Monday has arrived, and thankfully we got the hour back that was swiped last spring. I’m always happy to get that hour back, that’s for sure!
Meanwhile, since it is Monday, Monday means music! For the month of November, our Spotlight Dancer is our friend and regular MMMM participant (and fabulous contributor), DRILLER’S PLACE! The theme selected for this week is “In a couple of weeks I will celebrate my “Diamond Jubilee” 75th birthday, so build a playlist of artists born in November.” Let’s get this Diamond Jubilee Birthday party started!
Let’s start with a song by an artist who will be 83 on November 17th – my husband is a huge fan – in fact, the hubby had the honor of playing pedal steel for this artist on stage in Toronto, Canada many years ago.
This song itself is a factual retelling of a shipwreck on Lake Superior in November, 1975 that claimed the lives of 29 crew members. On November 10, 1975, the ship broke in half and sunk in Lake Superior. The storm she was caught in reported winds from 35 to 52 knots, and waves anywhere from 10 to 35 feet high.
An initial investigation suggested that the crew was partly to blame for the disaster by not securing the ship’s hatches. The artist’s first version of the song reflected the original findings in the verse, “…at 7 p.m. a main hatchway gave in.” However, in 2010 a Canadian documentary claimed to have proven the crew of the ship was not responsible for the tragedy. It concluded that there is little evidence that failure to secure the ship’s hatches caused the sinking.
The artist said he intended to change the words to reflect the new findings. “I’m sincerely grateful to yap films and their program The Dive Detectives for putting together compelling evidence that the tragedy was not a result of crew error. This finally vindicates, and honours, not only all of the crew who lost their lives, but also the family members who survived them.”
The artist had decided to write the song when he felt that the ship and its sinking had gone unnoticed with a very small write up in the newspaper, as well as the name of the ship being misspelled in the original reporting.
Fun Fact: This song is referenced in the Seinfeld episode “Andrea Doria,” when Elaine mistakenly believes Gordon Lightfoot was the name of the ship and Edmund Fitzgerald was the name of the singer. Jerry quips: “Yeah, and it was rammed by the Cat Stevens.”
Without further ado, here’s the legendary Gordon Lightfoot with “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald”:
Next up is a song by this artist who was born on November 10th – hard to believe this song was released 11 years ago! She was quoted as saying:
“Everybody’s had that comfortable home place – or maybe even a person – that made you who you are, but that you can’t ever really go back to. I grew up on an old dairy farm in the country. We had older ladies knock on the door all the time and ask if they could come in because they were raised there, or their husband lived there when they got married… so many different stories. My mom would give them tea, and I’d sit there and listen to them tell the story about our house. And now I know the people that live there. I would be really sad if I could never go back there again… because our dog is buried in the yard, and there are just so many memories. I heard this song and I cried for two hours. When a song hits you like that, you know it’s gonna affect other people the same way.”
“My parents live right down the street from the house I grew up in. I grew up in one house until I was 14, and they live in the house where I lived from 14 on. Our friends live in the old house, actually.”
When the artist went into the studio to record this song, she asked her mom to do her a special favor… but didn’t tell her why. She asked her mom to take pictures of the house for her, and email them to her when she was cutting the song. She didn’t tell her why, just told her she needed pictures of the old house. She had them on the music stand in front of her when she was recording this song.
This was the first Country #1 for the artist – she received a record nine nominations for the 2010 CMA Awards, and walked away with three trophies – Female Vocalist, Best Album for Revolution and Music Video of the Year for this song. The three Awards were the first she had won in her career.
Give a listen to the amazing Miranda Lambert with “The House That Built Me”:
Next up, from an artist (who was born on November 5th) along with his brothers have fun with this toe-tapping ode to romantic yearning. The objects of these three brothers’ devotion are their wives. The colorful video features each couple re-creating a classic romantic movie scene. It opens with one of the brothers and his wife mimicking Tom Cruise’s iconic dance scene from Risky Business.
The scene then pans to another brother and his wife portraying Danny Zuko and Sandy Olsson at the school dance in Grease – Matthew Modine makes a cameo.
Last up is the final brother (who is this month’s birthday boy) getting romantic as he serenades his wife outside her bedroom window with a boombox. The tape inside tangles, so he trades in his cassette tape for an iPhone. That scene is an homage to Say Anything. The whole video is lots of fun!
Get ready to dance, here’s Jonas Brothers with “What A Man Gotta Do”:
Last, but certainly not least, this Grammy Award-winning Canadian musician, born on November 5th, announced last month that he’ll be releasing his newest album on March 11, 2022. This song, also the title of the album was explained by the artist thusly:
“The pandemic and lockdown really brought home the truth that spontaneity can be taken away. Suddenly all touring stopped, no one could jump in the car and go. The title song is about freedom, autonomy, spontaneity, and the thrill of the open road. The album of the same name touches on many of the ephemeral things in life that are really the secret to happiness, most importantly, human connection.”
Without further ado, here’s the legendary Bryan Adams with “So Happy It Hurts”:
That’s a wrap for this week – see you on the dance floor!
Now on to the particulars of Monday’s Music Move’s Me:
I have the supreme honor and privilege of being a co-host with the inimitable Xmas Dolly and our musical cohort, the awesome Cathy from Curious as a CAThy, Callie of JAmerican Spice, and Alana of Ramblin’ with AM!
Want to join in the fun? It’s easy – just find a tune that rocks your boat, post it and link up – don’t forget to grab Xmas Dolly…er, um, I mean her button…over at her place here. Check out Xmas Dolly’s sidebar for the random themes we sport each week – and you can always ask for a specific theme of music you like, too. Check out the other music lovahs and let’s jam!
Wonderful write-up on The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald – I always wondered about the history of that song – especially appreciated the nod to that often overlooked Seinfeld reference!
Great choices. I really love the Gordon Lightfoot song and the history behind it
I saw Gordon Lightfoot in concert, back in the day. I believe he was on the bill with Carole King. I always liked his music. But then I was a fan of the folk rock of James Taylor, Carole King, Jim Croce, and others. It was a nice break from the disco sound of the day.
A great set list. Very nice.
I don’t remember ever hearing about the Edmund Fitzgerald until Gordon Lightfoot did the song. Shame, too, with us near Lake Michigan you’d think you’d hear some of the news leak out.
That Miranda :Lambert song is beautiful…
You found some great Birthday girls and boys, Stacy. We have Brian in our collection too. He’s marvellous💗Pawkisses for a Happy Day🐾😽💞
I love The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald so much; I could kick myself for not using it. I enjoy story songs, especially when they are based on true events. The Jonas Brothers song was so catchy and fun, enjoyed the beat. Bryan Adams is always good and the topic of his song..oh yes, freedom. One day…
I’ve always enjoyed Gordon Lightfoot’s music. I knew the song was based on true events but I couldn’t remember the story. Thanks for refreshing my memory also for the little tidbit about your hubby playing on stage with the artist – very cool!