From: owner-joni-digest@smoe.org (JMDL Digest) To: joni-digest@smoe.org Subject: JMDL Digest V2012 #138 Reply-To: joni@smoe.org Sender: owner-joni-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-joni-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk Unsubscribe:mailto:joni-digest-request@smoe.org?body=unsubscribe Website:http://jonimitchell.com JMDL Digest Sunday, February 5 2012 Volume 2012 : Number 138 ========== TOPICS and authors in this Digest: -------- Re: Amber sings Blue [gerard mclaughlin ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 5 Feb 2012 20:08:56 +0000 From: gerard mclaughlin Subject: Re: Amber sings Blue I remember thinking she was singing about her dad when she sang "My old man" and somehow divorced myself from her reference to the bed being too big until somehow it came to me that she was referring to her boyfriend who must have been an old man.The piece of paper from the city hall I hadn,t a clue about. Men and women got married in church. I had no knowledge of Joni,s personal life at the time and none for quite a few years into listening to her so it was all guesswork with me and American English was as foreign to me as my own Glaswegian was and still is to most of the rest of the planet. I hadn't a clue what a parking lot was and had never heard of a tree museum and simply didn,t believe people were charged just to see them but although I did not understand a lot of what she sang about I got a real sense of connection with her. There was something in the nervousness in her voice, the jumping up and down of the scales, the breaks in the notes like she was a lonely squaw out there in the wilds and how stark it all sounded that resonated with me but it was The Last Time I saw Richard that stole my soul. I'd been in love or at least I thought I had and knew the loneliness she was singing about and the longing for release she expressed so exquisitely > I believed I too must have gorgeous wings and would be able one day to fly away. I saw us all flapping great big wings and somehow rising up from those tables in dark cafes out of all of this disappointment every time I sat and listened- with all my skill and attention to that song, I loved Richard more than any of it. I hadn,t a scoobie what a whurlitzer was but liked the word and again it dawned on me later that it must be what the American,s called a jukebox. I knew nothing of tatoos, that they involved ink on a pin underneath the skin was beyond me so I sang the lines like they were poetry...meaningless but beautiful was how I understood poetry. I wrote loads of the stuff and the more undecipherable it was the better. I presumed Joni applied the same tricks and loved her for it. I had no idea Blue was a person ! Yup. An idiots guide to the world of Joni Mitchell, folks but those are some of my recollections....Apologies but chuckles as well . On Sun, Feb 5, 2012 at 4:35 PM, Anita G wrote: > Well, it's January 1970, The Royal Festival Hall, London. I am 15 and it's > the first time I see Joni. She plays many of the songs that I know and love > and plays 'Chelsea Morning' twice for a guy at the front who begs her to > play it again. Even Marcie is in the audience! > > Joni plays some new songs. One with a rock and roll beat called 'They Paved > Paradise and Put Up A Parking Lot', which I find very funny, as Joni laughs > a lot at the end of it. > > Joni goes to the piano, which is a big surprise for me because I don't know > she can play the piano. None of her albums so far had a piano in them. She > starts to play and I catch the words of this new song and feel > deeply,deeply shocked. She is singing a song about her new boyfriend: > > "We don't need no piece of paper from the City Hall, > Keeping us tied and true." > > I am shocked and yet I am secretly thrilled. Is it possible to have a > boyfriend and NOT get married? Surely not. And then she says something > quite unsayable: > > "The bed's too big....." > > Yup, she's sleeping in the same bed and they aren't married!!!!!Not only > that, she's singing quite brazenly about it. She sounds very happy! There > are domestic details ' the frying pan's too wide!' And I wonder if there > really are there men who sing in a park, walk in the rain and dance in the > dark. It's just SO romantic and beautiful. It's so modern, so new...... and > yet it's frightening because I don't know what it might mean to me in my > life. I feel stirred up. I am sure you have to be married to share a bed > with anyone other than your teddy bear. > > Joni's my heroine - but I think my Mum would tell me that the boys won't > want her if she's slept around without being married. I might think > secretly think that Joni's old man is keeping away those lonesome blues, > but I think I'll play it safe, keep playing the first album where men are > kings and women are princesses and nothing too murky goes on. 'My Old Man' > - a step WAY too far. > Anita x > > > On 4 February 2012 06:48, Mags wrote: > > > A new friend, Amber Epp is planning a show where she and her jazz friends > > will > > do the entire Blue album..she's doing original arrangements and it should > > be > > amazing. What I need here is some interpretations and back stories about > > all > > the songs on Blue. I have told her what I could but I also said that I > > would > > touch base with my community and find out as much as I can. The gig is in > > March..so we have a little bit of time. She is only 25 years old and has > > herself a strong following in all things jazz here in Winnipeg... so .. > we > > can either discuss it "here" or you can send me your stories, impressions > > and > > what have you to me privately. It all comes down to you ;-) ... oh this > > is a > > year, this is a wonderful year of hope, promise and lots of love. So > bring > > it > > on. > > > > Mags ------------------------------ End of JMDL Digest V2012 #138 ***************************** ------- To post messages to the list, send tojoni@smoe.org. Unsubscribe by clicking here: mailto:joni-digest-request@smoe.org?body=unsubscribe -------