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".
Chelsea Morning
Joni Mitchell Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Was a song outside my window, and the traffic wrote the words
It came a-reeling up like Christmas bells and rapping up like pipes and drums
Oh, won't you stay
We'll put on the day
And we'll wear it 'till the night comes
Was the sun through yellow curtains, and a rainbow on the wall
Blue, red, green and gold to welcome you, crimson crystal beads to beckon
Oh, won't you stay
We'll put on the day
There's a sun show every second
Now the curtain opens on a portrait of today
And the streets are paved with passersby
And pigeons fly
And papers lie
Waiting to blow away
Woke up, it was a Chelsea morning, and the first thing that I knew
There was milk and toast and honey and a bowl of oranges, too
And the sun poured in like butterscotch and stuck to all my senses
Oh, won't you stay
We'll put on the day
And we'll talk in present tenses
When the curtain closes and the rainbow runs away
I will bring you incense owls by night
By candlelight
By jewel-light
If only you will stay
Pretty baby, won't you
Wake up, it's a Chelsea morning
Joni Mitchell's song "Chelsea Morning" is a description of a vibrant, joyful morning in New York City's Chelsea neighborhood. The opening lyrics describe the sounds of the city waking up, with the singer listening to a song outside her window and the traffic providing a background score. She urges her companion to stay and enjoy the day with her until evening arrives. The second verse focuses on the visual beauty of the morning, with the sun shining through colorful curtains, casting a rainbow on the wall. The morning is described as a "sun show," with the beauty of each moment lasting only seconds. The final verse shifts to the singer talking about what the day might bring, with the streets filling up and life bustling around her. She promises to share incense owls and candlelight if her beloved stays with her.
The song paints a vivid picture of a vibrant city morning, full of life and possibility. The first verse describes the sounds of the city; the second verse describes the colors and beauty of the surroundings, while the third speaks to the energy and optimism of the day. There is a sense of openness and wonder that pervades the song, as if anything could happen on this Chelsea morning. The singer is calling for her beloved to join her in experiencing the beauty and excitement of the city.
Line by Line Meaning
Woke up, it was a Chelsea morning, and the first thing that I heard
I woke up to the sound of a beautiful song outside my window while traffic wrote the lyrics.
Was a song outside my window, and the traffic wrote the words
A wonderful melody was playing outside my window and the sounds of the traffic helped create the lyrics.
It came a-reeling up like Christmas bells and rapping up like pipes and drums
The song sounded like a combination of Christmas bells ringing and pipes and drums playing.
Oh, won't you stay
We'll put on the day
And we'll wear it 'till the night comes
Won't you spend the day with me and we'll enjoy every moment until nightfall.
Woke up, it was a Chelsea morning, and the first thing that I saw
When I woke up, I saw the sun shining through yellow curtains and noticed a rainbow on the wall.
Was the sun through yellow curtains, and a rainbow on the wall
I gazed upon the beauty of the sun shining through yellow curtains and the rainbow on the wall.
Blue, red, green and gold to welcome you, crimson crystal beads to beckon
The colorful rainbow on the wall, with blue, red, green, and gold colors, invited me to start my day.
Now the curtain opens on a portrait of today
And the streets are paved with passersby
And pigeons fly
And papers lie
Waiting to blow away
Looking outside my window, I see a bustling city with streets full of people, pigeons flying, and papers waiting to blow away in the wind.
Woke up, it was a Chelsea morning, and the first thing that I knew
There was milk and toast and honey and a bowl of oranges, too
And the sun poured in like butterscotch and stuck to all my senses
I realized that there was a delicious breakfast waiting for me, complete with milk, toast, honey, and oranges. The sun's warm glow made me feel happy and invigorated.
And we'll talk in present tenses
Let's enjoy the moment and talk about what's happening now and not worry about the future or the past.
When the curtain closes and the rainbow runs away
I will bring you incense owls by night
By candlelight
By jewel-light
If only you will stay
Pretty baby, won't you
Before the day ends, I promise to make it a magical one. I will light candles and incense and create a warm, inviting atmosphere if only you will stay with me.
Wake up, it's a Chelsea morning
Wake up and enjoy the beauty of this Chelsea morning that is waiting for you.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Joni Mitchell
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind