#53 Joni Mitchell ~ The Hissing of Summer Lawns

 
The Hissing of Summer Lawns was a landmark album for Joni Mitchell as it followed up her biggest selling album (& one of the best ever released), Court & Spark. Mitchell could have chosen to play it safe & release Court & Spark part 2, but she didn't. She challenged her fan base with her growing appreciation of complex rhythms, Jazzy chords & a style of musical progression that reflected rhetorical questions. Her lyrics were no longer easy to decode personal confessions but convoluted essays that observed the human condition. Mitchell began to write about characters that portrayed the most controversial aspects of our controlled society, demonstrating that when we allow others to think for us, we are victims in life; whereas, when we take control of our thoughts we begin to experience true freedom, often for the first time. All of the questions that Mitchell asked on Hissing led her to the brilliant conclusion, Shadows & Light, that all life is DUALITY, "this & that" & not "this or that"! An incredible book