It's Down To You, Joni Mitchell
Friday, January 16, 2009 at 11:42AM For me, Joni Mitchell still stands as the greatest of the singer-songwriters. The depth of her melodies, her mastery of songcraft, and the fearless, sometimes brutal honesty of her lyrics set her apart. I picked this song out of her dozens of greats to start this conversation about songs and songwriting because I feel it speaks to the moment. And to the SongMine. With the death of the Hitocracy and the Webiscite in ascendance, it really does come down to you. You have the tools to reach the world. What are you going to say?
This song is musically exquisite. It's from the Court and Spark album. Dig it out and give it a listen. Or, go to iTunes and download a copy of the song. Support artists on the Webiscite! Check out this video and then enjoy the January 2008 interview with Joni on Charlie Rose--following the lyrics...
(By the way, in the middle section of this song, I've always wondered--Did Joni Mitchell herself, at the height of her fame, go down to the "pickup station" and get drunk and go home with strange new flesh to lay down an impression of her loneliness? Or is she just projecting the likely lifestyle of her listener? I'm told by those who could be expected to know that there's nothing in the area of sexual adventursim Joni didn't indulge in at that time. What do you think?)
DOWN TO YOU © Joni Mitchell
Everything comes and goes
Marked by lovers and styles of clothes
Things that you held high
And told yourself were true
Lost or changing as the days come down to you
Down to you
Constant stranger
Youre a kind person
Youre a cold person too
Its down to you
It all comes down to you
You go down to the pick up station
Craving warmth and beauty
You settle for less than fascination
A few drinks later youre not so choosy
When the closing lights strip off the shadows
On this strange new flesh youve found
Clutching the night to you like a fig leaf
You hurry
To the blackness
And the blankets
To lay down an impression
And your loneliness
In the morning there are lovers in the street
They look so high
You brush against a stranger
And you both apologize
Old friends seem indifferent
You must have brought that on
Old bonds have broken down
Love is gone
Ooh, love is gone
Written on your spirit this sad song
Love is gone
Everything comes and goes
Pleasure moves on too early
And trouble leaves too slow
Just when you're thinking
Youve finally got it made
Bad news comes knocking
At your garden gate
Knocking for you
Constant stranger
You're a brute-youre an angel
You can crawl-you can fly too
Its down to you
It all comes down to you
Reader Comments (4)
In the spirit of songwriters' community that this inspires, let me say: the format is great. And since I share Bill's estimation of Joni I was listening right along and when I hit the horn break in the middle section of Down to You I couldn't believe it. I just watched Jonathan Livingston Seagull with my kids and remembered fondly the soundtrack by Neil Diamond. Check it out. it's like Joni and Neil wrote it together over hot chocolate in the kitchen with the campers, OK, sometimes, but...
Maybe if I write it in bold it'll show up. CAPS?
Before I was born, my mom played Court and Spark and Judy Collins' Wildflowers over and over. These two albums, more than any others that I know, go somewhere inside me deeper than I know where to get to and squeeze at my chromosomes or soul particles or whatever makes me me. They make me love my mom, and want to curl up in happy fetal position in my dad's guitar case like I did when I was tiny.
Down to You, though, as a grown-up person, has a shadowy feel to it. It's dark blue, and smells faintly of gasoline and wet leaves in November.
I've never thought of the "you" as being anyone but the lover to whom Joni/speaker is addressing the song. She perhaps feels some of the same things, but the "you" is "settling for less than fascination" and being a constant stranger. I'm still thinking about what it means to the song if the "you" is editorial, and if Joni/speaker is doing all those things...
I made it Bill! Love it! Keep up the good work. I'm a bit younger then the Joni Mitchell crowd but I do remember her! I'm cuing all my friends in on this site!