Hejira is the eighth studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell. The songs on the album were written during a series of road trips in 1975 and 1976, and reflect events that occurred during those trips, including several romantic relationships she had at the time. Characterized by lyrically dense, sprawling songs, as well as the overdubbed fretless bass playing of Jaco Pastorius (whom Mitchell had just met), Hejira continued the musician's journey beyond her pop records towards the freer, jazz-inspired music she would implement on later recordings. Some of the songs were written while Mitchell traveled as a member of Bob Dylan's Rolling Thunder Revue tour, and she performed the album tracks "Coyote" and "Furry Sings the Blues" with The Band at their final concert (later released as Martin Scorsese's The Last Waltz). The album did not sell as well as its predecessors, peaking at No. 22 in her native Canada. It reached No. 13 on the Billboard 200 pop album chart in the United States, where it was certified gold by the RIAA, and No. 11 in the UK, where it attained a silver certification. Critically, the album was generally well received, and in the years since its release, Hejira has been considered one of the high marks of her career.
god that was terrible. I may never get a boner again.
Joni Mitchell wrote the songs for "Hejira" all over America in the mid 1970s, travelling partly toward another show and partly in pursuit of pleasure. It's her "road" album, and the context of rambling travel perfectly suits both her writing style and the lyrical themes. Snapshots of old towns, lost lovers, fleeting moments and passing thoughts all slip in and out of view, relayed in startling detail and breathtaking lyricism. Mitchell also uses her restless travelling as an opportunity for self-evaluation, using the magnificent epic "Song for Sharon" to ask exactly where she's headed. Some favourite lyrics? Where to begin... "A prisoner of the white lines on the freeway"... what a way to subvert the cliché of the "open road". Later, aeroplane vapour trails- images of escape and freedom- are compared to a hexagram of the heavens, strings on a guitar, and finally false alarms. "We're only particles of change I know, I know Orbiting around the sun But how can I have that point of view When I'm always bound and tied to someone" And the whole last verse of Refuge on the Roads- just listen to it. What an artist. They're such beautiful words, and I'm so glad I gave this multiple listens because it took a while for them to start standing out. This is even more the case with the music: sophisticated, dense, jazz-influenced... it's certainly beyond "Blue". The beauty of each song has been slowly revealing itself over the last few days, unravelling delicately on each repeated listen. The vibraphone and sustained guitar in the gorgeous "Amelia", "Hejira"'s "strains of Benny Goodman" being evoked by a distant clarinet; the fretless bass work throughout. There's so much to get lost in and I'm still in the process of doing so after listening six or seven times over the last two days. For now, all I can say is that it sounds like a restless spirit at the height of her powers, carving timeless words into the roads of America.
Full disclosure, this is my favorite Joni Mitchell album. Haven't listened to it in a while, and never noticed the penis on the album cover before. Learning something new all the time. "Coyote" is such a great opening track. Lyrically, it is just fantastic storytelling, the bass tone and playing set the expectations for the musicality of this ensemble. I love it. "Amelia" has such a sense of longing. Mitchell has a gift for putting pain to melody. And on this album, it's the perfect lyrical blend — high-minded poetic construction that tells rich, beautiful stories. Whether Mitchell set out to create a concept album, I don't know, but there's something so cohesive about these songs, like we're spending a week on the road with her and the band. Quiet moments crossing the middle of the country. This album just transports me. I can listen to Jaco play like this all day. He's a master on the bass. And then comes "Black Crow," which is a clinic on how to be the coolest motherfucker on an instrument possible. Seriously. I get that this may not be her most accessible album, but it's brilliant. Road dick!
