Mitchell began singing in small nightclubs in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, and throughout western Canada, before moving on to the nightclubs of Toronto, Ontario. She moved to the United States and began touring in 1965. Some of her original songs ("Urge for Going", "Chelsea Morning", "Both Sides, Now", "The Circle Game") were recorded by other folk singers, allowing her to sign with Reprise Records and record her debut album, Song to a Seagull, in 1968. Settling in Southern California, Mitchell helped define an era and a generation with popular songs like "Big Yellow Taxi" and "Woodstock". Her 1971 album Blue is often cited as one of the best albums of all time; it was rated the 30th best album ever made in Rolling Stone's 2003 list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time", rising to number 3 in the 2020 edition. In 2000, The New York Times chose Blue as one of the 25 albums that represented "turning points and pinnacles in 20th-century popular music". NPR ranked Blue number 1 on a 2017 list of Greatest Albums Made by Women.
Mitchell switched labels and began exploring more jazz-influenced melodic ideas, by way of lush pop textures, on 1974's Court and Spark, which featured the radio hits "Help Me" and "Free Man in Paris" and became her best-selling album. Mitchell's vocal range began to shift from mezzo-soprano to more of a wide-ranging contralto around 1975. Her distinctive piano and open-tuned guitar compositions also grew more harmonically and rhythmically complex as she melded jazz with rock and roll, R&B, classical music and non-Western beats. In the late 1970s, she began working with noted jazz musicians including Jaco Pastorius, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, and Pat Metheny as well as Charles Mingus, who asked her to collaborate on his final recordings. She later turned to pop and electronic music and engaged in political protest. She was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 44th Annual Grammy Awards in 2002 and became a Kennedy Center Honoree in 2021.
Mitchell produced or co-produced most of her albums. A critic of the music industry, she quit touring and released her 17th and last album of original songs in 2007. Mitchell has designed most of her own album covers, describing herself as a "painter derailed by circumstance".
Be Cool
Joni Mitchell Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Everybody's gonna name
It's, be cool!
If you're worried or uncertain
If your feelings are hurtin'
You're a fool if you can't keep cool
Charm 'em
Don't alarm 'em
Keep your worries out of sight
And play it cool
Play it cool
Fifty-fifty
Fire and ice
If your heart is on the floor
Cause you've just seen your lover
Comin' through the door with a new fool,
Be cool
Don't get riled
Smile-keep it light
Be your own best friend tonight
And play it cool
Play it cool
Fifty-fifty
Fire and ice
Don't get jealous
Don't get over-zealous
Keep your cool
Don't whine
Kiss of that flaky valentine
You're nobody's fool
Be cool fool
Be cool
(Lots of other fish in the sea)
Play it cool
Play it cool
Fifty-fifty
Fire and ice
So if there's one rule to this game
Everybody's gonna name
It's, be cool
If you're worried or uncertain
If your feelings are hurtin'
You're a fool if you can't keep cool
They want you to
Charm 'em
Don't alarm 'em
Keep things light
Keep your worries out of sight
And play it cool
Play it cool
Fifty-fifty
Fire and ice
Joni Mitchell's "Be Cool" is a song that emphasizes the importance of keeping one's cool in any situation in life. The song starts by suggesting that the most important rule to follow in this game of life is to be cool. The lyrics explain that it is foolish to worry and be uncertain or let one's hurt feelings take over. Instead, one should keep calm, charm them, not alarm them, keep things light, and keep one's worries out of sight. The song implies that everyone has fifty-fifty fire and ice in them, so one should control those emotions to keep cool. The lyrics then go on to suggest that if someone's heart is on the floor, they have seen their lover with a new fool, then they should smile, keep it light, be their own best friend, and play it cool.
The lyrics of "Be Cool" are spiced up with some interesting literary devices such as rhymes and personification. The song employs imperfect rhymes such as "uncertain-hurtin'" and "riled-smile." The repetition of the phrase "be cool" and "play it cool" emphasizes the message of the song that one should always keep their cool. Additionally, the reference to "fifty-fifty" suggests that everyone has ice and fire in them, and it's essential to balance those emotions to remain cool.
Line by Line Meaning
If there's one rule to this game
In this game of life, there's one rule that everyone should know
Everybody's gonna name
Everyone will agree on it
It's, be cool!
The rule is to always stay calm and composed
If you're worried or uncertain
If you're feeling anxious or unsure
If your feelings are hurtin'
If you're feeling emotional pain
You're a fool if you can't keep cool
You'll be foolish if you can't remain calm
Charm 'em
Use your charm to win people over
Don't alarm 'em
Don't cause a scene or make people uncomfortable
Keep things light
Keep the mood positive and relaxed
Keep your worries out of sight
Don't let other people see your fears and anxieties
And play it cool
Stay calm and composed
Fifty-fifty
Equal parts
Fire and ice
Passion and detachment
If your heart is on the floor
If you're feeling heartbroken
Cause you've just seen your lover
Because you just saw your significant other
Comin' through the door with a new fool
Entering with a new partner
Don't get riled
Don't get angry or upset
Smile-keep it light
Keep a smile on your face and act casual
Be your own best friend tonight
Take care of yourself and be kind to yourself
Don't get jealous
Don't feel envious of others
Don't get over-zealous
Don't become too enthusiastic or overbearing
Don't whine
Don't complain or be negative
Kiss of that flaky valentine
Forget about that unreliable partner
You're nobody's fool
Don't let anyone take advantage of you
Be cool fool
Stay calm and composed, friend
(Lots of other fish in the sea)
(There are plenty of other options out there)
They want you to
Other people want you to stay calm and composed
Play it cool
Stay calm and composed
So if there's one rule to this game
In summary, if there's one thing to remember in life
Everybody's gonna name
Everyone will agree on it
It's, be cool
It's to always stay calm and composed
They want you to
Others want you to remain calm
Charm 'em
Win them over with your charm
Don't alarm 'em
Don't make people uncomfortable
Keep things light
Keep the mood positive
Keep your worries out of sight
Don't show others your fears or anxieties
And play it cool
Stay calm and composed
Fifty-fifty
Equally balanced
Fire and ice
Emotional passion and detachment
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JONI MITCHELL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind