The hidden chapter of Joni Mitchell that shows the singer’s risk-taking side

Sign up to Roisin O’Connor’s free weekly newsletter Now Hear This for the inside track on all things music Get our Now Hear This email for free Get our Now Hear This email for free SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. And to be honest, I’d put a mental blockade on one album because it is infamous for featuring Joni in Blackface as her alter ego “Art Nouveau” on the cover. The final record in the set, her live album Shadows and Light, features songs as early as 1970’s “Woodstock” and represents 10 years of songwriting. Enjoy unlimited access to 100 million ad-free songs and podcasts with Amazon Music Sign up now for a 4 month free trial Sign up Enjoy unlimited access to 100 million ad-free songs and podcasts with Amazon Music Sign up now for a 4 month free trial Sign up “Sweet Sucker Dance” brought to mind “The Last Time I Saw Richard”, where cynicism and romantic desire are warring for dominance. “The Silky Veils of Ardor” alludes to “River”, ending with Joni singing: “I wish I had the wings/ Of Noah’s pretty little white dove/ So I could fly this raging river.” She is seemingly always wanting to escape, even if that escape route changes into something darker: Blue ends with Joni wishing to emerge from her cocoon into a butterfly with gorgeous wings; Hejira leaves us with the image of Joni as “a black crow flying/ in a blue sky”.