In the latest issue of MOJO, on sale now, we immerse ourselves in the genius of Joni Mitchell. MOJO's finest writers sink deep into her 50 greatest songs, we chart her transformation from coffee house sensation to the queen of Laurel Canyon, and there's an exclusive CD of Joni covers, featuring contributions from Fleet Foxes, Margo Price, k.d. lang, and more. Alongside the likes of Judy Collins, Richard Thompson, and Both Sides Now arranger Vince Mendoza, Mitchell's friend, collaborator and Joni Jams coordinator, Brandi Carlile has spoken to MOJO about the enduring magic of her remarkable music...
“When I was younger, I’d projected femininity as a submissive state. I loved punk and rock’n’roll, and Joni didn’t fit that narrative. But I heard Little Green and I understood the power of vulnerability, and how femininity didn’t mean submissiveness. It was the toughest and grittiest song I’ve heard in my life, and it reduced me to tears in ways that I still don’t fully understand.
“I realised Blue was self-revealing in a revolutionary sense. Joni hates the word ‘confessional’ as she thinks it implies you’ve done something wrong, but for me, it’s the first folk album that’s entirely a person turning themselves inside out, and it changed songwriting forever. A Case Of You is one of the greatest songs of all time. It can be played in any configuration – piano, dulcimer, ukelele, a capella.
“Starting with The Hissing Of Summer Lawns, Joni started to be musically experimental, raising eyebrows with some of the great virtuosos of our time, without any formal training. Her lyrics stayed fucking great, too. They feel eccentric at first before they start carving little neural pathways in your mind until you understand it… But my favourite Joni album is Hejira, because it speaks to me at the time of my life I’m in right now. Refuge Of The Roads is one of my three hero songs on the album alongside Hejira and Amelia. She’d returned to writing observational songs, even though they are still ‘I’ statements, using terms and metaphors that aren’t overtly obvious, all through the lens of this journey Joni’s on, her fleeing with honour.
“Shine is also in my Joni Top Three. It’s observational again but she veers into prophesy, and she still manages to be funny, like, “Another asshole passing on the right”. She’s made some potently powerful observations that I fear will be relevant in 50 years in the way that Dylan’s The Times They Are A-Changin’ is.”
Joni Mitchell's 50 Greatest Songs
Get the latest issue of MOJO to read our 20-page celebration of Joni Mitchell. Featuring a deep dive into her 50 greatest songs; the inside story of her early rise, told with the help of those who witnessed it first-hand; and an exclusive CD of Joni covers by Roberta Flack, Judy Collins, Fleet Foxes and more, only available when you purchase a copy of the magazine. For more info, and to order a copy for delivery wherever you are, HERE!
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