10 Perfect Rock Songs From 1971
8. River - Joni Mitchell
The beauty of the early '70s was just how spread out the entire scene was getting. Along with the new heavier sides of the genre dying out, there were also the soft souls of rock coming out of the shadows, with acts like Carole King and James Taylor seeing some of their biggest hits around this time. If you had to single out one of them though, you have to go with the woman who's an artist from skin to core.
Pretty much half of Blue could have made a list like this, but nowhere is Joni Mitchell's genius present more than on River. Before you even get to her wordplay, the instrumentation in the song is absolutely phenomenal, almost like its wrapping you up in a blanket once Joni's beautiful voice comes in. This is not a happy song though, with most of the words having subtle hints of lowliness, as she yearns for that river that she could skate away on.
Looking back on a song like this now, it's almost like you're not even listening to music anymore. This is basically a musical artist who is deciding to use her song as a way to paint images in your mind. While many artists have tried to go for an artistic mood in their music, River is poetry, passion, and musical taste all rolled into one.