California (Joni Mitchell song)

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"California"
Single by Joni Mitchell
from the album Blue
B-side"A Case of You"
Released1971
Recorded1971
GenreFolk rock
Length3:48
LabelReprise
Songwriter(s)Joni Mitchell
Producer(s)Joni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell singles chronology
"Carey"
(1971) 		"California"
(1971) 		"You Turn Me On, I'm a Radio"
(1972)
Official audio
"California" on YouTube

"California" is a song written by Joni Mitchell that first appeared on her 1971 album Blue. It was also released as the second single from the album, as a follow-up to "Carey".

Background[edit]

Mitchell wrote "California" while living in France, but longing for the creative climate she had experienced in California.[1]

Composition and reviews[edit]

In the song, she expresses the depth of her longing for California despite considering herself a member of the counterculture.[1] Like "Carey", "California" takes the form of a travelogue, and uses a stream of consciousness narrative technique.[2][3] Pitchfork critic Jessica Hopper describes both songs as "how-Joni-got-her-groove-back ditties".[4] The lyrics tell of her time in France, a trip she took to Spain, and an excursion to a Greek island.[2] At the end of each story in each location, she expresses her desire to be back in California.[2] The person that "Carey" was based on also appears in the second verse of "California".[5][6] According to author Larry David Smith, Mitchell uses the descriptions in "California" as a strategy to demonstrate "principles associated with the Earth Mother manifesto."[2]

"California" uses a verse-bridge structure.[5] James Taylor plays guitar,[1][3] Sneaky Pete Kleinow pedal steel guitar, Russ Kunkel drums and percussion.[3] According to singer Estrella Berosini, the recitative phrasing Mitchell uses on "California" was influenced by California singer Laura Allan.[3] According to Rolling Stone critic Timothy Crouse, the song "jumps along in quick bursts", but the refrain is "flowing" with tango elements.[7] Crouse praised the "subtlety" of the production, particularly "James Taylor's twitchy guitar and Russ Kunkel's superb, barely detectable high-hat and bass-pedal work."[7]

Critic Kim Ruehl called "California" one of the highlights of Blue, describing it as "personal and largely sentimental."[8] Cash Box said it was "within the basic framework of most of Joni's previous material except for a most unusual melody."[9] Record World said it was a "beauty" and had Mitchell's "distinctive, personal stamp on it."[10]

"California" was included on Mitchell's 1998 compilation album Hits[11] and on her self-chosen 2004 compilation album Dreamland.[12]

Covers and legacy[edit]

American group Wilson Phillips covered the song as the title track to their 2004 studio album California.

Bob Dylan played Mitchell's recording on the "California" episode of Season 2 of his Theme Time Radio Hour show in 2007.[13]

"California" is quoted in the 2014 film Wild, in which Cheryl Strayed (as played by Reese Witherspoon) writes the line "Will you take me as I am?" in the Pacific Crest Trail register on day 9 of her journey.[14]

Personnel[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c Bego, M. (2005). Joni Mitchell. Taylor Trade Publications. pp. 86–89, 98–99. ISBN 9781589792210.
  2. ^ a b c d Smith, L.D. (2004). Elvis Costello, Joni Mitchell and the Torch Song Tradition. Greenwood Publishing. pp. 48, 50. ISBN 9780275973926.
  3. ^ a b c d Weller, S. (2008). Girls Like Us. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 9781416564775.
  4. ^ Hopper, J. (November 9, 2012). "Joni Mitchell The Studio Albums 1968-1979". pitchfork.com. Retrieved 2014-06-04.
  5. ^ a b Whitesell, L. (2008). The Music of Joni Mitchell. Oxford University Press. pp. 90, 148–150. ISBN 9780199719099.
  6. ^ Marc Myers, "Joni Mitchell on the Muse Behind ‘Carey’", The Wall Street Journal, 11 November 2014.
  7. ^ a b Crouse, T. (January 21, 1997). "Blue". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on October 1, 2007. Retrieved 2014-06-04.
  8. ^ Ruehl, K. "Joni Mitchell - Blue". About.com. Archived from the original on 2010-09-24. Retrieved 2014-06-04.
  9. ^ "CashBox Record Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. October 23, 1971. p. 18. Retrieved 2021-12-10.
  10. ^ "Single Product" (PDF). Record World. October 23, 1971. p. 8. Retrieved 2023-04-12.
  11. ^ Parisien, R. "Hits". Allmusic. Retrieved 2014-06-04.
  12. ^ Jurek, T. "Dreamland". Allmusic. Retrieved 2014-06-04.
  13. ^ "Episode 54: California". Theme Time Radio Hour Archive. 27 April 2015. Retrieved 2021-04-10.
  14. ^ "Joni Mitchell Library - Blue @ 50: Joni Mitchell's Music in Film: Film Experience, June 18, 2021". jonimitchell.com. Retrieved 2022-02-11.

External links[edit]

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