Althouse: "River."

December 24, 2021

"River."

The first official video of the old song — from Joni Mitchell, released yesterday.

26 comments:

Lucien said...: Has she made this an NFT?; 12/24/21, 6:19 AM
Mid-Life Lawyer said...: I watched that last night and thought you would like it. Blue is sometimes my favorite album but always in the top 5.; 12/24/21, 7:36 AM
Lloyd W. Robertson said...: I seem to have slept through the success of Joni's fourth studio album "Blue" (1971). I actually borrowed her sixth album "Court and Spark" from the library, and liked it very much. I've liked the song "Carey" for years. It was only relatively recently that I discovered the songs "River" and "Case of You." Maybe I tended to think that some of Joni's music was really intended for that largely female audience of hers.

Anyway, things changed for me with Herbie Hancock's album "River: The Joni Letters" (2007). Among other things, a great version of the song "River" sung by Corinne Bailey Rae. Eventually YouTube let me know that Robert Downey Jr. had sung "River" on the Ally McBeal TV show, which I believe I never watched, in 2000; once again, er, chicks.

I'm sure there are Christians who object to "River" being considered a Christmas song; it is a breakup song which makes reference to Christmas in Los Angeles being a bit disappointing. Joni or her narrator wishes that she was back in Canada, or that Christmas was more fun, or that she was in love. I think it's better than many of the tinkle tinkle Christmas songs that are constantly played. There is a certain melancholy in growing up, and childhood memories can have a certain sweetness by comparison. For people who had pretty good childhood Christmases, such feelings can come to the surface in the Christmas season.; 12/24/21, 7:38 AM
Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...: Thanks. Just great.; 12/24/21, 8:00 AM
Critter said...: Joni is one of the best at creating personal songs that are powerfully felt by the listener from their simple honesty. This song became a favorite the first time I heard it and remains one today. For me, Joni is near the top of the pop music pantheon of songwriter/performers below only Dylan.; 12/24/21, 8:07 AM
Mr. D said...: A wonderful song, one of Joni's best, which is a very high bar indeed. Thanks for sharing!; 12/24/21, 8:30 AM
West TX Intermediate Crude said...: So melancholy.
I'm not the only high school boy who had a heavy crush on Joni back in the 60's, but Joni was my dream girl. I remember seeing her, I think at the Fillmore East, maybe in '68 or '69. The fireworks over the river in the video are reminiscent of the light show that played behind the acts at the Fillmore.
Between this video and the Chevy ad, I'm having a teary Christmas.; 12/24/21, 8:37 AM
Christopher said...: Thank you for posting this. Love the song, love the album, and this video is extraordinary.

Alongside the melancholia--Merry Christmas everyone!; 12/24/21, 9:02 AM
Wince said...: Beautifully done. Nice use of water colors. Introduction alludes to that window in her Laurel Canyon home with the window made famous in 1970 by Henry Diltz?

Now cue the debate whether 'River' it's a Christmas song, like whether 'Die Hard' is a Christmas movie.; 12/24/21, 9:27 AM
Temujin said...: A great old tune from one of the all-time greats. We'll not see the likes of Joni Mitchell again. She is among the very best of the best. How does a teenager from Ft. McCleod, AB Canada get to where she got? She is a singular soul.

This has nothing to do with Joni Mitchell except that it's about another all-time great from rock of that same era- The Beatles. I finally got to watch "Get Back" over the last few days with Ms. Temujin. We were both blown away by it. They were so 'normal' compared to so many other rock stars. And so completely different from each other, you could see that they had to break up. It had to happen. It was like family at a long weekend. Love you all, but gotta go now!

But they were funny, smart, non-stop musical encyclopedias who could not keep themselves from playing and singing for hours on end. McCartney and Lennon were so creative- and seemed to be able to read each other and feed off of each other easily, even though there were very different people. George was very brooding. He was done, but hung in there for this final run. And Ringo- consistently the good guy, keeping his opinions mostly to himself, injecting humor and great drumming whenever they started playing anything. It seems everyone loves Richard Starkey. I loved that they called him "Richie".

