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Song of the Moment: The Wreck Of The Edmund FitzgeraldA storm stronger than the one that sank the freighter Edmund Fitzgerald in 1975 is expected to slash across the Midwest tomorrow, snarling Chicago travel and whipping waves as high as 30 feet across Lake Michigan. - Bloomberg This year, the gales of November have come calling a week early. Rumors are flying that the storm we have right now rivals the region's most famous storms of old. "The rumors are not rumors because they're true," said Dan Miller with the National Weather Service. "This storm is actually probably a little stronger than the Edmund Fitzgerald storm." - Northland News Center [T]he storm's pressure was worse than that produced the Blizzard of 1978, the March 1993 "Storm of the Century" or the November 1975 storm that sank the Edmund Fitzgerald freighter, memorialized in a song by Gordon Lightfoot. - AP Recorded: December 1975 Artist: Gordon Lightfoot Released: August 1976 Produced By: Lenny Waronker and Gordon Lightfoot Label: Reprise Length: 6:32 album, 5:57 radio edit B-Side: "The House You Live In" Charts: No. 1 in Canada on the Top Singles, Adult Contemporary, and Country charts; No. 2 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. Covered By: Brainclaw, Laura Cantrell, Jag Panzer, The Dandy Warhols, Rheostatics Wikipedia: It was inspired by the Newsweek article on the event, "The Cruelest Month," which appeared in the issue of November 24, 1975. One unusual aspect of the song is that it is written in Dorian mode. Capt. Ernest McSorley stated over the radio, until the boat sank, that they were "holding our own." What the cook or any other crew member did or did not say will never be known; however, it is customary for folk music to include artistic renderings of a crew's final moments or speech, especially if unknown. Songfacts: In the U.S., this was held out of the #1 spot by Rod Stewart's "Tonight's The Night." This was nominated for the Song Of The Year Grammy, but it was beaten by Barry Manilow's "I Write The Songs." [Editor's Note: Written by Bruce Johnston, who received the award.] Ohio-based Great Lakes Brewery produces a beer called Edmund Fitzgerald Porter. Lyrics: The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down With a load of iron ore - 26,000 tons more The ship was the pride of the American side Concluding some terms with a couple of steel firms The wind in the wires made a tattletale sound The dawn came late and the breakfast had to wait When supper time came the old cook came on deck The captain wired in he had water coming in Does anyone know where the love of God goes They might have split up or they might have capsized Lake Huron rolls, Superior sings And farther below Lake Ontario In a musty old hall in Detroit they prayed The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down YouTube: 1. Gordon Lightfoot on Soundstage, 1979. - 2. An even longer version by the Rheostatics. - 3. Jag Panzer rocks it. - * Previously in Song of the Moment: Posted on October 27, 2010 |
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