The classic song Joni Mitchell considered “a throwaway”
There are precious few Joni Mitchell songs that have not felt complete from the minute they graced the listener’s ears. Listening back through her catalogue, Mitchell’s way with words and immaculate gift for melody has been influencing generations of musicians of all stripes of music, whether that’s Prince’s affection for the song ‘A Case of You’ or becoming a muse for Graham Nash in the song ‘Our House’. Although Mitchell pours over every song she creates, there are a handful of songs that feel more like an obligation over others.
Then again, Mitchell has never had a period where she sold out to the masses. Starting life as a singer-songwriter, Mitchell tended to see her songs as an extension of herself, creating intimate character portraits on songs like ‘Both Sides Now’ and ‘Big Yellow Taxi’. While it would be easy to ride the waves of the folk-rock explosion, she was more interested in pushing music forward.
Throughout the rest of her career, Mitchell took to making songs with various open tunings, which gave her free rein of different chord voicings to choose from on efforts like ‘Amelia’. Although most musicians may not have understood what she was doing half the time, tracks like ‘Help Me’ became her biggest hits, discussing the virtues of love and the wonder of true romance.
Although Mitchell may have appreciated the acclaim that came with the release of ‘Help Me’, she had never considered it the sturdiest song she had ever made. When speaking about the track later, Mitchell thought that ‘Help Me’ would be an album filler at best, calling it a “throwaway song”.
Even though Mitchell didn’t think that it was one of her best songs, she did explain why she thought her label wanted it out as a single, saying (via Songfacts), “My record companies always had a tendency to take my fastest songs on the album for singles, thinking they’d stand out because they did on the LPs. Meantime, I’d feel that the radio is crying for one of my ballads”.
While the song’s emotional resonance may not have been as apparent at first glance, there is far more nuance in ‘Help Me’ than its writer gives it credit for. Despite its high energy and obvious potential as a single, its lyrics are full of doubt, as Mitchell asks herself whether she will find herself in misery when she falls in love again.
This kind of approach to writing is also essential to understanding Mitchell’s music as a whole. Coming after the heartbroken masterpiece Blue, it’s easy to see why Mitchell would have her guard up about any potential lover coming into her life, being too wounded by the kind of fools she had fallen for in the past.
Regardless of her feelings about the song, ‘Help Me’ would be the turning point for many Mitchell fans, becoming a fixture of her discography and a musical guide for prospective songwriters looking to make inroads into the business. While Mitchell might consider ‘Help Me’ a throwaway, even her meagre attempts at songwriting still have her signature gift for wordplay.
