Gordon Lightfoot -- Sundown

 

It didn't look good about a couple of weeks ago when I learned on the news that Canadian singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot had cancelled a round of concerts with recent video of him looking pretty haggard. Unfortunately, what I had been wondering about did come to pass yesterday as the bulletin appeared that Lightfoot passed away at the age of 84. 

Tributes have been pouring in from people such as fellow Canadian singer Bryan Adams to Hollywood actor Ben Stiller. With his many songs talking of his home nation and that distinct crème caramel voice of his, Lightfoot was the personification of musical Canadiana in the same way that enka legend Saburo Kitajima（北島三郎）has been a musical symbol of Japonica. His voice was a very familiar one on radio when I was growing up.

One of my bright memories of Lightfoot didn't even involve him directly. Another Canadian legend, the comedy-variety series "SCTV", did a parody via the sale of a "Gordon Lightfoot Sings Every Song Ever Written" compilation. Comedian Rick Moranis ("Ghostbusters", "Honey I Shrunk the Kids") did a brilliant impersonation of him singing a whole ton of songs that of course one wouldn't expect of him. 

Yet, I didn't find it funny. And that's not trying to criticize Moranis and the writers of the piece since I am the biggest fan of "SCTV". I know what they were trying to do. It's just that Lightfoot could sing any song in that inimitable folksy way of his that it could be taken respectfully...even "Seventy-Six Trombones".

There have been and probably will be all sorts of people ranging from music critics to the average Canadian walking on the street who will be asked about their favourite Lightfoot song. Many of them will most likely answer with "If You Could Read My Mind" from 1970. However, the one that I've remembered from radio all these years is "Sundown" from March 1974. The goodtime melody always tugged at my ears and never quite let go so it was with some surprise that I found out that the lyrics relating seething jealousy may have been inspired by his own tempestuous relationship with mistress Cathy Smith, someone who had her own tales of infamy.

"Sundown" reached No. 1 on both the American Billboard and Canadian RPM charts, and it would end the year in Canada as the No. 3 hit. My condolences to Lightfoot's family, friends and fans.

There were a couple of notable kayo that were released in March 1974.

Kenji Sawada -- Koi wa Jamamono（恋は邪魔もの）

Finger Five -- Gakuen Tengoku (学園天国）