What a song!
I, like many, have long loved Joni Mitchell’s original recording of “Both Sides Now” — as well her later version with an orchestra.
Pianist (and engineer and mixer) Doug Hammer and I recorded our own version to accompany one of my sweetheart’s annual ART/Word group exhibitions.
The theme that year was BALANCE.
I was not in the greatest voice when we recorded our version, but Doug was able to polish things to a lovely sheen during our fixing/mixing process.
This summer and fall I’ve been riding the train (actually the train + bus due to ongoing track repairs in Massachusetts to fix a sinkhole situation) a lot from Boston to Ithaca, NY — where a bunch of my family members (sisters, niece, grandniece, nephews, mother, and cousins galore) live.
This has given me plenty of time to gaze at passing scenery, and I have seen some extraordinary cloud formations.
At dusk they are often illuminated by the last rays of sun coming over the horizon, which makes them even more magical.
Deep breath in.
Deep breath out.
I love that “Both Sides Now” leaves the listener with no concrete answers.
Ms. Mitchell writes, “I really don’t know clouds (or love… or life…) at all.”
And I also love Ms. Mitchell’s description of falling in love — “Moons and Junes and Ferris wheels — the dizzy dancing way you feel — when every fairy tale comes real — I’ve looked at love that way.”
It immediately reminds me of my own history with that feeling — and how intoxicating and exhilarating it was…
And I also remember how devastated I was when my various romances came to an end.
Ahh, love…
Ahh, loss…
Ahh, life…
Ahh, clouds…
Another deep breath in.
And deep breath out.
What are YOUR associations with this wonderful song?
I’d be honored to read any thoughts and feelings in the comments section below.
Thank you to Doug Hammer for being such a great musical ally for three decades.
And thank you for his wonderful, well-tuned Schimmel grand piano…
Thank you to Stephen C. Fischer for designing this lovely graphic.
Thank you to the talented photographers at Pixabay.
Thank you to Gretje Ferguson for taking this photo of me many years ago.
And thank YOU for reading and listening to this blog post.
You are welcome to click here and stream/like/playlist/share our version of Joni’s song.
And you can click here to visit my website if you are curious to learn more about my musical life here on planet earth.
amusicalifeonplanetearth 
Beautiful song, Will. Like the clouds, our lives are ever-changing with the seasons of life ❤
Yes. The seasons of the year and the seasons of our lives are ever-changing. Now I’m reminded of another Joni Mitchel classic: “The Circle Game!”
I was recently thinking about and listening to this song because of beautiful clouds I’d seen on my walks.
She was so young when she wrote the song.
So young and so wise! She’d already been through some heart-rending times as a human being (such as giving a child up for adoption, I think…) So many of her early songs are eerily and wonderfully wise.
Yes, she did give up a baby for adoption. And yes, I agree about she seemed wise beyond her years (at least as far as the songs).
Lovely song and interesting rendition Will. You and Doug polished it up nicely. It seems so long since I’ve felt the exquisite joys of love. May we stay open to love, loss, and the train rides.
I find it very hard to stay open to loss… although it is obviously a fundamental part of being alive and human. Thanks for listening and commenting, Brad!
Me too Will. Hugs…
A beautiful performance of that song, Will. Thank you!
You are very welcome, Audrey. Thank YOU for taking time to listen.
Such a terrific song, Will. Clouds are the best, and my favorite nature photos to capture – especially at sunset. I hope you had a great visit with family.
Yes. Time with family was very sweet this summer. And I do enjoy traveling by train…
I’m so glad! I love trains, too. I grew up in Huntington, WV, where the old steam trains traveled. Riding through the countryside where cars could not go was a visual delight and a wonderful memory. Just the sound of a steam train brings back so many memories.
classic song.
Yes. It has withstood the test of time…
A thoughtful rendition. As always. PS i love riding trains and looking out the windows. The ocean side on Amtrak’s Boston to NYC is heavenly.
Yes, the ocean side of the train en route to NYC is beautiful. I love the Long Island Sound… Thank you for listening!!!
Wow, this is a beautiful rendition. You made it your own, and a great song to flow with this morning.
Thank you, Dalo, for making time to listen to my version of this wonderful song!
Beautiful photos and such a lovely song!!! Thank you so much for sharing, and warm greetings from a retired lady living in Montreal, Canada.
Hi, Linda! Doug (the piano player)’s wife is from France. He and she and their two sons recently visited Montreal and had a wonderful time. THANK YOU for making time to listen! I, too, am retired from my former day job, but am now devoting a lot of time to making music here on planet earth…
This may sound funny (funny peculiar), because it’s a memory I can hardly believe. But the first time I heard that song, it was at a party at Jim Croce’s house in Pennsylvania, and he was accompanying his wife on the guitar. I will take a while to remember her first name, but the last name was Jacobson, and she was the one people thought had the music career ahead. She did sing it beautifully.
Astounding!!! You have lived a fascinating — and music-filled — life… What a party that must have been! Here’s a link to her Wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ingrid_Croce
Thank you for helping me out with that!
I love the song as well. Last May I went to a Pete Seeger tribute concert at my town’s folk concert venue, The Ark. It was Seeger birthday and local musicians were invited to come and play songs that Seeger had either written or covered. I wasn’t very familiar with his music but it turned out he covered a ton of songs I knew and loved. Both Sides Now was among them.
It was Judy Collins who introduced me to Mitchell’s wonderful ballad. That night, a young female singer songwriter had chosen it as her contribution to the show. I don’t consider myself an emotional person, but when she started to sing, the tears began to pour. It brought back so many memories, of simpler times, long before personal computers and cellphones. Long summer days without much to do. When you could chalk up the day’s accomplishments as listening to a few albums with your big sister, home from college.
Life doesn’t get much better than that.
What a lovely, heartful comment! Music does have a way of evoking memories and researchers have learned that it lights up all areas of our brains (both listening to music and even more making music…) Hurrah that your town and The Ark honored Mr. Seeger in this way! And thank you for listening to my version of this beloved song.
A beautiful rendition, Will! I remember hearing this when it first came out!
Thanks for making time to listen to my version (with Doug playing piano), Dwight!
You are very welcome, Will.
Wow! I love the way you sang this song. I prefer your rendition. Your voice suits it so well. I love Joni Mitchells songs but never liked this song till hearing you sing it.
Thank you for your stellar feedback! It’s a fascinating — and at times magical — thing that different people can breathe their own interpretations/life experiences into a pre-existing song…
Yes, I admire that… I wish I could do that. But hey my singing is very standard so I listen to other people singing instead 😂