This came out when I was a young teenager. Back then she was mesmerizing to me. I think in this song's lyrics, she has the heart of a child and the mind of a philosopher. It felt like she understood what it meant to be a kid facing the prospect of becoming an adult.
Yes. My experience of Joni came at the same age. I too felt as you say, "... she has the heart of a child and the mind of a philosopher. It felt like she understood what it meant to be a kid facing the prospect of becoming an adult." Thanks for putting into words that feeling I've carried for more than a half century. Back then I was also mesmerized , decades later my feelings have matured to admiration and love.
Joni had some of the most insane tunings for her songs. She didn't just play the guitar as an accompaniment to her voice when she sang. She altered it to make it part of the canvas of her music in ways that no other musician has done before or since. She would often re-tune her guitar between songs to get it ready for the next song. And she did it effortlessly. Her musicianship was next level.
The main reason she started to use tunings was because she had polio as a child. She didn’t have the physical strength to use normal tuning hand positions. What a golden voice that is sadly being silenced by a relapse of her polio.
@@jonathanhorne6503 Yes, but she also suffered a near-fatal brain aneurysm in 2015. For someone who'd been through all that, she's a better singer, songwriter, musician than most out there.
She was and is so brilliant. She knew what she wanted and experimented and adjusted the guitar tuning and her voice to accomplish whatever she wanted. And she was having so much fun! What an inspiration. As a songwriter, I hear regularly that this sort of sophisticated storytelling is 'out'; 'people' want strong, short hooks, short memorable choruses... and not much else. Oh, yeah, and auto-tuned everything. BS. People are still discovering, rediscovering, loving her songs over and over again.
Her Court and Spark record was not only a truly magical album, it was a massive worldwide hit. So were Blue and Clouds. She was essential listening and everyone I knew at the time had her albums in their record collection. Yeah, I'm that old.
I saw Joni in concert in 1974 which I still consider the best concert I've ever attended. She had an emotional breakdown on stage but the audience started chanting "we love you, Joni" and she rallied, spent about 20 minutes composing herself by tuning her guitar and just talking to the audience before she recovered sufficiently to continue the concert. She put so much of herself into every performance. It always feels intimate.
@@123RockchildI was friends with the lighting guys and they said she was clearly upset at rehearsal. I didn't want to pry but I'm sure being on the road takes its toll. Decades later, I used to see her regularly at my local family restaurant but never bothered her. Was just happy to see her. Was so impressed at her performance post-stroke.
It's so cool to see an artist so relaxed and just having fun during a performance. She is just herself, nothing contrived. I enjoyed this analysis and would be happy to see more Joni!
Big Yellow Taxi is such an iconic song. Years ago I downloaded the lyrics and shared them with my grandkids. My grandson's guitar teacher taught him to play this. Joni is such an icon! Thank you so much for your wonderful analysis of dear Joni! We are so lucky to still have her.
Also, I love this video because most of us here only hear the great vocals and lyrics and take the guitar for granted. And we get a great vocal breakdown too. Great work, Phil!
Playing a song by ear is a special talent. I mean I can't play guitar or anything because I have all thumbs on both hands lol, but even some of the most accomplished musicians can't do it. Impressive.
This whole BBC concert (30 min) is here on YT, and you can see Joni move effortlessly from guitar, to piano, to dulcimer (which she had just picked up) playing songs she was still working on at the time... Even some storytelling about various interesting things, like the woman who made her dulcimer for her. imo, Joni is by far the greatest singer/songwriter/musician combo of the last 60 yrs of either gender! Thanx for this great reaction Fil!!!
Hey Fil, great choice. I just want to add how groundbreaking it was in 1970 to see a woman pick up a guitar at all, let alone play it at such a level. But I'm actually happy that we can almost take it for granted these days.
Sister Rosetta Tharpe’s groundbreaking guitar playing occurred much earlier than Joni Mitchell’s. Bonnie Raitt, Nancy Wilson (of Heart), Emmylou Harris, Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt, and Teena Marie are also women singers/guitarists of Joni Mitchell’s era.
@@RaineW Joni's playing was unique. Bonnie too, but I didn't become aware of her until 1972 when she played in Syracuse NY, with Jackson Browne, in a church basement. Believe it or not! I still remember her playing "Blender Blues." And the other illustrious musicians on your list came to me even later.
Joni-one of a kind! A real force of nature. I know she's not been well lately but we are so blessed with her talent she shared with us. Thanks, 'Sir Fil' so, so much! 4:13
I've always loved this BBC TV performance as much as the Isle of Wight. 1970's Joni Mitchell is my dream girl. Talented and naturally beautiful. Her softness in speaking contrasting with her powerful and confident performances. And the slight yodeling is icing on the cake!
She had a bout with polio which weakened her left hand hence the guitar approach she had to invent. Pure soul, love and determination. I saw her live in ‘72 or so. What a performance!
Thank you Phil, for reviewing Joni Mitchell my favorite female Rock/folk soloist. Big yellow bus happened to be one of my favorites tunes she performed. Thanks.
