Synopses & Reviews
Few singer-songwriters have been as influential as Joni Mitchell. Her song "Both Sides, Now" has been recorded over 640 times, while Bill and Hillary Clinton credit her "Chelsea Morning" as the inspiration for their daughter's name.
The Words and Music of Joni Mitchell surveys the entire output of this legendary artist, from her 1968 debut album
Song to a SeagulI to her 2007 album
Shine.
After a brief overview of Mitchell's career and a chapter that explains some of the important technical features of the guitar styles upon which she draws, the book offers an in-depth discussion of every song Mitchell wrote and recorded. Proceeding chronologically through Mitchell's albums, author James Bennighof clarifies the musical content of the songs and the personality behind the music. Each brief essay describes how important musical features—such as instrumentation, idiosyncratic guitar tunings, harmonic structure, form, and elements of melody and rhythm—interact with the text of the song to create the unforgettable artistic statements for which Mitchell is celebrated.
Synopsis
• Explains how important musical characteristics interact with text, rather than just discussing text and making general observations about the music
• Discusses how Mitchell's idiosyncratic style, especially her unusual guitar technique, interacted with various styles, including folk, rock, pop, and jazz
• Looks at Mitchell's recurring textual themes of personal, relational, and societal tension, often used within a strikingly autobiographical context
Synopsis
• Includes a chronological discography of Mitchell's studio albums
Synopsis
In this book, the work of legendary singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell is explored, emphasizing the way text and music work together to create an artistic statement in her recorded songs.
Synopsis
Rolling Stone called Joni Mitchell one of the greatest and most influential songwriters ever. She received the Billboard Century Award and the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Her 1971 album Blue was included among Time magazine's "All-TIME 100" best albumsand she was honored by her native Canada with a 2007, limited-edition postage stamp.