If you didn’t see the 44th Kennedy Center Honors program this month, you should check out some of it online. The song that really hit me was Brittany Howard and Herbie Hancock performing Joni Mitchell’s “Both Sides Now.”
I always found the beautiful song to be achingly sad and this version is perfect from that perspective.
Oh, but now old friends they’re acting strange
And they shake their heads and they tell me that I’ve changed
Well something’s lost, but something’s gained
In living every day
I’ve looked at life from both sides now
From win and lose and still somehow
It’s life’s illusions I recall
I really don’t know life at all
Have you ever watched the film Love, Actually? It is a perennial holiday favorite for a lot of people. I like it but the scene where finds out that the necklace her husband bought is not her gift. He’s having an affair. Her gift is a Joni CD. The CD she gets is the Both Sides Now album where Joni redid that song in a much bluer version.
I’m taking my Joni albums off the shelf and watching the black vinyl spin as I drink a brandy. It’s the day after Christmas. The year is ending. I didn’t see friends or family due to COVID surging again. The sky today was full of dark clouds. These were not puffy white clouds against a bright blue sky.
But now they only block the sun
They rain and they snow on everyone
So many things I would have done
But clouds got in my way
More to come tomorrow…
Milneville 
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