I was a fan of Joni Mitchell from the get go, back when she was sweetly singing good morning to Morgantown and such. But there was always a dark blue current moving underneath the surface of this petite woman, even then. 'Hejira' seems to have dug the well to that subterranean river. Musically, its gorgeously haunting. (Her cover art represents the same, visually.) Gone, are the gently sustained notes of the piano, replaced with ringing guitars, marvelously odd melodies and chord structures. Joni Jazz, which is not really jazz at all, but something else entirely. Nothing that can be exactly pinned down, mind you. Fitting for Joni’s (nomadic) lifestyle, (moody) temperament, (troubled) spirituality. 1976 found a lot of Joni’s 60’s comrades suffering under the excess of drugs like cocaine, which combined with her rolling and thundering along with Dylan’s infamous review for a while couldn’t help but further darken the gathering of Joni’s latent storm clouds. The opening song has her already confessing that she’s a prisoner of the white lines on the freeway, and not really fit for healthy companionship; that said, he’s only a randy coyote anyway, so fuck it! With some ‘Strange Boy, she gets ‘… high on travel, drunk on alcohol, and on love, the strongest poison and medicine of all.’ But it’s the title track that really seems to sum up who Joni Mitchell was at this time in her life, both professionally and personally (I would guess she doesn’t draw a distinction between the two): ‘There’s comfort in melancholy when there’s no need to explain. It’s just as natural as the weather in this moody sky today.’ And, ‘I’m porous with travel fever. But, you know, I’m so glad to be on my own. Still somehow the slightest touch of a stranger can set up trembling in my bones.’ The hejira that Joni mostly seems to be attempting is the one from herself. And that reminds me of that quote that says something to the effect of: wherever you go, there you are. I didn’t know this myself in 1976, entering into my senior year of high school, and suffered accordingly for years. I’m finally learning that one can be moody and prone to blue while nurturing an inner spirit of gratitude and even joy as well. Not to be too simplistic, but to a certain extent, it is a choice. Just like my choice to be careful with this recording, reserving it only for days when I have optimum emotional/spiritual health and clarity.
Never listened to Joni before! Ah, I am not enjoying this. At all. It’s like she’s just kinda rhythmically talking and there happens to be music playing on the background. Every song sounds exactly the same to me. Was this good in 1979?
wow - never listened to her and I was blown away. quite a singer songwriter - I get the hype now
No regrets, Coyote
I was 55 years old when I realized that this album I've listened to hundreds of times has a penis on it! WTF? I guess you can chalk that up to CD vs LP? Or maybe because I was so mesmerized by Joni's beauty that my eyes never left those cheekbones except to glance down at how she holds her cigarette with her pinky in such a delicate position. I listened to this album on CD (as opposed to Spotify) and as my husband suggested, my good headphones with a CD was the complete aural experience. What fun to hear Joni's whispers on Furry Sings the Blues! I'm a lyrics bitch over the music and this time round some hit harder: "I do accept the changes at least better than I used to do." "I looked at my haggard face in the bathroom light" "I met a friend of spirit" "I well up with affection Thinking back down the roads to then" It feels so trite to attempt a review of any Joni Mitchell album (as well as Jacko's contributions). So I won't. This one is most definitely an 11.
Kinda jazzy and cool, but minus one for her Spotify stunt.
It was pleasant without being remarkable.
Glad I’ve finally listened to this properly; I need more time, as the lyrics have the density of poetry, and must settle. This is as close as I’ve heard in record to the Beat ideal, a series of glimpses and startling images combined for revelatory effect. Mitchell appears to have given Pastorious the record and just said, please bass all over this, and the result is glorious, gives the record the feel of rolling on waves or undulating tarmac.