Getting them down to business was like herding cats. Impossible. McCartney would get frustrated about it but would always join in the chaos of musical takes. Until they got up in front of people as The Beatles, and then...their skill and professionalism and love for playing just poured out of them. If anything, it just made me miss them all over again. It was a great doc.; 12/24/21, 9:38 AM
cfkane1701 said...: "River" is one of my favorite Christmas songs, but not technically because of Christmas, which is all right because it's not technically a Christmas song.

Every time I hear it, I think about the Christmas episode of "thirtysomething's" first season. I missed the entire network run of the show. I was a teenager and had no interest in a drama about aging hippies. But a few years later, the show was rerun on Lifetime and somehow I got into it. I think the Christmas episode was the first one I watched and it's a great hour of television. Michael and Hope are tense about Christmas (he's Jewish, sort of), Michael's cousin is tense about being alone for Christmas. You get to know the basics about all the characters and you want to learn more.

And all through the episode, enhancing the frustration of the characters, is "River."

I hadn't listened to it yet this season. Now I will.; 12/24/21, 9:49 AM
cassandra lite said...: Great juxtaposition, Ann.

Joan and Joni--the two women I never met who made the biggest and most enduring impact on my life.; 12/24/21, 10:33 AM
Brylinski said...: Thanks Ann!

And Merry Christmas everyone!; 12/24/21, 10:46 AM
Joe Smith said...: 'I'm not the only high school boy who had a heavy crush on Joni back in the 60's...'

I think even the gay guys had a crush on Joni : ); 12/24/21, 11:00 AM
Moondawggie said...: A beautiful Christmas song about loss, regret, perception, and finally, hope for a better future. The video visuals are just brilliantly synched to the lyrics and music.

Joan and Joni: there was something about LA in the 60s and 70s that brought out the absolute best in talented women. As a native LA boy, it's sad to see the town couldn't hold onto that magic.; 12/24/21, 11:26 AM
effinayright said...: I may have reported here that when I was an eighth-grader living in Dover, NH, the Oyster River running past the town and into Great Bay froze solid during an especially cold winter.

So a friend and I bundled up, put on our skates and glided five miles over smooth ice all the way to the river's mouth, then five miles back. No one else, just us. It was a glorious, one-time experience.

Years later, when I heard "River" for the first time, I blubbered like an infant.

Hearing it again now, I'm starting to feel the same way.

Merry Christmas.; 12/24/21, 11:57 AM
Birches said...: One of the best secular Christmas songs. The video was fantastic.; 12/24/21, 1:28 PM
svlc said...: I think Girl Named Tom did this song on The Voice a few weeks ago and their version ended up at the top of the charts. I expect Mitchell's people capitalized on that to release this video.; 12/24/21, 2:59 PM
Scot said...: I am praying for a cold snap in N. Europe so the Nederlanders can have their Elfstedentocht (Eleven city trip), skating away on frozen canals.; 12/24/21, 3:55 PM
RBE said...: Merry Christmas to all!; 12/24/21, 5:35 PM
chickelit said...: Ugh. Not my ideal of a perfect woman.; 12/24/21, 9:37 PM
chickelit said...: Merry Christmas, anyway.; 12/24/21, 9:38 PM
Crazy World said...: Moondawggie, true story.
Thanks for posting this AA, trip down memory road.; 12/25/21, 12:04 AM
Crazy World said...: I really love this River song so much, made my Christmas Eve even better. Just lovely; 12/25/21, 12:17 AM
TWWren said...: "Blue" is arguably one of the top ten albums of all time.; 12/25/21, 8:45 AM
Narr said...: Beautiful in every part.

Until those first bars, I wasn't sure I would remember the song at all.; 12/25/21, 10:17 AM