The Joni Mitchell song that was too emotional to perform
(Source: Far Out/Tidal)
Every song an artist writes is usually an intimate experience. The point of writing a melody is to express something that is too hard to say out loud, but that also leaves people vulnerable to what everyone else has to say about them later. Joni Mitchell, however, tried to approach each of her songs with joy, and she remembered how emotional she became the first time she experienced the community feeling of “Woodstock” live on stage.
Although Mitchell was far from the stereotype of a hippie, she was fascinated by what drew people to this side of flower power. Society was already moving in a very different direction, and now that rock and roll was gaining a prominent voice in music, it was up to people like Mitchell and Bob Dylan to document what was going on.
Much like folk-rock legend Blowin’ In the Wind, Mitchell wrote “Woodstock” as an outsider observing the festival. Although Mitchell didn’t even make it to the Woodstock grounds that legendary weekend, her song is more about the feelings generated there than any actual experience. Mostly, it’s about how hard people try to find their way to the roots of what love and happiness are supposed to be.
Although Mitchell wrote the song, it was a team effort that no one knew was needed when Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young gave it their own interpretation. Mitchell was always a solo writer, but hearing her piece about peace and togetherness sung by four angelic voices almost brought the feeling she spoke of to life.
As Mitchell began adding the track to her own setlist, she recalled that the energy almost overwhelmed her on the first night, and told Classic rock stories, “It was quite remarkable that such a large group of people worked together so well and there was a tremendous sense of optimism. It was out of these feelings that I wrote ‘Woodstock’ and when I performed it in public the first three times I burst into tears because it brought back the intensity of the experience and was so moving.”
No matter how many times Mitchell has performed the song in the studio, the audience is missing. The song isn’t the kind of participatory performance that most sports anthems feature, but hearing her get a reaction from the audience when she talks about hope for a better world is enough to restore faith in humanity.
On the other hand, for every emotion there is usually something to balance it out, and Mitchell’s soul-destroying songs on Blue were ripped straight from her broken heart. Her faith in humanity was still there, but that didn’t lessen the pain when she decided to pour out her soul again.
For a song that was intended as a glorified slogan for one of the greatest concerts of all time, there’s nothing shallow or superficial about “Woodstock.” It’s simply a piece that expresses hope for a world where people treat each other a little better, and in those few days on a New York field, the rock’n’rollers actually managed to pull off just that.
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