Oooh yes, my favorite Joni album! "Coyote", "Amelia", "A Strange Boy", Jaco Pastorius' slick sticky bass lines and the finest example of a very long song that I wish had another 20 verses (eat it Dylan!) - the incredible "Song For Sharon". Just wow. Imagine seeing (or being involved with) the Rolling Thunder Revue! Easy 10
This is my desert island album. It's my coming-home album. My traveller's album. It's the jewel at the center of the galaxy. I don't know what caused me, midway through Joni's discography (chronologically) at age 26, to pause at Hejira and go no further. For years. But I'll just say that I've been stuck on this album for years and years now. Don Juan is, in some ways, a more expansive and intense vision of the Hejira sound. Court and Spark has some lovely, lovely songs, and I'd never be mad to put it on. But Hejira? This wormed its way into my brain. For years. Flashy albums are great. I love artists that go for broke, make a statement, pull you along kicking and screaming. But what strikes me about Hejira every time I listen is its quiet confidence and its (frankly) uncomplicated brilliance. It's just: beautiful poetry, set to Joni's utterly entrancing guitar tone that hits its stride in a huge way on this album (it's transformative, here). And some of the best and most forward-thinking session/jazz musicians of the class of 76. Jaco, of course, but... Chuck Findley. Victor Feldman. Larry Carlton. All at their best, but all serving the song. It's what I think of when I think of a truly musical collaboration. The jazz influence is authentic and brilliantly executed, but it's so... loveably Joni. I'm reminded of the Frank Ocean quote to James Blake, working on Frank's record: "You're in my world now." We're in Joni's world, no one else's. Her poetry is just entrancing. I don't know how she keeps getting away with it! Such an honesty, almost an earnestness that's been in her lyrics since she was 19... here, delivered in its most confident and assured form. This really is an album that doesn't have an equal. This new jazz-pop style, with the modulations, the Pat Metheny-esque chorus and phased guitars, the open tunings (very Joni) all seems to have collapsed into elevator music as soon as it was just getting going. I've hunted and pecked for anything, anything that has this kind of sound. And I'm sad to say... it doesn't exist. Beyond a couple of standouts or collaborations, we just get this album. This album is so good, you can almost sit back and miss it. It feels over in a second. Just hypnotic. I'll treasure it for the rest of my life, and it really is my one of one. 5/5
I **almost** gave this a 4 purely because I was comparing it to Blue, which is perfect. But then I realized I have no notes for this album and it really is a 5.
When reviewing Blue earlier on this list I called Mitchell one of the, if not the, greatest songwriters of the 60’s and 70’s. Maybe ever? I was right then and after Hejira I still am. Other than Joni Mitchell herself that fretless bass is the true winner of this entire album. What a sound!
Once again, I will be unable to be impartial about Joni. She's fantastic, and this is another one of my favorites of hers. Songs like "Amelia" and "Coyote" have so much feeling to them. Her jazz influences continue to be more strongly felt than on her past works, maintaining the trajectory that she had been on, and due in no small part to Jaco Pastorius' fretless bass playing. This is maybe her last "perfect" album, but it's a perfect closer to an incredible run.
Love this record. Joni has made some of the most beautiful and unique music. Her voice and her phrasing, the songwriting- all are so good. I love how loose and open the folky/ jazzy vibe of all these songs are. The music really breathes and flows and goes on a journey in a way you don’t really hear in pop music. It totally feels like a road trip. I love Jaco’s bass playing on her records. It’s so melodic and his tone is so voicelike. It’s so different from what any other bass player would think of playing. It’s like he’s supporting her and singing a duet at the same time. They really perfected this sound on Mingus. Also, worth noting some really beautiful guitar playing by Larry Carlton, I like all the swelly stuff on Amelia. Kudos to her for taking her music off of Spotify, first album I’ve bought in a long time. 5
I love a whole lot of the art Joni Mitchell has shared with the world, and this album is high up there in her work that I love most. The jazz influence, Jaco Pastorius' contributions, Larry Carlton's presence, and so on. She always composes brilliantly and is one of the finest lyricists. What an ear for harmony and her sense of melody is intricate and intriguing. Of course, her vocal performances are spectacular and she is quite underrated as a guitarist. Some truly beautiful and emotional stuff here. Brilliant.
Beautiful. I've never listened to Mitchell before, and today I saw footage of Mitchell playing "Both Sides Now" at the Newport Folk Festival with Brandi Carlile which is one of the poignant performances I have ever seen. I usually hate music that comes out of folk, probably too much of it is blues based, but her music is refreshing with her alternate tunings and strong writing about the experience of girls and women. Now I will continue to dive into her catalog.
