Both Sides Now (song)
Encyclopedia
"Both Sides, Now" is a single by Joni Mitchell
. Her recording first appeared on the album Clouds, released in 1969. She re-recorded the song in a jazz style for the album of the same name
, released in 2000.
It is one of Joni Mitchell's best-known songs (along with "Big Yellow Taxi
," "Woodstock
," and "A Case of You
"). It was written in March 1967, inspired by a passage in Henderson the Rain King
by Saul Bellow
.
Judy Collins
made the first commercially released recording of the song in 1968, shortly after Mitchell wrote it, which reached #8 on the U.S. pop singles charts and won a 1968 Grammy Award
for Best Folk Performance
. The record peaked at #3 on Billboard's Easy Listening survey, and has become one of Collins' signature songs.
Fairport Convention
recorded the song as a demo in 1967. The band's recording did not become available until 2000, however, when it appeared on The Guv'nor Vol 4 by Ashley Hutchings
. (A live recording featuring Judy Dyble
from 1981 is included on Fairport's Moat on the Ledge
album.)
Both Joni Mitchell's album Both Sides Now and a 2003 Mitchell rerecording of the song are featured in the 2003 movie Love Actually
.
Rolling Stone
ranked "Both Sides, Now" #170 on its list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time
.
The song was published by Scholastic as a picture book, Both Sides Now, illustrated by Alan Baker, in 1992.
(1968), Catherine McKinnon
(1968), Robert Goulet
(1968), Neil Diamond
(1969), Jimmie Rodgers
(1969), Glen Campbell
(1970), Engelbert Humperdinck
(1970), Claudine Longet
(1970), the Tokens
(1971), The Boomtang Boys
(1999), Jason Falkner
(2001), Tori Amos
(2005), and The Idea of North
(2011).
recorded a cover version of "Both Sides, Now" as part of the soundtrack to the film Switch
. The song was also released as a single.
12" vinyl, cassette & 5" compact disc
Joni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell, CC is a Canadian musician, singer songwriter, and painter. Mitchell began singing in small nightclubs in her native Saskatchewan and Western Canada and then busking in the streets and dives of Toronto...
. Her recording first appeared on the album Clouds, released in 1969. She re-recorded the song in a jazz style for the album of the same name
Both Sides Now
- Personnel : * Joni Mitchell — vocals * Mark Isham — trumpet, solo* John Anderson — oboe * Julie Andrews — bassoon * Nick Bucknall — clarinet * Stan Sulzmann — clarinet, flute * Philip Todd — clarinet, flute and alto flute...
, released in 2000.
It is one of Joni Mitchell's best-known songs (along with "Big Yellow Taxi
Big Yellow Taxi
"Big Yellow Taxi" is a song written and originally performed by Joni Mitchell in 1970. It was a big hit in her native Canada as well as Australia and the UK...
," "Woodstock
Woodstock (song)
"Woodstock" is a song about the Woodstock Music and Art Festival of 1969.Joni Mitchell wrote the song from what she had heard from then-boyfriend, Graham Nash, about the festival. She had not been there herself, since she was told it would be more advantageous to appear on The Dick Cavett Show by...
," and "A Case of You
A Case of You
"A Case of You" is a song by Joni Mitchell, from her 1971 album Blue. It is one of her most well-known songs.-Writing and recording:Mitchell recorded A Case of You in 1971, during her early folk period. The song was first released on the 1971 album Blue with Mitchell playing Appalachian dulcimer,...
"). It was written in March 1967, inspired by a passage in Henderson the Rain King
Henderson the Rain King
Henderson the Rain King is a 1959 novel by Saul Bellow. The book's blend of philosophical discourse and comic adventure has helped make it one of his most enduringly popular works.It is said to be Bellow's own favorite amongst his books....
by Saul Bellow
Saul Bellow
Saul Bellow was a Canadian-born Jewish American writer. For his literary contributions, Bellow was awarded the Pulitzer Prize, the Nobel Prize for Literature, and the National Medal of Arts...
.
- I was reading Saul Bellow's "Henderson the Rain King" on a plane and early in the book Henderson the Rain King is also up in a plane. He's on his way to Africa and he looks down and sees these clouds. I put down the book, looked out the window and saw clouds too, and I immediately started writing the song. I had no idea that the song would become as popular as it did.
Judy Collins
Judy Collins
Judith Marjorie "Judy" Collins is an American singer and songwriter, known for her eclectic tastes in the material she records ; and for her social activism. She is an alumna of the University of Colorado.-Musical career:Collins was born and raised in Seattle, Washington...
made the first commercially released recording of the song in 1968, shortly after Mitchell wrote it, which reached #8 on the U.S. pop singles charts and won a 1968 Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
for Best Folk Performance
Grammy Award for Best Ethnic or Traditional Folk Recording
The Grammy Award for Best Ethnic or Traditional Folk Recording was awarded from 1960 to 1986. During this time the award had several minor name changes:*From 1960 to 1961 the award was known as Best Performance - Folk...
