Unveiling the Untold Stories Behind Joni Mitchell’s Iconic Music in Paul Lisicky’s Riveting New Memoir
Music as its own language is a clear thread throughout Song So Wild and Blue. Lisicky observes:
Music is water: I understand it to be so in that it breaks down levels; it equalizes. Once anyone is inside music, there isn’t a boss of it; the listener means as much as the players. And we aren’t ourselves anymore, not quite, with our usual heaviness and dashed hopes. If anything, it makes us lighter, buoyant. We float.
Music as an equalizer that ebbs and flows, forming a bond with the listener has as much to do with the melody and instruments as it has to do with the written notes and words. The poetics and storytelling that lift listeners in music and form metaphors, themes, and imagery equally hold their weight and importance in other written forms such as prose. Floating on the musicality of songwriting starts as a way for Lisicky to analyze, understand, and appreciate Mitchell’s greatest hits and deep cuts, but it quickly evolves into a life raft, guiding his understanding of his own writings and journey as a writer, musician, educator, and editor.
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