She has removed her stuff from Spotify
Elegant, folky, rocky and wry.
she's just a queen.
Perfect to me.
Joni
4.5/5. This def feels like an essential Joni album, and I think it’s gonna grow on me more
I listened to this one on a solo midnight bus ride from Los Angeles to Snata Barbara. I own this album, it's one I've listened to a hundred times but never like this and it finally dawned on me that this is a solitaire album. The music is incredibly complex, as is the musicianship. Tunings. Chords. Progressions. None of which are predictable or even easily accessible. Which makes it reveal more and more on every listen. It's a long way from Blue, a record only ~5 years in the past. This is an electric jazzy record. It might not be everyone's cup of tea but it's right up my alley - mysterious and haunting. Don't listen to this album just once. Give it a few runs and all the way through each time (although the clear highlight is "Amelia"). Slam dunk 5 stars: 10/10. One of my alltime favourite albums by anyone.
On a roll with artists I actually know.
Thick bots, fresh tops Like a gentle rain, just let it wash over you Lyrically a mouthful, alot to digest. 3/5 4/5 if she just shut up and let the music shine
Liked the concept, storytelling Joni has a great voice of course, and a few tracks had some great baselines from jaco pastorius Still didn’t stand out as especially fantastic as a whole
there were like two good tracks on this and they were both ones with jaco and the guy who played guitar on a lot of steely dan shit. joni seems completely unnecessary here.
I didnt enjoy this album, although I didnt hate it either. It felt like a crazy lady going off on endless tangents where Im unable to foresee where the music is going. Sometimes this is great, in this case it just felt unnecessarily random and incoherent. Having said that, there were still some songs and certainly some beats that I enjoyed. It was upbeat.
Post your music online you pretentious fuck
Another album not on Spotify. This one also didn't have an album video on Youtube. I watched each song on Youtube with intermittent ads. Canadian folk.
This isn't for me to get. But I don't get this. The music is slushy with no real form. And she isn't singing to the music anyway.
Insanely good!! Loved it and will listen again!
This is a great album and is definitely growing on me. It’s in between folky and jazzy. Gonna do a 4.5 because I can tell there’s more there.
Joni Mitchell versteht ihr Handwerk mit viel Seele und Herz. Beeindruckend was die Grand Dame abliefert. Ihre Kreativität ist unerschöpflich. Top!
Not a Joni album that I reach for that often but a really great one that demonstrates an evolution of her sound.
Absolute masterpiece. One of the greatest albums ever made. Whilst Blue will always have a special place in my heart, Hejira is probably the pinnacle of Joni's work.
Super
"I see something of myself in everyone." <3
A fabulous record from my collection
Nice riffs, beautiful emotion, interesting songwriting
Without this album I probably would not have invested as much time checking out Joni Mitchell's discography as I have done, starting with her continuation on the more jazzy path with Don Juan's Reckless Daughter. Especially Larry Carlton and Jaco Pastorius give Hejira a unique sound that combines so well with Mitchell's songwriting and vocal performance. And then on top of that you have Amelia, probably my favourite Joni Mitchell song ever. Top end five stars for me.
What a fantastic album. An easy 5 in my book.
Fantastic entry in Joni's storied catalogue. Absolute masterclass in songwriting and arrangement from start to finish. Murderer's row of session musicians.
