chills when I hear it.
@kathosborne3484
Жыл бұрын
Same
@waynebrown8513
Жыл бұрын
I’m 64. I remember the first time I heard this song was when it was first released back in 1971. My father was transferred to China Lake Naval weapons station in the Mohave desert. My family and I were driving to China Lake, from the bay area, crossing the desert at night. This song came on the radio. It was so beautiful. I rolled down the car window and looked up at the night sky. there were millions of bright stars against the pitch black sky. The song fit so beautifully with the star filled desert night. Its been a favorite of mine ever since.
@LadyIarConnacht
Жыл бұрын
One of my favorite things about hearing this song now is the way GL has preserved that vanishing accent and speaking style. It's haunting in its own right.
@fritty9927
Жыл бұрын
I’m 70 and it still brings me to tears.
@jeffcobb2734
Жыл бұрын
There is no denying that melody. Savage lyrics as well. Genius level stuff by Mr. Lightfoot.
@Lexy-O
Жыл бұрын
Well said
@johnfallon3525
3 ай бұрын
...and when the bass line comes in and ascends through the chord changes, while the story deepens...!
@billwaters7615
Жыл бұрын
Bob Dylan said Gordon Lightfoot never wrote a bad song.
@kbusby4824
Жыл бұрын
Bob Dylan is right.
@garyjohnson7133
Жыл бұрын
That is so true. His music is timeless!
@keithcarawan
Жыл бұрын
Great song! It has one of my favorite lyrics.. "and I will never be set free as long as I'm a ghost you can't see" Who hasn't felt invisible at some time in a relationship?
@blemons5
Жыл бұрын
If this isn’t an S tier song, idk what is. Absolute masterpiece of songwriting and just a great arrangement and vocal delivery on top of it
@cattlejax
Жыл бұрын
@thevoicesofrickwilkerson8612 So did Suck my Kiss...
@@frankmerris8821or in multiple listens. To me this song gets better everytime I hear it.
@robwarren6729
Жыл бұрын
Totally agree. Multiple listens reveal layers, I believe. A true masterpiece.
@frankmerris8821
Жыл бұрын
@@billherman7294 absolutely agree
@had64198
Жыл бұрын
Gordon Lightfoot is a Canadian treasure. RIP.
@ontheroad5317
Жыл бұрын
Oh sure, you want to keep Gordon Lightfoot, but you’re perfectly happy sending us Justin Bieber.
@The.Fake.Adam.Lulich
Жыл бұрын
@@ontheroad5317 Canadian's aren't stupid.
@ontheroad5317
Жыл бұрын
@@The.Fake.Adam.Lulich sneaky smart
@lynnschnekenburger7270
Жыл бұрын
He certainly is!!! Canada shines a little less brightly now. He stole our hearts many years ago and there he will always remain.💕
@humboldtharry1289
Жыл бұрын
He’s loved down here too. I was a youngster in the 70s when Gordon was played a lot on the radio. He is literally part of the soundtrack of my life.
@KipArmadillo
Жыл бұрын
This is one of those songs that just hits harder the older you get and the more heartache you've experienced.
@MovieGuy666
9 ай бұрын
exactly
@diamondeye75
7 ай бұрын
Preach
@razor3683
Жыл бұрын
The line “I don’t know where we went wrong, but the feeling’s gone and I just can’t get it back” kills every time. How anyone can hear that line and not tear up.
@leonardshevlin7260
Жыл бұрын
Like Carole King's "It's Too Late".
@caperboy1169
Жыл бұрын
It’s about his divorce
@winedrinker69
Жыл бұрын
Just did...and I'm happily married😢
@keepgrindingup7661
Жыл бұрын
😢😢😢😢😢... his command of lyrics on this song ... is second to none
@ChicagoDB
Жыл бұрын
Professor of Rock recently did a deep dive into the background to, and lyrics from this song…as they related directly to Gordon’s breakup. Rick Beato has also done two superb deep dives into the music/instrumentation. It’s a masterpiece…you will really understand the rest of the lyrics if you watch PoR’s lyric breakdown! kzitem.info/news/bejne/uIyYnqKgq5F1naw
@hughdalton7622
Жыл бұрын
One listen won't do it.
