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.
dreamland
Gordon Lightfoot Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When you can't find anyone
You seem to be much better off now
There's a rainbow number one
We could see life through the gutter then
Till it caused my heart to break
There was too much toil in dreamland
And too much love to take
Sometimes I remember when
We were all dressed up in still
I don't recall the gist of it all
But you drove the young men wild
You could wrap me around your finger
Till it caused my heart to break
There was too much toil in dreamland
And too much love to take
So if you need me near you
You can do it if you choose
There was too much toil in dreamland
And too much love to lose
You make me do what you want me to do
Then you run the rules on me
You seem to be the wiser now
Could it be you'be been deceived
Anytime you felt like tryin'
You would cause my heart to break
There was too much toil in dreamland
And too much love to take
So if you need me near you now
You can do it if you choose
There was too much toil in dreamland
And too much love to lose
In "Dreamland" by Gordon Lightfoot, the singer addresses someone who comes to him only in times of need when they can't find anyone else. The person seems to be better off now and there is a rainbow, symbolizing hope and happiness, but in the past, they had lived a difficult life, seeing things from the gutter and muddling through, leading to heartbreak. The singer recalls a time when the person dressed up and drove young men wild, when they had the power to manipulate the singer and break their heart. Despite this, the singer is still willing to be there for the person if they need, but only if they choose to be with the singer.
The message of the song seems to be that the singer has grown tired of being used only when the person needs someone, and that there was too much pain and heartbreak in the past, in what they call "dreamland". Although the person seems to be wiser now, the singer wonders if they had been deceived all along. The repeated phrase "there was too much toil in dreamland and too much love to take" implies that although there was love, it came at a high cost and was perhaps difficult to maintain.
Line by Line Meaning
You come to me in times of need
When you need help and can't find anyone, you seek my support.
When you can't find anyone
You cannot locate anyone that can provide the help you need.
You seem to be much better off now
It looks like you're doing well these days.
There's a rainbow number one
You're experiencing great success and achievement.
We could see life through the gutter then
We experienced difficult times in the past and were struggling to survive.
Till it caused my heart to break
The challenges we faced were so overwhelming that it broke my heart.
There was too much toil in dreamland
The good times we experienced were short-lived, and it was difficult to maintain them.
And too much love to take
Our relationship was intense and challenging, making it hard to handle at times.
Sometimes I remember when
Occasionally, I think back to memories of our past.
We were all dressed up in still
We dressed up nicely for a specific occasion or event.
I don't recall the gist of it all
I can't quite remember the details or the main point of what happened.
But you drove the young men wild
You made a strong impression on the young men who were around us.
You could wrap me around your finger
You had the ability to control and influence me easily.
So if you need me near you
If you ever require my presence, I am available.
You can do it if you choose
It's up to you to decide if you want to reach out for help.
You make me do what you want me to do
You exert power over me and make me comply with your desires.
Then you run the rules on me
After making me do what you want, you hold me accountable to specific standards or regulations.
Could it be you've been deceived
Is it possible that you've been misled or tricked into believing something false?
Anytime you felt like tryin'
Whenever you wanted to attempt something new or challenging,
You would cause my heart to break
Your actions or decisions would hurt me deeply.
There was too much toil in dreamland
Our experiences together were full of hard work and struggle, even during times that seemed positive.
And too much love to take
Our love for one another was intense and overwhelming, which was difficult to manage at times.
So if you need me near you now
If you currently require my presence or support,
You can do it if you choose
It's within your power to make the decision to reach out for help or not.
There was too much toil in dreamland
Despite good times and love shared, our journey together was difficult and challenging.
And too much love to lose
Even though our journey was difficult, the love we shared made it worth holding onto.
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.