Like a lot of people my age, the first
time I ever heard Joni Mitchell was not while strumming a guitar
or putting on a record, but instead while Emma Thompson cried. Yes, my
introduction to one of the most poignant and original female singers of the
past century was through a cheesy British Rom-Com, but it might be the best way
to realize something about Joni Mitchell. In the film Emma
Thompson's character, after realizing that her husband has cheated on her, goes
into a room, shuts the door and communes with the only thing that makes sense, Joni
Mitchell's "Both Sides Now." At the time I had had that sort of
experience with songs, specifically, but nothing quite like it with a
specific artist, someone to go back to even on their non-hits and just collect
all of their albums, as all of the music was something I wanted to be a part
of-Love Actually opened my eyes in that regard, and one of the first
artist's who got that sort of free pass was Joni Mitchell. I
started looking into not just her best-known work, but every song. I had
her albums playing throughout my dorm room, and I got to see her journey as an
artist. This started to translate over into film, into literature, into
sculpture and painting; one of my favorite aspects of study in art, the
concept of the "body of work" came about for me, something that would
continue to fascinate me as I delved deeper into my artistic sensibilities. And
I have Joni Mitchell (and Emma Thompson) to thank for that.
70.
"Stand By Your Man," Tammy Wynette (1968)
One
might call it anti-feminist, but the slow drive toward those final notes is
catnip for me (if we've learned anything from these write-ups it's that I'm a
sucker for a slow crescendo on a song), and it catches its critics in the end
with a reminder that "after all, he's just a man." Tammy
Wynette-always clever in her country.
69.
"Silver Wings," Merle Haggard (1969)
The
Okie from Muskogee has always been a bit of a perplexing situation for me. Perhaps
it's because my grandmother, the greatest champion in my life of classic
country, couldn't stand Merle Haggard (though I'm convinced that's because she
thought the name Merle was ridiculous), but I arrived very late to the Haggard
train. Still, this haunting song, fixed on his classic 1969 breakthrough,
is one that everyone should try.
68.
"Homeward Bound," Simon & Garfunkel (1966)
The
folk duo's fourth entry in this list, "Homeward Bound" is a conundrum
for me. I didn't really like my hometown growing up, and had
less-and-less nostalgia for it as I grew older, but there's still feelings that
only that place of your origin can elicit, which Paul Simon so wonderfully
finds in these heartfelt lyrics. "Home, where my thought's
escaping."
67.
"Chain of Fools," Aretha Franklin (1967)
We
kind of are on a late-60's role here. Aretha Franklin's probably never
had a song that just laid back, but the closest of her great hits that she ever
came was "Chain of Fools," a cheeky look at a woman who is just one
more notch in the bedpost in the life of a man who is just too addicting to let
go-who can't relate to that?
66.
"Delta Dawn," Tanya Tucker (1972)
"Delta
Dawn" has been listened to me countless times, but I almost always (if I'm
with someone else) will point out one of the best aspects of it, the best line
in country music: "she's 41 and her daddy still calls her baby." With
that, Tanya Tucker paints as clear of a portrait of this woman as we were ever
going to get. Tucker may have been too young to understand "Delta
Dawn" when she first sang it, but that didn't stop that vibrating voice
from finding her truth.
65.
"Colder Weather," Zac Brown Band (2010)
One
of the newest songs on this list, the Zac Brown Band is definitely an
act I've come to love in the past few years. This song, with its lush
melodies and poignant, aching lyrics is a wonderful counterbalance to the
increasingly one-note "buds, trucks, and girls in jeans"
pseudo-machismo of today's male country stars.
64.
"Smells Like Teen Spirit," Nirvana (1991)
Kurt
Cobain's moment in the sun was far too short, but this is a pretty impressive
epigraph. With lyrics that become more poetry than actual sentences and a
raw, slurred voice on the front, "Smells Like Teen Spirit" is about
bursts of emotion, passion, and rebelliousness trying to get out through song. You
don't have to have been part of the punk scene to see why there was
something so special here.
63.
"Lady," Little River Band (1978)
Possibly
the first time I ever learned what love was while listening to this song. It
wasn't because I was dreamily pining away for a crush. No, this is the
song I remember my dad, when it would come on the radio, whisking my mom away
in our tiny little kitchen and dancing because it was "their song." As
a result, it will eternally have a special place in my heart.
62.
"Blue," Joni Mitchell (1971)
"Blue,
songs are like tattooes" is one of my favorite opening lines
from a song. Joni Mitchell's lyrics are so raw and personal it's
hard to try to decipher them on paper, but they express themselves in the way
that you are feeling, the way that you want to interpret them; she's more of a
poet or bard than a singer, but with that haunting soprano I'm so glad she took
on both tasks.
61.
"He's a Rebel," The Crystals (although actually the Blossoms) (1962)
Phil
Spector may be a horrible man and murderer, but it cannot be said that he
didn't know music. That incredible Spector "Wall of Sound" is
on full-display in The Crystals' "He's a Rebel," where this group
romanticizes in incredible harmony the man they want to be with (and look here
for an explanation on the singer confusion).
And there you have it-did I catch some of your favorites (or
perhaps a song you're unfamiliar with)? Do you have any special memories
with these songs? And what is your own relationship with Joni
Mitchell? Share your thoughts in the comments!
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