"The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" by Gordon Lightfoot (cover)

[phade314]

This has always been one of my favorite songs, even before I joined the Navy. After the Navy I ended up working for a small rail road that serviced the US Steel Mill in Gary, IN and we used to help unload the big ore ships that came in from Minnesota. More recently I have made friends with some people up in Duluth and we have been driving up there 2 or 3 times a year, as soon as hit northern WI and you feel the weather change from that massive lake, this song starts echoing in my head and doesn't stop until we return to Chicago.

No truer line has ever been written than Gordon Lightfoot's "Does any one know where the love of God goes when the waves turn the minutes to hours?" Having served on a submarine, and survived a scrape or two out at sea, I still get the shiver's every time I hear that line.

I have enjoyed all of the pieces you have posted, but this one most of all, its a special song for me, and I really appreciate the extra work you put into it. Bravo Zulu.

[Glennwillow]

Originally Posted by phade314

This has always been one of my favorite songs, even before I joined the Navy. After the Navy I ended up working for a small rail road that serviced the US Steel Mill in Gary, IN and we used to help unload the big ore ships that came in from Minnesota. More recently I have made friends with some people up in Duluth and we have been driving up there 2 or 3 times a year, as soon as hit northern WI and you feel the weather change from that massive lake, this song starts echoing in my head and doesn't stop until we return to Chicago.

No truer line has ever been written than Gordon Lightfoot's "Does any one know where the love of God goes when the waves turn the minutes to hours?" Having served on a submarine, and survived a scrape or two out at sea, I still get the shiver's every time I hear that line.

I have enjoyed all of the pieces you have posted, but this one most of all, its a special song for me, and I really appreciate the extra work you put into it. Bravo Zulu.

Hi Phade!

Thanks so much! What a special group of comments from you, someone who knows first hand what it's like to be out on the seas and to have risked your life there. I know what that's like, too, but only in a small way compared to what you have experienced.

I'm so glad this song -- and my version of this song -- rings true for you. I, too, have that same reaction to that line in Lightfoot's song, "Does any one know where the love of God goes when the waves turn the minutes to hours?" I have thought of that line when I studied the loss of the Indianapolis at the end of World War II, with all those poor guys out there on the water for days, waiting for someone to help them as they watched their friends die.

Thanks so much for taking the time to comment here -- it's greatly appreciated! Thank you for your sacrifices during your time in the submarine service! Bravo Zulu back to you Phade!

- Glenn

[MrEd]

Well done as always Glenn. I really enjoyed that.

Mike

[FrankHudson]

Well, your long time listeners know what to expect, and even though you've mentioned that your just acoustic guitar and vocals vids get the most views, this absolutely works well with the other instruments.

Like many Great Lakes states, Minnesota has sort of adopted this song and the Edmund Fitzgerald story.

The lead electric really makes the song in the well-known arrangement. It's taking the kind or role that a violin or string part would (though I suppose pump organ/concertina/accordion or other legato instrument might work too, though they couldn't do the vibrato). There's something about the sea chanty that seems to want a repeating rhythmic bass with a legato lead.

I appreciate the feeling when you try something to the point of what you think is the finished idea, and it doesn't work. Emotionally, "sunk costs" are problematic to get over--at least they are for me.

Long ballads like this are a tremendous performance challenge. When they work (as they did for G.L. on his hit record) they are mesmerizing. When they fail, boredom sets in along about verse 12 or so (grin). G.L. certainly knew the value/danger from being around during the folk scare when Joan Baez et al made the Child Ballad part of the expected repertoire, but I've never been able to come close to pulling one off well. Bravo for your version! Don't break up the band!

[Glennwillow]

Originally Posted by MrEd

Well done as always Glenn. I really enjoyed that.

Mike

Thank you Mike!

It's great to know you are listening! I appreciate your taking the time to comment!

I hope you are doing well!

- Glenn

[Glennwillow]

Originally Posted by FrankHudson

Well, your long time listeners know what to expect, and even though you've mentioned that your just acoustic guitar and vocals vids get the most views, this absolutely works well with the other instruments.

Like many Great Lakes states, Minnesota has sort of adopted this song and the Edmund Fitzgerald story.

The lead electric really makes the song in the well-known arrangement. It's taking the kind or role that a violin or string part would (though I suppose pump organ/concertina/accordion or other legato instrument might work too, though they couldn't do the vibrato). There's something about the sea chanty that seems to want a repeating rhythmic bass with a legato lead.

I appreciate the feeling when you try something to the point of what you think is the finished idea, and it doesn't work. Emotionally, "sunk costs" are problematic to get over--at least they are for me.

Long ballads like this are a tremendous performance challenge. When they work (as they did for G.L. on his hit record) they are mesmerizing. When they fail, boredom sets in along about verse 12 or so (grin). G.L. certainly knew the value/danger from being around during the folk scare when Joan Baez et al made the Child Ballad part of the expected repertoire, but I've never been able to come close to pulling one off well. Bravo for your version! Don't break up the band!

