The song Joni Mitchell can’t sing anymore, no matter how hard she tries
Imagine hearing your favourite song without its lyrics. It’s like seeing a canvas without art, a giraffe without spots. It seems bare and altogether disappointing. However, for Joni Mitchell, this stripped-back style became the way to go.
That sounds like a counterintuitive statement to make about an artist like Mitchell, whose entire back catalogue and persona is built on the very basis of giving everything the full throttle, whether it was in intricate guitar riffs or, indeed, the racing whistlestop journeys of her lyrics.
Yet in the long run, as age increases and energy begins to wane, the simple fact is that this constant effervescence is not sustainable forever, although this is not to say that it will ever fully die. Mitchell just has to adapt her songbook and performance style to what suits her in that specific time and moment. But in the case of one particular song, its retirement came as a necessary evil, as she just couldn’t bring herself to sing it again.
‘Just Like This Train’ from Court and Speak came at the height of Mitchell’s career in the mid-1970s, but it’s worth remembering that despite this seeming like yesterday in some minds, this now dates back over half a century. It’s most understandable that the singer can’t just roll them out like she used to, and with ‘Just Like This Train’ especially, there’s no way of hitting the notes anymore.
However, this is not to say that Mitchell bowed out early. It was only in relatively recent years, as in 2022, that she decided upon her return to performing to take things down a notch. Frankly, it was a miracle that she was there to tell the tale in the first place, let alone perform the songs like she used to. To this end, her rendition of ‘Just Like This Train’ during her comeback gig at the Newport Folk Festival had to face some revisions.
Afterwards, she explained in an interview on Elton John’s Rocket Hour show: “I’m not a soprano anymore, so I couldn’t sing the song. I thought people might feel lighted if I just played the guitar part – but I like the guitar part to that song. So anyway, it was very well received, much to my delight.”
In all honesty, this was no wonder. Cast your mind back to that day three years ago, and the audience’s brains practically fell out of their heads at the sheer sight of seeing Mitchell there. She could have got away with anything she wanted.
But, of course, it is simply not in a performer’s nature to put on a half-baked show – if you’re going to be there, you have to deliver. Although Mitchell’s voice had aged, her health had failed, and she may not have been able to hit some of the high notes like back in the day, none of that really mattered in the moment. She was just one woman, sitting in front of a microphone, ready to play. In that essence, her spark had never gone out, and she was as alive and effervescent as ever. Some things just never change.