5/5 The music seems to be simply a vessel to take on Mitchell's poetry on the opener Coyote, like much of Dylan. But it is great writing. Amelia is more melodic, and so beautifully constructed. Then Furry Sings the Blues is a pleasant and evocative if not groundbreaking tune. A Strange Boy is pretty similarly good too, and after that the title track is really packed full of emotion. Such a good tune. Song for Sharon is an amazing groove, and Mitchell's performance is fantastic. It's actually just one of the best things I've ever heard. Black Crow is such a welcome change of pace, full of life and energy. It's a brilliant track before Blue Motel Room is a relaxing, laid-back love song. The closer is great to wrap up the whole concept of travelling and feeling unsettled. In summary, Mitchell proves that she is one of the greatest lyricists and vocalists of all time. The high points are so good, and these exceptional peaks are scattered across the album, which has a cohesive, consistent feel. Coyote 4/5 Amelia 5/5 Furry Sings the Blues 4/5 A Strange Boy 3.5/5 (LEAST FAV) Hejira 5/5 Song for Sharon 5/5 (FAV) Black Crow 5/5 Blue Motel Room 4.5/5 Refuge of the Roads 4/5
Oh boy - its such a unique soundscape that is a pleasure to listen to for 50 minutes
Pure poetry absolutely beautiful from start to finish
This album - all about moving from place to place, person to person - is itself transportive. From the opening chords of Coyote you are taken to a world that is uniquely Joni Mitchell. This was my entry into Joni and continues to be my favorite. Listening now I feel like this is music outside of genre - not exactly folk or jazz or rock - it's just music. Musical portraits expertly drawn one of one.
'Coyote' sets the tone. Story telling , folk yet with that west coast feel throughout. Lauren Canyon personified.
Joni Mitchell is a rare human. If you listen to her lyrics you realize that she is putting herself out there, open, vulnerable, and raw. That is (to me) so lacking today. That kind of intimacy is precious. I am probably so very different than her in so many ways that AI would not put us on the same matrix. Yet I feel her lyrics, they are my feelings in many ways. Sometimes paradoxical, like some may hear the words but not understand what she is saying. Some see her as sad or melancholy, I see her strength and humanity. I think there is a lesson here; in vulnerability comes strength. Words can be twisted and poisoned but truth is steadfast. Also this is a GREAT road album.
4.7 - Like a female version of Paul Simon in places. Fantastic album, looking forward to more from Joni
(Finally) instrumentation to match Mitchell’s wandering vocal style. Tales of hitchiking across state lines, road houses and gas stations, truckers and coffee, fleapit motels, and barroom brawls. A souls journey, grit yielding pearl.
Her best album
oh joni mitchell my canadian queen....
😭😭😭mega smuk
Another one I listen to all the time
Great guitar folk
Yea, this sounds amazing. Awesome folky instrumentals with great vocals and amazing storytelling.
I had to give this one a few goes through with the good headphones. It's a fantastic record. The minimalistic sound and the poetry in her lyrics are just perfect.
Everyone gives Joni Mitchell credit as a singer/songwriter and as an instrumental innovator, but what people rarely mention is her ability to craft a really decent concept album. She did it with “Blue” and she does it again on “Hejira.” It’s all about roads and traveling and the hard wisdom gained from the journey. Plus is enters new musical territory with a jazzier feel married to a Pop sensibility, something of an echo of “Court and Spark” but matured. Another in a collector’s deck of classics.
Are you trying to make me cry? I shouldn't be listening to this while trying to get work done. I should be in a bubble bath, sipping a pinot noir. Honestly, the first time I heard this one was because I had just learned about Jaco and found out he played bass for a string of Joni records, so I drew a bath - probably my first since childhood - drank a bottle of red wine, let it all wash over me, and cried. Nothing about me should like Joni Mitchell, especially because she's the epitome of what my mom would listen to, whose taste in music I've often been skeptical of, but had she ever listened to THIS Joni, I might've never thought that. Easily 5/5. This is artistic genius.
I really enjoyed this!!
The only song I knew from this album was Coyote. This is a tremendous collection of folk jazz epics about travellin' and gettin' some strange. Way to go, Joni.
Joni's greatest achievement.
