Joni Mitchell: "Turbulent Indigo" Song by Song Thread

Dang, what a stellar performance! She's incapable of singing a bad note.

As for "Sex Kills", it's ok but not a favorite. I think it deserves better lyrics. It has a great groove and feel, and it's nicely crafted, but what's the message exactly ... that the world's going to hell in a handbasket? That people are mean? That everything sucks? All of the above? It sounds like she's ranting. I guess I expect more from her.

 

Yeah, I'm a total sucker for any clips like this. Thanks!

Paul and the band follow up Joni's '95 and '96 appearances on Letterman with "Shakin' All Over."

 

She wasn't wrong. I think she was prescient, or maybe mid '90s LA was 15-20 years ahead of the rest of the country.

Crazy ions
I can feel it out in traffic
Everyone hates everyone

That's where we are now, at least where I live. And as long as a rant is delivered with that level of eloquence, rant on!

 

No bad notes - but I trust you noticed she has changed the melody slightly to eliminate some of the higher notes, and particularly the low-to-high pitch leaps. Clearly her voice does not have the range it once had, and she has modified the song to compensate.

 

Many of her live performances from this era were amazing. She looked great, and sounded great.

(Sadly I was still paying off student loans at this point and was never able to see her perform live. The one concert she played near me back in the 90s was a benefit, and tix started at 5K. So....yeah.)

 

Ha, yeah LA may have been the birthplace of road rage. But on the eloquence scale, she’s done a lot better than this.

 

I think road rage has been around a lot longer than this, it's just that the term itself is comparatively recent.

One thing I always chuckle at is how, no matter what city people are from, they always claim "our drivers are the worst in the nation", almost as though they are claiming it as a badge of honour. Some things don't change all that much from one city to another, or even between countries.

 

You’re not wrong.... it’s those modifications that reveal her artistry and talent. She has an uncanny ability to substitute notes and create new melodies over some complex chord structures. She’s an outstanding vocalist.

 

I remember watching the Sex Kills performance on Leno back in the day. I prefer it to the album version. One of my great regrets is missing a double bill concert of Joni and Dylan back in the 90s. They played at a beautiful old theater in town, but I had to be at work.

 

I actually think LA drivers are among the best. They spend a lot of time behind the wheel.

 

Next:

Track 3: "How Do You Stop"


This song was originally written for James Brown by Dan Hartman and Charlie Midnight. Features Seal, who is also in the music video.

Lyrical Excerpt:
You've had success, lots of fancy friends
You've tasted the good life
You thought it would never end
One day you're too young
Then you're in your prime
Then you're looking back at the hands of time

Complete lyrics at Joni's official site

 

How Do You Stop
Joni so rarely included cover songs on her records and each one seems to tell a little story. 'You're So Square' was a reminder of her teenage dancing days. 'Twisted' and 'Centerpiece' were beloved jazz pieces from her youth. 'How Do You Stop' was written for James Brown in the late '80s and it is a piece for an older person reflecting back upon their life. I can see how Joni must have felt drawn to some of the lyrics--especially the verse I highlighted above. All the fame and glory...but does it mean anything without love? And here she was divorcing Larry Klein and it was the end of another special relationship for her, though I think their friendship post-split points the way towards it being fairly amicable. But still...another love lost. But still she remained a romantic and probably still is one to this day.

What I mean to say is that the song suits her and it fits in perfectly on the album. Wistful...and Seal's voice is a wonderful complement to hers. Another younger artist who was inspired by Joni. It's a beautiful piece and actually something of a highlight, despite it being a cover.

Joni and Seal cross-collaborated in 1994, as she also appeared to duet with him on his second self-titled record. The song "If I Could" is stunning and beautifully sung by both of them.



All told, Seal is one of my favorite of Joni's many amazing collaborators. They really paid beautifully (and I think Seal is great and I'm a fan, so that helps). It makes me sad again that Prince never got to record a song with Joni.

 

And here is James Brown's version of 'How Do You Stop':



His version is more muscular and soulful (of course) than Joni's and just as good. I'm not a fan of his, but this is good stuff.

 

Had NO idea "How Do You Stop" was a cover. Guess that's an indicator of where Turbulent Indigo ranks with me. This and the title track are my (only?) favorites on the album. PW, you asked why I prefer Taming The Tiger. I guess it's because that album is a lot less preachy.

Anyway, Joni and Seal also sound good together on "If I Could", though IMO unfortunately that's not one of the several stone-cold classics on Seal's second album.

Speaking of Dan Hartman writing songs for James Brown, who can forget "Living in America" from Rocky IV? Ah, the good ol' Planbee days of 1985...

 

What put this song on Joni's radar? Did she ever talk about it? She did a nice version but.... it's kind of an ordinary song. Joni was so rarely complimentary about pop music, I wouldn't think she would even remark on this, let alone put it on one of her records.

 

I don't remember this song! It sounds wonderful.

 

I’m so accustomed to Joni’s take on How Do You Stop that the James Brown version just sounds awkward to me. It’s not at all bad, but unexpected.

This tune, to me, is good, but not on my list of best on the album. Overall, I don’t mind the heavy weight of commentary on TI, probably because 1) I think the quality of the words and music and the playing is great, so the tunes here don’t get bogged down (again, imo); and 2) I unfortunately find Joni’s point of view to be pretty spot on, even if uncomfortable.

This album has been my favorite of her later era (post 1980), though I’m looking forward to relistening to Tiger, as I have almost no immediate memory of its songs. Finally, I’ll say that I thoroughly enjoyed Night Ride Home last week, but was always several songs behind the current discussion so never offered any thoughts. But jeez, I had a serious ear worm (pleasantly!) with that title track for days...

 

"How Do You Stop" really sits well on the album, and is probably my favourite Joni cover. It's rather cheeky of her to take a song originally recorded by the king of funk, and of course her treatment of it is quite different, but it works.

 

“How Do You Stop” was a great choice for a cover. It’s a wonderfully sad song and Joni does a decent job with it, but it kind of meanders. I prefer James Brown’s version as it has more punch. I also would’ve liked to hear a little more of Seal.

Dan Hartman was a hugely talented songwriter. He was responsible for some under-the-radar gems (including one of my favorites, the Edgar Winter Group‘s classic “Free Ride).

 

I was just reminding myself who he was .... he died of AIDS a few months before Turbulent Indigo came out.

 

That's awful. Thank you for sharing the info, though.

 

"I Can Dream About You" is his most successful song. Anyone who lived through the '80s should know it without having to think too hard.

Had no idea he was gone or how he died 'til now.

 

I remembered the song when I read the title in his bio... however when I heard his name I did not think, "oh yeah Dan Hartman, he did "I Can Dream About You."" It was one of those songs you heard all the time without ever really knowing who it was.

 

I've definitely heard JM talk about the song... let me see what I can dig up.

 

Incredible album. Joni's last masterpiece imo. I always greatly preferred her solo acoustic version of "Sex Kills" to the album cut. Album version of "Sex Kills" always sounded overproduced to me. My favorite tracks off of TI are Sunny Sunday, Last Chance Lost, and particularly the title track. But the entire album is class.