Joni Mitchell - the urge for going. Comment.

 

Not part of the generation that spawned this wonderful artist, (hippies, flower children and Timothy Leary) Joni Mitchell entered my life in the summer of my eighteenth year, just graduated high school, and my first time away from home. The power and depth of her music shows that time or generation have no relevance.  

I was living in a small town in New Mexico, working a construction job shoveling cement. My friend was more the construction 'type' and had been experiencing a music retro phase, thus one evening he introduced me to 'Court and Spark'. This was an irony because old Paul just did not fit the folk music image. I had heard Joni on the radio for many years but never payed attention. I was experiencing a retro phase as well, though mine was more of the Led Zeppelin variety. I remember distinctly sitting out on lawn chairs in front of the motel, the obligatory beer in hand watching the desert sun disappear, while Joni's lovely voice echoed in the warm summer night.  

My life changed. 

 As an expatriate living in Australia, for reasons unknown, they do not play Joni Mitchell. As a result, it became a case of 'out of earshot, out of mind.' Years later, though, browsing the geriatric section of the record store, I came upon ~Hits~, bought it immediately, and travelled back down memory lane. This is an outstanding compilation. These songs have withstood the test of time, retaining their magic. 

This CD has most of the top seller's: 'Big Yellow Taxi', 'Help Me', 'Free Man in Paris' and 'You Turn Me on I'm a Radio'. But it also includes songs that you might not have heard. My personal favorite is 'Urge for Going'. I suppose this is understandable considering I dwell in the Southern Hemisphere: when it spins into winter here it is moving towards summer in the U.S. - hence the urge for going.  

After listening to this CD many times, the thought occurred to me that Joni Mitchell is one of the forerunners for popular music. Her music is the prototype for a lot of what we listen to today. I can certainly hear her influence in many hits through the eighties and nineties. Joni set the trend for popular music that continues to proliferate without end. The difference with Joni is she lacks the fanfare, attitude, and bells and whistles that many artists require now to get noticed. Joni Mitchell is pure, and the music speaks for itself. 

My musical tastes live in hard rock land, with the occasional divergence into classical. But Joni Mitchell is in a category all by herself.