@stevenmix3723
Жыл бұрын
I loved Rick's reverential synopsis of Gordon and this song, along with Edmund Fitzgerald. It's nice to contrast his experienced ear with A&A's sometimes hyper-critical "I don't quite get it yet, but I will in later years" first time experience.
@EGSimon-ds1vf
Жыл бұрын
Thanks for the link and the suggestion. It was a great episode.
@brettk143
Жыл бұрын
I'm Canadian, heard this song all my life. Now after the end of a 33 year marriage it takes on a whole new meaning. Now it breaks me...
@margaretanscombe730
Жыл бұрын
I think that, like others have said, A and A need to live a bit longer and had their hearts really shattered at least once before they really “get” how sad a song this really is.
@harriotteworthington3147
Жыл бұрын
@brettk153 I know it’s hard to see into the future, but it will get better. I promise! 21 years together were traded for an 18 year old employee, who left him 3 months after our divorce had been finalized. It was a blessing in disguise…
@Martin.Wilson
Жыл бұрын
Now you're the ghost with chains around your feet. I've been there and my heart goes out to you
@LaserRanger15
Жыл бұрын
The James Taylor song "Used to be Her Town" still gets to me as it reminds me so much of my marriage ending. I totally get you.
@elisaabolafia9542
Жыл бұрын
So sorry Brett for your personal heartache. Try not to listen to this song too often. It gives me a lump in my throat everytime I hear it. Take care.
@aileenturrietta7553
Жыл бұрын
S tier for me because "yes" it got me through some pretty tough breakups. His soothing voice and lyrics just lets you cry it out!!. Still on my playlist like an old friend..
@deborahjesser2028
Ай бұрын
Memories
@darrenrouselle180
Жыл бұрын
Bob Dylans favourite singer/songwriter was Gordon Lightfoot and he also inducted Gord into the Canadian songwriter hall of fame. Gord was a legend in the music industry. Thanks for sharing this great song.
@taun856
Жыл бұрын
I wish the two had collaborated on an album together. That would have been epic!
@_Lisa_S_
Жыл бұрын
This song STILL gives me goosebumps and brings tears to my eyes .. its just SO amazing
@badkitty4922
Жыл бұрын
Same here. I remember learning to sing this song around the house through my mother and his album as a little girl. It's just as impactful today. 💖
@hak4890
Жыл бұрын
Same. 🥲
@RadCenter
Жыл бұрын
I think the "prisoner in chains" analogy is apt because a loveless relationship can feel like a prison, but sometimes one party in the relationship doesn't recognize that there's anything wrong, so the other person's suffering becomes invisible.
@DreamsSketcher
Жыл бұрын
Very perceptive and well put. Heck of a position to be in too.
@kpiperjr
Жыл бұрын
Great way to put that!
@lizard6444
Жыл бұрын
Well said. Excellent point.
@carolynschmidt5467
6 ай бұрын
This.
@merlinsclaw
Жыл бұрын
Bob Dylan didn't bother showing up to claim his *Nobel Prize* but he showed up for Gordon Lightfoot to induct Gordon into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame. Dylan once said, "I can’t think of any Gordon Lightfoot song I don’t like. Every time I hear a song of his, it’s like I wish it would last forever." So...yeah. That's Gordon Lightfoot.
@edwardmeradith2419
Жыл бұрын
S tier 🤩 - and about as great a lyric as there is about heartbreak. Alex, don’t be so quick to judge a lyric that you maybe don’t understand the first time thru 😘
@detroitrocker4098
Жыл бұрын
Well said. These youngster's haven't lived yet!
@AudiophileTubes
Жыл бұрын
S-tier for me too. I'm 61, and this is one of the best songs i've ever heard, or reacted to. Even decades after first hearing this incredible song, I still well up with tears....
@mrsteve3527
Жыл бұрын
If this isn't an S tier, then there's no point in having the S category. One of the best songs ever. There is literally no one in our age group that doesn't know every word, every pause, every note of this song.
