Both Sides Now (Joni Mitchell album)
| Both Sides Now | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | February 8, 2000 | |||
| Recorded | 1999 | |||
| Studio |
AIR Lyndhurst Hall, London Ocean Way, Los Angeles |
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| Genre | ||||
| Length | 51:35 | |||
| Label | Reprise | |||
| Producer | Joni Mitchell, Larry Klein | |||
| Joni Mitchell chronology | ||||
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| Review scores | |
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| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |
 
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| Encyclopedia of Popular Music |
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| Robert Christgau | A− |
| Rolling Stone |
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Both Sides Now is a concept album and studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell that was released in 2000. It is her 17th studio album. The album won two Grammy Awards in 2001 for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album and Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s) for the song "Both Sides Now" and a Juno Award for Vocal Jazz Album of the Year.
Background and release
The album traces the progress of the modern relationship through Mitchell's orchestral renditions of classic jazz songs. Two of her own songs are included: "A Case of You" (1971) and "Both Sides Now" (1969). The orchestra was arranged and conducted by Vince Mendoza.
In the liner notes, co-producer Larry Klein describes the album as "a programmatic suite documenting a relationship from initial flirtation through optimistic consummation, metamorphosing into disillusionment, ironic despair, and finally resolving in the philosophical overview of acceptance and the probability of the cycle repeating itself".
A limited run of copies was released on February 8, 2000, in chocolate box packaging for Valentine's Day with several lithographs of Mitchell paintings. A jewel case edition was released on March 20, 2000.
On tour, Mitchell performed the songs in the same sequence as the album, but she opened with the overture "Nuages", the first movement from Nocturnes, an orchestral suite composed by Claude Debussy. "Nuages" is the French word for "clouds". Although the music sets a romantic mood, the use of this piece can be seen as a pun since Clouds is the name of the album on which the song "Both Sides Now" made its appearance.
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "You're My Thrill" | lyrics: Sidney Clare; music: Jay Gorney | 3:52 |
| 2. | "At Last" | Mack Gordon, Harry Warren | 4:28 |
| 3. | "Comes Love" | Lew Brown, Sam H. Stept, Charles Tobias | 4:29 |
| 4. | "You've Changed" | Bill Carey, Carl Fischer | 5:00 |
| 5. | "Answer Me, My Love" | Fred Rauch, Gerhard Winkler; English lyrics: Carl Sigman | 3:23 |
| 6. | "A Case of You" | Joni Mitchell | 5:52 |
| 7. | "Don't Go to Strangers" | Redd Evans, Arthur Kent, David Mann | 4:10 |
| 8. | "Sometimes I'm Happy" | Irving Caesar, Clifford Grey, Vincent Youmans | 3:58 |
| 9. | "Don't Worry 'bout Me" | Rube Bloom, Ted Koehler | 3:49 |
| 10. | "Stormy Weather" | Harold Arlen, Ted Koehler | 3:07 |
| 11. | "I Wish I Were in Love Again" | Lorenz Hart, Richard Rodgers | 3:36 |
| 12. | "Both Sides Now" | Joni Mitchell | 5:45 |
Personnel
- Joni Mitchell – vocals
- Mark Isham – trumpet
- Richard Henry – bass trombone
- Dave Stewart – bass trombone
- Owen Slade – tuba
- Wayne Shorter – soprano and tenor saxophone
- Skaila Kanga – harp
- Herbie Hancock – piano
- David Arch – piano
- Chuck Berghofer – bass guitar
- Mike Brittain – bass guitar
- Mary Scully – bass guitar
- Chris Laurence – double bass
- Peter Erskine – drums
- Frank Ricotti – percussion
- Andrew Findon – flute
- Helen Keen – flute
- Jamie Talbot – flute, alto flute, clarinet, alto saxophone
- Philip Todd – flute, alto flute, clarinet
- Stan Sulzmann – flute, clarinet
- Nicholas Bucknall – clarinet
- John Anderson – oboe
- Sue Bohling – oboe, cor Anglais
- Anthony Pike – clarinet, bass clarinet
- Iain Dixon – clarinet, bass clarinet
- Julie Andrews – bassoon
- Gavin McNaughton – bassoon
- Richard Skinner – contrabassoon
- Andy Crowley, Derek Watkins, Gerard Presencer, John Barclay, Steve Sidwell – trumpet
- Hugh Seenan, John Pigneguy, Michael Thompson, Nigel Black, Paul Gardham, Philip Eastop, Richard Watkins – French horn
- Neil Sidwell, Pete Beachill, Peter Davies, Richard Edwards – trombone
- Antonia Fuchs, Ben Cruft, Boguslaw Kostecki, Cathy Thompson, Chris Tombling, David Woodcock, Dermot Crehan, Everton Nelson, Godfrey Salmon, Jackie Shave, Jim McLeod, Jonathan Strange, Julian Leaper, Katherine Shave, Maciej Rakowski, Matthew Scrivener, Michael McMenemy, Patrick Kiernan, Perry Montague-Mason, Peter Oxer, Rebecca Hirsch, Rita Manning, Roger Garland, Simon Fischer, Vaughn Armon, Warren Zielinski, Wilf Gibson – violin
- Bill Benham, Bruce White, Catherine Bradshaw, Donald McVay, Ivo Van Der Werff, Katie Wilkinson, Peter Lale, Rachel Bolt – viola
- Anthony Pleeth, Davd Daniels, Frank Schaefer, Helen Liebmann, Martin Loveday, Paul Kegg, Tony Lewis – cello
- Gavyn Wright – concertmaster, violin
- Vince Mendoza – arranger, conductor
- Gordon Jenkins – co-arranger on "Stormy Weather"
Charts
| Chart (2000) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM) | 19 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) | 63 |
| Norwegian Albums (VG-lista) | 20 |
| UK Albums (OCC) | 50 |
| US Billboard 200 | 66 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI) | Gold | 100,000‡ |
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‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
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