It was fifty years ago today that the Edmund Fitzgerald sank in Lake Superior, heartbreakingly short of the relative harbor of Whitefish Bay. I’m not sure the disaster would be so much a part of my consciousness, or most other people not directly affected by it, but for Gordon Lightfoot. The above-linked CBC article states as much:

“As much as we like to think we do a great job of keeping the memory alive, we really can’t hold a candle to Gordon Lightfoot,” Lynn said. “If it wasn’t for him, it would be a fraction of the people now who know about this story and this ship.”

I know some people who can’t stand the song (“too long” is the most frequent complaint, something I will simply never comprehend) but when you see how many great covers of the song exist, you know there was something special and lasting about it. I’ve listened to the Rheostatics cover more times than I could count, but one of my all-time favourites is when the Dandy Warhols do their heavy electric cover. The 7″ edit is my favourite version, but just listen to this live rendition at The Phoenix in Toronto to get a sense of the cultural importance of the song — until the big distortion crunch comes, you can hear the crowd singing along.

A version I’d never heard until tonight, though, is this live rendition by the Punch Brothers recorded just a few years ago. It’s quickly joined my short list of favourite versions.