I am at once shattered and glowing
I started the Albums of Our Lives series at The Rumpus this summer, but hadn’t written one myself until this past week. The hardest part, besides finding the time, was picking an album, because there are so many that are so damn important to me. But Joni Mitchell’s Blue imposed itself on me. When the trees are mostly naked and suddenly we’re bombarded with all things winter holidays I always turn to this remarkable album. Here’s a choice bit, the entirety is available here:
“Bliss, melancholy—Blue is both at once, just as the holiday season is for me. Unabashedly sentimental, devoid of irony, Joni Mitchell tells stories of love and loneliness and somehow manages to keep her songs simple, pure and unadorned. When I listen to Blue I am alone. I am also a kid again, dancing and singing along with my mother and sister. I am the fragile twentysomething constantly getting her heart broken. I am the new mother trading in sleep for a solitary moment to write. I am at once shattered and glowing.”
