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".
Smokin'
Joni Mitchell Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Nicotine, nicotine
Try another
Try another
Try another
Try another
Empty, empty, try another
Try another
Try another
Try another
Empty, empty, try another
Try another
Try another
Try another
Try another
Empty, empty, try another
Smoke, smoke, smoke, smoke
Try another
Try another
Try another
Try another
Empty, empty, try another
At first glance, the lyrics to Joni Mitchell's song "Smokin'" seem to be a blunt endorsement of nicotine addiction. However, upon closer inspection, it becomes clearer that the repetitive refrain of "try another, empty, empty, try another" creates a feeling of emptiness and dissatisfaction with the act of smoking. The repetition also mirrors the addictive nature of smoking, with the smoker constantly seeking another hit to try and satisfy their cravings. The lines "nicotine attack, nicotine, nicotine" describe the physical effects of smoking and the addictive hold it can have on the body.
The chorus of "smoke, smoke, smoke, smoke" seems to be a commentary on the smoker's reality being clouded and obscured by the act of smoking, as well as the smoke itself. Joni Mitchell's choice to repeat the phrase "empty, empty" reflects the idea that smoking can leave the individual feeling hollow and unfulfilled. In this way, the song could be interpreted as a warning against smoking and its negative effects on both physical and mental health.
Overall, "Smokin'" serves as a thought-provoking commentary on addiction and the allure of substances that can bring temporary pleasure but ultimately lead to a sense of dissatisfaction and emptiness.
Line by Line Meaning
Nicotine Attack!
Feeling the intense desire to smoke or consume nicotine.
Nicotine, Nicotine!
Calling out or acknowledging the substance that the singer is addicted to.
Try Another
Attempting to replace one addiction with another in order to cope or satisfy a craving.
Try Another
Continuing to seek out new forms of stimulation in a desperate attempt to fill a void.
Try Another
Going through a cycle of trying different vices or distractions, without finding any lasting or satisfying relief.
Empty, empty try another
Feeling the emptiness or hollowness of one's addiction, while still being compelled to seek out something to fill the void.
Lyrics © RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC
Written by: Joni Mitchell
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind