Hi everyone.  Hope you are all well and continue to stay that way during this global health crisis we are facing.  But in addition to protecting your physical wellness, what are you doing to stay mentally healthy today?

(Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

I know we are in a serious situation, but I need a break from the gloom, doom and bullying by way of hoarding. Music has always been my refuge and watching those beautiful Italians singing to each other from their balconies reaffirmed my belief that music is the answer. So until the old normal returns, I am going to share a song I listen to that helps me escape the current state of things, if only for a few minutes each day.  And if this helps anyone else, even better.

November 7th marked the 77th birthday for Roberta Joan Anderson, known to the world as Joni Mitchell. Born in Fort Macleod, Alberta, Canada in 1943 she is one of music’s premier female singer/songwriters. She was part of the Laurel Canyon music scene of the late 1960’s and, along with Linda Ronstadt, one of only two solo female performers in that group of artists.

Mitchell’s debut album was released in 1968 but it was the follow-up, 1969’s “Clouds”, that established her place in music history. She wrote her own songs, played her own music and produced most of it. Her music went from folk to jazz to rock and more because her sound and compositions were so diverse they could not be put into one box. Along the way she went back to explore her first love and another talent, painting.

Many of her songs have been covered by several other artists, but today’s track has been covered hundreds of times in the last five decades. Mitchell herself recorded a new version in 2000 complete with a full orchestra that was featured in the 2003 film, “Love Actually”. No matter how many times I hear this song, I remain in complete awe of its beauty, its elegance, its message and the fact that she was only 21 when she wrote such profound and insightful lyrics.

“But now old friends they’re acting strange
They shake their heads, they say I’ve changed
Well something’s lost, but something’s gained
In living every day“.

Top: Joni Mitchell circa 1972. Bottom: Mitchell circa 2010. (Images found online.  Original sources unknown.)

Joni Mitchell: “Both Sides Now” (1969, written by Joni Mitchell).

I do not own the rights to anything.  I am just sharing what I love and how I am coping with you.

Stay well.