Oh I Wish I Had a POLL, I Could Skate Away On: The Joni Mitchell Tracks/Albums Results Thread (ILM ARTIST POLL #26)

Just did some cheating and probably not...

I have two strong guesses, there are still C&S and Blue tracks left.

02. Help Me (Court and Spark): 459 points, 18 votes, 1 1st place vote

Help me
I think I'm falling
In love too fast
It's got me hoping for the future
And worrying about the past
'Cause I've seen some hot hot blazes
Come down to smoke and ash
We love our lovin'
But not like we love our freedom

This was #11 on my list but after having listened to the rest of the top 50 it feels like a weird combination of flat (in the vocals) and overproduced, as well as a bit dated. But still an amazing track and one of the few on C&S that really works by itself.

Can guess the #1 now (and have no problem with it being #1) so will bow out for tonight. Thanks, Mordy! Was fun.

"Help Me" is so goddamn effortless

reading the Christgau reviews now...he calls her a "very if briefly great singer-songwriter" - ouch

he's a jerk

01. A Case of You (Blue): 493 points, 19 votes, 3 1st place votes

Just before our love got lost you said
"I am as constant as a northern star"
And I said "Constantly in the darkness
Where's that at?
If you want me I'll be in the bar"

On the back of a cartoon coaster
In the blue TV screen light
I drew a map of Canada
Oh Canada
With your face sketched on it twice
Oh you're in my blood like holy wine
You taste so bitter and so sweet

Oh I could drink a case of you darling
Still I'd be on my feet
oh I would still be on my feet

Oh I am a lonely painter
I live in a box of paints
I'm frightened by the devil
And I'm drawn to those ones that ain't afraid

I remember that time you told me you said
"Love is touching souls"
Surely you touched mine
'Cause part of you pours out of me
In these lines from time to time
Oh, you're in my blood like holy wine
You taste so bitter and so sweet

Oh I could drink a case of you darling
And I would still be on my feet
I would still be on my feet

I met a woman
She had a mouth like yours
She knew your life
She knew your devils and your deeds
And she said
"Go to him, stay with him if you can
But be prepared to bleed"

Oh but you are in my blood
You're my holy wine
You're so bitter, bitter and so sweet

Oh, I could drink a case of you darling
Still I'd be on my feet
I would still be on my feet

I never thought it would be this

Somehow I ended up not even voting for this (probably because of overlistening) - but it was responsible for one of my few true musical epiphanies and is a worthy #1.

Thanks Mordy!

this was my #1

'you are in my blood like holy wine' is, imo, the greatest line written in 20th century popular music, and the way she sings it i get chills.

Here are the two songs that got first place votes but didn't place:

Dreamland
Tin Angel

Yeah thanks Mordy - this was a brilliant idea for a poll and took me places where I'd never've got to on my own.

And here's the full top 50. Remember that all the tracks available on Spotify can be streamed here:
http://open.spotify.com/user/mordys/playlist/79HgvbsptKvCXt6uKHSBl2