This was cool! Joni Mitchell is another singer songwriter and musician. that has left her mark in the music industry and with her fans. thanks, Fil, for taking another look at Joni Mitchell in detail. 😊🎸🎤🎶
Story telling, and "protest" in this song. "Hey farmer farmer, put away that DDT now...😄 a lot of artists doing that in the 60's...70's. Great talent for sure! Thank you Fil!🌷
My husband and I got married in 1970 (still married 😊) and I remember frequently hearing her songs on the radio. We’re Canadian and this particular song was so meaningful because Canada, like the USA, destroyed historic buildings, some of our best farmland, and forests, all for new development. My husband was from the Netherlands and like much of Europe, respects all of those and don’t allow rampant, unregulated development. His hometown was built in the 1300s and it still has most of its original architecture and lovely city parks. Listening to this song still affects me because politicians do whatever the wealthy and corporations want and don’t care about posterity or preserving farmland, trees in city parks, and forests.
I was blessed to see her in concert in the autumn of 1969, my freshman year at Syracuse University. I'd been at Woodstock in August...Joni was not, so I was deliriously happy to find she was at SU a few months later. She floated out like an angel, in her ecru lace maxi-dress. It was in a building that was originally a chapel and the heavy wood and stained glass windows created an ambiance that transported us all into her world. No head-banging, no mosh pit. You could hear a pin drop between songs. I have bittersweet memories of my friends and lovers from back then. I'm still in touch with several of them. Some of us played the guitar and sang Joni's songs. We were all young and beautiful. Now we reminisce but don't really want to go back to those times. Mostly we want young people today to appreciate...but not waste...their youth because life doesn't get any easier as you grow old. Now that Brandi Carlile (who lives a few miles down the road from me in the verdant, mossy, hydrated foothills of the Pacific Northwest) has brought Joni back into the public arena, it's precious to see her still projecting her poetry and music. By the way, she's a phenomenal painter as well and has always related to that more than to being a musician!
Thank you Fil. I knew she was good but not this good. She flew into Hawaii one night, went to bed at the hotel, woke up the next morning and opened the blinds to see a huge parking lot that stretched to the palm trees in the distance. Uspet, she wrote this song.
Something I read was that she had polio as a child and it left her left hand with some slight damage. She would do some unusual chord positions to compensate for that. As my grandfather would say “If it’s a lie they told it.”
Another Canadian musical ikon. I have enjoyed her music all along. She has music and talent just bubbling out of her. I did enjoy how you brought out her guitar ,and your, skills. Great analysis. Thank you for this trip down my memory lane again.
Thanks for your analysis! Always enjoyed Joni Mitchell's singing & songwriting. She covers a lot of genres of music including folk, pop, rock, classical & jazz. She has had so many hits especially in the 60's-80's such as "Chelsea Morning", "Help Me", "The Circle Game", "Both Sides Now", "Woodstock", "Raised On Robbery", "Free Man In Paris" etc.
I was in high school then; along with Judy Collins and Seals & Crofts they were so integral to my going into young adulthood and college. This guy from Texas still adores Ms. Mitchell.
I just loved her laugh at her 'mistake' and the expression where you froze after the final note - she's playing with us. I loved her voice from the first time I heard her, but was interesting to hear you take on her guitar playing too. 🙂🙃
Fil, the two-man group that I was in was from 1970 -73 during my high school years. We did popular music that you could play on acoustic guitars with electric guitar accompaniment for the lead instrument. My friend and I learned how to Harmonize from listening to The Beatles. We sang mostly folk inspired songs with some popular FM arrangements. IE the turtles, Elton John, cat Stevens. Beatles, so I would say that my first professional gigs were as a quasi folk singer. And then I just play top 40 music during the 70s. And then I became a blues musician. Joni mitchell, Crosby stills Nash & young, Neil young, and America were probably my influences along with the Beatles. At the time! Thanks again for another wonderful video!!
So talented. I enjoyed this so much. She has such a musical way with words and such an intellectual way with voice and melody. I wouldn’t say no to another Joni video. Thank you Fil ❤
" I'll light the fire, you place the flowers in the vase that you bought today"...from "Our House" too Joni from Graham Nash. What a great time for music!
Love this song, and love Joni Mitchell's voice. She manages to be light and soaring while the song is still very grounded. Would enjoy seeing an analysis of another one. :)
This video has it all - great analysis of Joni"s voice and her guitar tuning! Love it! Who else is using the phrase "On the agenda tonight.." on a daily basis? Thank you Fil ❤
Hi Fil, I love Joni , she is an amazing singer and musician! I remember "Big Yellow Taxi", it's a great and fun song to listen to. I enjoyed this analysis and the guitar demonstrations as well. Excellent job! 😉👍
Great job as always Fil. As an old Candian I"ve been wowed by Joni's musical genius most of my life. No doubt you've see her "Let's Sing Out" recordings from back in the mid 60's as Joni Anderson then Mitchell. She was obviously beginning to add something rare and special to the world even way back then. Thanks Joni.
Given her incredible songbook, this has always been my favorite Joni Mitchell song. Such prophetic lyrics. This song came out my senior year in high school and has stood the test of time, as have all her songs. She is also one hell of a great jazz singer. What a set of pipes!
I can remember the first time I heard this song. It was after school and I was waiting for my brother and sister to finish their last classes so that I could drive them home. In the senior quad, they had music playing that came out over really loud speakers. When I think back on it now, I wonder why they were playing music that loud when classes were still in session. I was on an advanced track and actually didn't have to go to class as long as I maintained a certain GPA. Anyway, this song came on and I can remember stopping what I was doing to listen to the lyrics. We were in a time of change, protest and everything felt very volatile. I can remember feeling like she could touch your soul with her lyric, her voice and presentation style and one didn't have to be in your face to have an impact. She got her point across without the need to bash it into your face. Her voice always has had a certain vulnerability, fragility to it that speaks without screaming. I always felt like she was prescient and that we would likely wake up one morning to a sterile landscape where everything we valued would be put away in a museum. Great review, Fil.
