Lightfoot's songs, including "For Lovin' Me", "Early Morning Rain", "Steel Rail Blues", "Ribbon of Darkness"—a number one hit on the U.S. country chart with Marty Robbins's cover in 1965—and "Black Day in July," about the 1967 Detroit riot, brought him wide recognition in the 1960s. Canadian chart success with his own recordings began in 1962 with the No. 3 hit "(Remember Me) I'm the One", followed by recognition and charting abroad in the 1970s. He topped the US Hot 100 or AC chart with the hits "If You Could Read My Mind" (1970), "Sundown" (1974); "Carefree Highway" (1974), "Rainy Day People" (1975), and "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" (1976), and had many other hits that appeared in the top 40.
Several of Lightfoot's albums achieved gold and multi-platinum status internationally. His songs have been recorded by renowned artists such as Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Hank Williams Jr., The Kingston Trio, Jerry Lee Lewis, Neil Young, Bob Dylan, Judy Collins, Barbra Streisand, Johnny Mathis, Herb Alpert, Harry Belafonte, Sarah McLachlan, Eric Clapton, John Mellencamp, Peter, Paul and Mary, Glen Campbell, The Grateful Dead, Nico, and Olivia Newton-John.
Robbie Robertson of the Band described Lightfoot as "a national treasure". Bob Dylan, also a Lightfoot fan, called him one of his favorite songwriters and, in an often-quoted tribute, Dylan observed that when he heard a Lightfoot song he wished "it would last forever". Lightfoot was a featured musical performer at the opening ceremonies of the 1988 Winter Olympic Games in Calgary, Alberta. He received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Trent University in Spring 1979 and was made a Companion of the Order of Canada in May 2003. In November 1997, the Governor General's Performing Arts Award, Canada's highest honour in the performing arts, was bestowed on Lightfoot. On February 6, 2012, Lightfoot was presented with the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal by the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario. June of that year saw his induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. On June 6, 2015, Lightfoot received an honorary doctorate of music in his hometown of Orillia from Lakehead University.
As an individual, apart from various awards associated with his albums and singles, Gordon Lightfoot has received sixteen Juno Awards—for top folk singer in 1965, 1966, 1968, 1969,[67] 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976 and 1977, for top male vocalist in 1967, 1970, 1971, 1972 and 1973, and as composer of the year in 1972 and 1976. He has received ASCAP awards for songwriting in 1971, 1974, 1976, and 1977, and has been nominated for five Grammy Awards. In 1974 Lightfoot's song "Sundown" was named pop record of the year by the Music Operators of America. In 1980 he was named Canadian male recording artist of the decade, for his work in the 1970s.
Lightfoot was chosen as the celebrity captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs for the NHL's 75th anniversary season in 1991–1992.
Lightfoot was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 1986 and the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame in 2001. He was inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame in 1998. In May 2003 he was made a Companion of the Order of Canada, the country's highest civilian honour. Lightfoot is a member of the Order of Ontario, the highest honour in the province of Ontario. In 1977, he received the Vanier Award from the Canadian Jaycees. In 2007 Canada Post honoured Lightfoot and three other Canadian music artists (Anne Murray, Paul Anka, and Joni Mitchell) with postage stamps highlighting their names and images. On June 24, 2012, Lightfoot was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in a New York City ceremony, along with Bob Seger.
Between 1986 and 1988, Lightfoot's friend Ken Danby (1940–2007), the realist painter, worked on a large (60 × 48 inches) portrait of Lightfoot dressed in the white suit he wore on the cover of the album East of Midnight. The picture was backlit by the sun, creating a visually iconic image of the singer.
On June 16, 2014, Lightfoot was awarded the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award by SOCAN at the 2014 SOCAN Awards in Toronto.
On October 23, 2015, Lightfoot was honoured with a 4-metre tall bronze sculpture in his hometown of Orillia, Ontario. The sculpture, called Golden Leaves—A Tribute to Gordon Lightfoot, features Lightfoot sitting cross-legged, playing an acoustic guitar underneath an arch of golden maple leaves. Many of the leaves depict scenes from Lightfoot's 1975 greatest hits album, Gord's Gold.
In 2017, he was awarded the Gold Medal of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society
He was the subject of Martha Kehoe and Joan Tosoni's 2019 documentary film Gordon Lightfoot: If You Could Read My Mind.
Gordon passed away on May 1st, 2023 at the age of 84.
Go My Way
Gordon Lightfoot Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Go my way and your dreams will all come true
In the sunset the wild waves are callin'
My shadow is followin' you
Go my way and I'll take you by the hand
Believe in me and I'll do the best I can
I can't be anything but just what I am
Why must I sail my ship alone without a friend
My thoughts are on you, I dare not ask again
Go my way it's the only way to go
If things aren't workin' out, you'll be the first to know
Come on along and together well go
Please love me and say that you'll be mine
Why must I sail my ship alone without a friend
My thoughts are on you, I dare not ask again
Go my way it's the only way to go
If things aren't workin' out, you'll be the first to know
Come on along and together well go
Please love me and say that you'll be mine
The lyrics to Gordon Lightfoot's song "Go My Way" are about a man trying to woo a potential love interest. He is essentially asking her to trust him and go along with him on his journey through life. He promises to take care of her, make her dreams come true, and always be there for her. Even though he knows he can't be anything but himself, he can't help being in love with her.
The chorus repeats the phrase "Go my way," which is the singer's way of saying that if she chooses to be with him, she'll have a better life. He acknowledges that his thoughts are solely focused on her, and he doesn't want to be alone anymore. Ultimately, he wants her to love him and be with him forever.
Overall, the lyrics to "Go My Way" are a sweet and romantic sentiment to someone special. The man is trying to convince the woman to take a chance on him and trust that he will be a good partner. The song captures the excitement and trepidation of entering into a new relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
Go my way and I'll be good to you
If you follow me and do as I say, I promise to treat you well
Go my way and your dreams will all come true
My path will lead you to the fulfillment of all your desires
In the sunset the wild waves are callin'
As the sun sets, the waves in the distance sound like a beckoning call
My shadow is followin' you
I am always there behind you, ready to support you and keep you safe
Go my way and I'll take you by the hand
I will guide you and show you the way forward
Believe in me and I'll do the best I can
If you have faith in me, I will try my hardest to succeed and make you happy
I can't be anything but just what I am
I can only be myself, flaws and all, but I promise to always be honest and true
I can't help it if I'm in love with you
I cannot control my feelings for you, and I hope you feel the same way
Why must I sail my ship alone without a friend
Why do I have to face the challenges of life without someone to lean on?
My thoughts are on you, I dare not ask again
I am too scared to ask for your love again, but you are always on my mind
Go my way it's the only way to go
My path is the best and only direction to follow
If things aren't workin' out, you'll be the first to know
If something is wrong, I will communicate it with you and we will find a solution together
Come on along and together we'll go
Join me on this journey and we will face whatever comes our way, together
Please love me and say that you'll be mine
I hope that you will return my love and commit to being mine forever
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: GORDON LIGHTFOOT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Ben - Moderator
on Is There Anyone Home
We have now corrected this above
Glenn
on Is There Anyone Home
The note state that this song ("Is there anyone home?") was released in 1998 on the album "A Painter Passing Through". That is not correct, the song doesn't even appear on that album at all. The original release date was 1974 on "Sundown" album. Easily verified on Wikipedia or a hundred other websites.