My mother watched this. She loved Joni and always watched Mama Cass. No wonder I was a huge fan of hers and the storytellers of the 70s, Carole King, Jim Croche, Harry Chapin, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, and Carly Simon to name a few.
I started searching for elementary school friends. When I reached one, I said I can't believe we haven't spoken for 60 years. We were kids back then. I was looking for sanity and like-mindedness. That's why I'm listening to Joni.
I really can't decide if I prefer this original version or the one she did in 2000, which slowed it down a lot. Her voice is purer, so to speak, here, but the depth of emotion and introspection comes out more in the later version
@@harveymanfredsenjenson5417 I fully agree. I can't decide either. Joni's mature voice packs an palpable emotional punch. I remember noticing the change when Turbulent Indigo came out. The verses played for the movie "Love Actually" would not have been so moving had they been from her youthful recordings -- beautiful as they are.
When Mama Cass says "This is my friend Joni Mitchell, and this is my friend Mary Travers", it goes really deep. In the Laurel Canyon scene, Mama Cass was a true friend to so many people, and made so many introductions. If I recall correctly, she introduced Graham Nash to David Crosby and Stephen Stills. Without her, the world of music would have been a lot poorer. If only she were with us now.
Well...she will always be with us.. right...the fine arts ...music..poetry...art..film...if they are fine...they will never leave us ..they are etched into our hearts forever... just saying... Eric Underwood class of 81 Downey High School California 👍
@Joe Devola whose the Marxist Pedophiles ....how do you come up with that ...you are assuming that Geographic areas are all nothing but evil? So therefore everything including the fine arts is Evil... Brother you are lost! I was born not far from Laurel Canyon...in a Los Angeles suburb... A lot of great talent came from that area... don't you dare stereotype us all...You know what your saying...
@@tornadojoegee I guess we're supposed to imagine what it would be like to have friends this talented sitting around in our living rooms playing music. If only...
This gives me chills. Incredible. The 60's were a magic vortex opening up, in time, just for a moment. There will never be a period of creativity like it, again.
@@zyxw2024 Of course! I've been the recipient of many solids! I try to pay it forward too ... the universe gives you back, exactly what you put in to it. Give solids, get solids. Karma is real ☮️
The 70s too, if you were living in the right place. Anyone living in Denton, a small college town in Texas, will know exactly what I mean. All the gays from Dallas, all the shit kickers from Fort Worth, one of the top jazz schools in the country with music everywhere, the most amazing and creative conceptual artists, students streaking through campus day and night, and it was the center for drugs in the entire country. What a crazy menagerie! Definitely a glitch in the matrix.
When one gets to be my age (almost 70), he begins to recognize the truth of these lyrics. There's a sadness for opportunities missed, but also gratefulness for having survived and persevered in this thing called life.
Her face is beautiful. Her voice is a beautiful Her songs are beautiful She is one of the most talented songwriters and singers that ever lived but she is so underrated .
I was lucky enough to see Joni sing this song at the Anaheim Convention center in 1973 with someone I love. As we were leaving someone said "this is where she'll go to catch her limo".No one believed them but we stood and waited anyway and sure enough in a few minutes Joni appeared and stopped to greet her faithful fans. A moment I'll never forget.
I am listening, the memories oh the memories of a much nicer world and life and of course the wonderful Joni Mit hell. Her music was my life and indeed still is.. Wonderful bless Joni...
She wrote this song when she was still so young... even she herself later said that she felt a bit out of place whenever sang it. She was wise beyond her years... Joni Mitchell, one of a kind.
Reminds me of how Jackson Browne wrote These Days as a teenager. How does someone so young write a line like "Don't confront me with my failures, I have not forgotten them"? Brilliant.
@@richardread8281 - Correct. The song was inspired by a passage in a book Joni was reading while on an airplane. The 1959 novel is called Henderson the Rain King by Saul Bellow. Per Wikipedia Joni had this to say about writing Both Sides Now: "I was reading on a plane and early in the book the protagonist Henderson is also up in a plane. He's on his way to Africa and he looks down and sees these clouds. I put down the book, looked out the window and saw clouds too and I immediately started writing the song. I had no idea that the song would become as popular as it did."
Met Anne Murray's parents in Nova Scotia where I lived. Very friendly and wanting to hear other's stories. Canadians are great people. I'm from Mississippi.
+Thomas Gill She is stunning. Every word to describe a beautiful woman fits her; stunning, striking, breathtaking, sexy, foxy, babe, cute, pretty, heart breaking, voluptuous, the list goes on. She takes a backseat to my X girlfriend Claudia Schiffer even.
I've never seen this clip before so I watched Mama Cass introduce her friend. The goosebumps started instantly the lump in the throat after 30 seconds the tears after a minute. I'm a 57 year old man and not much moves me these days but this did.
