"Early Morning Rain" | |
---|---|
Song by Gordon Lightfoot | |
from the album Lightfoot! | |
Released | 1966 |
Songwriter(s) | Gordon Lightfoot |
"Early Morning Rain," sometimes styled as "Early Mornin' Rain," is a song written, composed, and recorded by Canadian singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot. The song appears on his 1966 debut album Lightfoot! and, in a re-recorded version, on the 1975 compilation Gord's Gold.
Lightfoot wrote and composed the song in 1964, but its genesis took root during his 1960 sojourn in Westlake, Los Angeles. Throughout this time, Lightfoot sometimes became homesick and would go out to the Los Angeles International Airport on rainy days to watch the approaching aircraft. [1] The imagery of the flights taking off into the overcast sky was still with him when, in 1964, he was caring for his 5-month-old baby son and he thought, "I’ll put him over here in his crib, and I’ll write myself a tune." [2] "Early Morning Rain" was the result.
The version by Ian & Sylvia reached #1 on the Canadian AC charts, August 2, 1965. [3] Peter Paul and Mary's version of the song was recorded in August 1965, reaching No. 39 in Canada, [4] and No. 91 on the Billboard Hot 100. The next year, George Hamilton IV's version hit No. 9 on the US country chart [5] In April 1971, Oliver's version hit No. 38 on the US adult contemporary chart. [6] Paul Weller took the song to No. 40 in the United Kingdom in 2005. [7] Notably, Elvis Presley recorded and played the song live dozens of times. Under the title "Dans la brume du matin" (in the morning mist), the French cover of this song was a hit in France by Joe Dassin.
Gordon Meredith Lightfoot Jr. was a Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist who achieved international success in folk, folk-rock, and country music. Credited with helping to define the folk-pop sound of the 1960s and 1970s, he has been referred to as Canada's greatest songwriter, having several gold and multi-platinum albums and songs covered by some of the world's most renowned musical artists. Lightfoot's biographer Nicholas Jennings said, "His name is synonymous with timeless songs about trains and shipwrecks, rivers and highways, lovers and loneliness."
"The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" is a 1976 hit song written, composed and performed by the Canadian singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot to memorialize the sinking of the bulk carrier SS Edmund Fitzgerald in Lake Superior on November 10, 1975. Lightfoot considered this song to be his finest work.
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"I'll Remember" is a song by American singer Madonna for the 1994 film With Honors. It was released by Maverick and Warner Bros. Records on March 8, 1994, as the lead single from the film's soundtrack album. It was a radical change in image and style for Madonna, who had received huge backlash due to the release of her book Sex, the studio album Erotica and the film Body of Evidence. Warner Bros. decided to release the song for the film after noting most of her previous soundtrack singles had achieved commercial success. It utilizes a synthesized keyboard arrangement to bring about a continuously reverberating heartbeat sound. Madonna's voice is supported by backing vocals.
"Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues" is a song written and performed by Bob Dylan. It was originally recorded on August 2, 1965, and released on the album Highway 61 Revisited. The song was later released on the compilation album Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits Vol. II and as two separate live versions recorded at concerts in 1966: the first of which appeared on the B-side of Dylan's "I Want You" single, with the second being released on The Bootleg Series Vol. 4: Bob Dylan Live 1966, The "Royal Albert Hall" Concert. The song has been covered by many artists, including Gordon Lightfoot, Cat Power, Nina Simone, Barry McGuire, Judy Collins, Frankie Miller, Linda Ronstadt, the Grateful Dead, Neil Young, The Black Crowes, Townes Van Zandt, and Bryan Ferry. Lightfoot's version was recorded only weeks after Dylan's original had been released and reached #3 on the Canadian RPM singles chart.
"Sundown" is a song by Canadian folk artist Gordon Lightfoot, from the titular album, released as a single in March 1974.
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