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".
Night in the City
Joni Mitchell Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Light up your lazy blue eyes
Moon's up nights up
Taking the town by surprise
Night time night time
Day left an hour ago
City light time
Must you get ready so slow
There are places to come from
And places to go
Night in the city looks pretty to me
Night in the city looks fine
Music comes spilling out into the street
Colors go flashing in time
Take off take off
Take off your stay-at-home shoes
Break off shake off
Chase off those stay-at-home blues
Stairway stairway
Down to the crowds in the street
They go their way
Looking for faces to greet
But we run on laughing with no one to meet
Night in the city looks pretty to me
Night in the city looks fine
Music comes spilling out into the street
Colors go waltzing in time
In the song "Night in the City," Joni Mitchell sings about the excitement of being in the city at night. The opening verse encourages the listener to "light up your lazy blue eyes" as the night sky takes over the town unexpectedly. The first line of the verse suggests that the night may awaken a sense of wonder and curiosity in someone who has been feeling lethargic or unenthused lately. Joni understands that the nightlife is a stimulating experience that can have a transforming power. She then goes on to rhyme "night time" with "city light time," a repetition that underscores her love for the city's bright and bustling energy. However, the second line of the verse suggests that the pace of the city can be a little slow for her taste, and there's more to come and go to.
In the chorus, Joni expresses that she finds the city at night to be stunningly beautiful. The lyrics "night in the city looks pretty to me, night in the city looks fine" indicate a sense of awe and appreciation for the city. The lively atmosphere of the city is conveyed through the images of flashing and waltzing colors, and music spilling out into the street. The chorus also evokes a feeling of liberation, as if the darkness of the night lets people shed off their inhibitions and just enjoy themselves.
The second verse talks about breaking free from the mundane routine of staying at home. Joni urges the listener to "take off your stay-at-home shoes" and "break off shake off, chase off those stay-at-home blues." The repetition of "stay-at-home" emphasizes her desire for people to go out and explore the world around them. The subsequent lines mention a "stairway" which leads "down to the crowds in the street" trying to find faces to greet. While others search for someone to meet, the singer runs along "laughing with no one to meet,' implying that the thrill of the city alone is enough for her.
Line by Line Meaning
Light up, light up
Encouraging someone to brighten up their energy and enthusiasm
Light up your lazy blue eyes
Asking someone to express their internal feelings by lighting up the eyes
Moon's up nights up
Referring to the time of the night when the moon is high in the sky
Taking the town by surprise
Expressing the feeling of liveliness that comes with the night when most of the town is asleep
Night time night time
Repeating the phrase to emphasize the time of the day
Day left an hour ago
Stating the fact that it's been a while since the daytime has passed
City light time
Describing the time of the night when the city lights are turned on
Must you get ready so slow
Questioning why someone is taking so much time to get ready and enjoy the night
There are places to come from
Acknowledging the different places one comes from before enjoying the night
And places to go
Indicating that the night is full of possibilities and unknown opportunities
Night in the city looks pretty to me
Expressing the beauty of the night in the city to the singer
Night in the city looks fine
Affirming the acceptability of the night in the city
Music comes spilling out into the street
Describing the liveliness of the city at night
Colors go flashing in time
Describing the beauty of the city at night with flashing colors
Take off, take off
Encouraging someone to let go of their fears and concerns
Take off your stay-at-home shoes
Suggesting someone to put on their adventurous shoes and enjoy the night in the city
Break off shake off
Urging someone to break their routine and embrace the liveliness of the night
Chase off those stay-at-home blues
Encouraging someone to overcome their blues and enjoy the night in the city
Stairway, stairway
Referring to the path to the city where there are people to meet
Down to the crowds in the street
Describing the path that leads to crowds in the street
They go their way
Describing the various paths people take in the city
Looking for faces to greet
Describing people's tendency to socialize and meet new people in the city
But we run on laughing with no one to meet
Indicating that the singer is content with just enjoying the night without the need to socialize much
Colors go waltzing in time
Describing the playful dancing of colors in the city at night
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Joni Mitchell
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind