Joni Mitchell sings directly to my soul.
A Canadian songbird, a wild child, a kindred spirit. I’ve never known Joni, nor do I ever expect to, but I couldn’t imagine my relationship with music without her ever presence. Every year around Christmas time I sit down at the piano and play this song: “River.” To be honest, it’s the only song I want to sing during the holidays. I remember the first time I heard it - the borrowed melodic motif from “Jingle Bells” instantly caught my ear with that distinct major sixth interval pulling my heartstrings ever so subtly.
In an NPR interview, Joni once said about the track, “We needed a sad Christmas song, didn't we? In the "bah humbug" of it all?” That’s exactly the space that “River” occupies during the holidays. There is a particular melancholy that this time of year carries; no matter how many eggnog cocktails we inhale, sadness somehow still lingers softly in the air.
Yet, it amazes me the joy that is effortlessly shared throughout Christmas time. Joni’s pure voice and brutally honest lyrics bring perspective, but hope still shines even through her darkness. After so many years of playing this beautiful song to an empty room, I wanted to capture an authentic, stripped-down performance, just like the way she recorded it.
Merry Christmas.
xo,
Phöenix Lazare
A Canadian songbird, a wild child, a kindred spirit. I’ve never known Joni, nor do I ever expect to, but I couldn’t imagine my relationship with music without her ever presence. Every year around Christmas time I sit down at the piano and play this song: “River.” To be honest, it’s the only song I want to sing during the holidays. I remember the first time I heard it - the borrowed melodic motif from “Jingle Bells” instantly caught my ear with that distinct major sixth interval pulling my heartstrings ever so subtly.
In an NPR interview, Joni once said about the track, “We needed a sad Christmas song, didn't we? In the "bah humbug" of it all?” That’s exactly the space that “River” occupies during the holidays. There is a particular melancholy that this time of year carries; no matter how many eggnog cocktails we inhale, sadness somehow still lingers softly in the air.
Yet, it amazes me the joy that is effortlessly shared throughout Christmas time. Joni’s pure voice and brutally honest lyrics bring perspective, but hope still shines even through her darkness. After so many years of playing this beautiful song to an empty room, I wanted to capture an authentic, stripped-down performance, just like the way she recorded it.
Merry Christmas.
xo,
Phöenix Lazare