@amazinggrace5692
Жыл бұрын
Well said.
@chriscornelius2518
4 ай бұрын
I don't use their vernacular, but this is the best if the best of this genre of music. It's one of the best songs of that decade.
@Mr05Chuck
Жыл бұрын
Rick Beato says this is the song that started it all for him. I can say that in 1973 Gordon Lightfoot was my hero and the reason I learned to sing, play guitar and write songs. S+ all the way.
@jeffking4176
Жыл бұрын
What a great song ❗️ (( I’m 62 years old - love your channel.📻😁))
@pennyanderson3475
Жыл бұрын
Me, too! We grew up at the right time to hear some fabulous music.
@monkeebun
Жыл бұрын
Me too...I'm 68 and have loved this guy for 50 years. He was a genius.
@homerunhomeshow7201
Жыл бұрын
It's a sad break up song. In one line he said he walks away "like a movie star who gets burned in a three way script...enter number two" One of the Best written songs of ALL Time. The lyrics are so deep and moving on all levels. A masterpiece.
@chezwarden659
Жыл бұрын
He didn't get burned, he had the affair.
@homerunhomeshow7201
Жыл бұрын
@@chezwarden659 touche'
@keithralston1133
Жыл бұрын
The ghost. Have you never loved someone who didn't return that emotion? To them you may as well be a ghost but you are chained to that person by your strong emotions.
@alanhigh8125
Жыл бұрын
You nailed it.
@ChicagoDB
Жыл бұрын
My favorite of Gordon Lightfoot’s incredible catalog of hits!
@cherylbourgerie8868
Жыл бұрын
He was a phenomenal storyteller. And that soothing voice was so unique. Thank you for playing this.
@adrianstevens2146
Жыл бұрын
Yes, his storytelling is best represented in "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald".
@garysunshine9643
Жыл бұрын
S tier. Hard to imagine a more perfect song. Emotional, phenomenal lyrics, beautiful strings in sync with the guitar and Gordon's soaring vocals.
@snorelacks7069
Жыл бұрын
His entire catalogue is phenomenal. Amazing lyricist and storyteller.
@frankmelkert9503
Жыл бұрын
Catoluoge is very good
@Lexy-O
Жыл бұрын
S tier for me. Haunting,powerful lyrics and performance RIP
@evangeline3152
Жыл бұрын
I always took the ghost in chains to mean he felt stuck in his misery and unseen by his loved one. That’s a miserable feeling. Thanks for listening guys!
@Dpixtion
Жыл бұрын
I agree with your analogy of that phrase he’s a ghost his lover doesn’t see him the chains are on feet even though he’s a ghost and totally slip away he can’t because of the feelings but any questions the feelings that both of them lack he wants to get back into the relationship where it was in the beginning but he just doesn’t know how to get there it’s such a beautiful song..
@ssia6938
Жыл бұрын
S Tier 70s classic. So many of his lyrics are poetry by themselves. To have these with music takes it to a whole another level.
@AngelDjambazov
Жыл бұрын
"Because the ending's just took hard to take." - Gordon Lightfoot It's one of those lyrics those resonates over and over again.
@rangersbaseball2
Жыл бұрын
i can't listen to this song that often because of that exact line, makes me well up every time
@jeffschielka7845
Жыл бұрын
Gordon Lightfoot...one of the greatest songwriters of our time. Period.
@marinebean420
Жыл бұрын
RIP Gordon, such a beautiful voice and vibe.
@mbalash3755
Жыл бұрын
“You know that ghost is me” wow! He’s trapped with chains in a dungeon. He’s trapped in a relationship. So incredibly well done! Masterpiece for sure!
@annereidy7981
Жыл бұрын
What about its melodic qualities and the guitar playing? They have a hauntingly sad essence that his voice just matches to perfection. I think this song goes beyond rational understanding, to the soul of an emotional loss. I think it's an s
@PhoenixRisen63
Жыл бұрын
To me, his use of long phrasing and cadence in the chorus brings forth the feeling of when you're unloading something that's been bothering you for a very long time. It's too late, the dam has broken, and it all comes flooding out at once, with barely time to breathe.
