Joni Mitchell’s Only No. 1 Hit Was a Throwaway Song to Her: “I’d Feel Like the Radio Was Crying for One of My Ballads”

Joni Mitchell‘s magic doesn’t lie in hitmaking. Though she has songs that have been enduring staples for generations, she’s never been too fussed about the metrics of it all. She’s an artist in the truest sense, pushing back against facts and figures and focusing instead on the content of her craft.

The best example of her unwillingness to play the “game,” so to speak, came when she earned her first No. 1 song. The record label picked a single from Court And Spark, much to her chagrin. It ended up at the top. But Mitchell wasn’t satisfied.

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Joni Mitchell’s Only No. 1 Was a “Throwaway” Song

“Help me, I think I’m falling in love again / When I get that crazy feeling, I know I’m in trouble again / I’m in trouble ’cause you’re a rambler and a gambler / And a sweet taIking ladies man / And you love your lovin’ / But not like you love your freedom,” the lyrics to Mitchell’s “Help Me” read.

This buoyant track is about a romantic relationship riddled with freedom struggles. Mitchell has never said who this track is about, but when you’re dealing with rock stars, you would probably be right to guess any of the musicians Mitchell was linked to around this time. It’s an invigorating track for all of us, but for Mitchell, it was a throwaway song about lust.

“My record companies always had a tendency to take my fastest songs on album for singles, thinking they’d stand out because they did on the LPs,” Mitchell once said. “Meantime, I’d feel that the radio is crying for one of my ballads.”

The record label did choose “Help Me” as a single. It was an apt choice, and it earned the top spot on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart.

“I have nothing to do with the choosing of tracks for singles,” she further explained elsewhere. “Generally speaking, I don’t agree with the selections. There are tracks that never get played on the radio that I regret won’t get that exposure. So, I like the idea of well-received singles and am sorry when they don’t get a chance to happen.”

Art is subjective. Even the artist can have opinions that go against public consensus. Mitchell’s career has never been about facts and figures, so her only No. 1 is moot to her.

(Photo by Gijsbert Hanekroot/Redferns)