YMMV / Joni Mitchell

• Anvilicious: A frequent complaint against her is that in The '80s her political and Protest Songs fell victim to this.
• Awesome Music:
  • Pretty much everything she had done between 1968 - 1976. The fans have also voted Hejira as one of her best album on Mitchell's official website, second only to Blue (Joni Mitchell Album).
  • The Shadows and Light live album, due to its backing band essentially being a supergroup of Mitchell, guitarist Pat Metheny, pianist Lyle Mays, bassist Jaco Pastorius, saxophonist Michael Brecker and percussionist Don Alias.
• Broken Base: Fans of her earlier, folkier work vs. her later, jazzier albums. Her 1975-79 albums are hugely divisive.
• Covered Up: Many of her songs are more commonly remembered by their covered versions.
  • Judy Collins' cover of "Both Sides, Now" was a top 10 hit in 1967.
  • Counting Crows' cover of "Big Yellow Taxi" is still making the rounds on in-store and public radio.
  • "Woodstock" is arguably better known for its rock-flavored cover version by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young than Joni's version.
• Creator Worship: Frequently considered one of the greatest songwriters and artists of all time, with a particular influence on female artists who emerged after her.
• Fandom-Enraging Misconception: Fans do not take kindly to the misconception that she's a folk singer.
• Gateway Series: She's one for female singer-songwriters. Her mid-late '70s period is also a gateway for jazz music, due to her having worked with a number of contemporary jazz musicians, including Pat Metheny, Jaco Pastorious, Wayne Shorter and others.
• Once Original, Now Common: She could easily be mistaken for the wave of Canadian adult alternative female singer-songwriters that popped up in the '90s had she not done it over 20 years before them. A lot of these artists did acknowledge the debt they owed to her. Mitchell was also a lot more musically adventurous than the likes of Alanis Morissette and Sarah McLachlan.
• Refrain from Assuming: A few songs, particularly "Big Yellow Taxi" (not "You don't know what you got till it's gone") and "Woodstock" ("Back to the Garden").
• Sampled Up: Before Counting Crows had a hit with their cover of "Big Yellow Taxi", the original version was sampled prominently by Janet Jackson for her single "Got 'til It's Gone." Joni receives a "featuring" credit on the song because of it.
• Signature Song: "Big Yellow Taxi". The only song most casual listeners can name offhand. Though the heartbreaking use of her newer version of "Both Sides Now" in Love Actually raised its profile quite a bit.
• Values Dissonance: The cover of Don Juan's Reckless Daughter shows Mitchell in blackface and as a man. The back cover depicts her as a Native American. This would be unthinkable today.
• Vindicated by History: Her mid-late '70s albums, including The Hissing of Summer Lawns, Hejira, Don Juan's Reckless Daughter and Mingus, alienated her pop fanbase and were trashed by critics, but are now regarded as classics over the years. Björk cited Don Juan's Reckless Daughter as her favorite album. Fans voted Hejira as her second best album on Mitchell's official website.

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