There is a transcendence and a purity of her form of art. Her voice was angelic and could span registers, she wrote sublime poetry. Music like this elevates the soul and that is what makes it art.
My childhood summarized in a beautiful song..............ice cream castles in the air takes me back to that magical time in life. After loosing lost loved ones I can still go back to this song and think of all the wonderful a simple time.........
Such beautiful tone & vibrato, head voice & transition into chest, with such beauty in lower register. Some of her songs, like this one, pull my heart out & give me chills.
I hope you do....she really changed my life....really thoughtful ,wonderful and sad songs that are so true. I started listening her in 1969......so that makes me a younger than Joni.......er i was 14.
Samara Shelp This song was a hit for another singer named Judy Collins. You might enjoy her recording of it, especially the "hit version" on RU-vid. If you watch Mad Men, this song was the closing for "In Care of" - season 6, episode 13. As noted by another commenter below, it's got a "happier" sound, though even as a little kid it made me sad, so I think the melancholy come through in both versions. Love them both.
Wow! Seeing these 3 legends on one stage at the same time! All 3 of these women had incredible voices and charisma for days. These kinds of performers will never be seen again, they were a product of the age. It's a pity so few young people even know who they are.
It is beyond what I can comprehend how Joni wrote such a intrinsically meaningful song that most people would not understand until their elder years at such a young age...A gift from heaven she is.
@@ronnieboucherthecrystalcraftsm The lack of culture ruined it, so don't blame the substances, blame us people. We just watched it happen and did nothing to stop it. I remember my mother's music collection, Nat King Cole, Johnny Mathis, Sammy Davis Jr., etc. Today's music just isn't very good, especially when compared to my mother's era I remember my parents going to the Latin Casino (South Jersey) to see the Jackson's when Michael was about 6 years old, my mother loved him.
@@ronnieboucherthecrystalcraftsm - and The Twin Curses of 'Digital Enhancement' and 'Digital Remastering' ... just as video killed the radio star so computer enginners are killing REAL MUSIC ! I for one am so very glad and grateful to have known 'The Real Thing'
I always turn away from new-ish singers who rely on skanky behavior, trashy dancing and all that. Often it's to compensate for a mediocre voice and childish lyrics.
you know there’s a synth playing in the background right 😂 dont be so clouded because passion through music can be protrayed in many ways , yes even auto tune!!
Listening in 2023! Always have been, always will be! Joni has the voice of an angel and her songs are incredible! This one and Case of You have to be my favorites!!
Beautiful, poetic lyrics and a crystal clear, pleasant voice. Joni is considered a legend for a reason, she is one. Beautiful poetic songwriting and an amazingly nice voice 💛
I used to listen to this song when I was a kid and it would resonate with me.. even as a child. 40+ years later? its lifes illusions I recall. I really dont know life... at all.
+lambchopxoxo "but life... is for learning." I don't think we get the totality of the answer until we reach for the golden ring at the end of the ride. And even then, the answers are for we alone. Only the chosen few become enlightened and then get the opportunity to return and share that light with those still in the dark.
James Dolan Amen! (JK!) But seriously, I honestly don't understand why any comment, anywhere, about almost anything, is usually followed almost immediately by JESUS or LIBERALS or CONSERVATIVES, all shouted out as if no one will otherwise notice. It seems to me that unless it is a video about religion or politics, then religion or politics should remain out of the conversation completely. I can understand someone, in their natural exuberance over something good, might type "God bless (so and so)," but other than that, we should be spared from others' religious or political rantings. I think that it is only fair, unless the perpetrators of such nonsense want contrary-minded people to their views doing the same to them, that all such comments should be avoided. Otherwise, those said "contrary-minded people" might go on those opinionated people's videos or postings, just to overwhelm them on their own posted materials with comments that are utterly contrary to what the opinionated people confess to believe. What is that about "turnabout is fair play"? I feel that it is petty and unethical, but there might not be any other way to punish the opinionated people for their unwanted and unwarranted opinions. It's called "fighting fire with fire."
Scott McGillivray I'm with you. Every time. That's because you are listening to one of the true genius musicians of our lifetime. The emotional connection is real because her use of her poetry blends perfectly with her music and of course with her incredible voice. If you lose yourself in her words you find the joy, confusion, pain and mystery of life. Her writing and music are so soulfully raw and transparent. Raw, yet so beautifully refined. And this is just one song. Nobody in popular music in years has come close to writing one song at this level of inspired musicianship. And she's written MANY songs of this greatness. I don't think most people realize just how incredible Joni Mitchell is.
Scott McGillivray me too; you aren't alone Joni was my hero right from the first time I heard that incredibly beautiful voice. Okay, so I was a little envious that she could hit notes I couldn't reach with a ladder.... but Joni just had such a wonderful vocal range & in all these years I've yet to hear a voice I loved as much as hers.
