Art Garfunkel picks his favourite Joni Mitchell song
As one half of Simon and Garfunkel, Art Garfunkel offered his arresting vocal talents to a host of immortal folk-rock classics in the 1960s, supporting his early career partner Paul Simon. Together, this pairing joined the likes of Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell in bringing traditional American folk into the modern day, beckoning the singer-songwriter wave of the early 1970s.
Following their split in 1970, Garfunkel pursued a solo career and swiftly found himself on a rather busy promotional circuit. Amid a swarm of interviews and television appearances, Garfunkel found himself on the BBC radio programme ‘My Top Twelve’. The feature asked its guests to select their 12 favourite songs at the time of asking; Garfunkel didn’t disappoint, picking out classics from The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Beach Boys and more.
For one of his discerning picks, Garfunkel showed some love for his fellow folkie, Joni Mitchell. “I wanted to do a Joni Mitchell song, I put that in this mythical album of twelve songs because Joni is so talented, and my favourite comes from her Blue album ‘I Wish I Had a River’ [sic].”
A few moments later, Garfunkel discussed his love for singing in the studio and revealed that he had recently collaborated with Graham Nash and David Crosby on stage. “My favourite place is the recording studio,” he said. “Recently, I was in Toronto with Paul, the two of us did a few songs at the Columbia convention. I must say it was a great kick to be on stage. And then again, a few weeks later, I sang with Nash and Crosby at one of their shows. I liked it; I haven’t done it in a while. I keep thinking that it’s not really my favourite territory nearly as much as the recording studio. But when I am on the stage, I must say I have this feeling that this is where I belong as opposed to those people out there in their seats.”
Mitchell’s 1971 classic ‘River’ was famously written amid her breakup with Nash in the late 1960s. In the lyrics, Mitchell appears to blame herself for the regretful end to the relationship, as she sings: “I’m so hard to handle / I’m sеlfish and I’m sad / now I’ve gone and lost the bеst baby that I ever had.”
In 2021, The Guardian asked several musicians to discuss their favourite Joni Mitchell songs. Understandably, ‘River’ holds a particularly poignant and powerful position in Nash’s heart. Picking out the moody ballad as a personal favourite, Nash remembered meeting Mitchell in the late 1960s.
“I met Joni in 1967 when I was in the Hollies, and we played Ottawa,” he began. “Later, I flew from London to spend a few days with her in Los Angeles. When I arrived, I could hear voices in the house. David Crosby and Stephen Stills were having dinner with her. The Byrds had thrown David out and Stephen’s band, Buffalo Springfield, were over. We smoked a big one and Stephen played this fabulous song, ‘You Don’t Have to Cry’, with David and myself singing harmonies. So Joni witnessed the birth of Crosby, Stills and Nash.”
“We were a couple for two years – and I watched her write many of the songs on Blue. She didn’t finish it until after we parted,” Nash continued. “‘River’ made me sad, because it chronicled the end of our relationship, but also elated, because it was such a beautiful song and she had the courage to bare her soul. We were very much in love. I treasured that relationship.
“I remember leaving the house to give her the space to finish My Old Man,” he added. “I’m sad that it’s about me again, but it’s so brilliant. Like the song suggests, I asked her to marry me, but I think she thought I wanted a “wife” to cook meals and so on, which was never my intention. I wanted her to be as free as possible, to be as brilliant as possible. She’s an amazing woman. I’m proud to have been a part of her life. In 100 years’ time, people will remember the Beatles, Bob Dylan and Joni.”
Listen to Art Garfunkel and Graham Nash’s favourite Joni Mitchell song, ‘River’, below.
