Joni Mitchell - Hejira

I have a pretty deep relationship with this record. When I was younger I liked her folky stuff, and I think Hejira was too challenging for me, I didn’t like the bass and all the instrumentation on it. It’s hard to pick a favourite Joni Mitchell album and she’s always self-reflective and introspective, but the lyrical writing on this record reveals a different sense of seeking and understanding. There’s no romance left by the time she got to this record, she’s not really an idealist any more.

I’d like to trace Joni’s trajectory from her early romantic idealism, with each record she gets a little bit more jaded, then swings back around a little bit on this record to ‘I’m one with the road, I’ve reached zen’. I think she’s healthiest emotionally at this record.

She’s been kind of like a godmother to a lot of female musicians. I can really relate to songs like ‘Amelia’ and ‘Hejira’ on this record; I’ve done a lot of driving and travelling by myself for 20 years. I kind of feel like she’s alone with me, a soul sister. Joni does have that effect on people, it’s so confessional that you do feel like she’s right there with you.