Talk:Gordon Lightfoot

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[edit] 2005

Note:This is my first attempt at a "talk" entry. "If you could read my mind" appears on Barbra Streisand's 1969 "Stoney End" album. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 70.247.26.168 (talk • contribs) 07:18, 11 November 2005 UTC.

The album is actually from 1971. I confirmed that "If You Could Read My Mind" was on it and have now included it in the 'Tribute and covers' section of the page. --Shadow007 15:33, 13 November 2005 (UTC)

"Me and Bobby McGee" was redone by Janis Joplin, and is probably her most famous song. GestaltG 06:14, 26 December 2005 (UTC)

Kris Kristofferson wrote that song, not Gordon Lightfoot. See the linked article on Krisdtofferson for more detail. He and Joplin were intimate friends.Lisapollison 16:43, 17 February 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Blues Singer

I don't agree that the opening line should have Lightfoot as a blues singer. I'd sooner say he was a country singer. Opinions? --Shadow007 00:56, 28 January 2006 (UTC)

I agree. The poster could cite a source or else remove it. Verne Equinox 01:13, 28 January 2006 (UTC)
allmusic.com has him classed solely as a folk singer. I'm not inclined to add anything to that, myself. C.Fred 01:21, 28 January 2006 (UTC)
I'll agree with "folk singer" too. I've always considered it simply "folk" music and I've been listening to Lightfoot since I was pre-natal. :) —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Thoughtfix (talk • contribs) 21:57, 24 February 2006 (UTC).
How is it that many articles on musicians state that they attended some college and "studied" for 1 year. You can't study Jazz Comp for a year... there are basic prereqs which have to be completed, such as Music Theory, Harmony, Rythmn... etc, at a music conservatory you might get by without dealving into gen-eds, but you won't slip through the prereqs for any composition class. So, when I read someone "studied" jazz comp for a year, perhaps Introduction (101 level)... I take it as myth building, as I'm sure other schooled musicians do. I recommend it be wordsmithed to read studied First Year Music, with and introduction to Jazz Composition. But, without school transcripts how could one verify? --
Yes, my thoughts too. I would propose it be removed unless someone is able to show cause why it shouldn't. --Shadow007 01:56, 30 January 2006 (UTC)
Pursuant to opinions here I removed ref to Lightfoot being a blues singer. Shadow007 06:15, 31 January 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Quibble on non-quote

I have one quibble relating to a quote used in this article.

Specifically, Lightfoot is quoted as referring to the choir master who had:

"taught him how to sing with emotion and how to have confidence in his voice"

That quote cannot be correct, except in the unlikely event that Lightfoot makes a habit of referring to himself in third person.

Ralph Dannheisser


The song featured several times on Trigger Happy TV - I heard of the song via that programme and it definitely wasn't just on once!

Edmund

[edit] Image

For God's sake, if we're going to have a fair use picture, we could at least have a decent one from the 70s. john k 22:36, 13 January 2007 (UTC)

I've replaced with the album cover image, for now. It is much more iconic for how Gordon Lightfoot is known to look. If we can get a better image, I'm all for it, but a 2006 image capture from Youtube is seriously lame - and not even free. john k 22:46, 13 January 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Lawsuit

I was able to find a cite for it after it was added to the trivia section but can anyone find me a source that discusses the outcome? i found one that said they settled out of court, but it was from a fan forum. Lisapollison 07:15, 3 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Trivia?

"Lightfoot is referenced in many episodes of the animated TV series Mission Hill, by character Kevin French." was added. Is this good, or should it be deleted?--72.26.185.97 20:05, 29 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] More trivia

IRA hunger striker Bobby Sands 'borrowed' the melody of "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" for his song "I Wish I Was Back Home in Derry", composed in the Maze prison, and later recorded by Irish folk singer Christy Moore. 83.88.108.48 11:27, 2 July 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Europe and Australia Tour Dates

He toured Europe and Australia, at least up to 1974, as I saw him in Melbourne in 1974, not the date of 1971 as stated. Melbourne was his first gig, and I vividly remember him apologising for his tiredness and jet lag after (I hope he doesn't mind me recalling this) making a few mistakes. Still a wonderful concert though. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 124.182.119.157 (talk) 10:01, 19 November 2007 (UTC)

[edit] That lead paragraph -- ugh!

