Mitchell, Joni (1943—)

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Generally acclaimed as the most talented female singer-songwriter of her age, Joni Mitchell's influence on later generations has been considerable. Her work has inspired such diverse musicians as Prince, Thomas Dolby, Madonna, Suzanne Vega, and Shawn Colvin. While it is obvious that these artists and many others have tried to follow in her steps, it is equally obvious that none have matched the virtuosity of her work. Both as a recording and a performing artist, Mitchell has maintained the highest of standards throughout her career. Her talents as a songwriter are equalled only by Bob Dylan, with whom she has performed on several occasions.

Born Roberta Joan Anderson on November 7, 1943 in Fort McLeod, Alberta (Canada), Mitchell studied art in Calgary. In those years she also worked as a model and began to play in coffee bars. In 1964 she moved to Toronto, where she married folk singer ChuckMitchell in 1965. One year later, the couple divorced and Joni moved on to New York to become a much respected singer and songwriter. In 1967, the year in which she recorded her first album, Mitchell's international fame rose when Judy Collins recorded two of her early compositions on her album Wildflowers —"Michael from Mountains" and "Both Sides Now." The latter song became a worldwide hit in Collins' version.

In 1968, Mitchell released an album of her own, simply entitled Joni Mitchell (it is often referred to as Song to a Seagull). Produced by David Crosby, Mitchell's debut set the tone for the two albums that would soon follow: Clouds (1969) and Ladies of the Canyon (1970). On these early records Mitchell sings her own songs, mainly accompanying herself on the guitar and supported by only a few musicians. The suppleness of Mitchell's voice adds to the complexity of the feelings analyzed within her texts. Most of them are love songs, dramatic and terse, sung in a way only their author can: cool, yet emotional; lucid, yet compassionate. Clouds not only contains Mitchell's own version of "Both Sides Now," but also the much-applauded "Chelsea Morning," which is rumored to have inspired the name of President Clinton's only daughter. Ladies of the Canyon presents two other Mitchell classics: "Big Yellow Taxi"—an ecological pamphlet which became a hit in the United Kingdom and which was later covered by Dylan on his album Dylan in 1973—and "Woodstock," which was also recorded by Ian Matthews and by Crosby, Stills, and Nash on Déjá Vu (1970). Written before the festival (which Mitchell was supposed to attend, but somehow did not make) the song is a prophetic analysis of the hippie version of the American dream.

Mitchell's next album, Blue (1971), featuring James Taylor, is her first real masterpiece. Both musically and lyrically, Mitchell's songs became more personal and more complex, yet without losing their simplicity and immediate attraction. The songs on the album are the result of Mitchell's having come to terms with several of her past love affairs. In 1972, she released For the Roses, on which the singer abandons her familiar terrain of folk music for an approach that is more melodious and pop-like. The change of sound, however slight, which this new approach involves, is continued on Court and Spark (1974), Mitchell's first fully electric album. On this record, featuring Robbie Robertson of The Band, Mitchell is backed by Tom Scott'sL.A. Express, a group of studio musicians schooled in jazz-rock;

Mitchell later recorded the live album Miles of Aisles (1975)—the album that contains new versions of many of the best songs on the early records—with L.A. Express.

Mitchell's second 1975 album, The Hissing of Summer Lawns, is a new masterpiece, even though Rolling Stone labeled it "Worst Album of the Year." The result of the singer's growing interest in jazz and world music (one track features the Burundi Drummers), the album shows Mitchell at her least introspective. Taken as a whole, the songs on The Hissing of Summer Lawns form an extensive comment on life in the 1970s, where economic relationships have taken the place of personal relationships: possession, both of money and of other human beings, is a constant theme of the album. The record's follow-up, Hejira (1976), reflected Mitchell's need for musical exploration and adventure. Prominently present on the album is jazz musician Jaco Pastorius, whose fretless bass also dominates the double album Don Juan's Reckless Daughter (1978), a record which betrays Mitchell's interest for Latin American rhythms. The album impressed jazz legend Charles Mingus, who sent Mitchell an invitation to work with him on a new project. Due to Mingus' untimely death the project was aborted, but it resulted, albeit indirectly, in Mingus (1979), Mitchell's tribute to the musical giant.

Mitchell entered the 1980s with Wild Things Run Fast (1982), a collection of the purest of pop tunes, which again make clear that every single Joni Mitchell record comes as something of a surprise. The album contains "Chinese Café," one of Mitchell's nicest songs, and a partial reworking of The Righteous Brothers' "Unchained Melody." Even though she failed to keep up with the steady pace of her earlier work, the quality of Mitchell's work remained impressive. Dog Eat Dog (1985) was produced by Thomas Dolby, whose technological sophistication also left a clear mark on the sound of the album's follow-up, Chalk Mark in a Rainstorm (1988). By the late 1980s Mitchell made it clear that she intended to take up an old passion of hers, painting. Major exhibitions in London and Edinburgh, however, did not keep her from recording Night Ride Home (1990), the acoustic simplicity of which involves yet another change of direction. Mitchell received a Grammy Award for best pop album for her 1994 Turbulent Indigo. In 1998, Mitchell embarked on a brief United States tour with Bob Dylan and Van Morrison: the concerts were unique in that they brought together three of the true giants in the history of popular music.

Fleischer, Leonore. Joni Mitchell. New York, Flash Books, 1976.

Mitchell, Joni. Joni Mitchell: The Complete Poems and Lyrics. New York, Crown, 1997.

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