As a songwriter, I believe this is one of the best songs I have ever encountered. The way Joni weaves her life and Amelia's together is truly a work of art. Joni wrote so many great songs but, for me, this is her best. I am truly in awe of her talent and always will be
I'm a black male who grew up listening to R&B. When I saw Shawn Colvin and Mary Chapin Carpenter sing this in a jazz-flavored tribute to her, I was stunned. Over 20 years later, still am.
It was this album, Hejira, that made me fall in love with Joni. I remember being in college and sitting in my bean bag chair and listening with the album cover open, reading the lyrics in all the songs, and especially this one, and being awestruck by the poetic depth of her words, laid over that haunting melody, all wrapped up in the metaphor of Ameila. Growing up in LA, I encountered quite a few celebrities, but once at a show of Monet's water lilly paintings at the LA County Museum of Art, I found my self standing beside her in front of a huge canvas. I asked her how her painting was going. She smiled and said, "Very well, thanks."
Joni is one of those unique, one-of-a-kind persons who come here periodically to channel what we need from another place. The tip-off is that we are forever changed by what they bring. We may call it "art", "spirituality", "healing", etc. but it's all the same. All we can do is ask, "From where did this magical being come" and rest back with gratitude and drink it in.
Having played guitar for about 40 years, I'm in a position to say that I have no freaking clue how Joni came up with the music/guitar for this song. Ok, she's playing an open tuning with some of the usual hammer ons, but she sure doesn't sound like Keith Richards. The voicings are out of this world! Genius.
I remember when I first bought this album and heard this song it was like a major gut punch to my reality of what music should be God bless Joni Mitchell
I can't think of anyone who contributed as much to music as Joni has. The most creative and eloquent songwriter and performer of my entire life. Honestly, no one else even comes close.
@@lizgreene1826 I've listened since "Song for a Segull". Still have that album. She got many young women through their teens and twenties. Regret that I never saw her live. Went to many, many concerts of many great singer/songwriters but somehow missed seeing her. Hope her music lives on forever.
For me, Amelia is one of her finest.... lyric,s are amazing, guitar too is astonishing and then we have the voice....Never have i tired of this amazing piece of music...One of the finest ever written...
53 yrs first album. I too began listening then. I feel music too. I believe we all do, to varying degrees. It's about awareness. I was not cognizant of this gift til recent times. The more I utilise this joyous gift, the more gratifying. Many people, mostly women are finding relaxation, pleasure + happiness thru physically enjoying music. Researching The Blaster Beam, is a great way to begin, if interest has been tweaked. 👋💙🙏
After finally delving deeper than the Blue album and her healthy handful of famous hits, I’ve come to the relatively easy conclusion that Mitchell is a bonafide musical genius. This song is just one of many, many examples.
@@candacewilliams9073 I’m a 64 year old man. Age changes one. I’ve always loved “Amelia,” and in my younger years, it expressed my sadness of not finding lasting love. There’s a later live version where Joni slightly raises her brow and shoulders on one of the “it was just a false alarm” lines, as if to say: it was false, but I know that now, and it doesn’t hurt so much. Like someone yelling “fire” in a movie theater, but there’s no real harm other than in that moment. That’s how I listen to and interpret the song now.
When you don’t have the words, and words alone can’t describe the journey, the ache, that longing…the like a dream you hear your own private feelings described more perfectly than you could, than you would dare. What a magical transcendental poet this woman! Thanks for helping me understand and feel free from that empty longing to express what I was desperate to hide until I could lose myself in these soaring flights
As soon as she sings, I feel like it's Truth. Sincere. And I cry almost every time. It's a song about the human condition by a wonderful human who happens to be one of the most Timeless Artists of her or any generation.
how beautiful. please teach her about Amelia Earhart, who the song is referred to, a woman aviator who was way ahead of her time! and full of dreams.. cheers 🍾🍾🍾🏳️🌈
@@bertcushman7427 Hi Bert, we taught our daughter about Amelia Earhart. To this day there is a framed photo of her in our house which my daughter now tells her kids about. My daughter is 32 now. 🙏👍
I wore out the grooves on my Hejira record.It was the only thing that kept me from drowning in depression.. soul food, profoundly beautiful words and music. I will forever be under her spell.
