Gordon Lightfoot Forums - View Single Post - Ponderings -- Older Songs Now?

AnneOK · 06-01-2005, 08:41 PM

The topic of Gord's perseverence despite a voice changed by the years got me thinking in a couple different directions. While chatting with an old friend today, and after mentioning that I'd been to see some concerts, the question came up:

"How's his voice?"

Of course, I gave my usual response that it isn't the same as it was 30 years ago (not stated as a criticism, but just as a fact), and that although his range is smaller there is an exquisite expressiveness to his voice now. There's a richness to his low notes that gives me goosebumps when I hear him sing. I hear a comfortable wear in his voice.

Then I thought how lucky we are that we have such a wide range of Gord's sounds to choose from. We can go from the young soaring notes of the Sunday Concert album to the well-worn (in a good way, think Saturday's jeans) candid notes of the Harmony album, all with a push of a button on the CD player. (It's a bit more work with a turntable!) So few artists have the chance to produce such a long range of material, and we lucky Lightfoot fans have the option to pick whatever sound suits our fashion. Not a bad deal.

But where I'm going with all this, is that I got to thinking of which earlier songs I'd love to hear him sing today, as an older man, *IF* his range would magically be there to support them. My thoughts immediately drifted to "Apology" and "The Last Time I Saw Her."

I don't know if it's been discussed here before (forgive me if it has!), but I was dumbstruck by what it would be like to hear these songs now. A song of unrequited love, a song of love's death. It's touching to hear Gord's 30-year-old voice sing them, but to imagine the 66-year-old voice singing them is incredible. The heartache of love lost long ago, the ache weathered and rough hewn by the weight of decades, the years passing with the underlying musing of "if only . . ."

I can only imagine.

It must have been the rain last night that shorted out the wires in my brain and got me to thinking!

06-01-2005, 08:41 PM	#1
AnneOK Member Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 38	The topic of Gord's perseverence despite a voice changed by the years got me thinking in a couple different directions. While chatting with an old friend today, and after mentioning that I'd been to see some concerts, the question came up: "How's his voice?" Of course, I gave my usual response that it isn't the same as it was 30 years ago (not stated as a criticism, but just as a fact), and that although his range is smaller there is an exquisite expressiveness to his voice now. There's a richness to his low notes that gives me goosebumps when I hear him sing. I hear a comfortable wear in his voice. Then I thought how lucky we are that we have such a wide range of Gord's sounds to choose from. We can go from the young soaring notes of the Sunday Concert album to the well-worn (in a good way, think Saturday's jeans) candid notes of the Harmony album, all with a push of a button on the CD player. (It's a bit more work with a turntable!) So few artists have the chance to produce such a long range of material, and we lucky Lightfoot fans have the option to pick whatever sound suits our fashion. Not a bad deal. But where I'm going with all this, is that I got to thinking of which earlier songs I'd love to hear him sing today, as an older man, IF his range would magically be there to support them. My thoughts immediately drifted to "Apology" and "The Last Time I Saw Her." I don't know if it's been discussed here before (forgive me if it has!), but I was dumbstruck by what it would be like to hear these songs now. A song of unrequited love, a song of love's death. It's touching to hear Gord's 30-year-old voice sing them, but to imagine the 66-year-old voice singing them is incredible. The heartache of love lost long ago, the ache weathered and rough hewn by the weight of decades, the years passing with the underlying musing of "if only . . ." I can only imagine. It must have been the rain last night that shorted out the wires in my brain and got me to thinking!