50. Jericho (Don Juan's Reckless Daughter): 95 points, 4 votes
49. Conversation (Ladies of the Canyon): 101 points, 5 votes
48. I Don't Know Where I Stand (Clouds): 105 points, 4 votes, 1 1st place vote
45. This Flight Tonight (Blue): 108 points, 6 votes
45. Urge for Going (Hits): 108 points, 4 votes
45. For the Roses (For the Roses): 108 points, 5 votes
43. The Circle Game (Ladies of the Canyon): 110 points, 4 votes
43. Blonde in the Bleachers (For the Roses): 110 points, 5 votes, 1 1st place vote
42. Let the Wind Carry Me (For the Roses): 113 points, 5 votes
41. Trouble Child (Court and Spark): 114 points, 6 votes
40. Down to You (Court and Spark): 116 points, 5 votes
39. Shades of Scarlet Conquering (The Hissing of Summer Lawns): 119 points, 4 votes, 1 1st place vote
38. My Old Man (Blue): 127 points, 7 votes
37. The Wolf That Lives in Lindsey (Mingus): 128 points, 4 votes
36. Rainy Night House (Ladies of the Canyon): 128 points, 6 votes
35. Cold Blue Steel and Sweet Fire (For the Roses): 132 points, 6 votes, 1 1st place vote
34. People's Parties (Court and Spark): 141 points, 7 votes
33. The Same Situation (Court and Spark): 146 points, 8 votes
32. Little Green (Blue): 147 points, 7 votes
31. Big Yellow Taxi (Ladies of the Canyon): 155 points, 8 votes
30. Don't Interrupt the Sorrow (The Hissing of Summer Lawns): 159 points, 6 votes, 1 1st place vote
29. Court and Spark (Court and Spark): 161 points, 8 votes
28. Black Crow (Hejira): 167 points, 6 votes, 1 1st place vote
27. Barangrill (For the Roses): 168 points, 8 votes
26. Blue (Blue): 178 points, 9 votes
25. Raised on Robbery (Court and Spark): 182 points, 8 votes
24. Morning Morgantown (Ladies of the Canyon): 184 points, 10 votes
23. In France They Kiss on Main Street (The Hissing of Summer Lawns): 197 points, 11 votes
22. Woodstock (Ladies of the Canyon): 201 points, 10 votes
21. Hejira (Hejira): 204 points, 9 votes
20. Refuge of the Roads (Hejira): 217 points, 10 votes, 1 1st place vote
19. The Jungle Line (The Hissing of Summer Lawns): 230 points, 10 votes
18. The Hissing of Summer Lawns (The Hissing of Summer Lawns): 231 points, 9 votes, 1 1st place vote
17. River (Blue): 238 points, 12 votes
16. Come in from the Cold (Night Ride Home): 244 points, 11 votes, 1 1st place vote
14--TIE. Chelsea Morning (Clouds): 250 points, 11 votes
14--TIE. Song for Sharon (Hejira): 250 points, 11 votes
13. All I Want (Blue): 253 points, 12 votes, 1 1st place vote
12. Edith & the Kingpin (The Hissing of Summer Lawns): 258 points, 9 votes, 1 1st place vote
11. Amelia (Hejira): 298 points, 11 votes
10. Car on a Hill (Court and Spark): 300 points, 12 votes
09. You Turn Me On, I'm a Radio (For the Roses): 320 points, 12 votes, 1 1st place vote
08. California (Blue): 333 points, 12 votes, 3 1st place votes
07. The Last Time I Saw Richard (Blue): 388 points, 15 votes, 1 1st place vote
06. Free Man in Paris (Court and Spark): 391 points, 16 votes
05. Coyote (Hejira): 412 points, 16 votes, 2 1st place votes
04. Both Sides Now (Clouds): 416 points, 16 votes, 3 1st place votes
03. Carey (Blue): 452 points, 16 votes, 2 1st place votes
02. Help Me (Court and Spark): 459 points, 18 votes, 1 1st place vote
01. A Case of You (Blue): 493 points, 19 votes, 3 1st place votes

My ballot:

ALBUMS:
1. Blue
2. Court & Spark
3. For The Roses
4. Ladies of the Canyon
5. Hejira

TRACKS:
1. All I Want
2. Cold Blue Steel and Sweet Fire
3. Carey
4. Free Man in Paris
5. Amelia
6. You Turn Me On I'm a Radio
7. California
8. Chelsea Morning
9. In France They Kiss on Main Street
10. Barangrill
11. Help Me
12. Conversation
13. Both Sides Now
14. A Case of You
15. Coyote
16. The Last Time I Saw Richard
17. Harry's House-Centerpiece
18. Woodstock
19. The Jungle Line
20. Morning Morgantown

Only Harry's House-Centerpiece didn't place.

The Priest should've placed:

TRACKS

1. California
2. Edith And The Kingpin
3. Carey
4. Rainy Night House
5. The Priest
6. Down To You
7. Talk To Me
8. Car On A Hill
9. All I Want
10. One Week Last Summer

11. Morning Morgantown
12. The Arrangement
13. This Place
14. The Hissing Of Summer Lawns
15. Roses Blue
16. Court And Spark
17. For Free
18. Black Crow
19. Blue
20. Off Night Backstreet

ALBUMS

1. Ladies Of The Canyon
2. Hissing Of Summer Lawns
3. Don Juan's Reckless Daughter
4. Hejira
5. Court And Spark

All of Canada thanks you.

1. “Carey” (40)
2. “Chelsea Morning” (36)
3. “The Circle Game” (33)
4. “Both Sides Now” (30)
5. “Big Yellow Taxi” (28)
6. “Urge for Going” (26)
7. “Night in the City” (25)
8. “Cactus Tree” (24)
9. “Ladies from the Canyon” (23)
10. “Free Man in Paris” (22)

great poll mordy, very enlightening! thanks!

Wait, Mordy, did you count my ballot? I put in a lone point for "Travelogue" that I don't see on the results. No matter, here it is:

The Last Time I Saw Richard
Hejira
Passion Play
Black Crow
Otis and Marlena (Travelogue)
The Sire of Sorrow (Travelogue)
Amelia
Conversation
Nothing can be done
The Wolf that lives in Lindsey
Coyote
Help Me
A Case Of You
Raised on Robbery
For The Roses
All I Want
Shiny Toys
River
God must be a Boogie Man
The Arrangement

Blue
Hejira
Night Ride Home
Court and Spark
Travelogue

I didn't vote for any tracks from "Hissing", which I love 100%, but for some reason the individual songs don't resonate nearly as much as the ones on "Hejira" (which dominated my ballot). I think my inclusion of "Shiny Toys" (from "Dog eat dog") was more childhood nostalgia than anything else.

