Joni Mitchell‘s Blue is rife with timeless tracks. Featured on this once-in-a-generation tracklist is “California”–Mitchell’s love letter to her Laurel Canyon home. Despite her Canadian roots, Mitchell has long expressed her affinity for the American West Coast. Uncover the meaning behind this track, below.
Behind the Meaning of Joni Mitchell’s Love Letter to Home, “California”
Sitting in a park in Paris, France
Reading the news and it sure looks bad
They won’t give peace a chance
That was just a dream some of us had
Still a lot of lands to see
But I wouldn’t wanna stay here
It’s too old and cold and settled in its ways here
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Homesickness is a universal feeling. So, when you hear Mitchell singing about her longing for home while so far away from it, it’s hard not to empathize. As always, Mitchell allows her songwriting to be very circumstantial in this track. She drops us in the middle of her day as if we’re experiencing it with her. It makes the emotions present in this song far more palpable.
Mitchell is synonymous with Laurel Canyon. Her sense of creative freedom and affinity for social commentary made her a shoo-in for the folk scene there. This track is the perfect mix between expressing her love for California and her ideals for the future.
They won’t give peace a chance / That was just a dream some of us had…Still a lot of lands to see /
But I wouldn’t wanna stay here, she sings.
Like all Mitchell songs, the exact meaning behind “California” is a bit of a mystery. She’s always been one to let her work speak for itself instead of going into detail about her every decision. What we do know for a fact is that this will incite a longing for home in the listener. If you’re in need of a dose of nostalgia, revisit this track, below.
I met a redneck on a Grecian isle
Who did the goat dance very well
He gave me back my smile
But he kept my camera to sell
Oh, but California
California, I’m coming home
I’m going to see the folks I dig
I’ll even kiss a Sunset pig
California, I’m coming home
(Photo by ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)
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