4 Times Female Folk Singers Outdid Themselves Lyrically

In the 60s and 70s, voices like Joni Mitchell, Joan Baez, and Carly Simon captured the hearts and minds of listeners with clever and honest lyricism. Here are a few examples of times that these folk women outdid themselves as wordsmiths and singers.

“Both Sides Now” by Joni Mitchell

“I’ve looked at love from both sides now / From give and take, and still somehow / It’s love’s illusions, I recall / I really don’t know love at all.”

There are few songs I love as much as Joni Mitchell’s “Both Sides Now”. It’s a wonderful commentary on what it means to grow up and change, and see things from different perspectives as you age.

“Diamonds And Rust” by Joan Baez

“Ten years ago, I bought you some cufflinks / You brought me something / We both know what memories can bring / They bring diamonds and rust.”

This one was written about Joan Baez’s relationship with Bob Dylan, whom she dated in the early to mid 60s. “Diamonds And Rust” explains how memories of relationships past can bring both good feelings and bad feelings. Baez penned this one herself, and the way she describes emotions in it is so eloquent.

“The Circle Game” by Joni Mitchell

“We can’t return, we can only look / Behind, from where we came / And go round and round and round, in the circle game.”

Mitchell offers a piece of wisdom on growing up in “The Circle Game”. You can’t really look back as the seasons change; you just have to keep going. Mitchell wrote this one for a friend of hers (Neil Young) who had just turned 21. He had written the song “Sugar Mountain”, which is about childhood ending. This was her response.

“And I thought, God, you know, if we get to 21 and there’s nothing after that, that’s a pretty bleak future, so I wrote a song for him, and for myself just to give me some hope,” she explained during a concert at the Paris Theatre. “It’s called ‘The Circle Game’.”

“We Have No Secrets” By Carly Simon

“In the name of honesty, in the name of what is fair / You always answer my questions / But they don’t always answer my prayers.”

This song, from Simon’s album No Secrets, suggests that in relationships, honesty isn’t always the best policy. “We Have No Secrets” is clever and vulnerable. In my opinion, those are two labels that Simon deserves to receive a lot more of the time.

Photo by: Michael Uhll/Redferns