Gordon Lightfoot has written so many great songs and lyrics. Can you remember a time when he was on stage and actually forgot the words to a song? What did he do?

Also, I got to hear him do "No Hotel" and hope it's on his new CD. I never heard people laugh at a song he did until then!
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DIGITAL SCALES

Gordon Lightfoot has written so many great songs and lyrics. Can you remember a time when he was on stage and actually forgot the words to a song? What did he do?

Also, I got to hear him do "No Hotel" and hope it's on his new CD. I never heard people laugh at a song he did until then!

Yes actually. It happens more often than you might think. Gord has handled it variously over the years. When he was young and just starting out, he became flustered and apologetic. Often in more recent times he just fills in with "alternative" lyrics and keeps going and most people don't even realize it. On occasion he'll flub and just sort of laugh it off and start over or muddle on through. It is amazing to me that he can remember so many songs so well as he does. I can't remember what I had for lunch, let alone song lyrics!

there was the Kold benefit in 1987 where he wrecked the wreck

the verse about the wreck happening. he repeated a previous line and then as the main riff was being played, he spoke the correct words.

i'll make a small mp3 of it and put up a link to hear it soon

"Kold benefit in 1987 "

what was a i thinking?? http://www.corfid.com/ubb/smile.gif

that should be Folk Fest WNEW benefit in 87. in NY

quote:Originally posted by joveski:

"Kold benefit in 1987 "

what was a i thinking?? http://www.corfid.com/ubb/smile.gif

that should be Folk Fest WNEW benefit in 87. in NY


Joveski: That's pretty funny, actually! You forgot the correct venue just like Gord forgot the correct lyrics! Lol!

In addition to ad libbing "new" lyrics (some of which I think he then intentionally uses later if he likes them), he is also a master of what I like to call the "inimitable mumble". He'll mumble a word of two so convincingly that you'll be certain you just didn't quite hear him. And, as with the ad libbed lyrics, most people never notice.

It is generally acknowledged that singer/songwriters have a lot of trouble with lyrics - because the good ones have written so many songs and have often changed the lyrics either when the song was new or over the years. There is a live concert recording where Billy Joel laughs about the problem of forgetting lyrics. He says that he often watches people in the audience who mouth the words, but says that when he forgets what comes next in We Didn't Start The Fire, he is really in big trouble!

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Valerie Magee

Visit my GL web site at gordonlightfoot.com and Cathy Cowette's site at cathycowette.com

I once saw a topic about something like this. I don't know what the title was and it was probably a really old topic to.

I once saw a topic about something like this. I don't know what the title was and it was probably a really old topic to.

I didn't see the other post because I started rereading some of the old ones, from page 37 up to page 7 so found it after I posted mine. Still, a guy's got to be talented to be able to play AND sing, hit the right notes and remember all the words.
Which GL does most of the time.
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Mobilio Spike

I didn't see the other post because I started rereading some of the old ones, from page 37 up to page 7 so found it after I posted mine. Still, a guy's got to be talented to be able to play AND sing, hit the right notes and remember all the words.
Which GL does most of the time.