Blue (Joni Mitchell album)
Encyclopedia
Blue is the fourth album of Canadian singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell
. Exploring the various facets of relationships from infatuation on "A Case of You
" to insecurity on "This Flight Tonight", the songs feature simple accompaniments on piano
, guitar
, and Appalachian dulcimer
. Blue was a critical and commercial success, reaching #15 on the Billboard 200
and #3 in the UK Albums Chart
. The single "Carey" reached #93 on the Billboard Hot 100
chart. In January 2000, the New York Times chose Blue as one of the 25 albums that represented "turning points and pinnacles in 20th-century popular music".
", the 1970s saw Mitchell make a decision to break from performing. After a tough breakup with her longtime boyfriend Graham Nash
she set off on a vacation around Europe, during which she wrote many of the songs that appear on Blue.
The album was almost released in a somewhat different form. In March 1971, completed masters for the album were ready for production. Originally, there were three old songs that had not found their way onto any of her previous albums. At the last minute, Mitchell decided to remove two of the three so that she could add the new songs "All I Want" and "The Last Time I Saw Richard". The two songs removed were:
"Little Green
", composed in 1967, was the only old song that remained.
There has been persistent speculation that the album, and particularly the title track, were named after fellow songwriter David Blue, who was a friend and possible love interest of Mitchell's when the album was released. She has denied the connection.
In 1979 Mitchell reflected, "The Blue album, there's hardly a dishonest note in the vocals. At that period of my life, I had no personal defenses. I felt like a cellophane wrapper on a pack of cigarettes. I felt like I had absolutely no secrets from the world and I couldn't pretend in my life to be strong. Or to be happy. But the advantage of it in the music was that there were no defenses there either."
The album was influenced by jazz, particularly the music of Miles Davis
. Mitchell used alternative tunings on her guitar to allow easier access to augmented chords and notes in unexpected combinations. Due to the stark and bare revelations in the album, upon first playing it for Nashville tunesmith Kris Kristofferson
, he is reported to have commented either `Joni, ugh. Keep some of that to yourself!' or `Please! Leave something of yourself.'
Side A
Side B
Joni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell, CC is a Canadian musician, singer songwriter, and painter. Mitchell began singing in small nightclubs in her native Saskatchewan and Western Canada and then busking in the streets and dives of Toronto...
. Exploring the various facets of relationships from infatuation on "A Case of You
A Case of You
"A Case of You" is a song by Joni Mitchell, from her 1971 album Blue. It is one of her most well-known songs.-Writing and recording:Mitchell recorded A Case of You in 1971, during her early folk period. The song was first released on the 1971 album Blue with Mitchell playing Appalachian dulcimer,...
" to insecurity on "This Flight Tonight", the songs feature simple accompaniments on piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, and Appalachian dulcimer
Appalachian dulcimer
The Appalachian dulcimer is a fretted string instrument of the zither family, typically with three or four strings. It is native to the Appalachian region of the United States...
. Blue was a critical and commercial success, reaching #15 on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
and #3 in the UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
. The single "Carey" reached #93 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart. In January 2000, the New York Times chose Blue as one of the 25 albums that represented "turning points and pinnacles in 20th-century popular music".
History
Despite the success of her first three albums and songs like "WoodstockWoodstock (song)
"Woodstock" is a song about the Woodstock Music and Art Festival of 1969.Joni Mitchell wrote the song from what she had heard from then-boyfriend, Graham Nash, about the festival. She had not been there herself, since she was told it would be more advantageous to appear on The Dick Cavett Show by...
", the 1970s saw Mitchell make a decision to break from performing. After a tough breakup with her longtime boyfriend Graham Nash
Graham Nash
Graham William Nash, OBE is an English singer-songwriter known for his light tenor vocals and for his songwriting contributions with the British pop group The Hollies, and with the folk-rock band Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. Nash is a photography collector and a published photographer...
she set off on a vacation around Europe, during which she wrote many of the songs that appear on Blue.
