On paper, it should never have been a hit record. But despite the odds stacked against it — the 6-minute length, the somber subject matter, the last-minute recording session — “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” went on to become one of the defining singles of the 1970s. Canadian songwriter Gordon Lightfoot was a week from his 36th birthday when the SS Edmund Fitzgerald, the biggest Great Lakes freight ship of its era, gave way to Lake Superior amid a daunting storm on Nov. 10, 1975. Check the link in our bio for more. 📰 by Brian McCollum, Detroit Free Press #detroit #michigan #edmundfitzgerald #shipwrecks #greatlakes #lakesuperior #ssedmundfitzgerald #gordonlightfoot #wreckoftheedmundfitzgerald #songs #music #songwriters