Why Joni Mitchell Thought Madonna Was the Turning Point for the “Stupid and Shallow” American Culture of the 1980s

The spirit of Joni Mitchell is that of an intellectual and a writer. She’s not one to give you a trite and conformist product lacking nuance and novelty. As fans of hers know, Mitchell does not place the fables and sentiments she aims to relay in plain sight. Rather, folks discover them after contemplating and analyzing the subtext underneath the lines. This is what all great poetry and literature do, and consequently, poets, writers, and musicians such as Mitchell live in the realm of intellectuality.

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Intellectual art still certainly exists in popular culture. However, its height was certainly in the 60s and part of the 70s with musicians and poets such as Mitchell, Bob Dylan, Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac, and other artists from that infamous beat poet and folk music scene. Although, like all great things, this movement died. To Mitchell, it died in a certain decade, and Madonna marked its downfall.

Joni Mitchell Has Never Been a Fan of Superficiality

Joni Mitchell has never minced her words. Whenever something is on her mind and an opinion needs to be divulged, she is going to air it out. An admirable trait that a lot of celebrities don’t have. However, for an arguably fair reason, as it can lead to disputes and bad press. Though Mitchell has seemingly never let such things bother her.

That being so, in a 2010 interview with the Los Angeles Times, Joni Mitchell briefly touched on the artistic downfall of the world and cited Madonna as its turning point. Before Joni Mitchell divulged this point, she articulated how she believes her sophisticated work is set in an unsophisticated backdrop. Concerning that perspective, Mitchell stated, “My work is set against the stupid, destructive way we live on this planet.”

From that point, Mitchell added, “Americans have decided to be stupid and shallow since 1980. Madonna is like Nero; she marks the turning point.” For context, Nero was the extravagant Roman Emperor who, as history says, allegedly burned down part of Rome to build his luxurious palace. Mitchell makes this comparison to seemingly articulate how Madonna, like Nero, was more obsessed with the pageantry and ornateness of her platform rather than the importance of the platform itself. However, Mitchell has never definitively divulged her reasoning behind the comparison.

Regardless, this is a razor-sharp take. Though at the end of the day, different music serves different kinds of tastes, and while Mitchell’s intellectual music might not be at the center stage, it still serves an invaluable purpose, as does Madonna’s.

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