| Blue | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | June 22, 1971 | |||
| Recorded | 1971 | |||
| Studio | A&M, Hollywood, California | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 36:15 | |||
| Label | Reprise | |||
| Producer | Joni Mitchell | |||
| Joni Mitchell chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Blue | ||||
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Blue is the fourth studio album by the Canadian singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell, released on June 22, 1971, by Reprise Records. Written and produced entirely by Mitchell, it was recorded in 1971 at A&M Studios in Hollywood, California. Created just after her breakup with Graham Nash and during an intense relationship with James Taylor, Blue explores various facets of relationships from love on "A Case of You" to insecurity on "This Flight Tonight". The songs feature simple accompaniments on piano, guitar and Appalachian dulcimer. The album peaked at number 3 on the UK Albums Chart, number 9 on the Canadian RPM Albums Chart and number 15 on the Billboard 200.
Retrospectively, Blue has been widely regarded by music critics as one of the greatest albums of all time; the cohesion of Mitchell's songwriting, compositions and vocals are frequent areas of praise. In January 2000, The New York Times chose Blue as one of the 25 albums that represented "turning points and pinnacles in 20th-century popular music".[1] In 2020, Blue was rated the third greatest album of all time in Rolling Stone's list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time", the highest entry by a female artist.[2] It was also voted number 24 in the third edition of Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums (2000). In July 2017, Blue was chosen by NPR as the greatest album of all time made by a woman.[3]
- ^ Jon Pareles; Neil Strauss; Ben Ratliff & Ann Powers (January 3, 2000). "Critics' Choices; Albums as Mileposts In a Musical Century". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 31, 2020. Retrieved December 17, 2009.
- ^ "The Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Albums of All Time: No. 3 Joni Mitchell Blue". Rolling Stone. September 22, 2020. Archived from the original on September 24, 2020. Retrieved September 22, 2020.
- ^ Tsioulcas, Anastasia (July 24, 2017). "The 150 Greatest Albums Made By Women". NPR. Archived from the original on September 26, 2020. Retrieved September 4, 2017.