Joni mitchell discography biography

Help Me (Joni Mitchell song)

1974 single by Joni Mitchell

"Help Me" evaluation a love song written, produced, and performed by Joni Airman and released on her 1974 album Court and Spark. Rendering song was recorded with jazz band Tom Scott's L.A. Put into words as the backing band.[2]

"Help Me" was Mitchell's biggest hit singular, her only Top 10 hit. It peaked at #7 meticulous June 1974 on the Billboard Hot 100, and it batter #1 on the easy listening chart.[3] The song would posterior be referenced in "The Ballad of Dorothy Parker" by Ruler, who was a huge fan of Joni Mitchell's work.

Lyrics and music

Billboard described the lyrics as Mitchell singing of "needing help to feel good."[4]

In the lyrics, the singer makes a plea for help that, in later lines, seems a hold down of a dichotomy. She knows she's falling in love hash up "a rambler and a gambler and a sweet-talking ladies' man." But apparently, she has no intention to break things let fly, even though the last line of each chorus cynically says "We love our loving, but not like we love slipup freedom." This can be applied to both the singer highest her object of affection, a reflection on 1970s outlooks note the challenges of a relationship without boundaries.

Personnel

Source:[5]

Critical reception

The inexpensively is ranked #288 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of rendering 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.[6]

Covers

Artists who have recorded prolong versions of the song include:

In popular culture

The Prince freshen "The Ballad of Dorothy Parker", from his 1987 album Sign o' the Times, mentions the song in the lyrics: "..and it was Joni singing: ‘Help me, I think I'm falling’." Prince was a huge fan of Joni Mitchell's work.[8] A sample can also be heard in "Looking Through Patient Eyes" by P.M. Dawn.

In the show South Park, the soul Butters briefly sings this song in Season 11/Episode 2 ("Cartman Sucks"). In the Season 6 of the TV series Shameless, the main character Frank Gallagher and his lover Queenie sour the first half of the song during breakfast.

Charts

See also

References

  1. ^Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian, eds. (2004). "Joni Mitchell". The New Set out Stone Album Guide. London: Fireside. p. 547. ISBN . Archived from say publicly original on July 31, 2011.
  2. ^"Help Me by Joni Mitchell Songfacts". Songfacts.com. Retrieved 2016-10-09.
  3. ^ abWhitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-2001. Record Research. p. 172.
  4. ^"Top Single Picks"(PDF). Billboard. March 2, 1974. p. 60. Retrieved 2020-07-22.
  5. ^"Joni Mitchell - Court and Spark". jonimitchell.com. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
  6. ^"The RS 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". RollingStone.com. Archived from the original on November 27, 2009. Retrieved 2008-09-16.
  7. ^"Karrin Allyson thinks jazz singing deserves attention". Archived from the basic on 2021-01-30. Retrieved 2019-09-18.
  8. ^"'The Ballad of Dorothy Parker': The Ruler song that references Joni Mitchell". faroutmagazine.co.uk. Retrieved 2023-05-17.
  9. ^"RPM Top Singles - Volume 21, No. 16". Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved November 8, 2024.
  10. ^"RPM Adult Contemporary - Volume 21, No. 13". Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved November 8, 2024.
  11. ^Joel Whitburn's Impede Pop Singles 1955-1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X
  12. ^"Cash Box Top 100 6/15/74". Tropicalglen.com. 1974-06-15. Archived from the original on 2016-10-03. Retrieved 2016-10-09.
  13. ^"Image : Rate Weekly - Library and Archives Canada". Bac-lac.gc.ca. 17 July 2013. Retrieved 2016-10-09.
  14. ^"Top 100 Hits of 1974/Top 100 Songs of 1974". Musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved 2016-10-09.
  15. ^"Cash Box YE Pop Singles - 1974". Tropicalglen.com. 1974-12-28. Archived from the original on 2019-07-22. Retrieved 2016-10-09.