‘River’ by Joni Mitchell

[rick]

www.salon.com/2020/12/22/joni-mitchells-river-holiday-song/

[Richard W]

Thanks, Rick.

Interesting read, although I've come to loathe this song ever since a couple of years after Linda included it on her Christmas record it seemed everyone was covering it. I couldn't go anywhere during the holidays without hearing it by someone (but never Linda). Repeated overexposure killed the song for me.

Exact same thing happened with "Hallelujah".

[rick]

Dec 26, 2020 10:43:10 GMT -5 Richard W said:

Thanks, Rick.

Interesting read, although I've come to loathe this song ever since a couple of years after Linda included it on her Christmas record it seemed everyone was covering it. I couldn't go anywhere during the holidays without hearing it by someone (but never Linda). Repeated overexposure killed the song for me.

Exact same thing happened with "Hallelujah".

Richard, sorry that you feel that way. Interestingly, around Christmastime every year since Linda's Christmas album was released, whether I am in Von's or Bristol Farms or another store, the only version of "River" that I hear is Linda's. No one else's. I think on the Forum we commented at the time that right around the time that Linda's Christmas album was released there was a CD release called "Ally McBeal Christmas" with Robert Downey Jr. performing "River," too. And then it just seemed like the song had been rediscovered and it began to appear on so many other albums.

Just because it is overdone doesn't take away for me my love and appreciation for Linda's version.

[erik]

Quote by rick:

Richard, sorry that you feel that way. Interestingly, around Christmastime every year since Linda's Christmas album was released, whether I am in Von's or Bristol Farms or another store, the only version of "River" that I hear is Linda's. No one else's. I think on the Forum we commented at the time that right around the time that Linda's Christmas album was released there was a CD release called "Ally McBeal Christmas" with Robert Downey Jr. performing "River," too. And then it just seemed like the song had been rediscovered and it began to appear on so many other albums.

Just because it is overdone doesn't take away for me my love and appreciation for Linda's version.

Now if we can only get Linda's version played on an actual radio station, especially here in Los Angeles (grumble, grumble). Twenty years since Linda's version came out, and neither it nor any other track on that album has ever been part of any L.A. radio station's regular Christmas playlist.

[eddiejinnj]

Wasn't Linda's version the first done as a Christmas song? I have to look up The Ally McBeal thing (never really liked the show). I did hear on the radio here maybe the first 3 years after it was out but not often. eddiejinnj

PS: McBeal christmas album came out in 2000, also. So weird that it was same year and how they both got the idea of including it. After Linda's version, I heard a country group do it and I heard about Downey's version and I would have sworn it was after Linda. I like Linda's the best of course and I am being subjective and objective. Sarah did a good job with it but it seems to me she was copying (not saying illegally or anything like that) Linda's version in many ways (was it "imitation is the sincerest form of flattery?).