Over the course of his career, he has written over 400 songs that capture the grandeur of Canada's mountains, forests, lakes, and rivers, the struggle of life in the cities, the loneliness of life on the road, and the eternal drama of love in all its wonders and complexities.

Does anyone else find the lead paragraph utterly POV and fanboy-ish? Or is it just me? (And, incidentally, how would "Black Day In July" fit into the above criteria?  :) ) 172.135.185.198 (talk) 06:33, 25 November 2007 (UTC)

It's not just you. This needs a rewrite, badly. -- AyaK (talk) 00:22, 13 March 2008 (UTC)

Plusthis recent addition to "Legacy:

Today, Gordon Lightfoot's influence has transcended the musical world and permeates our popular culture. His songs appear in numerous films and TV series, such as We Are Marshall, Wonderland, The Brown Bunny, Mission Hill, 54, Miracle on 34th Street (1994), Homestar Runner, and Trigger Happy TV as the street painter in sketches from Series 2. His songs and lyrics are referenced in TV shows, such as Seinfeld, Becker, 3rd Rock From The Sun and Mission Hill. He is referenced in numerous publications as a "Canadian icon" by politicians, writers, artists, historians, and most importantly the Canadian people.

This is a classic example of WP:Peacock and should probably be reverted - soon - unless the editor revises it. Sensei48 (talk) 06:24, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Discography

I cleaned up the discography a bit, adding Canadian chart info from RPM magazine. If you're wondering why "Ribbon of Darkness" and "For Lovin' Me" were deleted from the singles list, it's becasue they were actually b-sides to the hits "I'm Not Sayin" and "Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues". 141.117.210.184 (talk) 04:19, 13 December 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Alcoholism

is this aspect not deemed worth mentioning? [1] —Preceding unsigned comment added by 66.234.208.161 (talk) 06:24, 24 February 2008 (UTC)

And what evidence can be cited for "this aspect" that would meet WP policies such as WP:V, WP:RS? Dl2000 (talk) 20:42, 24 February 2008 (UTC)
Lightfoot has openly discussed his problems with alcoholism prior to 1982. See this 1999 article. Or this 2001 article. So it's verifiable through reliable sources. And it's relevant not only to his life and first marriage breakup but also to his fundraising for Renascent House. -- AyaK (talk) 00:20, 13 March 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Needs a Discography article

Anyone else think he needs his own discography article? It's simply too long for this page. I'd be glad to help anyone who wants to do one. Blackngold29 (talk) 03:27, 27 March 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Proposed Steps To Improve This Article

Gordon Lightfoot is a major artist in his genre of music who deserves better and more serious treatment than most of this article affords him. I realized the futility of of trying to fix this piecemeal when I added a citation needed tag to an especially egregiously POV statement.

I am a huge fan of Lightfoot and have been throughout his career, and I commend the original primary author(s)/editor(s) of this article for his/her/their energy and thoroughness. It would make an outstanding - exemplary, even - fan page or blog.

As an encyclopedia article, however, its lack of citation, its WP:Peacock tone and phrasing, and its stylistic informality make it a nearly complete failure.

I propose the following changes,adhering to the original structure of the article:

a) Given the fact that a very large number of GL albums are mentioned by name and discussed in the text - and given the tangential importance of the actual artists performing covers to the actual discussion of Lightfoot - those two sections need to be spun off into a single separate page.

b) The citations provided for direct quotations are commendable, but the article needs at least twenty more references for facts that need support - likely more than that. I'll add some fact|date tags and believe that other editors who care about giving Lightfoot his due in a real encyclopedia entry could do the same.

c) Style needs attention. In addition to converting a very large number of fanzine/peacock type statements to more straightforward factual ones, informalities of style like contractions need to be corrected/removed.

d) POV statements about Lightfoot and his importance and qualitative judgments about songs/albums need to be replaced by sourced observations by qualified/recognized reviewers and critics.

All four of these (and any others) CAN be done - but only with quite a bit of serious work. And I'd reiterate that I would like to see the integrity of the original structure maintained - it is the treatment that needs to be improved. Sensei48 (talk) 06:04, 31 May 2008 (UTC)