"Help Me" by Joni Mitchell
Strong Songs
The Bar of Three Eight Is a Cool Use of Odd Meter
Most of the song is in four, four. But at two different points i each verse, she throws in a bar of three eight. It's just three eighth notes long and can really trip you up if you're trying to count along with it. The purpose of those little thre eight hiccups is to further push the listener off balance - they give them no choice but to come along for the ride.
There are few singer-songwriters as inimitable as Joni Mitchell, with her swirling song forms, leaping melodies, and that magical voice, untethered by the laws of gravity. On this episode, Kirk takes a deep dive into Joni's 1974 song "Help Me," a hummingbird of a tune hovering between commitment and flight, tumbling and falling past love and toward freedom.
Written by: Joni MItchell
Album: Court and Spark, 1974
Listen/Buy via JoniMitchell.com
Also featured:
- “Big Yellow Taxi” by Joni Mitchell from Ladies of the Canyon, 1970
- “A Case of You” and "California” by Joni from Blue, 1971
- “Coyote” by Joni from Hejira, 1976
OUTRO SOLOIST: Erik Elligers
Erik is a Connecticut-based multi-instrumentalist and music educator. He plays saxophone with the New London Big Band and sings and plays guitar for the fabulous band Goodnight Blue Moon - check them out, they're great: https://www.goodnightbluemoon.com/
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