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".
Sweet Sucker Dance
Joni Mitchell Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Cancelled on everything we opened up for
Tonight, the shadows had their say
Their sad notions of the way
Things really are
Damn these blues
They'd turn my heart against you
Since I was fool enough
I'm trying to convince myself
This is just a dance
We move in measures
Through loves' changing faces
Needy and nonchalant
Greedy and gracious
Through petty dismissals
And grand embraces
Like it was only a dance
We are survivors
Some get broken
Some get mended
Some can't surrender
They're too well defended
Some get lucky
Some are blessed
And some pretend
This is only a dance
We're dancing fools
You and me
Tonight, it's a dance of insecurity
It's my solo
While you're away
Shadows have the saddest things to say
Love
We can't live without it
Why do we go out and get it
Just to turn around and doubt it
Like we're scared to care
It's hard to talk about it
Ah, it's only a dance
Tonight the shadows had their say
There's a sucker born a day
I heard them say
Born to lose
Am I a sucker to love you?
You're such a sweet love
You're a proud man
You're a treasure
Time passes gracefully
Living can be such a pleasure
You make it easy to take it in measures
Like it was only a dance
We're dancing fools
You and me
Tonight it's a dance of insecurity
It's my solo
Blue way
And shadows have the saddest things to say
We're survivors
Some get broken
Some get mended
Some can't surrender
They're too well defended
Some get lucky
Some are blessed
And some pretend
It's only a dance
"Sweet Sucka Dance" is a song by Joni Mitchell, which explores the complexities and contradictions of relationships through the metaphor of dance. The song begins with Mitchell almost canceling plans for the evening with someone she loves due to her emotional turmoil. She is afraid that her emotional issues will affect their relationship negatively. Throughout the song, she acknowledges the many changing faces of love, from needy to nonchalant, and the moments of both grand embrace and petty dismissal. Mitchell seems to be struggling to make sense of the dance of relationships, sometimes embracing it and sometimes dismissing it altogether.
At the heart of the song is Mitchell's realization that love is complicated and that people respond to it in different ways. Some are broken while others are mended. Some are lucky, while others pretend that it's just a dance. Despite the conflicting emotions that she feels, Mitchell reassures herself that it's only a dance and that she can survive this experience.
Mitchell's poetic and honest lyrics capture the complexity of human relationships, and how they are often a dance between two people. The song reminds us that love can be both beautiful and painful, but ultimately, it is up to us to determine how we move through the dance.
Line by Line Meaning
I almost closed the door
I was nearly ready to give up on our relationship
Cancelled on everything we opened up for
I was tempted to cancel our plans for the future
Tonight, the shadows had their say
Tonight, my doubts and fears are taking over
Their sad notions of the way
These doubts and fears are telling me that love is a sad and difficult thing
Things really are
And that maybe we should give up on it
Damn these blues
These feelings of sadness and despair are overwhelming
They'd turn my heart against you
They make me feel like I shouldn't trust my love for you
Since I was fool enough
Because I was foolish enough
To find romance
To fall in love with you
I'm trying to convince myself
I'm trying to reassure myself
This is just a dance
That our love is just a fleeting thing that we shouldn't take too seriously
We move in measures
We take things slowly and carefully
Through loves' changing faces
Through the ups and downs of our relationship
Needy and nonchalant
Sometimes we need each other desperately, and other times we act as if we don't care
Greedy and gracious
Sometimes we are selfish and demanding, and other times we are sweet and giving
Through petty dismissals
Even when we argue and fight about small things
And grand embraces
And even when we share intimate, loving moments
Like it was only a dance
We treat our love as if it doesn't really matter
We are survivors
We have been through a lot together and have overcome many obstacles
Some get broken
Some people's hearts get broken by love
Some get mended
Others are able to recover and heal from their heartbreak
Some can't surrender
Some people are too afraid to let themselves fully fall in love
They're too well defended
Because they have built up walls and defenses around their heart
Some get lucky
Some people are fortunate enough to find love that lasts
Some are blessed
Others believe that they are blessed to have found true love
And some pretend
But there are others who pretend that love isn't important or meaningful
We're dancing fools
We are foolish to think that our love is just a game or a dance
Tonight, it's a dance of insecurity
Tonight, we are feeling particularly insecure about our relationship
It's my solo
I feel like I'm alone in these doubts and fears
While you're away
While you are not here with me
Love
Love is what we are struggling with
We can't live without it
Even though it can be difficult and painful
Why do we go out and get it
Why do we put ourselves through the pain and suffering of love?
Just to turn around and doubt it
Only to doubt it and question its significance and meaning
Like we're scared to care
As if we are afraid to truly open our hearts to another person
It's hard to talk about it
It's difficult to express these feelings of doubt and insecurity
Ah, it's only a dance
But we keep telling ourselves that it's all just a game or a passing fancy
There's a sucker born a day
There are always people who fall for love and get hurt
I heard them say
I've heard people say
Born to lose
That some people are destined to fail at love
Am I a sucker to love you?
Am I foolish to still love you despite these doubts and fears?
You're such a sweet love
You are such a kind and loving person
You're a proud man
You are confident and self-assured
You're a treasure
You are precious and valuable to me
Time passes gracefully
Our love has endured the test of time
Living can be such a pleasure
Life can be joyful and rewarding
You make it easy to take it in measures
You make it easy to take things slowly and carefully
Blue way
Feeling melancholy and sad
And shadows have the saddest things to say
And my doubts and fears are telling me the saddest things
Lyrics © RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC
Written by: Charles Mingus, Joni Mitchell
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind