This topic has probably been raised before, but I’ll pose it anyway rather than research old posts. Also, some of what I have to say I’ve said before, so forgive the redundancies.
Ever wonder what brings us here, what keeps us here, what has us coming back? Why Lightfoot and not some other artist or folk singer? What is it about this artist, this singer, this lyricist, this songwriter that captivates us? Besides the fact that “corfid” is much more fun and certainly a great deal more interactive with this very keen discussion forum and all these wonderful people possessing so much knowledge, why aren’t we at other places like these instead? Places like….
http://www.tomrush.com/ or
http://web.cecs.pdx.edu/~trent/ochs/ or
http://www.ericandersen.com/ or
http://donovan.ie/index2.php?detail=Home or, ah, you get the point.
For me it’s just a very personal thing, the way the music literally touches me, reaches out to me, connects with me mysteriously yet tangibly. For me it’s that masterful intertwining of colors, texture, backgrounds and subject that frames every song, and which keeps me coming back for more and that keeps me pickin’ and singin’ these tunes over a guitar.
There are many other greats from an era where song was a delicate mixture of melodies and poems, but Lightfoot is, and remains, above them all; the quintessential poet, who can eloquently sing and paint vivid images of love, pain, social conditions, war, nature, the environment in a manner unsurpassed by any of his peers either in his generation or in those that precede or surpass. I like what that Sing Out! In Harmony article stated, “…one of the beauties of Lightfoot songs has always been the concision with which they convey an entire drama, love affair, or tragedy. Has anyone ever captured anomie and despair more compactly than he…” For me, he’s the master; no one weaves music and lyric better than he.
There are other aspects for me as well, the lessons learned directly and indirectly through the music, the experiences shared, all the beauty and magnificent visions, the pictures and tones, stories and poetry that set numerous stages within this man’s life. There is also the intangible, at times a source of strength, the empathy, the just being there, whether anyone knew it or not. I appreciate the songs he gives, which I still lean on or use as charts to navigate some of life’s more treacherous channels. Oh, the power of music, the mystical sway of art!