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As Joni Mitchell's “Blue” turned 50 in June this year, Tami was asked by CBC to share a cover from the iconic album. She chose “River” and will be releasing it digitally Nov 9th.
“It was a huge honour to be asked by CBC to perform my hero Joni Mitchell’s “River”, to celebrate her Blue album anniversary. (And, frankly, so daunting I almost said no!) This song is one I’ve carried in my heart for most of my lifetime, across miles and oceans “
Tami Neilson first heard Joni Mitchell's song "River" as a teenager. "I was on tour with my family band all around Canada and the U.S. and for my birthday one year, my dad gave me the "Blue" album on CD. I was immediately obsessed."
For Canadian-born Neilson, "River" dives into the pain of homesickness, a sentiment that resonated deeply during her first Christmas living abroad in New Zealand, where she now lives. "Being in the southern hemisphere, the seasons are flipped so it's summer and really hot, and it's so strange to be decorating your Christmas tree in sundress. I remember putting on the "Blue" album and the song "River" came on and I just immediately started sobbing. I know this song is about regret over a broken relationship, but for me, it just became this song about homesickness and longing, and that hits hard especially this year.
(Artwork By Maria Francesca Melis, an Italian-born illustrator and graphic designer who grew up in Sardinia, a small island in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea. She currently lives and works in Auckland, New Zealand. francesca-melis.com)
lyrics
It's coming on Christmas
They're cutting down trees
They're putting up reindeer
And singing songs of joy and peace
Oh, I wish I had a river I could skate away on
But it don't snow here It stays pretty green I'm going to make a lot of money
Then I'm going to quit this crazy scene
I wish I had a river I could skate away on
I wish I had a river so long
I would teach my feet to fly
Oh, I wish I had a river
I could skate away on
I made my baby cry
He tried hard to help me
You know, he put me at ease
And he loved me so naughty
Made me weak in the knees
Oh, I wish I had a river I could skate away on
I'm so hard to handle I'm selfish and I'm sad
Now I've gone and lost the best baby
That I ever had
Oh, I wish I had a river
I could skate away on
I wish I had a river so long
I would teach my feet to fly
Oh, I wish I had a river
I could skate away on
I made my baby say goodbye
It's coming on Christmas
They're cutting down trees
They're putting up reindeer
Singing songs of joy and peace I wish I had a river
I could skate away on
"Tami Neilson is a fire-breathing belter on her own terms." -ROLLING STONE
"A great, big
canyon of a voice."
-DOWNBEAT
“Tami Neilson is a full tilt badass monster of music”
–SAVING COUNTRY MUSIC
"A red-hot honky-tonker, somewhere between Patsy Cline and Wanda Jackson with perhaps just a little bit of Peggy Lee sophistication.”- Nick Bollinger, RNZ...more
I have a TBI, so memory is a big theme of my life. And recently entered recovery, and clear so bring on more memories (like the wonderful show at the Blue Door). My dad was a steeler, starting with Rogers Twins when he was 14. Sneaked him in the back door of a Texas dance hall-he also played with Merl Lindsay before Western Swing slowly began to disappear. http://genejones.bizland.com/
Sclye
The latest from Jim Lauderdale is exclusive to Bandcamp, its songs drawing on bluegrass, country, and classic American music. Bandcamp New & Notable Mar 28, 2020
Powerful vocals and affecting lyrics, this is magnificent stuff. Thank you for sharing your art with us Reb!
Clearly, I am late to the party, but happy to be here now and will listen quietly from my corner so as not to break the spell. theUtmost