Turn me on, I'm a Radio!
For a few months in 1967 and 1968, Joni Mitchell and Leonard Cohen had a fling!
Cohencentric: Leonard Cohen Considered
Introduced to each other backstage at Judy Collins’ songwriter’s workshop at the 1967 Newport Folk Festival
by Judy Collins herself, who was, in large part, responsible for jump-starting the musical careers of both
singer-songwriters, Cohen and Mitchell were officially an item by the time the two of them co-hosted a workshop
at the Mariposa Folk Festival. Their romance ignited, flared, and exhausted itself within months.
" Leonard did Suzanne. I’d met him and I went, ‘I love that song. What a great song.’ Really. Suzanne was one of
the greatest songs I ever heard. So I was proud to meet an artist. He made me feel humble, because I looked at that
song and I went, ‘ Woah. All my songs seem so naive by comparison.’ It raised the standard of what I wanted to write."
- Joni Mitchell
Days at Laurel Canyon
source : https://selvedgeyard.com/2015/03/25/laurel-canyon-daze-csn-joni-mitchell-jackson-browne-mama-cass-the-eagles/
"Mariposa Folkfest to Roll", an article published in the July 15, 1967 issue of Billboard offers a useful indicator of the points
on the ascending trajectories of these rising stars at the time when their romance was developing. Billboard infers were the major
stars of the show as “Canadian poet Leonard Cohen.” Joni Mitchell, who had played Mariposa in 1965 and 1966 appeared on the first
day’s schedule while Cohen’s performance took place, along with Buffy Sainte-Marie’s, at the concert on the night of August 13.
Cohen, who was known as a "ladies man" either terminated the relationship himself for unspecified reasons or incited Mitchell
to end it because of his interest in other women. Rainy Night House was a farewell to Leonard Cohen. Mitchell, who went one
time to his home said, " I fell asleep in his old room and he sat up and watched me sleep. He sat up all the night and he watched
me to see who in the world I could be. "
The second verse of Joni's farewell is poignantly bittersweet:
I am from the Sunday school
I sing soprano in the upstairs choir
You are a holy man
On the FM radio
I sat up all the night and watched thee
To see, who in the world you might be
"There’s some poetic liberty with those two lines; actually it’s 'you sat up all night and watched me to see who in the world …' I turned it around. Leonard was in a lot of pain. Hungry ghosts is what it’s called in Buddhism. I am even lower. Five steps down." - Mitchell
Joni Mitchell / Rainy Night House
This one's for Leonard, remember Leonard?
With the L.A. Express off the Miles of Aisles album (1974)
More Joni Photos : https://jazzinphoto.wordpress.com/category/joni-mitchell/
According to Brian Hinton’s 1996 biography, “Joni Mitchell,” Sheila Weller’s “Girls Like Us,” and other sources,
Cohen appears in at least two other Joni Mitchell songs, That Song About The Midway and The Gallery.
This excerpt is from "That Song About The Midway"
I met you on a midway at a fair last year
And you stood out like a ruby in a black man’s ear
You were playing on the horses, you were playing on the guitar strings
You were playing like a devil wearing wings, wearing wings
You looked so grand wearing wings
You were betting on some lover, you were shaking up the dice
And I thought I saw you cheating once or twice, once or twice
Joni Mitchell - That Song About the Midway : https://youtu.be/VPbt0nfwbMQ
Feel the sentiment behind these words from "The Gallery"
When I first saw your gallery
I liked the ones of ladies
Then you began to hang up me
You studied to portray me
In ice and greens
And old blue jeans
And naked in the roses
Then you got into funny scenes
That all your work disclose
Lady, please love me now, I am dead
I am a saint, turn down your bed
I have no heart, that’s what you said
You said, I can be cruel
But let me be gentle with you
Joni Mitchell - The Gallery (Live In-Studio 1970) : https://youtu.be/V_VsRYUfFw0
source : https://cohencentric.com/2007/03/31/leonard-cohen-and-joni-mitchell-just-one-of-those-things/
Chuck Mitchell, the man that time forgot : Chuck and Joni Mitchell (born Joni Anderson from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan) moved to
Detroit, Michigan and performed together as a folk duo, where they became something of a “golden couple” on the local folk circuit.
