We didn't stop playing 'Blue' for an age . . . . . . . of Aquarius
On this day in music history: June 22, 1971 - “Blue”, the fourth studio album by Joni Mitchell is released. Produced by Joni Mitchell, it is recorded at A&M Studios in Hollywood, CA from January - March 1971. Issued as the follow up to ‘Ladies Of The Canyon", the deeply introspective album features songs reflecting on relationships, and comes in the wake of Mitchell’s painful break up from longtime boyfriend Graham Nash. Nash had proposed marriage to Mitchell in 1970, and she declines the proposal fearing the constraints that it will put on her personal and artistic freedom, after what she had experienced in her brief first marriage to musician Chuck Mitchell in 1965. Following her split with Nash, she flies off to Europe on vacation and writes many of the songs that turn up on the finished album. One earlier song titled “Little Green” (written in 1967) is a last minute addition. It is about the daughter she had given up for adoption, a fact that is not revealed publicly until they are reunited in 1993. The album is a major critical and commercial success upon its release, and is widely regarded as one of Joni Mitchell’s greatest artistic achievements. Due to its lasting popularity and influence, it is inducted into the Grammy Hall Of Fame in 1999. The album is remastered and reissued on CD in 1997 (with HDCD encoding), restoring the original cover artwork and lyric sheet. It is also being reissued as a 180 gram vinyl LP by Rhino Records in 2009. “Blue” peaks at number fifteen on the Billboard Top 200, is certified Platinum in the US by the RIAA.with thanks to the most excellent Behind The Grooves by Jeff Harris
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