From: owner-onlyjoni-digest@smoe.org (onlyJMDL Digest) To: onlyjoni-digest@smoe.org Subject: onlyJMDL Digest V2012 #391 Reply-To: joni@smoe.org Sender: owner-onlyjoni-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-onlyjoni-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk Website:http://www.jonimitchell.com Unsubscribe:mailto:onlyjoni-digest-request@smoe.org?body=unsubscribe onlyJMDL Digest Saturday, November 17 2012 Volume 2012 : Number 391 ========== TOPICS and authors in this Digest: -------- RE: joni sporcle game [Susan Tierney McNamara ] Re: Taylor Swift as Joni [Sally ] Re: Sweet Bird, 100% JC [Bob.Muller@Fluor.com] RE: Sweet Bird, 100% JC [Susan Tierney McNamara ] Re: onlyJMDL Digest V2012 #390 [Stdoherty ] funeral song? ["Eaton, Shari" ] RE: Sweet Bird, 100% JC [Susan Tierney McNamara ] Re: Sweet Bird 100% JC [Sally ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 16 Nov 2012 21:09:47 +0000 From: Susan Tierney McNamara Subject: RE: joni sporcle game Wow, I nailed this, I'm proud to say. 47 out of 47 with 3:34 minutes to spare. I almost got stumped on more bang bang ketchup color. That was fun, thanks Paul!!! Susan Tierney McNamara email: sem8@cornell.edu - -----Original Message----- From: owner-joni@smoe.org [mailto:owner-joni@smoe.org] On Behalf Of PMeyer Sent: Wednesday, November 07, 2012 11:54 AM To: joni@smoe.org Subject: joni sporcle game I am just putting the finishing touches on a new Joni game on Sporcle.com. Here is the (modified) link, if you'd like to beta test it: www dot sporcle.com/games/joniphile/joni_mitchell_phrases It was fun to make. Hope also to play. Paul ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 16 Nov 2012 22:07:53 -0500 From: Sally Subject: Re: Taylor Swift as Joni Hey Cassy! Thanks for that. Vague resemblance and I mean VAGUE!!! Whatever! Any word on what Joni thinks about the choice of TS to depict her in this film? I seriously was not a fan of the book and cringe at the possibilities of the movie adaptation. :0 Peace, Sally Sent from Confunction Junction on my iPhone On Nov 16, 2012, at 9:05 PM, "Cassy" wrote: > For those of you who aren't on Facebook, here is a link to the Bazaar pictorial Taylor has done. According to this article she is "channeling" Joni: > > http://hollywoodlife.com/2012/11/12/taylor-swift-harpers-bazaar-december-2012-cover-pics-joni-mitchell/#utm_source=copypaste&utm_campaign=referral > > Cassy ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 16 Nov 2012 09:09:20 -0500 From: Bob.Muller@Fluor.com Subject: Re: Sweet Bird, 100% JC That *is* a noteworthy point, presented as if to say that the song about the passage of time has been playing forever and is just getting the volume turned up at this point in time. Sweet Bird is a brilliant song, and although rarely covered it was one of the earliest ones (by Lani Hall). HOSL is one of the rare Joni albums where EVERY song has been covered by someone, thanks to Bjork's Boho Dance on the Joni tribute in 2007. For the trainspotters out there: In France - (10), first one in 1976 Jungle Line - (4), first one in 1983 Edith & The Kingpin - (31), first one in 1976 Don't Interrupt The Sorrow - (3), first one in 2007 Shades Of Scarlett - (7), first one in 1992 Hissing of Summer Lawns - (9), first one in 1978 Boho Dance - (1), released in 2007 Harry's House - (3), first one in 1992 Sweet Bird - (3), first one in 1977 Shadows & Light - (10), first one in 1980 Happy Friday to all my Hippie JMDL friends! Bob - ------------------------------------------------------------ The information transmitted is intended only for the person or entity to which it is addressed and may contain proprietary, business-confidential and/or privileged material. If you are not the intended recipient of this message you are hereby notified that any use, review, retransmission, dissemination, distribution, reproduction or any action taken in reliance upon this message is prohibited. If you received this in error, please contact the sender and delete the material from any computer. Any views expressed in this message are those of the individual sender and may not necessarily reflect the views of the company. - ------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 16 Nov 2012 14:33:40 +0000 From: Susan Tierney McNamara Subject: RE: Sweet Bird, 100% JC Beautifully said, Dave. I forgot to mention the vocal tracks ... of course mesmerizing. Susan Tierney McNamara email: sem8@cornell.edu - -----Original Message----- From: owner-joni@smoe.org [mailto:owner-joni@smoe.org] On Behalf Of Dave Blackburn Sent: Thursday, November 15, 2012 10:50 PM To: Mark Cc: Dave Blackburn; jlhommedieu@insight.rr.com; scd8556@aol.com; JMDL Subject: Re: Sweet Bird, 100% JC I find the guitar/piano break fascinating; the way it speeds up the tempo and skips a beat, like a heart palpitation. And the lagoon of disembodied voices that swirl. It is inspired record making. On Nov 15, 2012, at 6:47 PM, "Mark" wrote: > Count me among the