This is one of the most evocative songs of my past....never fails to grab me and take me back to lonely days living in a mud-built compound in the old city of Zaria in Northern Nigeria. As much as I adore classical music, it is Joni who will sing to me in heaven!
If you like this song have not heard the entire album this song is originally from, do yourself a favor and listen to the album "Hejira". One of the best albums ever made, and sadly not as well known as it should be. This is my favorite live recording of this song. I like it better than the one on "Shadows and Light" with Pat Metheney. Joni's guitar playing here is particularly expressive and lively. Her vocal phrasing on this performance is my fave interpretation by her of this great song of hers.
I totally agree, I have this album in my collection, and play it constantly. I never get tired of listening to it. The tracks are so varied, yet the melodies and words so haunting. I think I've definitely lived in a blessed era of music. Martin S UK.
Amelia Mary Earhart was an American aviation pioneer and author. Earhart was the first female aviator to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. She set many other records, wrote best-selling books about her flying experiences, and was instrumental in the formation of The Ninety-Nines, an organization for female pilots.
I was there in 83 - heard she was playing so drove up to Wembley bought a ticket from a tout had a great seat - one of the best concerts I have ever been to. Without doubt the greatest singer songwriter of the late 20th century. Lyrically Dylan's equal, musically far superior. Keep on truckin Joni
What can I say? It's wonderful. I'm full of tears, your voicce singing poetry, real words to the world, just Allen Ginsberg, just like you. I love you, love your liberty. .
Walking off the stage, strumming the music, fading into the darkness, just like Amelia. Joni's albums were perfect. Her live performances so much better.
the highlight of my 25 years in the music business was 2 days spent covering promotion work with the great lady for the dog eat dog album in london in 1985 - dazzling intellect and amazing presence - honoured
I have a friend who was Joni's guitar tech and keeper of the official lyrics (keeping track of her frequent lyric tweaks) for many years. I so envy her connection to Joni. They still socialize occasionally. She and her husband, a brilliant satirical songwriter, have a standing invitation to do lunch with her that's been postponed by Joni's health problems. I'm still hoping to parlay that connection into meeting her myself. Popular music thas truly never had greater composer or lyricist in its ranks (unless you count Stephen Sondheim's musical theater scores or the George Gershwins' 1930's output as pop music).
BTW, I am a huge fan of Dog Eat Dog. It was kind of a controversial album for Joni fans, with its elaborate synth arrangements by Thomas Dolby; it was a Dylan-Goes-Electric moment that offended many in her fan base, but I thought it was brilliant. Did you find that the huge change of sound factored into the promotional strategy? It strikes me, for the above reason, as a tough sell - though, thinking about it, that was probably more of an issue for the record label's overall promotion campaign. Curious to hear about you experience. Do you still do music industry promotional work.
Joni was out and about on 8/7/19. She was enjoying a Elvis Costello concert at Santa Barbara Bowl. Between songs Elvis announced to the crowd she was there among us and the crowd gave her a standing ovation for several minutes until Costello had to quiet us down by saying "Nobody's coming up on the stage tonight but me and my band". I was really glad to hear she was enjoying the evening!!!
Joni's entire Hejira album is a masterpiece, all the way through. When I watched and photographed her about four years before this 1983 video above, it was here in the Portland Memorial Coliseum in August of 1979, a sell-out packed arena. My wife and I were seated maybe 30 or 40 rows back from the front stage at the lower floor seats. I walked up with a 35 millimeter camera loaded with high speed transparency film and a modest telephoto lens, crouching in an aisle next to the seats so as not to disturb the others, as I watched her solo this number Amelia, and also the title track from this album, Hijira. She was wearing a full bodysuit, as a thin see-through searsucker red and rust patterned silk. The air conditioning blowing from above down into the large arena, as the material in her clothing ruffled in the wind. She played a large Ibanez hollow-body electric guitar. The backing bass was played by Jaco Pastorius which I have in one photo of him standing in the background of the entire stage front in my Concert Photography album in Facebook. these photos were just located from my storage in the past few days so they were the last of lesser quality that I decided to re-photograph over the light table. I'll link those photos to from a concert photo album, from my Facebook site here in a moment... facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10151429334882216&set=a.10150516283587216 facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150516283587216&type=3
I am appreciating her later work such as Heijira and others of hers later. Maybe because I am more mature now and can relate to her music better, is the reason.
