Which one is your favorite? - LXXIV -

This week's song is a song that has been recorded by Judy Collins, a year earlier than the version that we all know by Joni Mitchell, who is the writer of the song. Collins is known as a folk singer, and has recorded songs written by Leonard Cohen, Pete Seger, Bob Dylan and many others, as well as traditional songs like "Amazing Grace." Her recording of this song provided her first hit, and also brought exposure to Mitchell, who went on to a very successful career as both a songwriter and performer.

Here is the song for this week;

"Both Sides Now"

In 1969, it was included on Mitchell's album Clouds (which was named after a lyric from the song). In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked "Both Sides, Now" at number 170 on its list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

This was the first hit song written by Joni Mitchell. She recalled: "I was reading Saul Bellow's Henderson the Rain King on a plane and early in the book Henderson the Rain King is also up in a plane. He's on his way to Africa and he looks down and sees these clouds. I put down the book, looked out the window and saw clouds too, and I immediately started writing the song. I had no idea that the song would become as popular as it did."

Joni Mitchell had been through a very difficult time when she wrote this song's lyric. In 1965, she gave birth to a baby girl but struggled as a single mom (the father was an old boyfriend who left soon after Mitchell got pregnant). She married a musician named Chuck Mitchell that year, but soon after the marriage, gave up the child for adoption. Soon, her marriage was on the rocks, and in 1967 they split up.

This is Joni Mitchell's most-covered song; with over 1000 versions recorded, it could be considered a standard. Some of the luminaries to record it include Frank Sinatra (on his 1968 album Cycles), Bing Crosby, and Ronan Keating.

When Mitchell first started performing this song in 1967, she called it "From Both Sides, Now." On her album, it was listed as "Both Sides, Now." 

Mitchell released an orchestral version of this song in 2000 to close out her album Both Sides Now, which is mainly comprised of jazz standards.

Here are the 7 versions I picked for you;

 

• Dion - "From Both Sides Now"

• Frank Sinatra - "From Both Sides Now"

• Anne Murray - "Both Sides Now"

• Seal - "Both Sides Now"

• Paul Young with Clannad - "Both Sides Now"

• Dianne Reeves - "Both Sides Now"

• Gang of Youths - "Both Sides Now"

Now the floor is yours, go ahead and make your comments (here, Instagram, Facebook wherever you feel like...).

nb. Please note that I intentionally do not include the original versions of the songs as it would be a little unfair to the artists covering the songs, and I am sure that sometimes you will be surprised to see that the songs you thought were the originals are just covers.