Mitchell claimed she married Chuck only 36 hours after they met, but it is unclear if they were ever married in Toronto. Joni, 21 years old,
married Chuck in an official ceremony in his hometown in June 1965 and took his surname. While living at the Verona apartments in
Detroit's Cass Corridor, Chuck and Joni were regular performers at area coffee houses. The marriage and partnership of Joni and Chuck
Mitchell dissolved in early 1967, and Joni moved to New York City to follow her musical path as a solo artist. “Little Green,” which
she wrote a few years into her career. It’s a song about a baby daughter she had given up for adoption, as would be learned later.
“Little Green” - the lament for her lost child - is autobiographical and dates to 1964 when Mitchell became pregnant by her boyfriend
at the time who later left her. Joni had given birth to the child in February 1965, naming her Kelly Dale Anderson, choosing the name
after the color, kelly green. http://www.pophistorydig.com/topics/tag/joni-and-chuck-mitchell/
Little Green - Joni Mitchell, from the album Blue : https://youtu.be/dvhdKywbcJ0
Here is Joni Mitchell. A penny yellow blonde with a vanilla voice. Influenced, or appearing influenced, by Judy Collins, gingham, leather,
lace, producer David Crosby (the ex-Byrd), Robert Herrick, North Battleford (Saskatchewan), New York (New York), Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely
Hearts Club Band, Chuck, seagulls, dolphins, taxicabs, Dairy Queen floats, someone named Mr. Kratzman, “who taught me to love words,”
the Lovin’ Spoonful, rain, sunlight, garbage, metermaids, and herself.
Joni Mitchell - Urge For Going
“We Canadians are a bit more nosegay, more Old-Fashioned Bouquet than Americans,” she said. “ We’re poets because
we’re such reminiscent kind of people. I love Leonard’s sentiments, so I’ve been strongly influenced
by him.”
- Joni Mitchell to New York Times 1969
Going Home - Leonard Cohen (Old Ideas 2012)
I love to speak with Leonard
He’s a sportsman and a shepherd
He’s a lazy bastard
Living in a suit
ʚïɞ¸.•*¨♥✿
♬
: ) enjoy!
.
Cohencentric: Leonard Cohen Considered
Introduced to each other backstage at Judy Collins’ songwriter’s workshop at the 1967 Newport Folk Festival
by Judy Collins herself, who was, in large part, responsible for jump-starting the musical careers of both
singer-songwriters, Cohen and Mitchell were officially an item by the time the two of them co-hosted a workshop
at the Mariposa Folk Festival. Their romance ignited, flared, and exhausted itself within months.
" Leonard did Suzanne. I’d met him and I went, ‘I love that song. What a great song.’ Really. Suzanne was one of
the greatest songs I ever heard. So I was proud to meet an artist. He made me feel humble, because I looked at that
song and I went, ‘ Woah. All my songs seem so naive by comparison.’ It raised the standard of what I wanted to write."
- Joni Mitchell
Days at Laurel Canyon
source : https://selvedgeyard.com/2015/03/25/laurel-canyon-daze-csn-joni-mitchell-jackson-browne-mama-cass-the-eagles/
"Mariposa Folkfest to Roll", an article published in the July 15, 1967 issue of Billboard offers a useful indicator of the points
on the ascending trajectories of these rising stars at the time when their romance was developing. Billboard infers were the major
stars of the show as “Canadian poet Leonard Cohen.” Joni Mitchell, who had played Mariposa in 1965 and 1966 appeared on the first
day’s schedule while Cohen’s performance took place, along with Buffy Sainte-Marie’s, at the concert on the night of August 13.
Cohen, who was known as a "ladies man" either terminated the relationship himself for unspecified reasons or incited Mitchell
to end it because of his interest in other women. Rainy Night House was a farewell to Leonard Cohen. Mitchell, who went one
time to his home said, " I fell asleep in his old room and he sat up and watched me sleep. He sat up all the night and he watched
me to see who in the world I could be. "
The second verse of Joni's farewell is poignantly bittersweet:
I am from the Sunday school
I sing soprano in the upstairs choir
You are a holy man
On the FM radio
I sat up all the night and watched thee
To see, who in the world you might be
"There’s some poetic liberty with those two lines; actually it’s 'you sat up all night and watched me to see who in the world …' I turned it around. Leonard was in a lot of pain. Hungry ghosts is what it’s called in Buddhism. I am even lower. Five steps down." - Mitchell
Joni Mitchell / Rainy Night House
This one's for Leonard, remember Leonard?
