And to be here, and to tell you how much we love you. Soon after, John joins Puth for a stirring version of his own “ Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me,” Lucius sings a new song, and Carlile does the same, along with her show-stopper “ The Joke.” Near the end of the evening, John serenades Mitchell with a burnished, world-wise version of “Moon River.” “I just want to say,” he’d announced earlier, “this is such a gift to see you doing so well. There are whoops and hollers, and nearby on the sofa with husband David Furnish, John shares a look of joyful surprise with the others. On “Blue”’s “All I Want,” Joni Mitchell asked “Looking for something, what can it be?” The answer was Joni Mitchell. Music In 1971, nothing sounded like Joni Mitchell’s ‘Blue.’ 50 years later, it’s still a miracle “Oh, you’re a mean old daddy,” sings Joni Mitchell, “but I like you … fine.”

As Carlile jauntily offers the song with true fan fervor, a warm and familiar voice joins in when the chorus arrives. Six feet away is the artist-composer herself. Carlile kicks off the evening with her version of “ Carey,” the signature song from Mitchell’s most beloved album, “Blue. Also present: Elton John, Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig from Lucius, singer-songwriter Charlie Puth, musician-bandleader Rick Whitfield and pianist Ben Lusher, along with spouses and Laessig’s newborn baby, Oscar. She’s flanked by her guitar-and-bass accompanists Tim and Phil Hanseroth. “All right, here we go,” announces Carlile, here for tonight’s jam. Joni’s only motto: “Park your pistols at the door.” That meant no phones or video and only one photo - a group shot at the end of the night. “Joni’s Jam” would occur from time to time, always with a small group of musician friends like Chaka Khan or Herbie Hancock and maybe some of the “young’uns” who’d wanted to blend in and meet her, like Harry Styles. Not long after that, at a dinner with a friend, Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile, Mitchell suggested she help round up some musicians for a more regular jam session. “Oh, that’s gone,” she’d say, meaning her voice.īut Andersen played live music in her living room that night, and while Mitchell’s voice was absent, it was the sound of musicians and the camaraderie that this self-professed “rowdy” missed. Often asked if she’d sing again though, Mitchell’s response was usually less promising. Sixty-one years later, at a similar crossroads, she vowed the same thing. After being diagnosed with polio at age 9, she declared she’d walk again. It wasn’t the first time she’d heard that. It was just a few years after the sudden brain aneurysm that stilled Mitchell’s voice and brought her the medical verdict that she’d likely never walk again. In 2018, in town for a show, singer-songwriter Eric Andersen had visited Mitchell’s Bel-Air home with his band. Tonight is the latest edition of “Joni’s Jam,” the first since the world opened up a bit. Her face is filled with promise and a touch of mischief. 'I feel extremely honoured it’s mine.It is a Saturday night in late May, and Joni Mitchell finds a seat in her living room, a high-ceilinged space with a pool table, an array of guitars, a grand piano and a generous collection of her paintings. 'Now I realise what a piece of gold that song is,' she said. And though Kim admitted to The Guardian that she once felt 'very caged in' by the track, her mind has since changed. 30 in America, starting Wilde on a pop career that lived up to her name. (According to one legend, the song was in fact barred from charting for a week while officials verified that the single really was selling that well.) Ultimately, 'Kids in America' peaked at No. The song was complete as is, and set the British charts on fire when it was released. One of the song's most notable features was a happy accident: the 'whoa-oh' that follows the title line was a placeholder that never got filled in by a guitar or keyboard. I think a lot of that got caught up in the lyrics - all the kids in America are having a better, more interesting, more dangerous time than we were here.' We weren't doing things like that in the U.K. Everyone was going to drive in movies and drinking milkshakes and having hamburgers in America. 'Of course for his generation, that was very true. 'My dad's head went into a fantasy, this idea of everything being better in America,' Kim later said. The Wilde family's shared love for American music and culture inspired the lyrics (even if 'East California' is as present on a map as 'South Detroit' is for Journey).

Joni mitchell and kim wilde