@geoffreybonham3802
Жыл бұрын
I’d recommend reading the lyrics and going back to it again. It’s S tier for me but I’m also 49. I wonder if this one may deepen over time for you.
@edwardmeradith2419
Жыл бұрын
Good advice - it’s flawless imho
@Flowerchick1967-tq1vn
Жыл бұрын
Such a touching song. So many childhood memories. Carefree Highway is one of my absolute faves. ❤️✌🏻
@bobgorman3874
Жыл бұрын
S tier guys. I'll be 70 Friday. Saw him do it live. The best, most intimate concert I've ever been to. Alex, aren't goose bumps A+ or S? I wanted to be him. The beautiful voice & guitar. Lyrics as well. A? Guess you had to be there to appreciate his place in music history.
@Anautistictherapist
Жыл бұрын
A ghost haunts. It’s trapped in time without even being aware of it. It can’t move on. He feels like he haunts their relationship, is trapped and can’t move on. That’s how I interpret it anyway.
@citizenghosttown
Жыл бұрын
That's perfect.
@jonathanmurphy3141
Жыл бұрын
My Dad, also Gordon, had several records by this great Canadian, so when I grew up in the the 1970's, the songs of Lightfoot were part of life. My Dad and I did see G'Gl. at a local theatre in our local Ohio, in 2017. Lightfoot still had a good voice, yet he was more physically frail, like my Dad was,...a fine concert. I really wanted for G.L. to get into the Rock Hall, in his lifetime, he was such a fine musician, and very respected. My Dad, Gordon has Dementia, now, and when Lightfoot died. a few months ago, my Dad cried.
@elisaabolafia9542
Жыл бұрын
Thanks for sharing that very touching story Jonathan. Music is magical.
@brandonhill2183
Жыл бұрын
S tier for me. Even the roughest man, if he had heartbreak, will tear up to this.
@magicbrownie1357
Жыл бұрын
He builds this song up so well. Small crescendos and swells to match the emotions of the lyrics. Always loved this tune. What a legend! RIP Gordon.
@scottingram7634
Жыл бұрын
Great observation.
@mercurymachines4311
Жыл бұрын
This is an S for me all day long. It makes me cry every single time, it hits so hard.
@andreagiesbrecht611
Жыл бұрын
This song gets better every time you hear it. I have probably heard it hundreds if not thousands of times over the years, and I have not tired of it.
@markstoudenmire4935
Жыл бұрын
As so many have pointed out here, this is definitely an S tier song for me and many others. There are more than a couple of lines that get me in the heart every time and probably always will because of past relationships.
@aBeatleFan4ever
Жыл бұрын
"I don't know where we went wrong... but the feeling's gone... and I just can't get it back." One of the greatest lines ever written.
@glennred4830
Жыл бұрын
This song was 'covered' by over a one hundred well known artists. A popular song for decades. Mystery, romance, spiritual and more. Our Canadian treasure R I P
@jomojojo6603
Жыл бұрын
C'mon, guys, don't downgrade a song just because you don't understand lyrics or because they don't resonate with you. That's YOUR problem, not the songwriter's.
@antarcticorb9197
Жыл бұрын
As a rule, I'm not big on folk artists, but Gordon Lightfoot is profound to me.
@scottboswell6406
Жыл бұрын
This is lyrically one of the most beautiful breakup songs I've ever heard. I love how the narrator really can't describe his feeling, tries using movies, novels, all these types of fiction that he knows to get there, but they all fall short of the real thing. To be honest, I was thinking A&A had heard it. I voted for something else, but I'm glad you had this reaction and am looking forward to Chicago!!!
@SnowDogisVictorious
Жыл бұрын
In interviews he gave in recent years, including for a full length documentary, Lightfoot expressed regret for the way he acted during his first marriage, explaining how he had been too intense and emotional - and therefore unpredictable. He wrote this song in the wake of the failure of this first marriage. PS - Next, try Care Free Highway.
