This Joni Mitchell song touches so many levels. At the beginning of the song, she’s talking about young lovers who are constantly being watched to make sure there’s no trouble, but even the slightest touch sets off uncontrollable feelings. As the song progresses these same people become disillusioned with the world, how they set out to make change and worked hard to make it a better place. But their love was unwavering, and even the little things like legs touching under a table kept their feelings alive. They refused to be pigeon-holed into some identity they didn’t want, that was never changing like a statue. Again, these two lovers have a bond, and it doesn’t take much to move them. All in all, they moved through life and the world, trying to make their own way. Here is “Come In From The Cold”.
This Blue Rodeo song is about the early days of the group. They had been playing hundreds of “crappy gigs” a year, and the hopelessness of wondering if they would be successful and if it was worth it. The writers were specifically inspired to write this song after a gig in Detroit, where the stage was on one side of a river, and the audience was on the other, and every time a boat would pass by, the audience wouldn’t be able to see the band, and vice versa. They said it was one of the lowest lows they hit as a band, and they realized if it was a waste of time, at least they were going through it with the rest of the guys. This is “Lost Together”.
Recently Joni Mitchell made a surprise appearance at the Newport Folk Festival. Encouraged by Brandi Carlisle after suffering a life altering brain aneurysm, and having endured the rough road back to health, Joni wowed everyone both on and off the stage. Although when she wrote the song in the late ‘60s the message she conveyed then was about the disillusionment of love, I feel that the song now has new meaning. The representation that there are two ways you can look at things still carries through – the clouds provide optical illusions, and we may see something inside them and project what’s inside us, as it can happen with love. In the second verse she implies the innocent vision of love, but as “every fairy tale comes real”, the innocence of love can be shattered by reality. It’s the third verse that I feel has a different meaning than originally thought. “Something’s lost, and something’s gained” for me means that before her aneurysm everything was easy, and life didn’t present the challenges she faces now. Despite that, she has met new friends who have encouraged her back to the road of performing again. This is my version of “Both Sides Now”. Stay safe. Stay strong. Especially Joni.
