David Crosby and Graham Nash pick their favourite Joni Mitchell songs: “We all loved her”
There was so much more to the sound of Crosby, Stills, and Nash than just their vocals. While their singing was a big part of the act, other aspects of the show that were just as important included conveying emotion and feeling in their instrumentation. The two things complemented one another a great deal, leading to all three being considered timeless musicians.
Another artist who can marry both their vocals and instrumentation is Joni Mitchell. She is often overlooked as one of the best guitarists ever. Granted, she might not shred solos like some of the rock greats, but her ability to use her guitar playing to add another layer to the song rather than just it being a backing track is inspired.
David Crosby once spoke about her guitar and how unique her sound was. He said it was “Like a band in the way you approach a chord and string the melody along,” he said. “She was new and fresh with how she approached it […] It’s these odd tunings that have tripped up thousands of artists trying to figure out how to get ‘Big Yellow Taxi’ to sound like her ‘Big Yellow Taxi’.”
Despite referencing ‘Big Yellow Taxi’, this wasn’t Crosby’s favourite song by Mitchell, which was explicitly reserved for ‘A Case of You’. When speaking about the song and how much it meant to him, Crosby also spoke about Mitchell as a person, how difficult her life was and how that resonated in her being.
“She was exciting and turbulent and fun, and we all loved her – yet I don’t think she was ever happy. She’d been through polio, the marriage to Chuck Mitchell and giving up a child – and music was her way of processing this,” he said, “It could be difficult to be around her because she’d have you laughing or crying real tears in the same half an hour, like her music. It’s genuinely who she is.”
When speaking about his favourite song of hers, Crosby said, “Can you imagine a better song than ‘A Case of You’? She was so brilliant as a songwriter, it crushed me. But she gives us all something to strive for.”
Despite seeing eye to eye on a lot of music, Graham Nash’s favourite song of Mitchell’s was ‘River’. Another track from Blue, the song talks about their relationship and holds it up in the light, highlighting both its beauty and difficulty.
“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,” he said. “’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.”
Joni Mitchell will be remembered in the future as one of the greatest singer-songwriters ever to put pen to paper. Her ability to write open and honest music and instrumentation that lined up perfectly with her vocals was second to none. Graham Nash and David Crosby recognised Mitchell for her brilliance, as did many other musicians.
