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My Gen X Playlist: River – Joni Mitchell

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Daily writing prompt
When are you most happy?
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I love experiencing nature.

Right now I’m spending time in Hawaii visiting family during the Christmas holidays. It’s the rainy season with scattered liquid sunshine throughout the day. This morning I awoke to find a beautiful rainbow outside our window. I could see the entire arc, from one end to the other. What a way to begin the day.

I once was hiking in Utah and remember finding myself among a grove of aspen trees. It was late in the afternoon, the sun was still out, but beginning to move across the crest of the mountains. A light breeze found it’s way through the grove and began touching the leaves one by one. The aspens let out a symphony of sound that surrounded me. I stood there quietly soaking it all in.

. . . listen to the trees whisper to one another as they make their quaking sound. The soft whispering rustle of a quaking aspen is unlike the sound of any other tree in the forest.

– usda.gov

I remember standing on top of a huge boulder looking down at the river below. Initially from below, the boulder didn’t look too high, but now that I was standing on top looking down, it seemed too high to jump. I closed my eyes, stepped forward and jumped feet first. The moment I entered the river, the ice cold water jarred my nerves. It shocked my system, but I felt alive.

I think I’m happiest when I have a break from the city and let my senses connect with nature. Mother Nature has a way of balancing out daily life. I’m able to find peace in small moments.

The combination of Christmas and rivers makes me think about Joni Mitchell. Mitchell released River in 1971. I’m embarrassed to say that I don’t know much about Joni Mitchell, but I do know this one.

Though the song wasn’t intentionally meant as a Christmas song, it is set around the holiday season.

“River” reveals one of Mitchell’s most vulnerable moments in songwriting, opening up about a breakup and the deep bond that’s difficult to shake. The lyrics of “River” are thought to have been inspired by the end of Mitchell’s relationship with musician Graham Nash; the two dated from 1968 through 1970.

– American Songwriter

My mother introduced me to Mitchell’s music and she passed this year. . . I’m so appreciative her taste in music is now mine.

– YouTube comment from victoriadickens2827

I wish I had a river so long
I would teach my feet to fly
Whoa I wish I had a river I could skate away on

I like the thought of having a river to skate away on safe in my back pocket. It’s always there, can be pulled out when needed. There is a comfort that it exists and is with me, especially during the hustle and bustle of daily life. Nature is only a car ride away. Moments can be everlasting.

–

For a complete playlist, please click here.

For the Spotify playlist, please click here.

It's coming on Christmas
They're cutting down trees
They're putting up reindeer
And singing songs of joy and peace
Oh I wish I had a river I could skate away on

But it don't snow here
It stays pretty green
I'm going to make a lot of money
Then I'm going to quit this crazy scene
I wish I had a river I could skate away on

I wish I had a river so long
I would teach my feet to fly
Whoa I wish I had a river I could skate away on
I made my baby cry

He tried hard to help me
You know, he put me at ease
And he loved me so naughty
Made me weak in the knees
Oh, I wish I had a river I could skate away on

I'm so hard to handle
I'm selfish and I'm sad
Now I've gone and lost the best baby
That I ever had
Oh I wish I had a river I could skate away on

I wish I had a river so long
I would teach my feet to fly
Oh I wish I had a river
I could skate away on
I made my baby say goodbye

It's coming on Christmas
They're cutting down trees
They're putting up reindeer
Singing songs of joy and peace
I wish I had a river I could skate away on

24 thoughts on “My Gen X Playlist: River – Joni Mitchell”

  1. I genuinely look forward to your posts and finding out what gem of a song I am going to hear each day. This song is beautiful and also unfamiliar. I was just *this* much too young to know music from 1971 well.

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    1. Thank you, Susan. That means a lot to hear.

      I’m not too familiar with Joni Mitchell, myself. I’ve heard a lot of artists talk about her inspiration on them. This is one of the few songs I know. It is a beautiful song. Sometimes I’m drawn to the melancholy of music.

      Liked by 1 person

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    2. Don’t feel too bad. I was -3, when the song came out.

      I think our generation tends to overlook the 70s sometimes. We reach back to the 60s because it was this unprecedented level of creativity. And we cleaned to the 80s because we’re nostalgic for it.

      But there was a lot of great stuff that came out of the 70s.

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      1. There are a lot of great songs in the 70s. I didn’t know that I knew many of them. I got a lot of my 70s music when I was a kid listening to my mom’s radio station as she drove us around

        Liked by 1 person

  5. Beautiful post. Hawaii!! My sweety and I were there ten years ago. What an amazing place. Enjoy the rainbows, and Christmas with your family.

    Like you, I find so much solace, peace and wonder in nature.

    “River” is a song I’m very familiar with and appreciated reading about it. Sometimes I find it a difficult listen; that makes sense now that I know the backstory.

    Liked by 1 person

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  7. Hawaii? I am so jealous!

    It is on my bucket list to spend Christmas in Hawai’i. Then, on December 25, wake up to “Mele Kalikimaka“ by Bing Crosby; proceeded to run out the door, full-bore sprint onto the beach, and jump into the ocean.

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