Falling in love with an album that’s not on streaming is just the worst feeling. And the last time I remember wanting an album to be on streaming so badly was when I heard Exmilitary for the first time. But that album doesn’t hold a candle to this. I appreciated The Hissing of Summer Lawns. But maybe I don’t remember it sounding very similar to this. I thought of it more as a Steely Dan inspired singer-songwriter record. But if it did, then I was sorely mistaken in my score. Because holy shit. This is one of the most stellar pieces of music I have heard in a long time. If it isn’t obvious by the many albums I have given high scores to, I love jazz. And I love all things inspired by jazz. So the combination of her traditional folk sound with more progressive jazz elements is a match made in heaven. Joni just has a voice that speaks to my heart. She’s like a female Neil Young. I just can’t deny how warm and fuzzy their voices make me feel. And her uniquely creative style of lyricism makes for a handful of delightful moments. I was also really blown away by how elegant the production is. This album probably has some of my favorite guitar tones and textures I’ve ever heard. Those, put together with the very deep and full bass sound, creates this beautifully layered sound profile. I will admit that I’m guilty of not listening to the albums I say I love as much as I should. But this is one that I immediately wanted to put back on and dig into once it was over. I could also see myself falling asleep to this in the future, because it’s really relaxing. Rating: 10/10!
Seems addictice
Very original road trip inspired lyrics over jazz influenced pop, with some craZy ass bass lines from Jacob. Yeah, this deserves a few listens for it to really be appreciated.
this is one of my favorite albums ever
Didn't know some artists took their music off of Spotify. Joni Mitchell is always a win. One of the best female voices IMO.
jaco pastorius and joni mitchell 4eva
I mean, Joni and Jaco. Perfect.
🚨 BANGER ALBUM ALERT! 🚨 OK I feel like I earned this after the last stretch of stuff I had to go through. I feel rewarded. We have a winner. The album is Hejira by Joni Mitchell. I will preface this by saying I knew NOTHING about her going into this, except for her name. This thing had me floating. Maybe more like drifting. Floating but a little bit sad. I don't know how to phrase it but Joni Mitchell would because she's also a fucking poet. Some of the best lyrics I've ever heard. It's heavy and beautiful. And with the instrumentation, everything is necessary Nothing is done in excess. The music always pairs perfectly with the subject matter of the lyrics. Longing, loss, love, wanderlust, dissociation, materialism and spirituality, even gentrification and environmentalism at points. It sounds on paper like the messages would all get muddled but they don't. I got misty eyed at the title track, and while I usually get attached emotionally to good music, that doesn't happen to me a lot. It's all delivered in a very human way. It's human music. Maybe the most human music. 5/5.
Joniiii
this is THE album to hear before you die like i want Hejira to be what i am hearing as my soul shuffles off this mortal coil beautiful hypnotic melodies & swirling sprawled lyricism jaco’s harmonics also had me Weak obligatory : furry sings the blues? you mean twin fantasy?
No he encontrado el álbum como tal en Spotify, pero sí las canciones live sueltas y me parecen una maravilla.
The first Joni Mitchell album I ever heard, and forty-odd years later, still amazing
my god, now this is an album i feel like is worth talking about for hours. this is not an album, this is a journey across the land. what a listen. i absolutely adore every track; just listening to those guitars for a millisecond makes me instantly spellbound, enchanted. i am here and i am happy to listen to every bit of joni's life and the clear-as-day imagery she expresses in every single line. there's certain albums that i've just... i've never heard in my life and after hearing this, i can safely say that this entry is one that has changed my life forever. it's so gorgeous.
Beautiful production and beauty in lyrics and melodies.
1001st album! (but there's about 1090 actually)
This album is a sprawling and contemplative journey though Joni Mitchell’s life at the time. Here she is unsure of what she wants, and she expertly weaves lyrics that meander yet go straight to the heart of her restlessness. The music itself is similarly open and more meandering. In this album, it’s beginning to embrace a jazz feel over the folk base. Overall, this album is intensely vulnerable, absolutely beautiful, and relatable for anyone who has ever felt adrift.
a masterpiece. Period
4.6 - Joni, I don't know why I ever doubted you. Maybe it was the collaboration with Jaco Pastorius that had me skeptical - would there be too much noodling on bass? Or, would your hippie-dippie coffehouse lyrics make me cringe? Looking back, I don't blame myself for harboring these reservations. But, goddamn, somehow you were able to tame those unruly elements and put together another masterpiece, another stunner in your stunning catalog. I'll never doubt you again, Joni.
