6 Joni Mitchell Songs That You’ll Be Humming All Summer

The poetically-penned work of Joni Mitchell is, collectively, an accomplishment that is rare, proven in 2002 when the singer-songwriter received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award for her profound contributions to the music industry. Over the course of a career that has spanned nearly six-decades, Mitchell has produced a wide array of hits — among them "Both Sides Now, "Big Yellow Taxi and River" — along the way collecting 11 Grammy Awards, the Kennedy Center Honor for a lifetime of achievement in the performing arts and — just because, why not? — an induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997.

The Canadian folk musician was born on November 7, 1943 as Roberta Joan Anderson and took on her famous last name of Mitchell from her first husband, Chuck Mitchell. Between her incredible career as a vocalist and immense talent as a songwriter, Mitchell first embarked on her journey in the 1960s.

Travel back in time and take a listen to these 6 Joni Mitchell songs.

1. “Both Sides Now” (1969)

The song that is famously connected with Mitchell was originally recorded by Judy Collins, who received a Grammy for Best Folk Performance. When Mitchell released her own version of the song on her Clouds album, the song didn’t chart.

Mitchell described her inspiration for writing the song: “I was reading Saul Bellow’s Henderson the Rain King on a plane… [he] sees these clouds. I put down the book, looked out the window, and saw clouds, too, and I immediately started writing the song. I had no idea that the song would become as popular as it did.”

2. “Big Yellow Taxi” (1970)

One of Mitchell’s most popular hits was “Big Yellow Taxi.” Released in 1970, she used the song to criticize the destruction of the environment and urban development infringing on nature. The track shot to No. 24 on the charts, but remains popular to this day. “Big Yellow Taxi” has been covered by hundreds of other artists, but nothing compares to Mitchell’s version.

3. “River” (1971)

This Christmas classic brings with it a rather sad meaning. While it seems the song was written about the end of a romantic relationship, it was speculated to actually have been written about the child Mitchell gave up for adoption. With the line, “Now I've gone and lost the best baby that I ever had,” the idea doesn’t seem too far-fetched. Despite the melancholy woven into the lyrics, the song enjoys annual popularity during the holidays.

4. “Help Me” (1974)

At first listen, "Help Me" seems to be a pretty standard love song, but giving it a second, deeper spin, it becomes clearer that there's much more to the tune than that. In the lyrics, Mitchell questions herself over the fact that she's gotten into a situation too deeply, too quickly, exemplified in the line, "When I get that crazy feeling, I know I'm in trouble again."

Although the song was nominated for Record of the Year at the 17th Annual Grammy Awards, it did not win. It did, however, land at No. 7 on the Hot 100 chart and stayed there for a total of 19 weeks.

5. “Down to You” (1974)

Mitchell used the song “Down to You” to express how “everything comes and goes,” as she states in the first lyric. It follows the aftermath of a fling and the realization that nothing lasts forever. While the song didn’t chart, it did snag a Grammy win at the 17th Annual awards for Best Arrangement Accompanying Vocalists.

6. “One Week Last Summer” (2007)

This Grammy-winning track was released in 2007 on the album Shine. Although the song is only an instrumental piece, it conveys just as much emotion and feeling as any lyric could. It was written by Mitchell after 10 years of not playing the piano or guitar, the artist sharing, “I sat down at the spinet and this just poured out in the spirit of I'm-so-happy-to-be-here.”

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