@SnowDogisVictorious
Жыл бұрын
The last time we saw as much in the way of public tributes and mourning in Canada for a musical artist was back in January 2020, when Neil Peart passed. Here's a clip from one of the news pieces that came out after Lightfoot's death at the start of May of this year: 'Dylan said that his fellow singer died “without ever having made a bad song,' and every time he listened to one of them, he 'wished it would last forever.' When the ‘Like a Rolling Stone’ singer recorded his album ‘John Wesley Harding’, he tried to emulate the sound of Lightfoot - without success, as he himself acknowledged to Rolling Stone in 1969. 'I thought if he could get that sound, I could. But we couldn’t get it,' Dylan lamented at the time. Lightfoot’s music has also been covered by Neil Young, Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Grateful Dead, Barbra Streisand, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Eric Clapton - to name a few, and The Band great Robbie Robertson has called Lightfoot 'a cultural treasure of the Canadian nation.'"
@Ray1969.
Жыл бұрын
Andy and Alex are too young to have enough experiences that would make this song an S tier for them. When they revisit it years from now it will be S for both of them. It’s an absolute masterpiece
@CrowTRobot-ni7zu
Жыл бұрын
Another great classic by Canada’s finest. Gordon was one of the greatest songwriters of all time!
@onlyfromadistance7326
Жыл бұрын
Canada's finest was RUSH.
@lorneyoerger796
Жыл бұрын
Okay Rush was a good band but lyrically couldn't hold a candle to Gorden Lightfoot!
@alrivers2297
Жыл бұрын
Let's not forget about Justin Bieber 😁
@onlyfromadistance7326
Жыл бұрын
@@alrivers2297, or William Shatner! He had an album.
@onlyfromadistance7326
Жыл бұрын
@@lorneyoerger796 🤣🤣🤣🤣
@michaelfried3123
Жыл бұрын
I've been familiar with this song since I was a kid in the 70's. My mom had Gord's Gold on vinyl. Only after I grew up and had failed relationships did I finally really understand this awesome song. I consider it on par with Sundown as far as Gordon's songwriting and lyrics go.
@iangrant3615
Жыл бұрын
The more you hear this song the more you really feel how beautiful and powerful it is. Musically and lyrically.
@ThePierce5144
Жыл бұрын
Lightfoot wrote this song after his divorce from his first wife of several years. Expressed his sense of loss. He was formally musically trained from childhood though post high school.
@timwhitnell7145
Жыл бұрын
S Tier for sure. His haunting, deep words will hit you with future listenings and reflection. His epic true tale, The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, should be your next song by Gordon then Carefree Highway and The Circle is Small.
@5925-p1b
Жыл бұрын
The guitar, the strings, the lyrics, the melody... 10/10. One of my favorites.
@cshude
Жыл бұрын
Rick Beato does a great breakdown of this song. Well worth checking out. If there was an S+ tier, this would be in it.
@brianwhitaker3854
Жыл бұрын
Should be an S. This song is so iconic and without doubt his finest song. I think as you listen to this again, you might agree.
@Keith_KC8TCQ
Жыл бұрын
he was such an amazing songwriter/performer. One of those people that transcend musical boundary lines and brings in fans from all walks of life.
@jamesmichael5475
Жыл бұрын
For me, this has always been one of the most beautiful tunes of this era, so melodic, excellently composed musically, also so melancholy. I consider it on par with S&G "The Boxer", "Homeward Bound", "Scarborough Fair", Don McClean's masterpiece "Vincent", and even some of Bob Dylan's tunes.
@jonsher7682
Жыл бұрын
Lightfoot wrote this with several years left in the marriage to his first wife, Brita Ingegerd Olaisson, a marriage doomed by Gordon's habitual cheating with other women while he was touring, something he later talked about. When he wrote the song, alone in a home in Toronto because his wife didn't want to be with him, he was speaking from a place of pain but also a place that obscured him from the truth: he blamed her for their struggling marriage even though he had been the serial cheater. So he felt invisible to her -- that is why he refers to himself as a ghost, and one that is chained because their dying relationship would linger another couple of years before their divorce. He only gained insight on the truth years later and at the urging of their daughter. He then, at her request, changed a key lyric when he performed: "And if you read between the lines, You'd know that I'm just tryin' to understand. The feelin's that YOU lack." Gordon changed that to "The feelin's that WE lack."