Hi Frank!

Thanks so much for all your thoughtful comments! They are very much appreciated!

From Minnesota, I'm sure you know the impact the Great Lakes have on such a huge portion of the continental USA and the southern parts of Canada. And you, like me, are from a generation that remembers this song and understands its impact.

I really had not thought too hard about why that lead electric guitar parts work, I just knew that it did. But you are right, this song is essentially a sea chanty, and there's a formula for that. The electric guitar, not typical for a sea chanty, works to fill in that traditional space that would have been filled by a fiddle or a harmonica or an accordian or ???

I know you have gone after some substantial music projects, so I know you would understand that sense of setback a person feels when you start out, put in a bunch of time, and then have to start over. In my case on this song, I really worked hard at not allowing myself to get discouraged. I immediately took on a couple of projects to fix up one of our vehicles so that I had some sense of accomplishment to replace the music project that went bust. So making some headway on our old SUV, now 15 years old, really worked out well to keep me from feeling too discouraged.

Also, I have worked on some of these projects before with drums and bass and knew what needed to be done. So I screwed up my courage and started over and gave myself plenty of time to do the recording project right.

Because this ballad is so long, I have put off doing this project for a long time. But I am approaching 150 videos on my channel, and I am starting to have to think more about what will I do next. Truth be told, all the suggestions I have been getting from folks really helps me out in that regard.

The average viewing time on this video is now about 2.5 minutes for a 6 minute video. Really, that's not bad, because a lot of people are just going to sample it and then move on. Others might go, Oh, cool, this is okay, but I'm not going to hang around listening to something I already know for 6 minutes! I have never been one for doing long songs!

Thanks for all your interesting thoughts and comments, Frank! I always appreciate hearing from you!

- Glenn

[ITB]

Fine production, Glenn!

[Glennwillow]

Originally Posted by ITB

Fine production, Glenn!

Thank you John!

Yes, I must say, it turned out to be quite a production! I very much appreciate your letting me know you thought this came out okay, John!

Thank you!
- Glenn

[keith.rogers]

Great work, Glenn.

I'll honestly say I was hesitant to watch, for the reasons some posters allude to, but you really pulled it off, and every bit of it was quite good and true to the feelings conveyed by the original.

[Glennwillow]

Originally Posted by keith.rogers

Great work, Glenn.

I'll honestly say I was hesitant to watch, for the reasons some posters allude to, but you really pulled it off, and every bit of it was quite good and true to the feelings conveyed by the original.

Thank you Keith!

I would very likely hesitate to watch if someone else did this song, too! I totally understand your reaction!!

Thank you for watching anyway and thanks so much for taking the time to comment! Much appreciated!

I hope all is well for you!

- Glenn

[Cypress Knee]

Hi Glenn,

I really enjoyed that. I have had the basic chord progression and lead lick down for years but have never found anyone in my circle of musicians with the patience to get through the song!

On the viewing shortness, I would attribute much of that to AFG's scrolling through the comments then hitting page 2 which takes one away from the youtube performance.

CK

[Glennwillow]

Originally Posted by Cypress Knee

Hi Glenn,

I really enjoyed that. I have had the basic chord progression and lead lick down for years but have never found anyone in my circle of musicians with the patience to get through the song!

On the viewing shortness, I would attribute much of that to AFG's scrolling through the comments then hitting page 2 which takes one away from the youtube performance.

CK

Hi CK!

Thanks for your comments and thanks for watching!

Regarding the patience to get through the song, for me it was more like a challenge to see if I could actually remember the words. I kept having to start over because I would mess up the words. There are so many!

But, in the end, it's a good song. Thanks so much for checking in here CK -- much appreciated!

- Glenn

[Rogerblair]

Very well done, Glenn. Such a well-crafted song. To me everything about it serves to put the listener in the scene. It’s impossible for me to listen to that song and not conjure up horrific images of what the events of that night must have presented to the captain and crew.

Again, a fine cover of this important piece of music.

Roger

[Glennwillow]

Originally Posted by Rogerblair

Very well done, Glenn. Such a well-crafted song. To me everything about it serves to put the listener in the scene. It’s impossible for me to listen to that song and not conjure up horrific images of what the events of that night must have presented to the captain and crew.

Again, a fine cover of this important piece of music.

Roger

Hi Roger,

Thank you! And you do a good job of describing how I feel about the song, too. It is well crafted and it certainly brings up vivid and frightening images of what those poor guys went through. And being from Michigan, you are also a Great Lakes person, so you understand how a song like this speaks to that region.

Thanks so much for your comments Roger. I'm glad you felt like my cover worked out okay.

- Glenn

[Basalt Beach]

Simply beautiful and an outstanding arrangement! You captured the haunting vibe of the tragedy in your arrangement and vocals. I was curious how you would arrange when I read the thread title and you nailed it.