Salute And Booze
 

Is this song about giving up the drink? It's one of my favorite songs that Gord has ever written, and there seems to be some lyrics that can allude to going dry...

"May all of your martinis be forever dry" (A cool double entendre?)
"It seems to me like I've been here before" (A reference to when he dealt with problems by driniking?)
There's more, but maybe I'm so far off that I need to stop there!


I may be way off here, and trust me, it won't be the first time. Yet I always think of this song as someone telling an alcholic that there's a lot more living to do.

What do you think?

Re: Salute And Booze
 

Yeah, I think the song is about stopping drinking. In a 1980's interview he said "It's all in the song..." when asked about his past problem. I think it was the Alan Thicke Show" again. Gord was also specific that he didn't "join an organization" to help him stop. The rest of us, like me, joined AA....
And I agree - it IS a cool double entendre...

Re: Salute And Booze
 

Agreed. I can't recall if it was in a printed or broadcast interview where he stated that when the his doctor warned of the consequences of alcohol abuse, he agreed with a handshake to quit.

"I held my hand out and he shook it twice"

Lightfoot has remarkable resolve.

Re: Salute And Booze
 

the 'handshake' mentioned a few times in broadcast interviews probably first on Thicke of the Night in 1983 and several times later such as on Marilyn McKay's 1990 chat

he mentions it also here:

http://archives.cbc.ca/arts_entertai...ic/clips/4681/

he doesn't seem like one to take the 'group' approach ...i remember thinking it was odd when he said there weren't local places such as Renascent House to go for help when he quit (AA Toronto has actually been around since the mid 30s)

...regardless, i remember him saying he had been consuming a bottle (750ml or 1L) a day and did not like the man he was turning into ...he mentions there were times he didn't remember how he got home when he had in fact driven himself ...i speculate that he felt he had embarrassed his family and let down mom and others with the much publicized impaired driving charge episode ...by associating drinking with these memories, it may have made it slightly less challenging for him to quit cold turkey and independently ...we salute you, Gord:clap:

Re: Salute And Booze
 

Once again to delve deep into a Lightfoot tune!!! Thanks for the thread Anthony.

I've often thought of this tune, and it's a catchy one for me, and thought of the "drinking connections".

boiled down, I"ve considered a song of hope... of loves (lifes) return and such....

As for whether Mr. Lightfoot is an alcoholic or not is entirely his business, as is my alcoholism mine. The difference is that Mr. Lightfoot is a celebrity, and should maintain anonymity, if he is an AA member. (remember it's Alcoholics Anonymous! with emphisis on Anonymous.)

But try to bear in mind that when it comes to alcoholism, willpower and resolve really are meaningless... It's about a "Higher Power" and "fellowship", and things like that. I don't speak for AA, but as a member, active in the fellowship for 27 years... I know what I'm talking about.

But back to the tune... It is sometimes frustrating for me if tunes, like this one, are too deep for me to figure out. But it makes for good theads on Corfid!!!!! ha ha.

Don't forget to lighten up now and then....

just for giggles I'll paste the lyrics below ---


Salute (A Lot More Livin' To Do) (Salute) 4:22

Listen mister I won't waste your time
I hope all the mistakes you made were a lot like mine
Lovin' girls too much sometimes they made you cry
Maybe we've got more livin' to do with a lot less pain
Here, let's drink to you

These are the words I knew would break the ice
I held my hand out and he shook it twice
It seemed to me like I'd been here before
Deja vu, familiar voice
And the salute of my choice

Salute gentlemen of days gone by
Ladies of leisure and of flashing eye
May some romantic fool turn on your light
As for me I'm in between
All that I can do is dream

You got a lot more livin' to do
And a lot more lovin' too
When you make it through the night with no end in sight
And the dawn peeks through
You got a lot more livin' to do

Salute nightingales upon the tide
Brothers of the cloth tonight who must be tried
May all of your martinis be forever dry
As for me I'm in between
All that I can do is dream

You got a lot more livin' to do
And a lot more lovin' too
When you make it through the night with no end in sight
And the dawn peeks through
You got a lot more livin' to do
And a lot more lovin' too
You got a lot more livin' to do
And a lot more lovin' too


Now try to figure out Biscuit City!!!!