Until now I've only heard Joni's Blue and Ladies of the Canyon, both of which I adore. Hejira is definitely different from those albums' guitar- and piano-driven sounds and I LOVE IT TOO. Joni's vocals and lyrics are just so so singular and special. No skips. I can't wait to put this on my regular rotation. Would I revisit this album? Absolutely!!
This album was much better than the other one of hers that I've had so far (The Hissing of Summer Lawns). Favourite songs: Black Crow, Furry Sings the Blues, A Strange Boy, Song for Sharon, Blue Motel Room, Refuge of the Roads, Amelia, Coyote Least favourite songs: Hejira 5/5
a sound so comforting, as well, as songwriting and chords that flow so seamlessly yet can still surprise you. An absolute master at work
What a run of albums led to this. One of her most enigmatic, but seductive albums. Everything comes together on the final track which one of my very favourite of hers.
Very interesting how this reminds me of Sting and Red House Painters at the same time. I've never really listened to Joni Mitchell before and I really dug this. Everything feels carefully calculated yet effortless as the instruments weave around her voice with an unusual quality. The inclusion of Jaco Pastorius was a perfect touch.
The third album from Joni Mitchell's 1974-1976 period. Like Court and Spark', and 'The Hissing of Summer Lawns' it is jazz, blues and folk infused, lyrically dense, and excellent. This record may be the best of the three. It is characterised by long, meandering, chilled, songs. They tell stories of the road, on which they were written. Despite being long and verbose, Mitchell's voice makes them constantly lovely and never boring. Every so often a lyric will jump out and plant an image in your brain. Here are two examples: From Refuge of the Road: "In a highway service station Over the month of June Was a photograph of the earth Taken coming back from the moon And you couldn't see a city On that marbled bowling ball Or a forest or a highway Or me here, least of all" From Blue Motel Room: "You and me, we're like America and Russia We're always keeping score We're always balancing the power And that can get to be a cold cold war We're going to have to hold ourselves a peace talk In some neutral cafe You lay down your sneaking round the town, honey And I'll lay down the highway" A quality album. Rating: 4.5/5 Playlist track: Coyote Date listened: 08/09/23
This is a 5 star Joni album that stands up there with “The Hissing of Summer Lawns” and “Blue”.
Everything by Joni Mitchell is 5 Stars. She's the fame Bob Dylan.
10/10 Some of Joni Mitchell’s best work absolutely breathtaking
pretty nice
Of course, a wonderful record. If I had my way, I’d meet Joni Mitchell in a cafe on the road (always the road). We’d have a torrid love affair with a lot of conversation and mid-afternoon wine at cafes and then we’d part and she’d stay on the road and it would be my deepest wish that our brief time together be memorialized in a single phrase on a Joni album as great as this.
Joni is a legend and this is one of her best. 10/10
An important and exciting transition point in Joni Mitchell's career. I love hearing her experiment with these kinds of arrangements where everything feels so open but still remains grounded by her songwriting.
At the very least this is my 2nd or maybe 3rd favorite Joni Mitchell album.
Hejira is Joni Mitchell in constant change and constantly moving. It's folk in the backseat of a car, progessive poprock on a plane, and jazzy fretless bass on a train. Always while looking up and realizing that the clouds and the world around her are moving much faster. Hejira somehow creates even more vivid mental imagery than the masterpiece Blue, and Mitchell constantly seems to be in complete control of not only her own voice but the expressions of a dozen genres. Everything comes together when she momentarily directs her melancholic gaze backwards in time on the phenomenal 'Furry Sings the Blues'. This is what every singer/songwriter should aspire to be.
Legit this album is everything, it is perfection