The album was almost released in a somewhat different form. In March 1971, completed masters for the album were ready for production. Originally, there were three old songs that had not found their way onto any of her previous albums. At the last minute, Mitchell decided to remove two of the three so that she could add the new songs "All I Want" and "The Last Time I Saw Richard". The two songs removed were:
- "Urge for Going" -- her first song to achieve commercial success when recorded by country singer George Hamilton IVGeorge Hamilton IVGeorge Hege Hamilton IV is an American country musician. He began performing in the late 1950s as a teen idol, later switching to country music in the early 1960s.-Biography:Hamilton was born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina...
. It was later released as the B-side of "You Turn Me On, I'm a Radio" and again on her 1996 compilation album, Hits.) - "Hunter (The Good Samaritan)", which has never appeared on any of Mitchell's albums. However, her live performance is now available on the Amchitka Concert CD, together with three other songs that later appeared on Blue, "A Case Of You", "My Old Man" and "Carey", which she morphs into Dylan's "Mr. Tambourine Man" in a duet with her boyfriend at the time, James Taylor.
"Little Green
Little Green (song)
"Little Green" is a song composed and performed by Joni Mitchell. It is the third track on her 1971 album Blue.-Background:Mitchell wrote Little Green in 1967 about the daughter she had given up for adoption in 1965, when she was a poor folk singer in Toronto...
", composed in 1967, was the only old song that remained.
There has been persistent speculation that the album, and particularly the title track, were named after fellow songwriter David Blue, who was a friend and possible love interest of Mitchell's when the album was released. She has denied the connection.
In 1979 Mitchell reflected, "The Blue album, there's hardly a dishonest note in the vocals. At that period of my life, I had no personal defenses. I felt like a cellophane wrapper on a pack of cigarettes. I felt like I had absolutely no secrets from the world and I couldn't pretend in my life to be strong. Or to be happy. But the advantage of it in the music was that there were no defenses there either."
The album was influenced by jazz, particularly the music of Miles Davis
Miles Davis
Miles Dewey Davis III was an American jazz musician, trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. Widely considered one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Miles Davis was, with his musical groups, at the forefront of several major developments in jazz music, including bebop, cool jazz,...
. Mitchell used alternative tunings on her guitar to allow easier access to augmented chords and notes in unexpected combinations. Due to the stark and bare revelations in the album, upon first playing it for Nashville tunesmith Kris Kristofferson
Kris Kristofferson
Kristoffer "Kris" Kristofferson is an American musician, actor, and writer. He is known for hits such as "Me and Bobby McGee", "For the Good Times", "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down", and "Help Me Make It Through the Night"...
, he is reported to have commented either `Joni, ugh. Keep some of that to yourself!' or `Please! Leave something of yourself.'
Honors
- In 2003, Blue was ranked #30 on Rolling Stone Magazines list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, the highest placement for a female artist
- In 2000, Blue won the top spot in ChartChart (magazine)ChartAttack is a Canadian online music publication. Formerly a monthly print magazine called Chart, which was published from 1991 to 2009, the web version continues operation....
s '50 Greatest Canadian Albums of All Time' (Blue was third place in 1996 and 2005) - In 2007, Blue was ranked second in Bob MersereauBob MersereauBob Mersereau is a Canadian arts journalist.Mersereau is a music columnist and longtime arts reporter for CBC Television in New Brunswick. Since 1982, he has been a reporter on the East Coast music scene for CBC Radio, CBC Television, and the Telegraph-Journal...
's book The Top 100 Canadian AlbumsThe Top 100 Canadian AlbumsThe Top 100 Canadian Albums is a book by Bob Mersereau, published in 2007 by Goose Lane Editions.Mersereau acknowledged that the list will cause heated debate among music fans across the country. "The important part is to talk about Canadian music and enjoy it", he said...
, behind Neil YoungNeil YoungNeil Percival Young, OC, OM is a Canadian singer-songwriter who is widely regarded as one of the most influential musicians of his generation...
's Harvest (which was the second-place finisher in all three Chart polls) - In 2001, Blue was ranked #14 on VH1's list of the '100 Greatest Albums of All Time', the highest album by a female artist to appear on the list.
