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".
Shades of Scarlett Conquering
Joni Mitchell Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Comes Scarlett and her deep complaint
Mimicking tenderness she sees
In sentimental movies
A celluloid rider comes to town
Cinematic lovers sway
Plantations and sweeping ballroom gowns
Take her breath away
Out in the wind in crinolines
Chasing the ghosts of Gable and Flynn
Through stand-in boys and extra players
Magnolias hopeful in her auburn hair
She comes from a school of southern charm
She likes to have things her way
Any man in the world holding out his arm
Would soon be made to pay
Friends have told her not so proud
Neighbors trying to sleep and yelling "Not so loud!"
Lovers in anger Block of Ice
Harder and harder just to be nice
Given in the night to dark dreams
From the dark things she feels
She covers her eyes in the x-rated scenes
Running from the reels
Beauty and madness to be praised
Cause it is not easy to be brave
To walk around in so much need
To carry the weight of all that greed
Dressed in stolen clothes she stands
Cast iron and frail
With her impossibly gentle hands
And her blood-red fingernails
Out of the fire and still smoldering
She says "A woman must have everything"
Shades of Scarlett Conquering
She says "A woman must have everything"
The lyrics of Shades Of Scarlett Conquering by Joni Mitchell appear to be a commentary on the unrealistic and damaging expectations placed upon women by society, particularly those in the entertainment industry. Scarlett is portrayed as a figure who has absorbed these expectations, emulating the behavior of movie stars without realizing that it is just a portrayal. The references to Catholic saints and Southern charm suggest that Scarlett is conforming to societal norms, but the lyrics explain how these norms are ultimately confining and limiting to any woman who tries to conform to them. The reference to chasing the ghosts of Gable and Flynn brings to mind old Hollywood films where women were typically portrayed as damsels in distress or love interests, often wearing crinoline prom dresses and magnolia flowers in their hair.
As the lyrics continue, it becomes clear that Scarlett is struggling with her own identity and the disconnect between her on-screen persona and her true self. She is unable to connect with others on a deep level, finding it harder and harder to be nice to lovers that are angry and wishing to run away from dark dreams she feels. Inherently, Scarlett is fighting with the need to be everything: beautiful, mad, brave, and weighed down by greed. She is in a sense fighting to conquer these notions about herself.
Overall, Shades Of Scarlett Conquering is a powerful commentary on the pressure and expectations that are placed upon women in society, and the potential negative consequences that can arise from trying to conform to them.
Line by Line Meaning
Out of the fire like Catholic saints
Scarlett emerges from the flames like a religious figure, conveying her strength and resilience
Comes Scarlett and her deep complaint
Scarlett arrives with a mournful tone and a sense of dissatisfaction with life
Mimicking tenderness she sees
Scarlett imitates the idea of love and romance that she sees in movies and on screen
In sentimental movies
Scarlett's inspiration for her behavior comes from the overblown romance of movies and cinema
A celluloid rider comes to town
A romanticized, larger-than-life figure enters Scarlett's world
Cinematic lovers sway
The people in Scarlett's life try to mimic the behavior of lovers in the movies
Plantations and sweeping ballroom gowns
The lavish, exaggerated surroundings of Scarlett's Southern upbringing that inspire her fantasies
Take her breath away
Scarlett is easily swept away by the grandeur she encounters and struggles to keep a grip on the reality of the world
Out in the wind in crinolines
Scarlett's physical presence is fleeting and insubstantial, like the fabric of her dress in the wind
Chasing the ghosts of Gable and Flynn
Scarlett dreams of the past and the film stars who represented unattainable ideals of love
Through stand-in boys and extra players
The men in Scarlett's life are interchangeable, never quite living up to her expectations because they are just extras in her story
Magnolias hopeful in her auburn hair
Scarlett attempts to embody her desired image of a Southern belle, with the flowers in her hair representing a false fulfllment of her dreams
She comes from a school of southern charm
Scarlett hails from the traditional and romanticized South, with an emphasis on feminine grace and charm
She likes to have things her way
Scarlett's strong-willed and selfish demeanor drives her determination to have control over every aspect of her life
Any man in the world holding out his arm
Scarlett has no room for compromise in her search for love and happiness, despite the possible consequences
Would soon be made to pay
Those who stand in Scarlett's way or fail to meet her standards are punished for their shortcomings
Friends have told her not so proud
Scarlett's loved ones attempt to dissuade her from her destructive behavior and attitude
Neighbors trying to sleep and yelling 'Not so loud!'
The people around Scarlett are negatively impacted by her behavior and feel the need to speak out
Lovers in anger Block of Ice
Scarlett's romantic relationships are fraught with conflict and tension, leaving her emotionally frozen
Harder and harder just to be nice
Scarlett's selfish nature makes it difficult for her to put others' needs ahead of her own
Given in the night to dark dreams
Scarlett's restless mind is plagued by dark and unsettling thoughts that invade her sleep
From the dark things she feels
Scarlett's complexes and emotional turmoil are the root of her troubles
She covers her eyes in the x-rated scenes
Scarlett cannot bear to confront the darker, more explicit side of her desires and impulses
Running from the reels
Scarlett struggles to distinguish between reality and the grandiose, fantasy world that dominates her thoughts
Beauty and madness to be praised
Scarlett's behavior and mental state, while potentially destructive, possess a certain allure
Cause it is not easy to be brave
Scarlett's actions require a certain amount of courage and conviction, for better or worse
To walk around in so much need
Scarlett is plagued by a deep-seated sense of longing and emptiness that drives her behavior
To carry the weight of all that greed
Scarlett's focus on material wealth and status is a heavy burden and takes its toll on her
Dressed in stolen clothes she stands
Scarlett's sense of identity and sense of self-worth are built upon a foundation of secrets and deceit
Cast iron and frail
Scarlett's resilience is tempered by her vulnerability and brittleness
With her impossibly gentle hands
Scarlett's outward appearance belies her inner strength and tenacity
And her blood-red fingernails
Scarlett's physical appearance suggests a mixture of danger and sensuality
Out of the fire and still smoldering
Scarlett retains her passion and drive, despite the obstacles she has faced
She says 'A woman must have everything'
Scarlett's unrelenting ambition and sense of entitlement drive her to seek fulfillment and satisfaction in every aspect of her life
Shades of Scarlett Conquering
Scarlett's formidable will and power to overcome any challenge are embodied in the image of her conquering all opposition
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JONI MITCHELL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind