“Conversation” ( The Ladies of the Canyon) Years before she publicly admitted she’d given birth to a child and put her up for adoption, Mitchell recorded this sad ballad about the daughter she gave away.ġ3. It’s not just a love song - it’s an affectionate ode to a generation’s acceptance for less formal relationships defined by the lyric, “We don’t need no piece of paper from the city hall / keeping us tied and true.” The title track from Mitchell’s most deeply affecting album is as gorgeous as it is unsettling, combining dark imagery and awkward pacing with Mitchell’s crystal-clear, beautiful vocals. The opening track to Mitchell’s most commercially successful album was an introduction to a more mature voice and sound, one that infused Mitchell’s folk-rock roots with elements of jazz. “Free Man in Paris” ( Court and Spark)Ī robust composition, the song allowed for Mitchell to drop her typical self-reflection and focus on a different subject - in this case, her friend and onetime roommate, agent and record executive David Geffen.Īt nearly nine minutes, the epic “Song for Sharon” is the first of Mitchell’s longer jazz compositions, yet it stirs up the conflicts between settling down and freedom explored in her earlier works. Mitchell often reflected on courtship, relationships, and romantic failures, but on the expansive and experimental “Down to You,” she examines those familiar subjects in a broader sense.Ī sense of place was a frequent feature of Mitchell’s songs, and this love letter to her adopted home state - written from the perspective of a visit to Paris - is exemplary of her songwriting accomplishments.ġ9. The title track from Mitchell’s third album is a devotional to the female companionship she found after her move to Laurel Canyon. “The Ladies of the Canyon” ( The Ladies of the Canyon) On one of Blue’s lighter moments, Mitchell reflects on a relationship with a man she knew abroad, feeling affection for both him and her long-lost home.Ģ2. The innocence of Mitchell’s young voice stands out in this track about early infatuation and the confusing nature of courtship. She later recorded it herself for her second album.Ģ4. Mitchell’s first success as a songwriter came when Judy Collins recorded her version of “Chelsea Morning,” which Mitchell wrote during her coffeehouse days in New York. Like most songs from Mitchell’s early records, this track concerns a failing / failed relationship with a man for whom she clearly cares but ultimately comes to resent. “Woman of Heart and Mind” ( For the Roses) The opening track from her 11th album saw Mitchell ditching her jazz stylings for a more pop-focused sound (inspired by the work of Steely Dan and Talking Heads), without abandoning the self-reflective lyrics of her earliest songs.Ģ6. “Chinese Cafe / Unchained Melody” ( Wild Things Run Fast)
This charming little song is about a meeting with jazz musician Furry Lewis, who later expressed his anger about the way Mitchell depicted him against his wishes.Ģ7. “Raised on Robbery” ( Court and Spark)Ī groovy number from her most successful album finds Mitchell offering a toe-tapping, at times hilarious ballad. On her seventh studio album, Mitchell fully embraced a jazz-rock sound, and this fully formed opening track kicked off a new experimental phase for the singer-songwriter (and features backing vocals from her folk-rock contemporaries, James Taylor, David Crosby, and Graham Nash).Ģ9. “In France They Kiss on Main Street” ( The Hissing of Summer Lawns) In celebration of her large body of work, here’s a ranked list of Mitchell’s 30 greatest songs.ģ0.
Famous dex songs ranked free#
At times an accomplished poet who identified with nuance the emotional inner workings of romance, and at other times a generation-defining figure who broke free of the trappings of a female folk singer, Mitchell’s oeuvre is a ripe with honest reflections on the human experience. Today is Joni Mitchell’s 70th birthday, and although the prolific singer-songwriter has not released an album of new material in six years, it’s impossible not to recognize her indelible contributions to music in her decades-long career.
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