In the 70s i could not stand her high pitched voice, although I could hear she's another level. Today, I know she's more than that. She is invaluable, precious, she reached a high level of artistry that only few people ever reached. Not only one of the best songwriters ever walking on this planet, but also a superb instrumentalist, innovator, most proficient singer, and the best performer of her own songs. Today, I would do anything for her.
I feel exactly like you. I diid't appreciate her when she first came on the scene. Now all these years later I think wow. She is so good. A great writer, A beautiful voice and a greats guitarist.
I do absolutely love this fantastic song. It was the first song I heard from Joni Mitchell somewhen in the 70s and fell instantly in love with this voice.
She's been my favorite female voice/poet since Court and Spark, just as Leonard Cohen has been the yang to her yin. So glad you revisited this with your new tools.
That was good. Your analysis surprises me every time! You're a great educator on the nuts and bolts of a song. Joni just had that gift of a story much like Gordon Lightfoot.
For me, one of the finest musicians to have ever lived. Stunning songs, playing and her voice is other-worldly. All with grace, truth and humility. An amazing human being. ❤
I went to one of Joni's concerts circa 1975. Teenage girl down front was begging her to do "Conversation," so finally Joni stops and says "Okay, I'll do it, but I wrote it a long time ago, and I was a lot older then. I can't remember the words." She then made the girl come on stage with her and sing along.
"BYT" is so appropriate now. In the woods where we use to have our own mini-Woodstocks (Generator in the back of a pickup, amps and guitars plugged in), now sitting in a library, auto repair shop and large church next door, 400 unit condo going up in the back. Hometown is turning into northern New Jersey; ain't hometown any more.
Joni Mitchell is the TOTAL PACKAGE, writer, arranger, ginger/ songwriter , harmonizes, draws the albums, piano songs GREAT too ,dulcimer too,+ flute.She can tune while amusing the audience w/ stories , + so much more. Over 50 tunings to play w/ polio. INCREDIBLE talent.She also keeps many percussion beats w/ whatever she plays. I HATE it that she threw away her talent for cigarettes!!!! Many meaningful lyrics, Magdaline Laundries, I Am Lakota, etc
Vaše výklady a rozbory jsou pro mě skvělé. Jsem technik víceméně bez hudebního sluchu. Ale slyším všemožné diference tónů. Vaše vysvětlivky nuancí mi moc pomáhají. Díky.
Joni has so much feel on her guitar playing and also her vocals. She's simply a genius. Her ear and voice are incredible. In the same way that she has little fills and slides in her guitar playing, she has the same kinds of little accents, tone shifts, and the vocal equivalents of grace notes and turns in her singing. The little yodel sounds and extremely wide intervals in her singing are just mesmerizing. My ears honestly don't mind at all when she slides her voice up a bit too high or sharp for a split second because there's a light-hearted, whimsical embellishment to it. And in any case, she will then hit 10 straight notes in perfect pitch afterward. When I was a teenager, I remember hearing certain pieces of music and just being absolutely mesmerized and floored. I was absolutely mesmerized when I first heard Miles Davis' "Kind of Blue" album. I was entranced. I sat there and listened quietly to each note. It was the same when I heard a Joni record for the first time. I think I might have heard "Court and Spark" before I heard "Clouds". Later I heard "Blue". Everything about her singing and harmonies just blew me away. Again, she's an absolute genius and as a musician, I agree that she's absolutely unique and original. She invented so many aspects of her vocal style and also her guitar playing style and harmonic composition.
Its the Cdn again who lived in London in 68 and again in 72 and 73. This performance was many of BBC masterpieces that were recorded in the early seventies especially with visiting N.American artists. They were incredibly well miked and recorded. Check out Crosby and Nash, Neil and of course Joni. This tune wouldnt be my choice but it was intentionally meant to be commercial I think as was Free Man in Paris, but that is OK. My greatest thrill was waking up one Saturday morning in the East End in 1968 when I heard Joni singing out over the radio on John Peels program with Night in the City. Peel was introducing her first album of which I wasnt aware. It was time to go home
Thx Fil. I cannot really add anything new, after reading the first 12 or so comments below mine, except that I agree wholeheartedly. She leaves me at a loss for words. ☮
Hi Fil, This is such a great classic Folk Rock song. Love Joni’s voice and her guitar playing. Love how she changes up the melody a little just to give the song a bit of a different twist. And fun to hear her use her high and low range within the scope of this one song. A very talented lady and performer, always a pleasure to hear one of her songs. Nice job on this analysis and guitar demonstration. ROCK, Debbie ☮️
I have not heard Joni before but I liked her instantly. Such a sweet and unique voice with great delivery and a pleasure to listen to. Playing the guitar too was superb. Your analysis was great and I loved her flips. She is very talented. Thanks fil you always bring out the best of great singers
If you haven't heard Joni before, you must hear more. One of the most emotionally evocative and talented singer-songwriters I've ever known of. And, that is not even the main genre I listen to at all. Songs from Court and Spark and from Blue specifically are recommended!