admirers of 'Sweet Bird'. Some of you may remember a piece I wrote for a JMDL writing contest many years ago that used the song as its jumping off point. > > 'Out on some borderline > Some mark of in-between > I lay down golden in time > And woke up vanishing' > > There was something about this song that appealed to me way back in my 20s. Now that I'm 58, it resonates more than ever. The passage of time seems to have been unbelievably swift and I often feel like I went to sleep somewhere along the way and 'woke up vanishing'. > > My favorite lines, however, are these: > > 'Give me some time > I feel like I'm losing mine > Out here on this horizon line > With the earth spinning and the sky forever rushing...' > > That image of being 'out here on this horizon line with the earth spinning and the sky forever rushing' can still bring on stirrings of the heart and mind that make me emotionally and mentally dizzy. The Circle Game played out at such a speed and to a place it was impossible for me to imagine back there behind from where I came when I first heard 'Sweet Bird'. It is nothing less than another deeply felt, exquisitely expressed mediation on the passage of time from a woman who is a genius in her art. > > Jim, you described the music and the feeling of the song so beautifully. It is beyond words. > > Mark in Seattle > > -----Original Message----- From: jlhommedieu@insight.rr.com > Sent: Thursday, November 15, 2012 2:18 PM > To: scd8556@aol.com> > Cc: JMDL > Subject: Sweet Bird, 100% JC > > Me too. Even the beginning of the song, the way it fades IN rather > than fading out sounds strange, as if it is playing backwards. The > piano meanders around, as if it was recorded backwards. > > When Joni starts singing >>> out on some borderline > > she does that strange drop on "line" that seems other worldly. Then > she starts talking about youth as if she was beyond life and death. It > is as if she in the great beyond, remembering what Life was like. For > me, it is eerie but also comforting. That track is beyond words. > > Jim L > >> Sally said, in part, > Taken as a whole, for me that track is almost like an out of body experience. > I find that sometimes when I listen to it, it's as if I don't actually > hear it...rather I understand the complete truth in it. It's very > moving for me...even hundreds of plays later. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 16 Nov 2012 21:02:00 -0500 (EST) From: Stdoherty Subject: Re: onlyJMDL Digest V2012 #390 Date: Thu, 15 Nov 2012 23:33:43 -0500 From: Sally Subject: Re: Sweet Bird, 100% JC Hi all! Just enthusiastically dropping back in on this topic...what I consider Joni's most brilliant work. I was interested in what you said Jim, about the fade in at the beginning of the song. It lends a dream-like quality of timelessness to the thing, right? Like we don't know where we are in the story if in fact there even is a story but it doesn't matter anyway. It's like it's been playing forever and we just got dropped in at some random point. The genius of that is mind-blowing! I think that it winds up in much the same way. When she begins singing, "guesses based on what each set of time and change is touching", she puts the phrasing breaks at a different point each time, and it ends up running together the end of one line, into the beginning of the next...so that we feel rushed in one sense, and slowed down in another sense. It gives us a feeling about the passing of time in an uncertain way I think. It's a freaking brilliant lesson in great writing, great playing, and inspired execution. This seems like a very deeply felt spiritual track...seems like Joni is looking at the passing of time and the futility of our efforts to find truth in the limited time we have to do it. I get this "is there a god?" feeling from it. And we get the answer..."sweet bird of time and change/you must be laughing/up on your feathers laughing". As I said originally, this track even hundreds of plays later is very moving to me. Sometimes it's an out of body thing and rather than hear it, I hear the truth behind it. Even though Hejira is my favorite record, for me this track is the pinnacle of JM's songwriting and musicianship...it's Joni hitting the apex and finding the center of what is... Beautiful! I'm gonna commit a sin .. if this post was on facebook I'd be all over the like button. But since I get more than I thumbs up icon - I'll add that this is what makes JMDL so wonderful. Love this take on a song I was pretty neutral on. Another careful listen on deck. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 16 Nov 2012 13:59:39 -0800 From: "Eaton, Shari" Subject: funeral song? I've really enjoyed the Sweet Bird talk. I watched a video of Joni with band playing Sweet Bird live. It was titled Sweet Bird of Youth though  which I thought gave a little hint to its meaning. Sweet Bird would be a great choice for a funeral song, imo. but also Shine. Every time I hear Shine I think ... wow what a great song for an ending. Thoughts? ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 15 Nov 2012 22:54:44 +0000 From: Susan Tierney McNamara Subject: RE: Sweet Bird, 100% JC This is also one of my favorite songs, and I play it often. It's another one of her songs that I play as a meditation, the chord progression is very methodical and percussive so it can move back and forth like bobbing in water. Also, I have never quite perfected her slapping solo at the interlude between verses. It's something you can't think about, you just have to feel it. I go places during this song. Susan Tierney McNamara email: sem8@cornell.edu - -----Original Message----- From: owner-joni@smoe.org [mailto:owner-joni@smoe.org] On Behalf Of jlhommedieu@insight.rr.com Sent: Thursday, November 15, 2012 5:19 PM To: scd8556@aol.com> Cc: JMDL Subject: Sweet Bird, 100% JC Me too. Even the beginning of the song, the way it fades IN rather than fading out sounds strange, as if it is playing backwards. The piano meanders around, as if it was recorded backwards. When Joni starts singing >>out on some borderline she does that strange drop on "line" that seems other worldly. Then she starts talking about youth as if she was beyond life and death. It is as if she in the great beyond, remembering what Life was like. For me, it is eerie but also comforting. That track is beyond words. Jim L >Sally said, in part, Taken as a whole, for me that track is almost like an out of body experience. I find that sometimes when I listen to it, it's as if I don't actually hear it...rather I understand the complete truth in it. It's very moving for me...even hundreds of plays later. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 16 Nov 2012 22:24:45 -0500 From: Sally Subject: Re: Sweet Bird 100% JC :D I too get so excited about the analysis of this music...all of it!!! I joined the list not long ago and have revisited so much of it because of the references here. I got back onto DJRD because of a remark that someone made in passing. I loved the stats that Bob provided about HOSL and the cover status thereof. Amazing how much has been covered. If you're reading Bob, are there any other albums in which all of the tracks have been covered by other artists? And Stdoherty...how awesome is that, you reconsidered Sweet Bird! Its such a major piece of work and yet, it's very simple. Maybe therein lies the genius. Maybe thats why it is sometimes overlooked. Damn...now I'm going to have to hit "replay" on that myself! LOL! ;D Peace, Sally On Nov 16, 2012, at 9:02 PM, Stdoherty wrote: I'm gonna commit a sin .. if this post was on facebook I'd be all over the like button. But since I get more than I thumbs up icon - I'll add that this is what makes JMDL so wonderful. Love this take on a song I was pretty neutral on. Another careful listen on deck. > Date: Thu, 15 Nov 2012 23:33:43 -0500 > From: Sally > Subject: Re: Sweet Bird, 100% JC > > Hi all! > > Just enthusiastically dropping back in on this topic...what I consider Joni's > most brilliant work. > I was interested in what you said Jim, about the fade in at the beginning of > the > song. It lends a dream-like quality of timelessness to the thing, right? > Like > we don't know where we are in the story if in fact there even is a story but > it > doesn't matter anyway. It's like it's been playing forever and we just got > dropped in at some random point. The genius of that is mind-blowing! I think > that it winds up in much the same way. When she begins singing, "guesses > based > on what each set of time and change is touching", she puts the phrasing breaks > at a different point each time, and it ends up running together the end of one > line, into the beginning of the next...so that we feel rushed in one sense, > and > slowed down in another sense. It gives us a feeling about the passing of time > in an uncertain way I think. It's a freaking brilliant lesson in great > writing, > great playing, and inspired execution. > > This seems like a very deeply felt spiritual track...seems like Joni is > looking > at the passing of time and the futility of our efforts to find truth in the > limited time we have to do it. I get this "is there a god?" feeling from it. > And we get the answer..."sweet bird of time and change/you must be laughing/up > on your feathers laughing". > As I said originally, this track even hundreds of plays later is very moving > to > me. Sometimes it's an out of body thing and rather than hear it, I hear the > truth behind it. Even though Hejira is my favorite record, for me this track > is > the pinnacle of JM's songwriting and musicianship...it's Joni hitting the apex > and finding the center of what is... > Beautiful! ------------------------------ End of onlyJMDL Digest V2012 #391 ********************************* ------- Post messages to the list by clicking here:mailto:joni@smoe.org Unsubscribe by clicking here: mailto:onlyjoni-digest-request@smoe.org?body=unsubscribe