Brandi Carlile On The Radical Vulnerability Of Joni Mitchell's 'Blue'

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4.3 • 3.3K Ratings

🗓️ 29 June 2021

⏱️ 23 minutes

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Summary

Brandi Carlile has become one of Joni Mitchell's greatest interpreters. NPR Music's Ann Powers talks with the singer-songwriter about her life with Blue, conversations with James Taylor and the gift Joni gave her.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Legendary oceanographer Sylvia Earle has spent eight decades exploring underwater and she has good news.
0:06.7	Areas that are protected, you can see recovery.
0:09.8	How we save the ocean, part two of our series on the Ted Radio Hour from NPR.
0:15.8	From NPR Music, this is All Songs Considered. I'm Ann Powers,
0:20.1	Critic and Correspondent for NPR Music. I'm here today to celebrate Joni Mitchell's album,
0:25.2	Blue, one of the greatest sonic treasures of the 20th century, and a record that I've returned to
0:31.4	innumerable times throughout my life. This month is a special one for me and for so many people,
0:37.2	because it's Blue's 50th anniversary. It's a chance to reflect on this unforgettable bouquet of songs,
0:43.9	the most personal album ever, one of the most meticulously crafted, and one that's helped so many
0:50.2	people deal with heartbreak and understand themselves better. I count myself among that multitude.
0:55.8	On June 22, the 50th anniversary itself, we hosted a live listening party on NPR Music's YouTube
1:02.3	channel with none other than Brandi Carlyle, one of Joni Mitchell's greatest interpreters and her
1:07.6	good friend. We started with all I want and ended with the last time I saw Richard, and then Brandi
1:13.2	and I had a conversation about radical vulnerability. Brandi's passion project to learn Blue and
1:19.0	perform it on stage in Los Angeles in 2019, and what Joni's been working on now with a little help
1:25.9	from Brandi herself. But first, Brandi shared her journey with Blue, and album she didn't quite
1:31.2	understand at first. It's nice to listen to it so intuitively, like, you know, to understand
1:51.6	every drum fill, every lyric, and how Joni never makes sense, and nothing ever rhymes, and no
1:57.9	verses over the same length as the verse before it. It's fun to know that. I feel like I learned
2:03.4	a language. That's what it feels like. You can consider Blue Joni finally introducing herself to
2:09.7	you and asking you if you can accept her as we take her as she is. And, you know, this is where you
2:17.5	decide on this album, whether to get on board with Joni and continue the journey or not.
	...

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