Lovely analysis, Fil. I’ve always loved Joni’s music and her powerful, thoughtful and compassionate lyrics. Thanks for the exploration of her guitar technique. Since I’m not a musician, I didn’t know how unusual it was. That was really interesting. 👍 Yes! Please do an analysis of her performance of “Both Sides, Now” from that live performance. It’s a good example of how much more emotional, subtle and nuanced a live performance can be, compared to the original recording. “A Case of You” …. Still one of my all-time favorite songs. ❤️❤️❤️ Thanks, Fil! Love ya! 😘
Thanks Fil, that was great. I particularly liked the "artistically credible" part, for some reason I immediately thought of Mariah Carey, who technically is an amazing singer, with a monster-range, but... Personally, I prefer Joni after she whent from a mezzo-soprano to a contralto. In my opinion, Joni is very underrated as a guitarist. Keeping track of 50+ alternate tunings is just mindblowing. On the 1979 Live-recording "Shadows and Light", Joni is playing 5-6 Ibanez George Benson guitars via her Roland JC-120 amp. (Pat Metheny, Jaco Pastorius, Don Alias, Michael Brecker, Lyle Mays.. What a line-up!!) On the 1998 show "Painting with words and music", she is playing a Parker Fly via a Roland VG-8 guutar-synth that handles all the tunings.. One of the best Live-recordings ever, IMHO.. And you'll see how she frequently frets the lower strings with her thumb, just like Jimi....
This song was released out when I was just 6 years old, but it has travelled with me throughout my entire life. It has become more and more resonant as I have grown older. I don’t understand forthright life of me how Joni, at the tender age of 27, had the maturity and insight to draw on.
This is great Fil. Very good tutorial. I've always loved this song and Joni is amazing and such a good artist and professional musician. Her ability to switch back and forth from her upper voice and lower voice is beautiful. One thought about the line about charging people a "dollar and a half just to see 'em". In 1970 the minimum wage was around $1.65 so $1.50 to see some trees is quite a lot if we talk about percentages. Compare that to today's dollars and we can see what that means.
I was 18 when this came out. I love her voice, and the song seemed to be light and easy but when I listened to the lyrics, they smacked me right in the face. I'm a big nature lover so it really resonated. She is just delightful!
What an immense talent. Oh look; another Canadian too! As far as I'm concerned you can cover her again and again. I'm there for it. I guess I'm more than about Power Pop and Hard Rock because I've got 4 of her albums on vinyl. She wrote about so many personal things and relationships like James Taylor (Blue), Graham Nash (A Case of You), David Geffen (A Free Man in Paris). A Case of You lyrics are just incredible. I believe that's the song that Prince was so enamored of he wrote her letters constantly gushing over it, and because of the way he wrote with hearts and single letters for words - U for you and so on - they were considered just more typical fan mail and got thrown out. In any case, this was a magnificent video of a magnificent talent. Thank you Fil! :)
This came out when I was a young teenager. Back then she was mesmerizing to me. I think in this song's lyrics, she has the heart of a child and the mind of a philosopher. It felt like she understood what it meant to be a kid facing the prospect of becoming an adult.
Great line :) she has the heart of a child and the mind of a philosopher... could be the line of a song... x Davey P.. UK
Yes. My experience of Joni came at the same age. I too felt as you say, "... she has the heart of a child and the mind of a philosopher. It felt like she understood what it meant to be a kid facing the prospect of becoming an adult."
Thanks for putting into words that feeling I've carried for more than a half century.
Back then I was also mesmerized , decades later my feelings have matured to admiration and love.
Joni had some of the most insane tunings for her songs. She didn't just play the guitar as an accompaniment to her voice when she sang. She altered it to make it part of the canvas of her music in ways that no other musician has done before or since. She would often re-tune her guitar between songs to get it ready for the next song. And she did it effortlessly. Her musicianship was next level.
Indeed 👌🥂
What a beautiful way to put it. And spot on.
The main reason she started to use tunings was because she had polio as a child. She didn’t have the physical strength to use normal tuning hand positions. What a golden voice that is sadly being silenced by a relapse of her polio.
@@jonathanhorne6503 Yes, but she also suffered a near-fatal brain aneurysm in 2015. For someone who'd been through all that, she's a better singer, songwriter, musician than most out there.
She was and is so brilliant. She knew what she wanted and experimented and adjusted the guitar tuning and her voice to accomplish whatever she wanted. And she was having so much fun! What an inspiration. As a songwriter, I hear regularly that this sort of sophisticated storytelling is 'out'; 'people' want strong, short hooks, short memorable choruses... and not much else. Oh, yeah, and auto-tuned everything. BS. People are still discovering, rediscovering, loving her songs over and over again.
Her Court and Spark record was not only a truly magical album, it was a massive worldwide hit. So were Blue and Clouds. She was essential listening and everyone I knew at the time had her albums in their record collection. Yeah, I'm that old.
No, you are eternally young if you love this music!
I'm only 40 and I have 4 of her albums on vinyl!
And I too am an oldster and was absolutely in love with Joni Mitchell. Court and Spark is still one of my all-time favorite albums.!
As an 'oldster', I well remember the first time I heard 'Blue'. It was a life- changing experience! From then onwards, I have been hooked on Joni.
She’s the musical landscape of my life. Evolving, ever changing…a musical/artistic genius.
Joni's lilting voice, musicianship & poetry have kept me entranced for 50 years.
Joni Mitchell's voice is pure, elastic & crystalline. Her message was prescient. Thank you for helping me to appreciate her guitar skills as well.
Singer, songwriter, guitarist. As the complete package I think she stood alone. There were many great performers around this time, and there was Joni.
... and Neil Young and Stephen Stills and Paul Simon and ...
@@bobbynoe1 Yes they were all great.
