I don't think there was much changed to be "politically correct", which is not to say that Gordon hasn't thought about it. Most of the examples are verses that are left out when he performs the song in concert today. To say that he is dropping the verses as a form of "self-censorship", is probably an overstatement. He does still sing For Lovin' Me in medley, even though it is a highly chauvanistic song. And he says that. And, he apologize for it but I - like many here - don't think he need apologize. He was not any different from most of the other men of his generation and, sadly, far too many men in later generations as well.
I think that when he drops verses, we need to consider that part of his motivation is to allow himself to perform more songs. Now, at 61, he is still performing 25 or more songs in every full concert (and 17 or 18 in each of two concerts in one night, when he does that format). We are all damn lucky that he performs that many. I've seen a lot of other artists who perform far fewer.
So, if he cuts a verse out of (for example): Sundown, Cotton Jenny, 14 Karat Gold (all of which he cuts a verse from) or even two from Ode To Big Blue, but sings all of them (or other great songs), rather than only two or three in the same amount of time, it's probably a good thing to do. He never drops verses from certain songs, including Canadian Railroad Trilogy, his longest, and Wreck, which is right up there. I think he and we would agree that certain songs can't be altered. And, when he does want to cut out a verse, he probably does try to cut out one that doesn't hurt the song and that perhaps isn't (or isn't any longer) a verse he feels he needs. So if he cuts out the verse with "sickly south" from Cotton Jenny, it is certainly a judgment I can respect. But I think it is wrong to assume that "correctness" is his primary motivation. I think time considerations came first in most cases.
The lyrics change in If You Could Read My Mind (from "feeliings that you lack" to "feelings that we lack") was made to please his daughter, who asked him about it when she was just a child (saying something like "Don't you lack feelings too, Daddy?"). I think that change, subtle as it is, is beautiful in and of itself and doesn't change the meaning or the spirit of the song.
So, don't worry about his lyrics changes. True, if you are not expecting it and you are singing along, you'll get tripped up when he drops a verse (as someone else mentioned). But he has remained true to himself, and to us too I think.
------------------
Valerie Magee
|