River by Joni Mitchell

 Joni Mitchell continues to write songs that are not only felt and understood by women but also cuts deep in any heart. Take for instance "River" Its coming on christmas Theyre cutting down trees ,Theyre putting up reindeer ,And singing songs of joy and peace, Oh I wish I had a river, I could skate away on, But it dont snow here, It stays pretty green, Im going to make a lot of money ,Then Im going to quit this crazy scene, I wish I had a river I could skate away on..... Not only they appear to be auto biographical but they are also an excursion into self...the conflict between the super ego and the id to quote from Freud.I think the one that stayed with me for so long would have to be the done- to- death "Both Sides Now'. 


  I  admit I love the Judy Collins version because she has an amazing voice and she put harpsichord on it-one of my favorite keyboard instruments. The songs are not intrusive because of the arrangement . She doesn't over blow them with orchestra, saxophones or electric guitars. These are songs composed decades ago but they don't sound 'old'.I have been a slob today in front of my computer listening to her.If you are not into folk and jazz then it would be hard to get into her. You have to have a wide appreciation of music to know where her creative ideas come from. more Joni Mitchell resources can be found here:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joni_Mitchell