Her "Urge for Goin" live from Canada can not be topped by anything I`ve ever heard. She`s unbelievable.
Tom Rush did a great cover of it. I don’t usually think people do her songs justice, but his version is incredible.
Yes, he is a local where I am and does a great job also.@@M0odyBlue
Love every version.....Tony Rice did it too. Being from Michigan it really hits home.
I saw Joni in concert in 1974 which I still consider the best concert I've ever attended. She had an emotional breakdown on stage but the audience started chanting "we love you, Joni" and she rallied, spent about 20 minutes composing herself by tuning her guitar and just talking to the audience before she recovered sufficiently to continue the concert. She put so much of herself into every performance. It always feels intimate.
Do you know what the “emotional breakdown” was all about?
@@123RockchildI was friends with the lighting guys and they said she was clearly upset at rehearsal. I didn't want to pry but I'm sure being on the road takes its toll. Decades later, I used to see her regularly at my local family restaurant but never bothered her. Was just happy to see her. Was so impressed at her performance post-stroke.
She is the soundtrack to my life. Her talent was also hugely respected by her contemporaries James Taylor, CSNY, Carol King, beautiful soul ❤
My youth ❤❤❤
It's so cool to see an artist so relaxed and just having fun during a performance. She is just herself, nothing contrived. I enjoyed this analysis and would be happy to see more Joni!
She had a wonderful use of the yodel which suited her ethereal, angelic-like voice.
Big Yellow Taxi is such an iconic song. Years ago I downloaded the lyrics and shared them with my grandkids. My grandson's guitar teacher taught him to play this. Joni is such an icon! Thank you so much for your wonderful analysis of dear Joni! We are so lucky to still have her.
Much appreciation from a Mitchel devotee for more than 50 years. You have an uncanny gift in making the music more accessible and remarkable.
Also, I love this video because most of us here only hear the great vocals and lyrics and take the guitar for granted. And we get a great vocal breakdown too. Great work, Phil!
Joni embraces open tunings because she had polio as a child, and had difficulty playing a guitar tuned traditionally. I’d say it works well for her.
It blows my mind how young she was when she wrote it and how relevant some of the lyrics are today.
Playing a song by ear is a special talent. I mean I can't play guitar or anything because I have all thumbs on both hands lol, but even some of the most accomplished musicians can't do it. Impressive.
Fil has got talent. I love listening to him!!
I was 15 when she did this. Reactions to older videos is greatly appreciated! ❤
This whole BBC concert (30 min) is here on YT, and you can see Joni move effortlessly from guitar, to piano, to dulcimer (which she had just picked up) playing songs she was still working on at the time... Even some storytelling about various interesting things, like the woman who made her dulcimer for her.
imo, Joni is by far the greatest singer/songwriter/musician combo of the last 60 yrs of either gender!
Thanx for this great reaction Fil!!!
Hey Fil, great choice. I just want to add how groundbreaking it was in 1970 to see a woman pick up a guitar at all, let alone play it at such a level. But I'm actually happy that we can almost take it for granted these days.
Sister Rosetta Tharpe’s groundbreaking guitar playing occurred much earlier than Joni Mitchell’s. Bonnie Raitt, Nancy Wilson (of Heart), Emmylou Harris, Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt, and Teena Marie are also women singers/guitarists of Joni Mitchell’s era.
Check out Les Pauls and Mary Ford.
@@RaineW Joni's playing was unique. Bonnie too, but I didn't become aware of her until 1972 when she played in Syracuse NY, with Jackson Browne, in a church basement. Believe it or not! I still remember her playing "Blender Blues." And the other illustrious musicians on your list came to me even later.
@@davidrachubka5300 Yes I saw a video of them just recently. I never knew about them before this year!
I remember.. 2 years old. The blue and green of Hawaii was prominent. You don't know what you've got til it's gone.
Joni-one of a kind! A real force of nature. I know she's not been well lately but we are so blessed with her talent she shared with us.
Thanks, 'Sir Fil' so, so much! 4:13
Have you seen her recent live performance? She’s actually getting better. She had to completely relearn how to play the guitar.
@@M0odyBlue Why did she have to completely relearn it?
@@M0odyBlue No, I haven’t. I will definitely be checking that out. Thanks so much-there’s no one like her. 🎸❤️🎶
@@lauraallen55 She had a stroke a few years ago. I’m so grateful she’s playing again. ❤️🤗
@@lauraallen55 She had a brain aneurysm.
I've always loved this BBC TV performance as much as the Isle of Wight. 1970's Joni Mitchell is my dream girl. Talented and naturally beautiful. Her softness in speaking contrasting with her powerful and confident performances. And the slight yodeling is icing on the cake!
Yes, please do more on Joni!
She had a bout with polio which weakened her left hand hence the guitar approach she had to invent. Pure soul, love and determination. I saw her live in ‘72 or so. What a performance!
Thank you Phil, for reviewing Joni Mitchell my favorite female Rock/folk soloist. Big yellow bus happened to be one of my favorites tunes she performed. Thanks.
I love how you, unlike some other music TH-camrs, cover so many women artists. A heartfelt thanks!
This was cool! Joni Mitchell is another singer songwriter and musician. that has left her mark in the music industry and with her fans. thanks, Fil, for taking another look at Joni Mitchell in detail. 😊🎸🎤🎶
Story telling, and "protest" in this song.