- Blue was also voted #13 on Hotpress Magazines 'Top 100 Albums Ever', by various other artists
- In 2002, Q Magazine named "Blue" the 8th Greatest Album of All-Time by a Female Artist.
- Blue was voted #66 in Channel 4's countdown of the '100 Greatest Albums'
- In 2006, Blue was listed among Time Magazines 'All-Time 100 Albums'
- In 1999, Blue was given the honor of a Grammy Hall of Fame award, which is given to recordings that are at least 25 years old and that have "qualitative or historical significance"
- In 2004, Pitchfork MediaPitchfork MediaPitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
ranked the album #86 on its list "Top 100 Albums of the 1970s".
Track listing
All tracks composed and arranged by Joni MitchellSide A
- "All I Want" – 3:32
- "My Old Man" – 3:33
- "Little GreenLittle Green (song)"Little Green" is a song composed and performed by Joni Mitchell. It is the third track on her 1971 album Blue.-Background:Mitchell wrote Little Green in 1967 about the daughter she had given up for adoption in 1965, when she was a poor folk singer in Toronto...
" – 3:25 - "CareyCarey (song)"Carey" is a song from the 1971 Joni Mitchell album Blue. It was inspired by her time with a cave-dwelling hippie community in the village of Matala, on the Greek island of Crete.-Autobiographical elements:...
" – 3:00 - "BlueBlue (Joni Mitchell song)"Blue" is the title song from Joni Mitchell's 1971 album of the same name. There has been persistent speculation that the song is about fellow songwriter David Blue, who was a friend and possible love interest of Mitchell's when the album was released...
" – 3:00
Side B
- "California" – 3:48
- "This Flight TonightThis Flight Tonight"This Flight Tonight" is a song by Joni Mitchell, from her 1971 album Blue. It tells of the singer's regrets as she leaves her lover on a flight and wishes to return. Its opening lines are:-Covers:...
" – 2:50 - "River" – 4:00
- "A Case of YouA Case of You"A Case of You" is a song by Joni Mitchell, from her 1971 album Blue. It is one of her most well-known songs.-Writing and recording:Mitchell recorded A Case of You in 1971, during her early folk period. The song was first released on the 1971 album Blue with Mitchell playing Appalachian dulcimer,...
" – 4:20 - "The Last Time I Saw RichardThe Last Time I Saw RichardThe Last Time I Saw Richard is a song by Joni Mitchell from her 1971 album Blue.The song could be a reference to Joni Mitchell's first husband Chuck Mitchell and their brief marriage. According to Richard Flynn, as noted in the official Joni Mitchell website , biographer Karen O'Brien believes...
" – 4:13
Personnel
- Joni MitchellJoni MitchellJoni Mitchell, CC is a Canadian musician, singer songwriter, and painter. Mitchell began singing in small nightclubs in her native Saskatchewan and Western Canada and then busking in the streets and dives of Toronto...
- Appalachian dulcimer, guitar, piano, vocals - Stephen StillsStephen StillsStephen Arthur Stills is an American guitarist and singer/songwriter best known for his work with Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills & Nash . He has performed on a professional level in several other bands as well as maintaining a solo career at the same time...
- Bass and guitar on "Carey" - James TaylorJames TaylorJames Vernon Taylor is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A five-time Grammy Award winner, Taylor was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2000....
- Guitar on "California", "All I Want", "A Case of You" - Sneaky Pete KleinowSneaky Pete KleinowPeter E. "Sneaky Pete" Kleinow was an American country-rock musician, songwriter, and a motion picture special effects artist...
- Pedal steel on "California", "This Flight Tonight" - Russ KunkelRuss KunkelRussell Kunkel , also known as Russ Kunkel, is an American drummer and producer who has worked as a session musician with a number of well-known artists.Kunkel was born in Pittsburgh, PA...
- Drums on "California", "Carey", "A Case of You"
Production
- Engineer - Henry Lewy
- Art Direction - Gary Burden
- Cover Photography - Tim Considine
External links
- Blue at jonimitchell.com Posted at ("All I Want" inspiration is discussed.)