|
 really
can’t believe it’s taken me so long to discover this album! And even
then it was because I was made to listen to it as part of my university
course. But when I looked on Ciao it seemed that Joni Mitchell isn’t as
written about as I think she ought to be so I thought I’d add my
opinion!
Joni Mitchell has become one of the most successful female artists in the world, with her albums frequently appearing in Top 100 Albums lists. She has such a distinctive voice and style that she redefined the way the music industry viewed women. Her influence in modern artists is still evident with singer-songwriters like Tori Amos following in her footsteps and even Madonna citing her albums as an influence. She strips away any artifice from her music- usually accompanying herself on the guitar or piano- making it an intimate experience between the listener and herself. Her voice is incredibly beautiful, a clear, gentle soprano (a nice change from the growling Britney style that is so popular in pop music today) which she is unafraid to use as an expressive instrument at the risk of losing the technically beautiful sound. Her talent as a songwriter is very impressive- understated but incredibly expressive. People always say to write about what you know and Joni certainly follows that advice. Blue is such a personal record, dealing with themes of love and losing love, journeying, and the idea of home. The album is the story of a year in her life, showing us what she has gone through and what she has learned and gained from it. She makes herself and her life the theme of the album.The album opens
with All I Want, which sets out what the entire album will center on. My Old Man is a
very bluesy piano accompanied song which delves deeper into her feelings
for her lover, describing her feelings when he is gone and pleading with
him to stay. Little Green is a beautiful ballad for the child which Joni gave up for adoption, describing her hopes for the child’s life and her feelings of loss. The simplicity of this song- the quiet, uncomplicated melody and bare guitar accompaniment- make it an incredibly emotional experience. Carey is a song about Joni’s traveling experiences, celebrating the feeling of freedom that traveling can give. It is an energetic and positive song which has an underlying sense of impending separation and the music illustrates the meaning of the words incredibly well.The title song,
Blue, talks about being torn between leaving and staying. “Oh it gets so lonely, when you’re walking, and the streets are full of strangers. All the news of home you read just gives you the blues” It is a light-hearted and humorous look at the life of a traveler and is beautifully written. This Flight Tonight describes a plane journey to meet her lover and her conflicting feelings about him. River begins with a discordant, out of tune rendition of Jingle Bells and is a song about lost love. Filled with Christmas nostalgia, Joni sings about feeling as if she doesn’t belong and wanting to escape.“I wish I had a river I could skate away on. I made my baby cry”. It has a beautiful piano accompaniment and was used recently in an episode of Ally McBeal. A Case of You is
a love song, showing the intense connection between love and pain. Joni Mitchell’s success lies in the fact that she sings about real life issues that everyone can relate to. This is now one of my favorite CD’s in my rather bizarrely varied collection and I’m embarrassed to admit that I don’t own any of her other albums (but will be adding them to my collection soon- any suggestions would be more than welcome!) |
