Here’s wishing a very Happy Birthday to Joni Mitchell, who turned 81 on November 7. Simply put, the Canadian musician is one of the world’s most respected and influential singer/songwriters.
Mitchell came to fame in the late 1960s thanks to her ethereal and poetic folk songs, many of which were recorded by other artists. Joni soon moved into folk rock and pop, and her intimate and confessional 1971 studio effort Blue is considered one of the greatest albums of all time.
Videos by American Songwriter
[RELATED: Watch Joni Mitchell and Friends Lead Backstage Joni Jam After Hollywood Bowl Show]
Later in the 1970s, Mitchell began exploring jazz, while the 1980s found her incorporating synthesizers into her music.
Mitchell was inducted into both the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1997.
In 2021, she was one of the recipients of the Kennedy Center Honors, and in 2023 she was presented with Library of Congress’ prestigious Gershwin Prize for Popular Song.
Starting in the 2000s, Mitchell began withdrawing from the music business, recording sporadically while focusing more on her painting. In 2015, she suffered a serious brain aneurysm. After a lengthy recovery, Mitchell began playing occasional concerts, starting with a surprise appearance at the 2022 Newport Folk Festival.
Besides her own album, Mitchell occasional lent her vocals talents to recordings by other well-known artists. In honor of her birth, here a four great guest appearances by Joni:
“Will You Love Me Tomorrow?” – Carole King (1971)
“Will You Love Me Tomorrow?” was a song written by Carole King and her husband and songwriting partner Gerry Goffin. Recorded by the girl group The Shirelles, it became a No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1960. It also was the first big hit written by Goffin and King.
King decided to record her own version of the tune for her second solo album, the chart-topping Tapestry. During the sessions, she enlisted her friend and collaborator James Taylor and his then-girlfriend, Mitchell, to sing backing vocals in the tune. Taylor also played guitar on the track. Taylor also had played on King’s 1970 solo debut album, Writer, while King lent her piano and backing vocal talents to James’ then-latest record, Sweet Baby James.
King also made significant contributions to Taylor’s follow-up to Sweet Baby James, which leads us to Mitchell’s next guest appearance.
“You’ve Got a Friend” – James Taylor (1971)
“You’ve Got a Friend” was among the many classic songs featured on King’s Tapestry album. During the recording of Tapestry, Taylor heard King sing the tune, and asked her if it would be OK for him to record his own version. She gladly agreed.
Taylor’s version featured Mitchell’s sweet harmony vocals on some of the choruses. In July 1971, “You’ve Got a Friend” became James’ one and only single to top the Hot 100. The song was one of three tunes on Taylor’s 1971 album, Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon featuring Mitchell’s backing vocals. The others were “Love Has Brought Me Around” and “Long Ago and Far Away.”
“Another Sleep Song” – Graham Nash (1974)
Joni Mitchell famously dated Graham Nash of The Hollies and Crosby, Sills & Nash fame from 1968 to 1970. Their relationship inspired both artists to write heartfelt, emotional songs about each other. Joni’s tunes about Graham included “River” and “My Old Man,” while one of his most enduring songs, “Our House,” was about their romance.
A few years after the couple split, Nash enlisted Mitchell to sing on “Another Sleep Song,” a tune from his 1974 solo album, Wild Tales. Interestingly, the song apparently was a reflection of some of Nash’s failed romances. Mitchell’s haunting backing vocals appear during the latter part of the track.
“Helpless” – Neil Young with The Band (1976)
“Helpless” is a famous folk-rock ballad written by Neil Young that first appeared on Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young’s 1970 debut album, Déjà Vu.
Fast forward to 1976: Young and Mitchell were both among the many stars who performed at The Band’s historic farewell concert, “The Last Waltz.” The event took place on Thanksgiving of ’76 at the famous Winterland venue in San Francisco.
“Helpless” was one of the songs Young performed at the show, with The Band accompanying him. As seen in director Martin Scorsese’s classic 1978 documentary, The Last Waltz, Mitchell set up behind a curtain and contributed soulful and soaring harmonies vocals throughout the tune. At various points, she sings call-and-response style as Neil belts out the tune.