“Woodstock” by Joni Mitchell

Joni Mitchell was making a name for herself right around the time the legendary Woodstock Music and Art Fair was held in 1969. Also, she is akin to one of those kinds of counter-cultural artists that Woodstock is known for. So of course she had an opportunity to perform at the festival. But future music mogul David Geffen, who at the time was managing her, instead advised Mitchell to prioritize appearing on a poppin’ television program of the day known as The Dick Cavett Show

You can view the lyrics, alternate interprations and sheet music for Joni Mitchell's Woodstock at Lyrics.org.

Looking back now, that didn’t sound like a wise decision at all, considering how Woodstock has gone down in music history. But as fate would have it, it is actually this track that proved to be the most-famous song based on the event.

And from a logistical standpoint, “Woodstock” was akin to a, as Mitchell herself reportedly described the event, a “natural disaster area”.  You can imagine how nearly half-a-million people attending a four-day event that was marked by traffic jams, mud, improper sanitation, lack of first aid, etc. would play out in the here and now. But to the contrary, the concertgoers came and went their way in peace. And that fact amazed Joni.

At the same time, she began to realize just how influential popular musicians like herself were to the masses, i.e. just how much their fans looked up to them for guidance. So despite not being particularly religious, Joni took it upon herself to ‘lean on God’ in her artistry, so to speak. And it was the culmination of those epiphanies, if you will, which according to Mitchell led to her penning Woodstock.

The Lyrics of “Woodstock”

The above would be why for instance the songstress commences this piece by noting that she met “a child of God” who was actually on his way to the event. In the chorus, she also seems to go about likening the venue to the biblical Garden of Eden itself. And in the second verse, the vocalist proceeds to take on the role of a Woodstock attendee. Of course, we already know that she didn’t literally attend. As such, the lyrics don’t focus on the physical environment as much as the feeling of the place. And as presented, Joni is under the impression that it marked a pivotal “time of man”, i.e. a distinct moment in history.

More specifically, as alluded to earlier and relayed in the bridge, she perceived this as being a moment of inspirational peace. Remember that Woodstock was held just two decades after the totally-horrifying World War II, 15 years after America was engaged in the Korean War and while the country was still participating in the very-controversial Vietnam War. So the vocalist’s Woodstock-inspired vision of US “bombers… turning into butterflies” is not a small thing. 

The song concludes with Mitchell once again reiterating her view that the nature of the concert was akin to “the Garden”.

Takeaway

Conclusively, it’s safe to presume that most of us reading this were not around to witness Woodstock live when it happened. But even now, about half a century later, it can easily be classified as the most famous American concert ever. And numerous events have been made to replicate the magic of Woodstock, all of which thus far have failed.

Usually, popular images of the event are defined by half-naked hippies trippin’, Jimi Hendrix strumming his guitar or what have you. But according to Mitchell, the ideological hippy spirit of free love was very much present at the concert in reality – to the point that it actually made her harp back to depictions of true peace as illustrated in the Bible.

Lyrics for "Woodstock"
What Joni Mitchell said about "Woodstock"

Facts about “Woodstock”

Mitchell first performed this song during an event known as the Big Sur Folk Festival, which was held in 1969 a month after Woodstock. And she officially dropped it on 13 September 1969. This song is actually the B-side to one of her signature songs, “Big Yellow Taxi“. Both songs appear on the “Ladies of the Canyon” album.

In early 1970, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young came out with their own cover of “Woodstock”. That rendition actually has a chart history, considering that it was issued as a single. And so was another cover that British band Matthews Southern Comfort dropped around the same time. The version by Matthews Southern Comfort actually topped the UK Singles Chart.

Other artists who are on record as having rendered this song include Led Zeppelin (mid-1970s), America (2012) and John Legend (2017). To note, Jimi Hendrix also participated in a version, alongside Stephen Stills and Buddy Miles, in 1969. By the looks of things that was an impromptu, freestyle session. It was therefore never officially released, until 2018 when it was featured on the Hendrix compilation album “Both Sides of the Sky”.

The members of the folk supergroup Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young produced this Mitchell’s original version of “Woodstock”. The group was made up of the following A-list musicians:

  • David Crosby
  • Stephen Stills
  • Graham Nash
  • Neil Young

It is worth mentioning that at the time, Mitchell was dating Graham Nash.

"Woodstock"
“Woodstock”

Did Joni Mitchell perform at the Woodstock Music Festival?

Unfortunately Joni was not able to attend Woodstock even though she was originally slated to perform at the festival. She was forced to cancel her appearance because she had been playing the night before in Chicago. Furthermore, on the day she was supposed to perform at Woodstock, she also had to do a very important TV show (The Dick Cavett Show). So she ended up staying home and watching the iconic music festival on television.

She was inspired to write the song “Woodstock” based on what she witnessed on TV.

Joni Mitchell’s “Ladies of the Canyon” Album

Canadian singer Joni Mitchell released “Ladies of the Canyon” as her third studio project. The album, which follows the singer’s 1969 project “Clouds”, was issued in April of 1970.  Two American record labels, Reprise Records and Warner Records, were responsible for releasing this album.

“Ladies of the Canyon” was promoted by just one single, “Big Yellow Taxi”.

This project achieved considerable success in the UK. It peaked at No.8 on the official albums chart there. It also performed well in the United States, peaking at No.27 on the Billboard 200.

The Iconic Woodstock Music and Art Fair

The Woodstock Music and Art Fair is considered one of the most important music festivals of all time. It took place between August 15 and August 17, 1969, and was held on a farm owned by renowned American farmer, Max Yasgur in Bethel, New York.

The festival, also dubbed the Woodstock Rock Festival, became noted as one of the pivotal moments in the history of pop music and the counterculture generation.

Its popularity was attributed to two primary things. First is the memorable performances by legends such as:

  • Jimi Hendrix
  • The Who
  • Janis Joplin
  • The Band
  • Jefferson Airplane
  • Grateful Dead
  • Ravi Shankar
  • Santana
  • Creedence Clearwater Revival
  • Jefferson Airplane

Second is its overall disorganized setting.

The festival encountered its first set of problems when the towns Woodstock and Walkhill decided not to give the organizers permission to stage it there. After securing the farmland, only a few tickets were sold.

At the start of the festival, however, some 400,000 people attended, most of them demanding free entry, which was granted due to the poor security. Then came sporadic rains which turned the site into a muddy frenzy.

The promoters of the festivals were literally left bankrupt, until the release of a 1970 documentary titled Woodstock, which earned them more than their money back. 

Aside Joni Mitchell, other big names who were unable to perform at the festival include:

  • The Beatles
  • The Byrds
  • Chicago
  • The Doors
  • Bob Dylan
  • Led Zeppelin
  • The Rolling Stones
  • Procol Harum
  • Simon & Garfunkel
  • Frank Zappa

NOTE: These artists were unable to appear at the festival either because events beyond their control prevented them from doing so or because they simply declined the invitation to play at the concert.

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