That's so interesting. I have hard-copy photo albums and scrapbooks together. They are in my Storage Room because there are so many. The problem is l don't get to see them. Oh well, I enjoyed them, sharing with other people.
@@candacewilliams9073 Have you ever considered displaying your old concert photos? I just tried to post a hyperlink of my Facebook Concert Album, but it seems to stall or fail too post. Perhaps there are restrictions to posting hyperlinks here.
You have to wonder about her state of mind when she finally finished up writing this song. Did she realize that she'd just created one of the greatest songs ever written?
She did that every month ! 😂 But I have a similar question: YT has some old videos of her on Canadian TV, where she looks like Barbara Eden and sings folk songs. Did she know who she was ?
Here's the wild thing. IMO Joni is a better pianist than she is a guitarist. And she's a helluva guitarist. But her piano accompaniments throw in a lot more licks that flesh out the melody. Basically, she's a folky version of Prince.
God it's hard to imagine that 30+ years have gone by since one of my favorite artists played this gorgeous melody....I just love the sound of that guitar She's simply the best at what she does! Forever Joni!
I've played this so many times when my life was a car crash of relationship disasters, ever since I first heard this concert live on the radio in 1983. It is superb; every image, even the 'strange pillows of my wanderlust' sums up life. How come a sad song can make you feel better? I guess it's sharing life's Angst with others who understand it.
Ah Hejira, one of the best albums of the 70's. Pure magic, ethereal and transcending...taking your mind to another plane. Such a beautiful woman, soul and artist. Strange dreams of my wonderlust.
This morning I saw six contrails in an absolutely blue and calm high altitude sky over Montana. Checked FlightRadar and they were all southbound flights out of Calgary. Had to check in here to see a beautiful lady sing a song I remembered from a long time ago. Peace be with you, Joni.
The music of Faso is an inexhaustible source of sweetness. It allows us to plunge deep inside ourselves and at the same time resonate with our fellow man, Yé Lassina Coulibaly❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
I am sitting here at 5.00 am, and the tears are running down my face. "Oh Amelia ... it was just a false alarm .... " Just Joni and a guitar. "His sad request .... " You can say, "What's this song about, some aviatrix who died long ago?". No, no, no ... it's not all about the lyrics. I can't explain. Now go listen to some Kate Bush.
A fabulous live video of Joni and "Amelia" ... who's playing the other guitar with those great effects, sounding perfectly in the same mindset as the song, almost from the "Hejira" album ... that was Joni in her goddess prime!
New to Joni(59!). I'm a soul man at heart going waaaaay back to Motown, Philly. I bought her classic CD's to give her a try. THIS is the best album and track IMHO. Haunting...
perfection in it's simplicity, everything about this masterpiece -mesmerizing..vocals, guitar stylings and especially the words puts the listener in a haunting trance as the song unfolds. my favorite take of "Amelia"...
Joni...just simply said, an extreme talent. She does it all. For me, it is Judy Garland and this one...Joni Mitchell. The greatest female talents I've ever seen. Bravo!
What a brilliant brilliant artist. I Love her songs, and her voice. Been a big fan since the first day I heard her way back when. Best wishes Joni and get well soon.
We all love Joni so much because her songs describe our lives. As different as we all are, it is the music and poetry of Joni's that brings us all together. One light. Light that is one though the lamps be many.
There always seems to be someone who is envious of talent and people showing their appreciation . I agree with you , but , that doesn't affect the good . Just listened to this again and I have tears ........