"Hey farmer farmer, put away that DDT now...😄 a lot of artists doing that in the 60's...70's. Great talent for sure! Thank you Fil!🌷
@loriematthews6418... 😊🌎 ✌💛
@@drewpall2598 Hi Drew!
🙋💕
@@loriematthews6418 Hello Lorie! Have a wonderful week. 😊
@@drewpall2598 And you as well! 💕 ☺️
My husband and I got married in 1970 (still married 😊) and I remember frequently hearing her songs on the radio. We’re Canadian and this particular song was so meaningful because Canada, like the USA, destroyed historic buildings, some of our best farmland, and forests, all for new development. My husband was from the Netherlands and like much of Europe, respects all of those and don’t allow rampant, unregulated development. His hometown was built in the 1300s and it still has most of its original architecture and lovely city parks. Listening to this song still affects me because politicians do whatever the wealthy and corporations want and don’t care about posterity or preserving farmland, trees in city parks, and forests.
I saw her open for Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles in 1969. She is an amazing performer.
I was blessed to see her in concert in the autumn of 1969, my freshman year at Syracuse University. I'd been at Woodstock in August...Joni was not, so I was deliriously happy to find she was at SU a few months later. She floated out like an angel, in her ecru lace maxi-dress. It was in a building that was originally a chapel and the heavy wood and stained glass windows created an ambiance that transported us all into her world. No head-banging, no mosh pit. You could hear a pin drop between songs. I have bittersweet memories of my friends and lovers from back then. I'm still in touch with several of them. Some of us played the guitar and sang Joni's songs. We were all young and beautiful. Now we reminisce but don't really want to go back to those times. Mostly we want young people today to appreciate...but not waste...their youth because life doesn't get any easier as you grow old. Now that Brandi Carlile (who lives a few miles down the road from me in the verdant, mossy, hydrated foothills of the Pacific Northwest) has brought Joni back into the public arena, it's precious to see her still projecting her poetry and music. By the way, she's a phenomenal painter as well and has always related to that more than to being a musician!
Thank you Fil. I knew she was good but not this good. She flew into Hawaii one night, went to bed at the hotel, woke up the next morning and opened the blinds to see a huge parking lot that stretched to the palm trees in the distance. Uspet, she wrote this song.
Something I read was that she had polio as a child and it left her left hand with some slight damage. She would do some unusual chord positions to compensate for that. As my grandfather would say “If it’s a lie they told it.”
Another Canadian musical ikon. I have enjoyed her music all along. She has music and talent just bubbling out of her. I did enjoy how you brought out her guitar ,and your, skills. Great analysis. Thank you for this trip down my memory lane again.
Joni Mitchell expressed every emotion I have ever felt.
Always as much Joni that you want to show us, bring it on! Love your expert commentary ❤
I had a young choir teacher, we sang many current songs in the 70s, including this one. Love her ❤
Thanks for your analysis! Always enjoyed Joni Mitchell's singing & songwriting. She covers a lot of genres of music including folk, pop, rock, classical & jazz. She has had so many hits especially in the 60's-80's such as "Chelsea Morning", "Help Me", "The Circle Game", "Both Sides Now", "Woodstock", "Raised On Robbery", "Free Man In Paris" etc.
Anytime you want to comment on Joni Mitchell, I'm up for it. Thanks Fil !!!
I was in high school then; along with Judy Collins and Seals & Crofts they were so integral to my going into young adulthood and college. This guy from Texas still adores Ms. Mitchell.
I just loved her laugh at her 'mistake' and the expression where you froze after the final note - she's playing with us.
I loved her voice from the first time I heard her, but was interesting to hear you take on her guitar playing too. 🙂🙃
more Joni!!
Fil, the two-man group that I was in was from 1970 -73 during my high school years. We did popular music that you could play on acoustic guitars with electric guitar accompaniment for the lead instrument. My friend and I learned how to Harmonize from listening to The Beatles. We sang mostly folk inspired songs with some popular FM arrangements. IE the turtles, Elton John, cat Stevens. Beatles, so I would say that my first professional gigs were as a quasi folk singer. And then I just play top 40 music during the 70s. And then I became a blues musician. Joni mitchell, Crosby stills Nash & young, Neil young, and America were probably my influences along with the Beatles. At the time! Thanks again for another wonderful video!!
So talented. I enjoyed this so much. She has such a musical way with words and such an intellectual way with voice and melody. I wouldn’t say no to another Joni video. Thank you Fil ❤
This is the channel that introduced me to Billy Strings a few years ago. Thank you Wings of Pegasus!
No problem! 👍
" I'll light the fire, you place the flowers in the vase that you bought today"...from "Our House" too Joni from Graham Nash. What a great time for music!
Love this song, and love Joni Mitchell's voice. She manages to be light and soaring while the song is still very grounded. Would enjoy seeing an analysis of another one. :)
Great analysis once again Fil
Please more Joni!
This video has it all - great analysis of Joni"s voice and her guitar tuning! Love it!
Who else is using the phrase "On the agenda tonight.." on a daily basis? Thank you Fil ❤
Hi Fil, I love Joni , she is an amazing singer and musician! I remember "Big Yellow Taxi", it's a great and fun song to listen to. I enjoyed this analysis and the guitar demonstrations as well. Excellent job! 😉👍
Great job as always Fil. As an old Candian I"ve been wowed by Joni's musical genius most of my life. No doubt you've see her "Let's Sing Out" recordings from back in the mid 60's as Joni Anderson then Mitchell. She was obviously beginning to add something rare and special to the world even way back then. Thanks Joni.
