The one and only.
Joni Mitchell probably did more than any other female recording artist to get women accepted as singer-songwriters in a folk-oriented pop field dominated by men. Born Roberta Joan Anderson in Canada (Mitchell was the name of her first husband), she started out in her native land before making her way to the United States.
She's been called the female Bob Dylan for writing as many memorable songs as he has. And what songs! When she recorded her first album Song to a Seagull, in 1968, which was produced by David Crosby, she was already an accomplished songwriter, having already written classics such as "Urge For Going" (covered by Tom Rush), the evocative "Both Sides Now" (covered by Judy Collins, whom I just honored on this blog this past month), "I Don't Know Where I Stand" (covered by Fairport Convention) and "Chelsea Morning" (covered by just about everybody). The latter three songs appeared on 1969's Clouds, her second album.
She's been called the female Bob Dylan for writing as many memorable songs as he has. And what songs! When she recorded her first album Song to a Seagull, in 1968, which was produced by David Crosby, she was already an accomplished songwriter, having already written classics such as "Urge For Going" (covered by Tom Rush), the evocative "Both Sides Now" (covered by Judy Collins, whom I just honored on this blog this past month), "I Don't Know Where I Stand" (covered by Fairport Convention) and "Chelsea Morning" (covered by just about everybody). The latter three songs appeared on 1969's Clouds, her second album.
Ms. Mitchell's career really took off in the 1970s, when she based herself in Los Angeles and settled in Laurel Canyon. She produced numerous classic albums, such as 1970's Ladies of the Canyon (which featured her environmentalist song "Big Yellow Taxi"), 1974's Court and Spark (which included her hit song "Help Me") 1975's The Hissing of Summer Lawns (featuring the song "In France They Kiss on Main Street") and Mingus, her 1979 collaboration with jazz legend Charles Mingus just before his death. Her 1971 LP Blue, however, remains her masterpiece, and that album included great songs such as "Carey" and the accidental Christmas carol "River." Her records went beyond simple folkie arrangements an incorporated ore elements of pop, rock, and blues in addition to jazz.
Joni Mitchell's presence on the pop scene has been diminished by more recent pop forms emphasizing style over substance, which flies in the face of her substantial work, but she remains a music legend for all time.
Oh yeah, I hear she just got a Kennedy Center honor. 😊
Fun fact 1: Although Joni Mitchell wrote "Woodstock" (from Ladies of the Canyon) about the 1969 music festival of that name, she did not in fact perform at Woodstock, though Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, who covered "Woodstock," did. She did, however, perform at the third Isle of Wight festival in England in 1970.
Fun fact 2: Joni Mitchell is also an artist, having designed the cover of her own Ladies Of the Canyon LP and the cover for the Crosby, Stills Nash and Young greatest-hits package So Far.
1 comment:
A mention of Joni Mitchell sends me into a nostalgic revere. I grew up listening to her and loved almost everything she did, but 'my' song, the one that still touches my soul is 'Don Juan's Reckless Daughter'. There's so much about this that hits all my buttons. I grew up on the Canadian prairies in the 70's and the airiness(?) of her guitar work combined with lyrics that speak to me, almost always brings tears to my eyes when I play it. I was in the Royal Canadian Air Force for 42 years, have flown over the prairies numerous times and driven across them at least a dozen and it's always something of a magical experience for me, thanks to that haunting melody.
Thanks for including her in the list.
Rob.
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