Joan Baez’s favourite lyric of all time
Six languages. 25 albums. Joan Baez‘s lyricism, renowned for beauty, protest, and emotion, has resonated across the musical world for decades. Her approach to words, rhythm, and performance is undeniable, inspiring artists from Jimi Hendrix to Lana Del Rey. Often overshadowed and overlooked, she was one of the pioneering voices that led to the establishment and success of folk music that swept America throughout the 1960s.
During the ‘60s in the US, it was a time of both protest and emotion. Words were very important, as people needed to be able to have a world that often felt as though it was spinning out of control, feel as though it made sense. The emergence of folk was vital in this process, as it held a mirror up to the world and allowed people to fully understand what was happening.
Emotions were tricky to keep hold of, and as people released music that spoke truth to these emotions and allowed listeners to connect with music on both a surface and a deeper level, the significance of sound was truly highlighted. At the forefront of all of this was Joan Baez, whose unique use of language and exceptional approach to songwriting highlighted this newfound reliance on lyricism.
Even Joan Baez was aware of the comforting quality of her vocals. During her appearance on Desert Island Discs, she admitted that one of the songs she would like on there would be her own, ‘Diamonds and Rust’.
“I originally had written down my first album, but that was a totally different voice to me. That was a child’s voice,” she said, “I think I would want to hear my own voice if I was stuck on the island for 25 years and lost my voice. I’d want to hear what it was like once.”
Of course, while Baez had an appreciation for her own work, there were also a lot of other artists, poets and works of literature that were inspirations for her. When she was asked about her favourite lyrics, there were too many to choose from, but she did offer up a line from Steve Earle’s ‘God Is God’.
The line, in particular, was, “I believe in miracles, something sacred burning in every bush and tree; we can all learn to sing the songs the angels sing.” The track was originally written and produced by Earle for Joan Baez and featured on her 2008 album Day After Tomorrow. Baez felt a particular connection with the lyrics, and Earle was so fond of them that in 2010, he released the track himself.
“I asked her permission before I recorded them myself,” Earle told Billboard. “They were just too good to leave lying around. I think ‘God is God’ is one of the best songs I’ve ever written.”