Click to viewWith the L.A. Express off the Miles of Aisles album (1974)
More Joni Photos : https://jazzinphoto.wordpress.com/category/joni-mitchell/
According to Brian Hinton’s 1996 biography, “Joni Mitchell,” Sheila Weller’s “Girls Like Us,” and other sources,
Cohen appears in at least two other Joni Mitchell songs, That Song About The Midway and The Gallery.
This excerpt is from "That Song About The Midway"
I met you on a midway at a fair last year
And you stood out like a ruby in a black man’s ear
You were playing on the horses, you were playing on the guitar strings
You were playing like a devil wearing wings, wearing wings
You looked so grand wearing wings
You were betting on some lover, you were shaking up the dice
And I thought I saw you cheating once or twice, once or twice
Joni Mitchell - That Song About the Midway : https://youtu.be/VPbt0nfwbMQ
Feel the sentiment behind these words from "The Gallery"
When I first saw your gallery
I liked the ones of ladies
Then you began to hang up me
You studied to portray me
In ice and greens
And old blue jeans
And naked in the roses
Then you got into funny scenes
That all your work disclose
Lady, please love me now, I am dead
I am a saint, turn down your bed
I have no heart, that’s what you said
You said, I can be cruel
But let me be gentle with you
Joni Mitchell - The Gallery (Live In-Studio 1970) : https://youtu.be/V_VsRYUfFw0
source : https://cohencentric.com/2007/03/31/leonard-cohen-and-joni-mitchell-just-one-of-those-things/
Chuck Mitchell, the man that time forgot : Chuck and Joni Mitchell (born Joni Anderson from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan) moved to
Detroit, Michigan and performed together as a folk duo, where they became something of a “golden couple” on the local folk circuit.
Mitchell claimed she married Chuck only 36 hours after they met, but it is unclear if they were ever married in Toronto. Joni, 21 years old,
married Chuck in an official ceremony in his hometown in June 1965 and took his surname. While living at the Verona apartments in
Detroit's Cass Corridor, Chuck and Joni were regular performers at area coffee houses. The marriage and partnership of Joni and Chuck
Mitchell dissolved in early 1967, and Joni moved to New York City to follow her musical path as a solo artist. “Little Green,” which
she wrote a few years into her career. It’s a song about a baby daughter she had given up for adoption, as would be learned later.
“Little Green” - the lament for her lost child - is autobiographical and dates to 1964 when Mitchell became pregnant by her boyfriend
at the time who later left her. Joni had given birth to the child in February 1965, naming her Kelly Dale Anderson, choosing the name
after the color, kelly green. http://www.pophistorydig.com/topics/tag/joni-and-chuck-mitchell/
Little Green - Joni Mitchell, from the album Blue : https://youtu.be/dvhdKywbcJ0
Here is Joni Mitchell. A penny yellow blonde with a vanilla voice. Influenced, or appearing influenced, by Judy Collins, gingham, leather,
lace, producer David Crosby (the ex-Byrd), Robert Herrick, North Battleford (Saskatchewan), New York (New York), Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely
Hearts Club Band, Chuck, seagulls, dolphins, taxicabs, Dairy Queen floats, someone named Mr. Kratzman, “who taught me to love words,”
the Lovin’ Spoonful, rain, sunlight, garbage, metermaids, and herself.
Joni Mitchell - Urge For Going
“We Canadians are a bit more nosegay, more Old-Fashioned Bouquet than Americans,” she said. “ We’re poets because
we’re such reminiscent kind of people. I love Leonard’s sentiments, so I’ve been strongly influenced
by him.”
- Joni Mitchell to New York Times 1969
Going Home - Leonard Cohen (Old Ideas 2012)
I love to speak with Leonard
He’s a sportsman and a shepherd
He’s a lazy bastard
Living in a suit
ʚïɞ¸.•*¨♥✿
♬
: ) enjoy!
.