Joni Mitchell’s “Hejira.” Released Nov. 21, 1976.
August 12 is National Vinyl Record Day, which gives me a great excuse to reactive this little online journal about my record collection. So here I go, reactivating.
I woke up this morning with an intense desire to listen to Joni Mitchell’s 1976 album Hejira. This is an album that I had listened to beginning-to-end just once, one evening a while ago when I was minding my friend Shawn’s Forever Changes record shop. I loved that first listen but had not listened to it since.
This morning though, Hejira called out to me – maybe it was something I had dreamed but forgotten – so I pulled out the record and was spinning it as I sipped coffee before 8:00 this morning.
It is now after 11:00 at night and I’m listening to it again. I have lost count of the number of times I’ve played Hejira today, but I think this is my fifth listen.
It’s just the kind of record you want to immerse yourself in. At least I do.
Hejira is a mood.
To be clear though, even though I have all of Mitchell’s classic 1970s albums (thanks, Cathy!), I am even today a bit of a Joni novice. Mitchell didn’t get any airplay around the house when I was a kid (Mom was not a fan, and Dad was probably indifferent). Over the decades, I’ve come to appreciate her work but have not done a deep dive into any specific album, at least not until today.
If you know anything about Hejira, you know it’s a road-trip album. Mitchell went on three extended journeys in late 1975 through early ’76 and her experiences fueled the enigmatic, yet detailed narratives that comprise the songs on Hejira. The lyrics are supported by music that finds Mitchell delving deeper into her jazz instincts. In addition to her own intriguing guitar stylings, Mitchell found musicians who easily locked into her vibe, particularly bassist Jaco Pastorious, who appears on four key tracks.
Hejira isn’t necessarily an album you “get” right away, but each time you listen, a bit more is revealed and the album eventually emerges as a subtle masterpiece. That’s my experience, anyway. Conventional wisdom is probably that Hejira might not be the best first experience for the Joni-curious, but then again, if you love this one, you’ll surely want to dive deeper.