Given her incredible songbook, this has always been my favorite Joni Mitchell song. Such prophetic lyrics. This song came out my senior year in high school and has stood the test of time, as have all her songs. She is also one hell of a great jazz singer. What a set of pipes!
What is not to love about Joni Mitchell? Godspeed to her.
From Fort Macleod to clubs in Saskatoon she lit 🔥 up the world 🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦what an amazing song smith 👏👏👏👏👏thanks Fil 🥂
I can remember the first time I heard this song. It was after school and I was waiting for my brother and sister to finish their last classes so that I could drive them home. In the senior quad, they had music playing that came out over really loud speakers. When I think back on it now, I wonder why they were playing music that loud when classes were still in session. I was on an advanced track and actually didn't have to go to class as long as I maintained a certain GPA. Anyway, this song came on and I can remember stopping what I was doing to listen to the lyrics. We were in a time of change, protest and everything felt very volatile. I can remember feeling like she could touch your soul with her lyric, her voice and presentation style and one didn't have to be in your face to have an impact. She got her point across without the need to bash it into your face. Her voice always has had a certain vulnerability, fragility to it that speaks without screaming. I always felt like she was prescient and that we would likely wake up one morning to a sterile landscape where everything we valued would be put away in a museum.
Great review, Fil.
Interesting analysis! I'd welcome another - can't get enough Joni.
In the 70s i could not stand her high pitched voice, although I could hear she's another level.
Today, I know she's more than that. She is invaluable, precious, she reached a high level of artistry that only few people ever reached. Not only one of the best songwriters ever walking on this planet, but also a superb instrumentalist, innovator, most proficient singer, and the best performer of her own songs. Today, I would do anything for her.
I feel exactly like you. I diid't appreciate her when she first came on the scene. Now all these years later I think wow. She is so good. A great writer, A beautiful voice and a greats guitarist.
I do absolutely love this fantastic song. It was the first song I heard from Joni Mitchell somewhen in the 70s and fell instantly in love with this voice.
She's been my favorite female voice/poet since Court and Spark, just as Leonard Cohen has been the yang to her yin.
So glad you revisited this with your new tools.
Canada sure provided some serious talent back then-Joni-Neil Young-Gordon Lightfoot etc...
@@earlgrey691 So true! Real poets, but also singers and in many cases instrumentalists.
Still, it's their words that hold me.
That was good. Your analysis surprises me every time! You're a great educator on the nuts and bolts of a song. Joni just had that gift of a story much like Gordon Lightfoot.
For me, one of the finest musicians to have ever lived. Stunning songs, playing and her voice is other-worldly. All with grace, truth and humility. An amazing human being. ❤
I went to one of Joni's concerts circa 1975. Teenage girl down front was begging her to do "Conversation," so finally Joni stops and says "Okay, I'll do it, but I wrote it a long time ago, and I was a lot older then. I can't remember the words." She then made the girl come on stage with her and sing along.
"BYT" is so appropriate now. In the woods where we use to have our own mini-Woodstocks (Generator in the back of a pickup, amps and guitars plugged in), now sitting in a library, auto repair shop and large church next door, 400 unit condo going up in the back. Hometown is turning into northern New Jersey; ain't hometown any more.
I could listen to you talk about Joni all night,too! An astonishing artist in so many ways. Thank you!
I have a sincere appreciation for your music appreciation. It’s a rad channel. Love it!
Like the colors on the body of that guitar, very cool. 🤘🏼
Joni Mitchell is the TOTAL PACKAGE, writer, arranger, ginger/ songwriter , harmonizes, draws the albums, piano songs GREAT too ,dulcimer too,+ flute.She can tune while amusing the audience w/ stories , + so much more. Over 50 tunings to play w/ polio. INCREDIBLE talent.She also keeps many percussion beats w/ whatever she plays. I HATE it that she threw away her talent for cigarettes!!!! Many meaningful lyrics, Magdaline Laundries, I Am Lakota, etc
Thanks Fil, when I see/hear her I think of the special relationship she had with Graham Nash and his song to her "Our House"
Love it! Thank you. Yes, more Joni
As much Joni as you care to is fine with me!!! So many great songs from her!
Great job Fil. Thank you.
Vaše výklady a rozbory jsou pro mě skvělé. Jsem technik víceméně bez hudebního sluchu. Ale slyším všemožné diference tónů. Vaše vysvětlivky nuancí mi moc pomáhají. Díky.
Me encanta muchisimo colega! Gracias!
Joni has so much feel on her guitar playing and also her vocals. She's simply a genius. Her ear and voice are incredible. In the same way that she has little fills and slides in her guitar playing, she has the same kinds of little accents, tone shifts, and the vocal equivalents of grace notes and turns in her singing. The little yodel sounds and extremely wide intervals in her singing are just mesmerizing. My ears honestly don't mind at all when she slides her voice up a bit too high or sharp for a split second because there's a light-hearted, whimsical embellishment to it. And in any case, she will then hit 10 straight notes in perfect pitch afterward.
When I was a teenager, I remember hearing certain pieces of music and just being absolutely mesmerized and floored. I was absolutely mesmerized when I first heard Miles Davis' "Kind of Blue" album. I was entranced. I sat there and listened quietly to each note.
It was the same when I heard a Joni record for the first time. I think I might have heard "Court and Spark" before I heard "Clouds". Later I heard "Blue". Everything about her singing and harmonies just blew me away. Again, she's an absolute genius and as a musician, I agree that she's absolutely unique and original. She invented so many aspects of her vocal style and also her guitar playing style and harmonic composition.