Oh, that's 1-50, Richard was my #1

Just checked and it doesn't look like I ever received your ballot. Sorry!

S'okay, great work on the poll!

I just double checked and found it in the Spam folder. Only ballot that went there. So sorry. I feel really bad. :(

*I actually found Sund4r's first ballot in there too -- but he resent his before track tabulation so I caught it. I didn't even think to check the Spam folder...

1.Shades Of Scarlet Conquering
2.Edith And The Kingpin
3.Help Me
4.Amelia
5.Black Crow
6.Ladies Man
7.Don't Interupt The Sorrow
8.Car On The Hill
9.Herjira
10.Jericho
11.Free Man In Paris
12.Same Situation 
13.Talk To Me
14.All I Want
15.Coyote
16.In France They Kiss On Main Street
17.Little Green
18.River
19.Number One
20.My Secret Place

1.Herjira
2.Hissing Of Summer Lawns
3.Court And Spark
4.Blue
5.Don Juan's Reckless Daughter

Thanks, Mordy! This was great.

My ballot:

Tracks:
1) Both Sides Now
2) Amelia
3) A Case of You
4) Black Crow
5) Blue
6) The Wolf That Lives in Lindsay
7) Help Me
8) All I Want
9) Paprika Plains
10) The Jungle Line
11) Let the Wind Carry Me
12) For the Roses
13) Song for Sharon
14) The Fiddle and the Drum
15) The Arrangement
16) Carey
17) Chelsea Morning
18) I Had a King

Albums (not counted):
1) Hejira
2) Blue
3) Clouds
4) For the Roses
5) Ladies of the Canyon

This came close to being the first poll where all of my selections placed....

Almost as soon as i submitted my ballot i began thinking i ranked "Help Me" and "Coyote" way too low. Bumping up Coyote a couple of notches would have pushed it ahead of "Both Sides Now", not bad for a song I thought would barely place at all. My low "Help Me" placement likely due to overfamiliarity, but i normally try to avoid allowing that to affect my ranking.

1. I Don't Know Where I Ttand
2. Both Sides Now
3. Free Man in Paris
4. You Turn Me On, I'm a Radio
5. Chelsea Morning
6. Raised on Robbery
7. People's Parties
8. A Case of You
9. The Circle Game
10. The Same Situation
11. Woodstock
12. Coyote
13. The Last Time I Saw Richard
14. The Hissing of Summer Lawns
15. Help Me
16. Don Juan's Reckless Daughter
17. Car On a Hill
18. My Old Man
19. Trouble Child
20. Big Yellow Taxi

S

01 Both Sides, Now
02 Carey
03 The Wolf That Lives In Lindsey
04 Come In From The Cold
05 The Hissing Of Summer Lawns
06 The Jungle Line
07 Refuge Of The Roads
08 Car On A Hill
09 Woodstock
10 Paprika Plains
11 You Turn Me On I'm A Radio
12 A Case Of You
13 Amelia
14 Chelsea Morning
15 For The Roses
16 Conversation
17 Song For Sharon
18 Morning Morgantown
19 Same Situation
20 Big Yellow Taxi

Tracks

01 The Hissing Of Summer Lawns
02 The Wolf That Lives In Lindsey
03 Don't Interrupt The Sorrow
04 The Jungle Line
05 All I Want
06 This Flight Tonight
07 Free Man In Paris
08 Harlem In Havana
09 Coyote
10 God Must Be A Boogie Man
11 Woman Of Heart And Mind
12 Edith And The Kingpin
13 Marcie
14 Chelsea Morning
15 In France They Kiss On Main Street
16 The Arrangement
17 Tin Angel
18 I Had A King
19 Morning Morgantown
20 Paprika Plains

LPs
01 The Hissing Of Summer Lawns
02 Blue
03 Mingus
04 For The Roses
05 Hejira

1. Cold Blue Steel and Sweet Fire
2. Trouble Child
3. A Case of You
4. Urge for Going
5. Song for Sharon
6. Barangrill
7. Let the Wind Carry Me
8. Dreamland
9. Lesson in Survival
10. Carey
11. The Last Time I Saw Richard
12. Night Ride Home
13. Refuge of the Roads
14. Down to You
15. Sisotowbell Lane
16. Turbulent Indigo
17. Why Do Fools Fall in Love?
18. For Free
19. All I Want
20. Happiness is the Best Face Lift

-there is a Mermaid Cafe on Toronto island and as such I cannot so much as step foot on the island without delightedly and obsessively singing Carey
-A Case of You was my #1, Richard #2, Twisted #3.
-check out Joni doing "Me and My Uncle" on YouTube in '65 /stumbled across that the other day
-being at the cottage, I want to listen to only Joni
-listened to case of you covers on YT last night, are there any good ones? I expected more of you Prince, Tori
-"I could drink a case of you and still be on my feet" = you're weak? Never knew if that was a love song or breakup song or both

I thought it meant "you're mean but I can take it"

Oh you're a mean old Daddy but I love you? I could see that. :) I definitely thought in a way it was the prettiest dis track ever recorded.. "Constantly in the darkness .. If you want me I'll be at the bar.."

