Talk:The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald

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What year did Gordon Lightfoot write the song (or what year was it popular/a hit?) -Speedeep 22:27, Feb 22, 2005 (UTC) THE SONG WAS WRITTEN IN EARLY 1976, AND WAS RELEASED AS A SINGLE LATER THAT YEAR. IT WAS A US TOP-TEN HIT IN LATE 1976. -Markt3, 8/10/05

So, is it called "Wreck..." or "The Wreck..."? Consistency needed! - Martpol, April 9, 2005

It is definitely "The Wreck". Appears as such on both the LP and CD cover as well as the sheet music. Shadow007 05:18, 7 April 2006 (UTC)

Contents

[edit] Grammatical quirks

It's helpful if you comment when making major changes. Why was this section removed? --The Interloafer 01:09, 25 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Infobox

The information I got for the infoboxes came from the following sources: [1], [2], [3], [4], though there are still some sections that need to be filled out. --Interiot 20:28, 8 December 2005 (UTC)

[edit] She

The lyrics sites I can find mostly refer to the Edmund Fitzgerald as "it", but my memory is that Lightfoot calls her "she", in the original version. I don't actually have the recording; can someone check this? --Trovatore 21:08, 6 April 2006 (UTC)

If you are referring to "As the big freighters go, it was bigger than most" then yes, he says "it". Says "it" in both recordings. Shadow007 05:17, 7 April 2006 (UTC)
Well, I also had a memory of "she may have split up, or she may have capsized; she may have broke deep and took water". Are those all "it" too? Pity, if so. --Trovatore 05:19, 7 April 2006 (UTC)
No it says - "They might have split up or they might have capsized, they may have broke deep and took water". Shadow007 08:41, 7 April 2006 (UTC)
Yet almost immediately before that, it says,
"The searches all say they'd have made Whitefish Bay
If they'd put fifteen more miles behind her."
I believe 'her' refers to the ship. DragonSparke 22:51, 28 August 2006 (UTC)
There were no women onboard, so it surely must. Kasreyn 03:25, 29 August 2006 (UTC)

Verboten?

The link to this word takes you to a German Wikipedia page. Not very helpful for English speakers. An English word should be substituted for "verboten".

Verboten is a fairly common word meaning 'forbidden.' I believe that its usage in the page is perfectly reasonable. Maybe its American usage is confined to the Great Lakes, but I've heard it all the time throughout my life, so it seems fairly commonplace.

[edit] Regrets of length

Bill Milner, who at one time managed the apartment building I lived in during the early 1990s, played sometimes with Gordon Lightfoot. Gordon told Bill that because he gets requests to play the song, he regrets making the song so very long - over 5 minutes. I wonder if Gordon ever tried to compose and perform an abbreviated version? GBC 16:37, 7 August 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Removal of reference to "They stopped making Firebirds and Camaros"

The reference in the parodies section to the song "They stopped making Firebirds and Camaros" seemed like self-promotion and added no value to this article. The only reference I could find on Google for this song was this article and one post on a forum with the lyrics. If you feel that this reference is notable enough for inclusion, please provide a reference or more details.ErockRPh 17:28, 21 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Cleveland

He probably didn't mean it as its ultimate destination, more like its current destination. 24.4.131.142 20:30, 25 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Alternative Versions?

This article doesn't mention it, but I'm aware that at least one alternative version was released. I don't have any definitive information, but if someone does, I'd add it.Joe JJC (talk) 16:24, 2 June 2008 (UTC)

You may be referring to the version that was recorded for the album Gord's Gold, Vol. 2. Shadow007 (talk) 01:18, 4 June 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Artistic Licenses

The line referencing "hurricane strength winds" as artisitic license could actually be removed or at least corrected - sources including the captain of the ship following 10 miles behind the EF measured wind speed of 58, gusting to 70 KNOTS in the immediate area. Note, KNOTS rather than miles per hour. 58 to 70 knots translates to 67 to 81 miles per hour. The 67 mile per hour sustained winds allows reasonable comparison to category 1 hurricane wind speed (minimum 65 miles per hour), and the gusts to 81 miles per hour almost reaching category 2 strength. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 198.103.196.130 (talk) 16:47, 6 June 2008 (UTC)

Incorrect, minimum requirement for hurricane force winds is steady-state (i.e., one-minute sustained) winds of 74 mph (65 knots) or higher. Gusts don't count. Rdfox 76 (talk) 21:38, 6 June 2008 (UTC)