Oh, love your videos. You hit the nail on the head, she sings to express not to impress. Great recap.
Its the Cdn again who lived in London in 68 and again in 72 and 73. This performance was many of BBC masterpieces that were recorded in the early seventies especially with visiting N.American artists. They were incredibly well miked and recorded. Check out Crosby and Nash, Neil and of course Joni. This tune wouldnt be my choice but it was intentionally meant to be commercial I think as was Free Man in Paris, but that is OK. My greatest thrill was waking up one Saturday morning in the East End in 1968 when I heard Joni singing out over the radio on John Peels program with Night in the City. Peel was introducing her first album of which I wasnt aware. It was time to go home
Wow!!❤❤❤❤ Peace, love and Joni!! Much gratitude, Fil and excellent choice to put this in the spotlight again!!!!!
Thx Fil. I cannot really add anything new, after reading the first 12 or so comments below mine, except that I agree wholeheartedly. She leaves me at a loss for words. ☮
Hi Fil,
This is such a great classic Folk Rock song. Love Joni’s voice and her guitar playing. Love how she changes up the melody a little just to give the song a bit of a different twist. And fun to hear her use her high and low range within the scope of this one song. A very talented lady and performer, always a pleasure to hear one of her songs. Nice job on this analysis and guitar demonstration. ROCK, Debbie ☮️
I have not heard Joni before but I liked her instantly. Such a sweet and unique voice with great delivery and a pleasure to listen to. Playing the guitar too was superb. Your analysis was great and I loved her flips. She is very talented. Thanks fil you always bring out the best of great singers
If you haven't heard Joni before, you must hear more. One of the most emotionally evocative and talented singer-songwriters I've ever known of. And, that is not even the main genre I listen to at all. Songs from Court and Spark and from Blue specifically are recommended!
@@lauraallen55 thank you, I will
@@lydiabentley3413 You won't be sorry. :)
Lovely analysis, Fil. I’ve always loved Joni’s music and her powerful, thoughtful and compassionate lyrics. Thanks for the exploration of her guitar technique. Since I’m not a musician, I didn’t know how unusual it was. That was really interesting. 👍
Yes! Please do an analysis of her performance of “Both Sides, Now” from that live performance. It’s a good example of how much more emotional, subtle and nuanced a live performance can be, compared to the original recording.
“A Case of You” …. Still one of my all-time favorite songs. ❤️❤️❤️
Thanks, Fil! Love ya! 😘
Joni Mitchell's live performance of her song Woodstock is also an amazing performance
Thanks Fil, that was great.
I particularly liked the "artistically credible" part, for some reason I immediately thought of Mariah Carey, who technically is an amazing singer, with a monster-range, but...
Personally, I prefer Joni after she whent from a mezzo-soprano to a contralto.
In my opinion, Joni is very underrated as a guitarist.
Keeping track of 50+ alternate tunings is just mindblowing.
On the 1979 Live-recording "Shadows and Light", Joni is playing 5-6 Ibanez George Benson guitars via her Roland JC-120 amp.
(Pat Metheny, Jaco Pastorius, Don Alias, Michael Brecker, Lyle Mays.. What a line-up!!)
On the 1998 show "Painting with words and music", she is playing a Parker Fly via a Roland VG-8 guutar-synth that handles all the tunings..
One of the best Live-recordings ever, IMHO..
And you'll see how she frequently frets the lower strings with her thumb, just like Jimi....
This song was released out when I was just 6 years old, but it has travelled with me throughout my entire life. It has become more and more resonant as I have grown older. I don’t understand forthright life of me how Joni, at the tender age of 27, had the maturity and insight to draw on.
If I had a chance to go back in time I would chose the 70's to catch one of Joni's live shows. I love her!
Joni is the most important female artist of all time , i adore this woman
I remember watching this live on PBS in the long ago
This is great Fil. Very good tutorial. I've always loved this song and Joni is amazing and such a good artist and professional musician. Her ability to switch back and forth from her upper voice and lower voice is beautiful. One thought about the line about charging people a "dollar and a half just to see 'em". In 1970 the minimum wage was around $1.65 so $1.50 to see some trees is quite a lot if we talk about percentages. Compare that to today's dollars and we can see what that means.
Always more to appreciate with the genius of Joni.
I'll take an 'imperfect' vocal performance any day over the auto-tuned crap that too many singer put out today. Love Joni!
I forgot to add that I would also like to see another analysis on Joni
Would love to see you review Joni’s “Help Me.” Such an amazing tour de force.
I was 18 when this came out. I love her voice, and the song seemed to be light and easy but when I listened to the lyrics, they smacked me right in the face. I'm a big nature lover so it really resonated. She is just delightful!
I love the mischievous (showing off) in her performance. What a legend she is.
What an immense talent. Oh look; another Canadian too! As far as I'm concerned you can cover her again and again. I'm there for it. I guess I'm more than about Power Pop and Hard Rock because I've got 4 of her albums on vinyl. She wrote about so many personal things and relationships like James Taylor (Blue), Graham Nash (A Case of You), David Geffen (A Free Man in Paris). A Case of You lyrics are just incredible. I believe that's the song that Prince was so enamored of he wrote her letters constantly gushing over it, and because of the way he wrote with hearts and single letters for words - U for you and so on - they were considered just more typical fan mail and got thrown out.
In any case, this was a magnificent video of a magnificent talent. Thank you Fil! :)