@cynthiawhite9830
Жыл бұрын
Alex, a wishing well is where you toss coins and make wishes for the future, so a ghost from a wishing well would be those wishes, those hopes and dreams, half-remembered, never to be fully realized. Loved your analogy about water in a coffee cup of sand. Lovely!
@scottstewart5784
Жыл бұрын
I think the ghost is who he use to be, the man she fell in love with. That version of him is a ghost that she can't see.
@EchoesDaBear
Жыл бұрын
Great reaction guys. This is about as easy an 'S' tier as any...the music, lyrics, composition, sound...it's all there, and it's perfection. From Gordon's pain at a failed relationship came such beauty!! I've long understood why this is one of his most popular songs. I think it's time for Carefree Highway, or Canadian Railroad Trilogy. Cheers from Canada gents. Thanks for giving one of our insanely talented national treasures such attention.
@percysowner
Жыл бұрын
Seconding Canadian Railroad Trilogy. It's a really great piece of music.
@tartanphantom
Жыл бұрын
The fact that this song is semi-autobiographical, and written while Gordon was in the death-throes of his first marriage ending, make this all the more poignant.
@jpmnewyork
Жыл бұрын
Watch Rick Beato's analysis of the string arrangement on this song. The instrumentation is absolutely perfect.
@littlejimmy7402
Жыл бұрын
"Ghost in a tower", in this song he's talking about a divorce. About living in the same house with someone that doesn't seem "to see" you anymore, it's super sad and it happens.
@francine8806
Жыл бұрын
Another poetic song is "Diamonds and Rust" by Joan Baez. It's full of references to her one-time lover/friend/partner, Bob Dylan.
@AjaxCaper
Жыл бұрын
A gloriously beautiful song.
@danarchuleta1154
Жыл бұрын
The Ghost allegory describes the anguish of enduring the agony of being imprisoned by the overwhelming longing for a lost love to whom you are invisible. Like many, this song became more beautiful and evocative to me many years after it came out. It is one of the most covered tunes, and I couldn't even begin to venture how many times, but countless big name artists covered this. I also know that it was #1 in Canada....I can see the A rating, but let's talk after a few more listens. If You Could Read My Mind is S tier for me now.
@charlesc7950
Жыл бұрын
One of the greatest ever written
@surlechapeau
Жыл бұрын
A&A, you'll love his "Carefree Highway" !!
@tylerhackner9731
Жыл бұрын
One of the greatest songwriters/storytellers ever
@cindyfalstrom7231
Жыл бұрын
What a group of sensitive, articulate listeners in the comment section today! I agree with all. This is one of my all time favorite songs. Rest in Peace dear Gordon💔
@UFOS4
Жыл бұрын
Such a beautiful and heartbreaking song. Gordon is the best at giving goosebumps.
@JustMe-ks8qc
Жыл бұрын
My partner introduced me to this song, and I thought it was beautiful but sad. Now that he's an ex, it pulls my heart right out of my chest. "..but the feeling's gone, and I just can't get it back" absolutely breaks me, every time.
@poutine57
Жыл бұрын
Peace and Love from Canada. please try The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald. Gordon is an excellent writer.
@AjaxCaper
Жыл бұрын
They have reacted to it. I swear they are so different from us, emotionally.
@neilhopwoodsjugband
Жыл бұрын
This is like...S...all day...all eras. What almost all songwriters hope to achieve.
@spirogoritz
Жыл бұрын
Early Morning Rain is Lightfoot's first great song usually available in a 70's re-recording, a masterpiece about being hungover, exhausted and no place to go.
@Cboy2023
Жыл бұрын
One of the greatest songs of all time! Thats an S song
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