The "oh, Canada!" In that song stirs me far more than our actual anthem.

Great poll Mordy, thank you!

1. Refuge on the Road
2. Help Me
3. Woman of Heart and Mind
4. The Last Time I Saw Richard
5. Court and Spark
6. Barandgrill
7. Just Like This Train
8. Don’t Interrupt This Sorrow
9. A Song For Sharon
10. Carey
11. A Case of You
12. Trouble Child
13. Both Sides Now (2000 version)
14. Come In From the Cold
15. In France They Kiss on Main Street
16. Hejira
17. Little Green
18. You Turn Me On (I’m a Radio)
19. The Same Situation
20. Good Friends

OF the road, of course

Thanks for running this one, Mordy -- I wish I'd been able to pull enough attention together to vote in this one, but it was not to be.

@ FFS. The US/Can duality of all those singers (Leonard lives in Mtl, Joni lives in L.A., Buffy lives in Hawaii, Neil lives ?) never had any interest to me, I mean, it doesn't seem all that worthwhile a discussion talking about which member of The Band lived where and for how long. Except with "Blue". On the whole it's an album about place, the island in "Carey", Vegas in "This Flight Tonight", getting out of California in "River", going back to California in "California". But there it is, the most understated and affecting moment on the record is that "Oh Canada", neither a celebration or a putdown, just an acknowledgement. I think it's one of the reasons I never LOVE-loved "California", the sentiment is, in comparison, closer to a Beach Boys-style kind of gimme than any of the other songs.

I agree completely (I imagine that FFS was FFM? :). It pisses me off a little that California is about California - I get it, great place, but this is such a poetic land and it does hurt that she creates such beautiful songs about her travels and so few about our homeland! Should've given Ontario in the summer a few more chances, Joni. (I have never been to the west coast, I'm biased obviously.)

haha yeah sorry, my fingers are just used to typing ffs all the time, too many diary entries i s'pose

AND tbh I think it's very Canadian of Canadian-born songwriters to ~not~ make references to cities and provinces, or, when they do so, to do so in an not-necessarily-flattering light ("I hate Winnipeg" i.e.)

-"I could drink a case of you and still be on my feet" = you're weak? Never knew if that was a love song or breakup song or both

yeah i always thought this was a put-down, i never realised until recently some ppl parse it as 'you're just so awesome i could drink a whole bunch of you', wikipedia says it is a song about 'infatuation' which is just ???

i saw a busker playing the appalachian dulcimer today.

My ballot cuts off at Blue:

01 Tin Angel
02 Little Green
03 I Had a King
04 River
05 A Case Of You
06 Blue
07 I Don't Know Where I Stand
08 That Song About the Midway
09 The Last Time I Saw Richard
10 Marcie
11 This Flight Tonight
12 Conversation
13 Roses Blue
14 Nathan La Franeer
15 Cactus Tree
16 Michael From Mountains
17 The Gallery
18 I Think I Understand
19 Chelsea Morning
20 Rainy Night House

"Tin Angel" should have placed - U R all stupid etc.

Thanks for doing this poll Mordy!

My ballot:

ALBUMS:

Hejira
Night Ride Home
Blue
The Hissing Of Summer Lawns
For The Roses

SONGS:

Come In From The Cold
Hejira
The Last Time I Saw Richard
Passion Play (When All The Slaves Are Free)
A Case of You
Amelia
Edith And the Kingpin
Let The Wind Carry Me
Two Grey Rooms
The Boho Dance
Court And Spark
Lessons In Survival
Song For Sharon
Shades Of Scarlet Conquering
Same Situation
All I Want
Coyote
This Flight, Tonight
Furry Sings The Blues
Both Sides, Now (2000 Version)

Wow, I better check out Night Ride Home.

That was a strategic placement in a way "Come In From The Cold" wasn't - in truth it's on a level with Hissing for me. I had a feeling Blue wouldn't really need my help.

But Night Ride Home did sneak three tunes into my top ten, and I could have easily put "Cherokee Louse" and "Nothing Can Be Done" in the second half of my songs list except I started to feel like I was just throwing votes away.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-q4foLKDlcE

I just finished reading/listening to all of this. Cheers Mordy and everyone who voted for a good education.