Joni Mitchell is officially on 'Both Sides, Now'
Joni Mitchell arrives on the red carpet at the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles on Feb. 1. Credit: Los Angeles Times / Christina House
It was a modest piece of news, as news items go these days, but it warmed my heart and made me smile.
Joni Mitchell had become a U.S. citizen.
The wonderfully accomplished singer-songwriter announced the news this past week in a social media post that included a photo of her smiling broadly as she stood in front of a Department of Homeland Security flag. She was sporting one of her signature berets, this one in red, a cane in her right hand, and a small American flag in her left. An accompanying video showed her sitting in the first row of seats in a nondescript office as a government official at a naturalization ceremony beckons her forward to join her fellow citizen inductees by saying, "Joni Mitchell, Canada."
The simplicity matched the significance of the moment and the character of the person. There was no mention of accomplishments or popularity. She was simply Joni Mitchell of Canada, she wanted to become a citizen, and she was ready to take the oath.
Mitchell, who turns 83 next month, captioned her post like this: "A journey that began 62 years ago."
Born in Fort Macleod, Canada, in 1943, she moved to Detroit in the mid-1960s and later to New York City and then California. She will continue to hold a Canadian passport since both countries allow residents to hold dual citizenship — a comforting incongruity given the current testy relations between the two neighbors.
Mitchell's new citizenship was a reminder of the many people of infinitely varied backgrounds who come here seeking a better future and end up benefiting both themselves and the rest of us. It also was an occasion to recall the sharp observations and pungent wisdom she has imparted in lyrics that have a practical and moral force we need desperately these and all days.
Mitchell is the songwriter who lamented that "you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone," an anthem for environmentalists and an admonition that working hard to hang on to what's precious in life is always a good idea.
That's of a piece with her advice: "And we've got to get ourselves / Back to the garden." It's part of the refrain of "Woodstock," in which she also wrote that "I don't know who I am / But you know life is for learning."
That last phrase is a profound road map for living. It's also a theme she has explored often — most notably, in one of her masterpieces, "Both Sides, Now," a song with delightful added significance now that she figuratively straddles both sides of our northern border.
In the song, Mitchell sings about three things she really doesn't know at all — clouds, love and life. And she sings the refrains after acknowledging her experience with all three. It's a universal message about our shared search for truth. We're all looking for answers to big questions. The lyrics remind us of the humility we need on this quest, the humility to admit that we don't have all the answers, a much-needed rejoinder to the obnoxious certainty with which so many people comport themselves.
Mitchell wrote the song in her very early 20s, which makes her perception all the more astonishing. But she rerecorded and released another version in 2000, in her late 50s. The newer take is haunting, with a lush orchestral arrangement and a weary and poignant vocal from a woman who has seen a lot more of life and still is wracked with uncertainty. The song is an assurance that that's OK, that never getting some answers is part of life. It's also a plea to look at everything from both sides now, a practice that would benefit our leaders and regular folk alike. It's something she has been doing as a performer for more than six decades.
Seeing her beam with pride after her naturalization, it's a pleasure to formally welcome her for the rest of the ride.
Columnist Michael Dobie is a retired member of the Newsday editorial board.
Michael Dobie is a retired member of the Newsday editorial board.
