An artist can move a ton of listeners with just his voice and a guitar. Just last Thursday, I listened to Gordon Lightfoot tunes that aren't usually played on the radio. I thought, "It's a shame that tracks like 'Looking At The Rain,' 'Second Cup Of Coffee,' 'Race Among The Ruins,' and 'Spanish Moss' aren't better known."
Nevertheless, Lightfoot had considerable commercial success, and with his passing, the world lost a consistent class act among singer-songwriters. In my opinion, these are 10 of his best tunes:
- Alberta Bound (If you've got a reason to take to the road, this is good driving music. I've segued it on a mix CD with Jim Croce's "Big Wheel.")
- Beautiful (Some of the classiest, most eloquently sung lyrics fit for a valentine. I've always thought this tune is nearly on par with Lightfoot's most moving hit, "If You Could Read My Mind." It speaks volumes about the quality of Lightfoot's work that such a beautiful song was buried as the ninth track out of 11 on his "Don Quixote" album. When you never record a truly subpar tune, that's bound to happen.)
- Carefree Highway (As Greg Kihn sang, "They don't write 'em like that anymore." This is one of many Lightfoot songs with a strong sing-along chorus.)
- Early Morning Rain (The fact that so many artists have covered this song speaks to its appeal. Hearing Lightfoot, Peter, Paul & Mary, Sara Watkins, Eva Cassidy, or Dr. Corn's Bluegrass Remedy perform it reminds me how strong Lightfoot's tune about watching planes while not being in the best of spirits is. It's no wonder that Lightfoot introduced it in concert as "my first real good song.")
- If You Could Read My Mind (One of the best-written and movingly sung soft rock hits of the '70s and one of the best combinations of a singer-songwriter and lyrics ever recorded. Lightfoot's baritone voice and guitar playing are perfect for these sentiments. In my view, this is his best song.)
- Old Dan's Records (It speaks well of Grand Junction, Colorado station KAFM that there's a place for these lyrics about honoring someone and his musical taste. This is a good choice for a show title and theme song.)
- Song For A Winter's Night (Sarah McLachlan's solid cover usually gets the bulk of the radio airplay around Christmas, but Lightfoot's original, faster version is just as heartfelt.)
- Summertime Dream (Considering how accessible this song is, I'm surprised it wasn't a hit. It's more lighthearted and uptempo than many of Lightfoot's songs, so perhaps listeners weren't expecting that from him. I remember bringing this into WEW one morning and shoehorning it onto the air. I'm not sure it even made musical sense with the songs I programmed around it. Still, it had lifted my spirits the day before my radio show, so I was determined to brighten everyone else's day with it, as well.)
- Sundown (How many of us haven't sung along with the chorus involuntarily?)
- The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald (Kudos to the record-buying public for taking to this tale of a sunken ship. It speaks well of listeners' collective taste that this was such a huge hit in 1976. I also have this related memory.)