Re: Salute And Booze
 

Gord gave up drinking in the early 80s with the help of a doctor (and his sister Bev) but AFAIK not through any group. He fell off the wagon once that he's mentioned but since then has been sober. In fact I think in the chronology it says he gave up drinking on Labor Day in 1982.

Re: Salute And Booze
 

I never heard him mention that before...I would think having the sole support of a sister might be more reinforcing than any group would be...I would have thought willpower and resolve were important...I'm not sure what the definition of an alcoholic is anyone putting back a bottle of hard stuff a day for years or decades sounds like they might fit the bill

I confess I had to google AFAIK (I initially speculated it was some sort of organization, lol)

As far as the tune and recording goes, it's never really grabbed me, I'll give it another go...maybe the lip synched Thicke performance tuned me out permantly as that's whereI first heard it...I certainly did take to Stone Cold Sober immediately...any other songs related to this theme?

Re: Salute And Booze
 

Didn't he also state somewhere that alcohol was the "fuel" for much of his songwriting ?

Maybe not......

Re: Salute And Booze
 

I always wondered about this line. I think you may be on to something with the double entendre!

This is one of the cool things about Lightfoot's music, that there is always more to discover.

And those songs we didn't care for too much at first, then turn out to be our most endearing songs.

Great thread... thanks to all those who posted.

Re: Salute And Booze
 

yeah, a few times...for instance, check out about half way through the Elwood Glover interview...he responds in jest but there's likely a large degree of truth in there

http://www.corfid.com/vbb/showthread.php?t=19892

sounds like he would binge (24 hours to 3 weeks) in seclusion...apparently, these are the times (and touring) that took their toll on his family life

I love the 1967 Telescope footage (even if it's dramatized) of him popping up from bed at his old mansion and scoring ideas for Pussywillows...I love how he put those ideas 'away' by scoring them and making notes...I don't know if he had a reel to reel at the time as an alternative but I like that he used the traditional 'composer' approach

I hope all future interviews focus on his past creative process and leave the 2002 set back, booze and family topics on the back burner...they consume too much of the interview time, imo

Re: Salute And Booze
 

:biggrin:

He could have just moved to Wisconsin.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7WlwumGkSec

Re: Salute And Booze
 

Good point! Only about a year ago did I start to appreciate Salute, the song. Sadly, I used to skip it a lot. I realized it was about a "fresh start", but I hadn't put it in the context of quitting drinking. I like it even better now with the handshakes and dry martini references making a lot more sense.

Re: Salute And Booze
 

I've often thought about it myself, and I'm inclined to think that that may be exactly what is being said--that there's a lot more living to be done, and it can't be done if one is literally dead drunk.

Re: Salute And Booze
 

After scanning this thread, I didn't see any mention of Gord's appearance with Peter Gzowski (sp?)
I remember Gord being asked by Gzowski asking him "Did you just 'quit'?" To that Gord replied: "I had to seek out some help and get one wrapped up."

Re: Salute And Booze
 

i always thought he is singing to himself on that tune, after becoming sober and changing to a more modern sound

Re: Salute And Booze
 

Certainly Salute marks a turning point in style. Overall, less acoustic. Much more tempo.

Sort of odd because I didn't care for it at first, as much as other material by Gord. But now ranks among my favorites! Especially Broken Dreams... great tune!

To be sure, while alcohol may be fuel (there are many types of fuel folks!) Lightfoot's genius isn't based on it... I'd suggest his genius shown through inspite of it! But that's just my take on things.

Re: Salute And Booze
 

[quote=Peter Bro10;154212]To be sure, while alcohol may be fuel (there are many types of fuel folks!) Lightfoot's genius isn't based on it... quote]

i agree, the fuel (a catalyst) was just helping the creativity to surface

Re: Salute And Booze
 

every time i hear the opening notes of that tune, i feel like i'm watching an american sitcom from the 80s! :)

Re: Salute And Booze
 

Now that's FUNNY!!! I hope you haven't ruined a great one for me...I swear if I have images now of Corey Feldman being chased down the street by Fred "Rerun" Berry, or Tom Selleck turning a corner on two wheels, then I'll just quit playing the song. Man, that was funny....Sitcom!

Re: Salute And Booze
 

not ruined at all!. i love it. if i see it on TV, i'd expect either Alan Thicke or Tony Danza to emerge!