In the work of the author in any genre there is always the first composition that made him famous. Having received this first achievement, the author becomes known to the general public and, depending on the quality of his compositions, can either become a long shining star in the musical sky or a short glimpse.
The song “Both Sides Now” was written by Canadian singer Joni Mitchell. Many consider her one of the most important performers of the rock era. Her first composition, which became quite famous, was “Both Sides Now”. “Both Sides Now” was first performed by folk singer Judy Collins in 1966, and already in 1967 it appeared on the album of the same singer. Less than a year later, in 1968, the song began to be performed as a separate single. Listeners rated this song positively. It became a hit and was able to take 8th place on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the United States.
In 2001, the album, dubbed “Both Sides Now”, won two Grammy Awards, as did the song. The winning nomination for the album was the “traditional pop vocal album” nomination. This composition was also noted as a victory in the category “Best Performance in the Folk Genre” in 1968.
Note that the album “Both Sides Now” is a collection of compositions through which the authors and performers represent the development of relationships. Classic jazz compositions with orchestral arrangements of jazz rhythms attracted the interest of listeners. The limited edition of this album was released for Valentine’s Day.
What is remarkable about the composition “Both Sides Now”. The content of the song is dedicated to contemplation.
The author, in the words of the performer, created a reflection on the complexity of being. It also touches upon reflections on the nature of life.
An idea of how our life has developed can only be obtained by looking at it from two sides. The author offers an analogy with clouds for this. Huge arrays that look like ice cream and flowing hair of angels. He sees clouds like that, but at the same time, with their beauty, they block the sun from us. From these beautiful objects, snow and rain fall on us.
Clouds block the performer’s path, and therefore he looks at them from two sides. From above and below, observing the clouds, you can look at them, but this does not allow you to recognize them. The performer admits that even observation from two points does not allow him to recognize the clouds.
The situation is similar with love. In the composition, the performer is thinking about love. As with the clouds, he indicates that at first he looked at love from one side. The dizzying feeling of love created the impression that any fairy tale comes true. This is how they see love.
However, now, after a while, love appeared in a different form. The beloved person left, and the performer laughed. It became a lesson. A lesson in not opening up to people. Do not waste yourself with these discoveries.
Now the performer has an understanding that love has different sides. Love takes and gives at the same time. Remembering her former love, she comes to the realization that she did not know anything about her.
The various feelings shown during love relationships were a misconception about life.
In the penultimate verse, the performer notes that day after day she acquired something that changed her. It was these changes that led to the fact that her acquaintances noted the changes in her.
The last lines of the song are devoted to the fact that as a result of all the changes she looks at life from two sides. Being both a loser and a winner at the same time. The illusions of life that she considers give her the idea that she does not know this life. In fact, the whole composition, remembering love and life, boils down to the fact that the author, through the performer, broadcasts his thought, similar to “I know that I don’t know anything.”
Both Sides Now was a sequence of relationships from infatuation to philosophical acceptance of inevitability. The composition “Both Sides Now”, included in this album, presents us with the message that we can understand the meaning of our life by experiencing it in numerous manifestations. Only this test will allow us to get an idea of her beauty.
