Whenever you think you know everything about your favorite artist, the internet continues to surprise you. For example, I was today years old when I discovered that Joni Mitchell keeps a record of all the songs that have been written about her over the years. If you don’t believe me, just look up her website: it’s littered with songs from exes, friends, and admirers, and even has the years, musicians, and albums attached to them. What an icon. Anyway, here are some songs that were written about the famous songwriter, in no particular order.
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“You Can Close Your Eyes” by James Taylor
It’s well known that songwriting titans James Taylor and Joni Mitchell had a romantic relationship from 1970 to 1971. Naturally, Taylor drew on Joni as a muse for several songs back in the day. According to Songfacts, Taylor wrote this lullaby when he was in the middle of filming his acting debut, Two-Lane Blacktop. The song is sung to his lover (Joni, at the time). He says that even when he’s gone, she can sing this song and think of him.
Songfacts: You Can Close Your Eyes | James Taylor
In the lyrics, the narrator is preparing to spend one more day with his lover before he leaves (for reasons unknown to the listener). But when he’s gone, she’ll always have this song to comfort her. Taylor did end up saying goodbye to Mitchell – at least, romantically. A year after this was released, he married Carly Simon. In 1977, Taylor and Simon recorded the song as a duet at their home in Martha’s Vineyard.
“You’ll Never Be The Same” by Graham Nash
While Nash has several songs that are reportedly about Joni, including “Our House”, this song was released years after they had broken up, in 1974. The lyrics suggest that Nash had a hard time with the relationship ending.
“You’ll never be the same / Without me by your side / There’s no one I can blame / About my foolish pride.”
When asked if he considers Joni the love of his life, here’s what Nash had to say. “Well, I’m married to this incredible woman right now, so I could say the very same thing about her,” he shared in a 2022 interview. “But, yes, in those days she was absolutely the love of my life. It’s Joni Mitchell, for f**k’s sake!”
“Sweet Joni” by Neil Young
Although the title might propose another love song, “Sweet Joni” was actually written as more of a friendship tribute to Joni, whom Young met in 1964. He told The Zach Sang Show that, when they met at 20 and possibly 22, he played her his song “Sugar Mountain”. This would eventually inspire her to write her song, “The Circle Game”. “She felt it too, and she felt it in her own unique way, as well, obviously,” he said.
Photo by: Don Smith/Radio Times via Getty Images
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