My wife says, you couldn't get better than this. So wonderfully talented women on the stage. This was when we could hear the words of songs, and artists could write, and play a musical instrument !
I must really go back to an earlier time, 1969 or so, in the backyard of home, hanging clothes on the line to dry, I remember singing this song as I did my chore. It was one of my favorite songs. I would imagine having my own guitar one day to play and sing it with. Part 1-Both Sides Now, Cindy Lynn ❤️
I absolutely love this human being, she is amazing. A great artist this has true depth, a great voice and something to say to the world. It’s a pleasure to live in the same world has Joni.
It would struggle now, but that was why some of us adored the 1970s. I lived in California in the mid 70s and it was a magical time to have a childhood there.
Beautiful lyrics and melody..a voice with such a range..The days of singer songwriters like Joni Mitchell John Denver Gordon Lightfoot are gone..But I still get goosebumps listening to them.
Indeed, goosebumps. Still. However, I don't believe the days of singer/songwriters/performers are over, only that they're less likely to break through to a wider audience and at my age I just don't seem to have the motivation to search out unique new talent from obscure sources (kind of like the law of diminishing returns, with all the amazing innovation over prior decades getting harder to equal, and a limit on how much you can keep previous innovations fresh).
My grade 12 English teacher taught me this song and the underlining meaning of the song. Time flies and I will turn 65 in September....still love this song and certainly hope my English teacher Miss Hung still alive a well.
I'm 65 now and still remember Miss Booth in Freshman English listening to the poetry of Simon and Garfunkel. She was young and so were we........I can feel myself in the classroom with her heartfelt enthusiasm for the words. We were fortunate to have these teachers King Sole.
I saw her live in 1974 in South Bend Indiana. She had made a bet with one of her tour men that Notre Dame would beat UCLA and Bill Walton, to support the underdog. ND did beat UCLA ending their 88 game winning streak, which made her even more of a favorite with the crowd, although she had my heart for many years beforehand. She was beautiful, musically perfect, winning, and wonderful and after over 40 years I remember her coming on stage like it was yesterday. Here's to you, Joni, the best of the best.
I've been taken back to watching my mum get dressed for work in the 70s while songs like these came on the radio. My parents LP collection is still very large and I bawl my eyes out hearing songs like this because the emotions surge in me if the gratitude I have for my parents offering the gift of music to my childhood - music that exposed my brother and I to such an amazing diverse collection. I knew this song very well by the time I was 8. I see so many comments from people who seem to miss out on other genres of music. This song is absolutely beautiful, in all it's versions, but it's the lyrics that have touched my soul. Songwriters have a special gift to convey human emotion and understanding on a global scale - irrespective of cultural background. I challenge those reading this to widen your scope of music - you may surprise yourself at what touches your heart. Folk, rock, reggae, jazz, soul, country classical, rhythm and blues, rap, funk, house, punk etc all have a purpose. Where would we be in this world without the release music can bring!?
And where on Earth will we ever again see such a concentration of musical talent in one place? Mama Cass, Joni Mitchell, and Mary Travers? Seriously? Top that, 2020!!!!!!!!!!
You won't see it on TV channels, that's for sure. There are nuggets on RU-vid... people like Carson McKee, Josh Turner, Billy Strings and others who are genuinely talented and worth supporting.
C Cr yeah but that was back when liberals were open minded and tolerant and estrogen producers didn’t blame men for everything. I still love Joni’s music and have utmost respect for her talent and originality. Also still love PP&Ms music.
Why do I have to cry every time I hear this song? There has never been anything recorded more beautiful, sad, and thoughtful as this. The most underrated singer/songwriter of them all.
She is not underrated in my book … she is without peer as a female songwriter, singer, and musician … I love her music, especially the albums "Song To A Seagull", "Blue", and my all-time favorite, "For The Roses" … thank you for your love and sharing and talent Joni Mitchell!!!
When Joni is introduced, and gives us that beautiful big smile, i can't help but smile myself every time, and feel happy. What an amazing piece of music.x
Amazing to think that in these early days, Joni had only just begun her voyage of genius. Hard to believe that Hejira, Court and Spark and the rest of her wonderful catalogue were still inside this beautiful woman's mind. Or perhaps we knew, right from the start, that we would be embarking on a life long journey with one of the truly great poets of our time.
I'm 66, soon to be 67, still feel like I'm 17, taking the curves in my MG with the top down racing towards twighlight, chasing dreams on remote country back roads near Multnomah Falls in Oregon. Now, living in Alaska for 32 years, another MG in the Garage. Still chasing rainbows. Life us too short.
I don't know how I managed in my almost 53 years on this earth to miss such a truthful, wise beyond measure and utterly beautiful song....I am now just grateful I finally found it....I too really don't know life, at all
Better later than never, it's tricky to keep up with current music when you're still in utero. ;-) I'm grateful to be able to easily watch recordings of performances such as this that I didn't have access to half a century ago!
