Oh, you're not goin' anywhere, Miz Joni.
I mean that. She just can't. I mean, the woman reads my mind. In fact, all my life, I've felt like Joni Mitchell was reading my diaries. And my dreams. And was telling me the truths I didn't want to admit.
I "met" Joni when I was in high school. I was a member of a motley crew of fanciful flower children dedicated to giving peace a chance and attending weekly Lincoln Park "be ins." And for us, Joni was sage and shaman.
Have to confess, though. At first, her reedy, folkie voice did not appeal to me. But the lyrics and chord choices--especially--intrigued. No one played guitar or piano quite like Joni Mitchell. To this day many R & B artists, rappers and jazz musicians--including Prince and Herbie Hancock--cite her as a major influence, in part due to her innovative and iconoclastic "ear."
For me, the big conversion came when I ran off to London at 17 with two of my best women friends. A London station played Blue in its entirety the day of its European release. And we realized, as we listened, that that damned Joni Mitchell had gotten into our business yet again.
First, there was Blue itself. Having just lost a dear friend to what we called "chronic overboogie" and an overdose of heroin, we flinched at the lines:
Acid, booze and ass/Needles guns and grass/Lots o' laughs/Lots o' laughs...
And though we weren't from California, her tribute to it still expressed our intermittent bouts of longing for Sweet Home Chicago very eloquently:
Oh, you get so lonely/When you're walking, and the streets are full of strangers/All the news of home you read/Just gives you the blues...
She had, like each of us, even had a fling with a local "devil" to whom she crooned:
Oh you know it sure is hard to leave here/But it's really not my home...
And so I would sit, curled up on the window seats under the huge windows of our London apartment, draperies closed to hide my tears, watching Lancaster Gate traffic rush by as Joni sang my thoughts.
I was a homesick teenage girl. And she had "outed" my real feelings so precisely that I couldn't stand it/couldn't stop listening to it.
And she kept on doing it. Over and over again--channeled my parents, in Let the Wind Carry Me:
She don't like my kick pleat skirt
She don't like my eyelids painted green
She don't like me staying up late
In my high-heeled shoes
Living for that rock 'n' roll dancing scene
Papa says 'Leave the girl alone, mother
She's looking like a movie queen.
After bad break ups and lovers' quarrels, Joni had the comebacks I'd been too upset to think of. Here's just one example, from A Woman of Heart and Mind:
You criticize and you flatter
You imitate the best
And the rest you memorize
You know the times you impress me most
Are the times when you don't try
When you don't even try...
And oh, my God, from The Blonde in the Bleachers, this, for all the young dudes with whom I would travel as a rock critic during my Chicago Sun Times years:
The bands and the roadies
Lovin' 'em and leavin' 'em
It's pleasure to try 'em
It's trouble to keep 'em
'Cause it seems like you've gotta give up
Such a piece of your soul
When you give up the chase
Feeling it hot and cold
You're in rock 'n' roll
It's the nature of the race
It's the unknown child
So sweet and wild
It's youth
It's too good to waste
Jeez-us. Nailed it. Want more? Go to Joni Mitchell and explore. She's got your number, too.
I mean, long before there was an "app" for everything, Joni had a song for everything in my life.
And she just can't go. She just can't. I was looking forward to spending my wild wise woman years being guided by the even wilder, even wiser woman who'd been my trailblazer for soooo long.
Stay with us, Joni. We're not done yet.
Photo credit: "Joni Mitchell (1975)" by Asylum Records - Billboard, page 1, 15 November 1975. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
It's Another Trump-Biden Showdown — And We Need Your Help
The Future Of Democracy Is At Stake
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
Your Loyalty Means The World To Us
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
The 2024 election is heating up, and women's rights, health care, voting rights, and the very future of democracy are all at stake. Donald Trump will face Joe Biden in the most consequential vote of our time. And HuffPost will be there, covering every twist and turn. America's future hangs in the balance. Would you consider contributing to support our journalism and keep it free for all during this critical season?
HuffPost believes news should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay for it. We rely on readers like you to help fund our work. Any contribution you can make — even as little as $2 — goes directly toward supporting the impactful journalism that we will continue to produce this year. Thank you for being part of our story.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
It's official: Donald Trump will face Joe Biden this fall in the presidential election. As we face the most consequential presidential election of our time, HuffPost is committed to bringing you up-to-date, accurate news about the 2024 race. While other outlets have retreated behind paywalls, you can trust our news will stay free.
But we can't do it without your help. Reader funding is one of the key ways we support our newsroom. Would you consider making a donation to help fund our news during this critical time? Your contributions are vital to supporting a free press.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our journalism free and accessible to all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you'll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.
Support HuffPostAlready contributed? Log in to hide these messages.