Joni Mitchell knows how to let it all hang out. I was recently listening to her album Blue (a "must-own", in my opinion), and thinking about how it just makes me feel...well...longingly. A strange word to use, I know, but true.
One song I always listen to on my iPod when I'm flying home is "California," a wonderful song of longing:
Sitting in a park in Paris, France
Reading the news and it sure looks bad
They won't give peace a chance
That was just a dream some of us had
Still a lot of land to see
But I wouldn't stay here
It's too old and cold and settled in its ways here.
Oh, but California California, I'm coming home
I'm going to see the folks I dig
I'll even kiss a sunset pig
California, I'm coming home.
The song that gets to me every time on Blue is "A Case of You." In an earlier post, I remembered being comforted by Godfrey the cat while swaying to this song. Is there a more beautiful chorus anywhere than this?
Oh you are in my blood like holy wine
Oh and you taste so bitter and so sweet
I could drink a case of you darling
Still I'd be on my feet
I'd still be on my feet.
One song I always listen to on my iPod when I'm flying home is "California," a wonderful song of longing:
Sitting in a park in Paris, France
Reading the news and it sure looks bad
They won't give peace a chance
That was just a dream some of us had
Still a lot of land to see
But I wouldn't stay here
It's too old and cold and settled in its ways here.
Oh, but California California, I'm coming home
I'm going to see the folks I dig
I'll even kiss a sunset pig
California, I'm coming home.
The song that gets to me every time on Blue is "A Case of You." In an earlier post, I remembered being comforted by Godfrey the cat while swaying to this song. Is there a more beautiful chorus anywhere than this?
Oh you are in my blood like holy wine
Oh and you taste so bitter and so sweet
I could drink a case of you darling
Still I'd be on my feet
I'd still be on my feet.
Or what about "River," which has been covered more than 120 times by other artists. (The most covered Joni Mitchell song, by the way, is "Both Sides Now," at 504 covers, according to http://jonimitchell.com. )
It's coming on Christmas
They're cutting down trees
They're putting up reindeer
And singing songs of joy and peace
Oh I wish I had a river I could skate away on
I could go on and on about Joni Mitchell songs that I love that aren't on Blue, but it would take too long. If you've never heard Blue, give it a try. Some people can't stand Joni's voice, and I can understand that--you have to have a taste for it, I think. But her songwriting is gorgeous. And it's not all about longing, either...I promise. :-)
It's coming on Christmas
They're cutting down trees
They're putting up reindeer
And singing songs of joy and peace
Oh I wish I had a river I could skate away on
I could go on and on about Joni Mitchell songs that I love that aren't on Blue, but it would take too long. If you've never heard Blue, give it a try. Some people can't stand Joni's voice, and I can understand that--you have to have a taste for it, I think. But her songwriting is gorgeous. And it's not all about longing, either...I promise. :-)
And judging by number of artists who cover her songs (1,748 different artists, at last count) and the commercial successes of many of those covers by Judy Collins, Counting Crows, the Indigo Girls and CSNY, to name a few), I can't be too far off base. What do you think?
2 comments:
I have always found Joni Mitchell's music (and voice) to be very soothing- even if it is about something sad. It makes me slow down and sometimes I really need that.
I have never gotten that deeply into Joni Mitchell's music (as performed by Joni Mitchell). No aversion, no great attraction. Maybe I need to listen more.
I've been meaning to tell you that I joined an Internet CD-swapping site called swapacd.com. You list 10 CDs you would trade and are given one credit to begin swapping. When people request CDs you've listed, you send them out using a wrapper you print on the computer, with 63 cents postage, and when the CD arrives, you get another credit.
It seems like a very lively site--four of the CDs I listed have already been requested. I ordered Midnight Oil's "Blue Sky Mine" (a record I had on cassette and loved). None of these transactions have actually completed yet--I haven't gotten the Midnight Oil CD, and the CDs I've sent out haven't been credited yet--but if the whole thing works the way it's supposed to, this will be a very convenient way of trading music you don't listen to for music you would like to own. I'll let you know how it works. And I'll request Blue with one of my pending credits!
Post a Comment