Back in the early 1960's my parents where returning from a weekend in Wasaga Beach when they stopped for gas near Orillia. The attendant asked if they could give his friend a lift to Toronto. Shy, polite kid with curly hair and a guitar case, A few years ĺatet they where watching the CBC when they saw the very same fellow singing on a variety show. Gordon Lightfoot.
@@jimzeleny7213 I was at his concert many years, and it started to rain. I was in the open area and he invited us to fill in the covered area. He was very polite. I imagine he could raise hell too though.
Oh how chilling. Joni Mitchell is such a unique artist. Just as unique as her friend James Taylor. What on Earth was in the water in the '60s and '70s? I think I'll be listening to her album Blue tonight. Thank you dear Joni. 🌱👏🌿
The first time when I heard this song, I was 10 years old , I was watching " the wonder years show" with my dad, I loved it , even I couldn't understand cause I didn't know English, now , every time when I listen it make me back to this day, sitting watching this show with my loved dad who passed some years ago 🥺❤️ thanks for sharing 🙏🏻
It’s strange how music back in the sixties was just about the song. Mostly performers these days get in the way of their own art by making themselves more important than the songs.
You know it's funny, I was born in the 70s, but I listened to a lot of 60s music as a child, and I was just saying the other day, "the music of that era was about the music, and love, and understanding, and coming together, and community, and ending war. It wasn't about 'me or I' it wasn't about the money or fame. That's why it'll never be replicated, the younger generation is too wrapped up in their ego, their fame.... I call it Kardashian-itis.
@@greywolf393 I agree 100 percent. I don’t think younger people understand the culture of the sixties. How can they? It was a unique time for musical change and political and social engagement. The industry that grew out of the seventies and eighties was very different to the industry that grew out of the folk, skiffle, early rock n roll etc. Frank Zappa sums it up in that interview where he talks about the way the role of record executives changed from facilitating the artist to turning them into cash cows. If you get a chance look up Two or Three Spectres by Peter Hammill. Look up the lyrics too. It sums up the poisonous commercial music industry perfectly.
The greatest poet/singer/songwriter from the 60s! So proud I got to hear her when she first wrote it and so proud I was astute enough to know I was in the presence of greatness.
:)..I understand your fervor but...She's just one of hundreds...I know, I was there... Just love her for how amazing she is...But; Carly Simon would eat her lunch, in all those categories...Just sayin...
Rows and flows of angel hair And ice cream castles in the air And feather canyons everywhere Looked at clouds that way But now they only block the sun They rain and they snow on everyone So many things I would have done But clouds got in my way I've looked at clouds from both sides now From up and down and still somehow It's cloud illusions I recall I really don't know clouds at all Moons and Junes and Ferris wheels The dizzy dancing way that you feel As every fairy tale comes real I've looked at love that way But now it's just another show And you leave 'em laughing when you go And if you care, don't let them know Don't give yourself away I've looked at love from both sides now From give and take and still somehow It's love's illusions that I recall I really don't know love Really don't know love at all Tears and fears and feeling proud To say, "I love you" right out loud Dreams and schemes and circus crowds I've looked at life that way Oh, but now old friends they're acting strange And they shake their heads and they tell me that I've changed Well something's lost, but something's gained In living every day I've looked at life from both sides now From win and lose and still somehow It's life's illusions I recall I really don't know life at all It's life's illusions that I recall I really don't know life I really don't know life at all Übersetzen
I remember the hit Judy Collins had with this and always thought she sang it beautifully. Then, I heard Joni sing it on the Johnny Cash Show and was totally blown away. I can't describe how this song makes me feel.
Me, too. Judy did a beautiful job of it, too. I understand Joni wrote it as a reply to Sugar Mountain. I'm not sure its true or not, but it seems as if it could be.
At 1:15 you see the mark of a brilliant performer; she starts to sing "love's" instead of "clouds", catches it it in the blink of an eye, and then just gives an amazing grin that acknowledges that this is a live performance, and then goes straight on. As a musician this is so inspiring.
She seemed to be having an off night, or was distracted; that was not the only gaffe she made. And yet Joni at 70% is still better than anyone else at 100%. This feels like what it must have been like to see Dowland or Bach or Mozart on an off night, doing something they didn't mean to do and yet still making it work as music, demonstrating that one's mind can slip and yet one can still be committed to the performance and the moment. Inspiring indeed.
It's so incredibly sweet! Thanks for pointing it out. She corrects the little miss so quickly and elegantly that I probably wouldn't have noticed on my own.
When a musician paints pictures in you mind and they open themselves up to you, the listener, it's truly moving! IDK why, but when I hear her music and voice as she tells her stories, brings tears to my eyes.