. The record peaked at #3 on Billboard's Easy Listening survey, and has become one of Collins' signature songs.
Fairport Convention
Fairport Convention
Fairport Convention are an English folk rock and later electric folk band, formed in 1967 who are still recording and touring today. They are widely regarded as the most important single group in the English folk rock movement...
recorded the song as a demo in 1967. The band's recording did not become available until 2000, however, when it appeared on The Guv'nor Vol 4 by Ashley Hutchings
Ashley Hutchings
Ashley Stephen Hutchings is an English bassist, vocalist, songwriter, arranger, band leader, writer and record producer. He was a founder member of three of the most noteworthy English folk-rock bands in the history of the genre; Fairport Convention, Steeleye Span and The Albion Band...
. (A live recording featuring Judy Dyble
Judy Dyble
Judith Aileen Dyble, better known as Judy Dyble , is an award winning British singer/songwriter most notable for being one of the vocalists with, and founder members of, Fairport Convention and Trader Horne; in between these she was very briefly with Giles, Giles and Fripp, which evolved into...
from 1981 is included on Fairport's Moat on the Ledge
Moat on the Ledge
Moat on the Ledge: Live at Broughton Castle, August '81 is a live folk rock album by Fairport Convention. The album was produced by Simon Nicol and Dave Pegg....
album.)
Both Joni Mitchell's album Both Sides Now and a 2003 Mitchell rerecording of the song are featured in the 2003 movie Love Actually
Love Actually
Love Actually is a 2003 British romantic comedy film written and directed by Richard Curtis. The screenplay delves into different aspects of love as shown through ten separate stories involving a wide variety of individuals, many of whom are shown to be interlinked as their tales progress...
.
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
ranked "Both Sides, Now" #170 on its list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time
The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time
"The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" was the cover story of a special issue of Rolling Stone, issue number 963, published December 9, 2004, a year after the magazine published its list of "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time"....
.
The song was published by Scholastic as a picture book, Both Sides Now, illustrated by Alan Baker, in 1992.
1960s
- Mitchell's friend Dave Van RonkDave Van RonkDave Van Ronk was an American folk singer, born in Brooklyn, New York, who settled in Greenwich Village, New York, and was eventually nicknamed the "Mayor of MacDougal Street" ....
covered the song on his 1967 album Dave Van Ronk and the Hudson DustersDave Van Ronk and the Hudson Dusters-Van Ronk on the album:"The six Dusters cuts on this disc make me think that we were probably too eclectic for the market we were courting, and that a thinking man's rock and roll is a bit like a white blackbird. Even so, I think they represent one of the high points of my recording career. They...
, titling the song "Clouds." Mitchell often said that this rendition of her song was the finest ever. - Another early version was released by the pop group Harpers BizarreHarpers BizarreHarpers Bizarre was an American pop-rock band of the 1960s, best known for their Broadway/Sunshine Pop sound and their remake of Simon & Garfunkel's "The 59th Street Bridge Song ."- Career :...
in the fall of 1968 on its third album, Secret Life of Harpers BizarreSecret Life of Harpers BizarreSecret Life of Harpers Bizarre is an album by Harpers Bizarre, released in 1968.Two bonus tracks were added to the 2001 Sundazed CD reissue of this title. They had previously been the two sides of a single: "Both Sides Now" by Joni Mitchell and "Small Talk" by Garry Bonner and Alan Gordon.-Track...
. - Bing CrosbyBing CrosbyHarry Lillis "Bing" Crosby was an American singer and actor. Crosby's trademark bass-baritone voice made him one of the best-selling recording artists of the 20th century, with over half a billion records in circulation....
sang two renditions of this song, one on the TV variety show Hollywood Palace, the other on his 1968 Hey, Jude/Hey, Bing album. - Frank SinatraFrank SinatraFrancis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
recorded the song under the title "From Both Sides, Now" on his 1968 album Cycles. - Anne MurrayAnne MurrayMorna Anne Murray CC, ONS is a Canadian singer in pop, country and adult contemporary styles whose albums have sold over 54 million copies....
included the song on her 1968 debut album What About MeWhat About Me (Anne Murray album)What About Me is the debut studio album by Anne Murray issued in 1968 on Arc Records. Upon its release, the album was only issued in Canada .-Track listing:...
. - A French version of the song, with adapted lyrics by Eddy Marnay, was recorded by Marie LaforêtMarie LaforêtMarie Laforêt is a French singer and actress, .In 1978 she moved to Geneva, Switzerland and took out Swiss nationality.-The sources of her birth name:...
in 1968 under the title "Je n'ai rien appris." - Christine Charbonneau recorded her own version of the song under the title "Je n'avais pas compris" released in Québec in 1969, on Gamma Records, Canada.
- Nana MouskouriNana MouskouriNana Mouskouri , born Ioánna Moúschouri on October 13, 1934, in Chania, Crete, Greece, is a Greek singer who has sold about 300 million records worldwide in a career spanning over five decades, making her one of the best-selling music artists of all time. She was known as Nána to her friends and...
recorded "Je n'ai rien appris" on her album of 1969, Dans le soleil et dans le vent. - Davy Graham recorded a version on his 1969 album Large as Life But Twice as Natural. His version included a long Middle Eastern-style introduction.
- Pete SeegerPete SeegerPeter "Pete" Seeger is an American folk singer and was an iconic figure in the mid-twentieth century American folk music revival. A fixture on nationwide radio in the 1940s, he also had a string of hit records during the early 1950s as a member of The Weavers, most notably their recording of Lead...
did a cover on his 1969 LP of songs for children and elderly called Young vs. Old. Seeger added a more optimistic fourth verse to the song. The new lyrics are in Seeger's book Where Have All the Flowers Gone in the chapter "New Words?" - The Mystic Moods Orchestra included an instrumental version of this song on the 1969 LP Love Token
1970s
- EusonEusonJulio Bernardo Euson , professionally known as Euson, is an Aruban-Dutch singer, songwriter and occasional actor.Euson became famous in the early 70s in the Netherlands and in Latin America...
released "Both Sides Now" as a single in 1970. His version made it to no 7 on the Dutch Charts. - Andy WilliamsAndy WilliamsHoward Andrew "Andy" Williams is an American singer who has recorded 18 Gold- and three Platinum-certified albums. He hosted The Andy Williams Show, a TV variety show, from 1962 to 1971, as well as numerous television specials, and owns his own theater, the Moon River Theatre in Branson, Missouri,...
sings the song on his 1970 album Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head. - Randy ScruggsRandy ScruggsRandy Scruggs is a music producer, songwriter and guitarist. He had his first recording at the age of 13...
performed an instrumental version of the song on The Nitty Gritty Dirt BandNitty Gritty Dirt BandThe Nitty Gritty Dirt Band is an American country-folk-rock band that has existed in various forms since its founding in Long Beach, California in 1966. The group's membership has had at least a dozen changes over the years, including a period from 1976 to 1981 when the band performed and recorded...
's 1972 album Will the Circle Be UnbrokenWill the Circle Be UnbrokenWill the Circle Be Unbroken is a 1972 album officially by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, but with collaboration from many famous Bluegrass and country-western players, including Roy Acuff, Mother Maybelle Carter, Doc Watson, Earl Scruggs, Merle Travis, Bashful Brother Oswald, Norman Blake, Jimmy...
. - A solo version by jazz guitarist Pat MartinoPat MartinoPat Martino is an Italian-American jazz guitarist and composer within the post bop, fusion, mainstream jazz, soul jazz and hard bop idioms.-Biography:...
was included on his 1974 album Consciousness. - Roger WhittakerRoger WhittakerRoger Whittaker is an Anglo-Kenyan singer-songwriter and musician with worldwide record sales of over 55 million. His music can be described as easy listening. He is best known for his baritone singing voice and trademark whistling ability...
recorded this song for his 1971 album New World in the MorningNew World In The MorningNew World in the Morning is a studio album by Roger Whittaker released in 1971. It featured some of his most popular songs including "The Last Farewell", "A Special Kind of Man", the title track "New World in the Morning" and "Streets of London".-History:...
. He changed the title to "From Both Sides Now." - German Tango-King Alfred Hause did an instrumental rendering for the 1972 LP Film-Themes (but not as TangoTango (dance)Tango dance originated in the area of the Rio de la Plata , and spread to the rest of the world soon after....
).
1980s
- Paradox (夢劇院), a Hong KongHong KongHong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
singing group, released a Cantonese cover version "The Color Theory of Relativity" (Chinese: 彩色相對論) in 1988 based on this song. They also recorded the same song in original lyrics. Both versions were released in their first two albums.
1990s
- Michael FeinsteinMichael FeinsteinMichael Jay Feinstein is an American singer, pianist, and music revivalist. He is an interpreter of, and an anthropologist and archivist for, the repertoire known as the Great American Songbook. In 1988 he won a Drama Desk Special Award for celebrating American musical theatre songs...
covered the song on the 1990 compilation RubáiyátRubáiyátRubáiyát is a compilation album, released in 1990 to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Elektra Records record label. The concept was to feature present-day Elektra artists covering songs from the historic catalogue of recordings of Elektra Records and its sister label Asylum Records.Two...
, which celebrated the 40th anniversary of Elektra RecordsElektra RecordsElektra Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group. In 2004, it was consolidated into WMG's Atlantic Records Group. After five years of dormancy, the label was revived by Atlantic in 2009....
. - HoleHole (band)Hole is an American alternative rock band that originally formed in Los Angeles in 1989. The band is fronted by vocalist/songwriter and rhythm guitarist Courtney Love, who co-founded Hole with former songwriter/lead guitarist Eric Erlandson...
, the alternative rock band fronted by Courtney LoveCourtney LoveCourtney Michelle Love is an American rock musician. Love is the lead vocalist, lyricist, and rhythm guitarist for alternative rock band Hole, which she formed in 1989, and is an actress who has moved from bit parts in Alex Cox films to significant and acclaimed roles in The People vs...
, covered the song on their 1991 debut album Pretty on the InsidePretty on the InsidePretty on the Inside is the debut studio album by American alternative rock band Hole. Released August 23, 1991 on Caroline Records, it was Hole's first major label release after their formation in 1989 by vocalist/rhythm guitarist Courtney Love and lead guitarist Eric Erlandson...
, under the title "Clouds". - It was also a minor hit in the UK and Canada for the Irish band Clannad in a duet with British singer Paul YoungPaul Young (singer and guitarist)Paul Antony Young is an English pop musician. Formerly the frontman of the short-lived bands Kat Kool & The Kool Cats, Streetband and Q-Tips, his following solo success as a solo recording artist turned him into a 1980s teenage pop idol...
, recorded for the 1991 motion picture SwitchSwitch (film)Switch is a 1991 comedy film written and directed by Blake Edwards. A promiscuous man is murdered by his lovers and reincarnated as a beautiful woman .-Legacy:...
. It was the only chart appearance for Clannad in the Canadian RPM 100 Singles Chart. - Punk-pop band ParasitesParasites (band)Parasites are an American pop-punk band. The band was formed in 1985 by guitarist and singer Dave Parasite and bassist Ron Nole in New Jersey. Dave later relocated to Berkeley, California, forming a new band with local players...
covered it on their 1994 album Pair. - Dianne ReevesDianne ReevesDianne Reeves is an American jazz singer. She currently lives in Denver, Colorado.-Early life:Reeves was born in Detroit, Michigan to a very musical family. Her father, who died when she was two years old, was also a singer. Her mother, Vada Swanson, played trumpet. A cousin, George Duke, is a...
covered "Both Sides, Now" on her album Quiet After the Storm (1994). - b-flowerB-flowerb-flower are a Japanese indie pop band formed in Kyoto, Japan, in the late 1980s. The band would be put under such banners as ネオアコースティック in Japan , which refers to the sound heavily influenced by the British independent music scene of the 1980s, most notably alternative rock...
, a Japanese indie band, covered this song in English on their album "Clover Chronicles l" (1994). - Randy ScruggsRandy ScruggsRandy Scruggs is a music producer, songwriter and guitarist. He had his first recording at the age of 13...
performed an instrumental guitar solo of the song on his 1998 album, Crown Of Jewels. - Filipina singer/actress Sharon CunetaSharon CunetaSharon Cuneta-Pangilinan, better known as Sharon Cuneta, is a popular and multi-awarded Filipino singer, actress and TV host dubbed as Megastar of Philippine Entertainment, fondly called Mega by fans and people from the entertainment industry....
recorded a version for her 1999 album, When I Love, and it was released as the album's lead-off single. The song was subsequently used as the theme for her 2001 movie, Magkapatid (Siblings).
2000s
- A cover of this song by the band Dengue FeverDengue Fever (band)Dengue Fever is a six-member band from Los Angeles who combine Cambodian pop music and lyrics with psychedelic rock.-History:The band was formed in 2001 by Ethan Holtzman and his brother Zac after Ethan was inspired by a trip to Cambodia...
, sung in KhmerKhmer languageKhmer , or Cambodian, is the language of the Khmer people and the official language of Cambodia. It is the second most widely spoken Austroasiatic language , with speakers in the tens of millions. Khmer has been considerably influenced by Sanskrit and Pali, especially in the royal and religious...
, appeared on the soundtrack of the 20022002 in filmThe year 2002 in film involved some significant events. The first significant releases of sequels took place between The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, Men in Black II, Analyze That, Spy Kids 2: The Island of...
movie City of GhostsCity of GhostsCity of Ghosts is a 2002 drama film co-written, directed by and starring Matt Dillon, about a con artist who must go to Cambodia to collect his share in money collected from an insurance scam...
. - Dolly PartonDolly PartonDolly Rebecca Parton is an American singer-songwriter, author, multi-instrumentalist, actress and philanthropist, best known for her work in country music. Dolly Parton has appeared in movies like 9 to 5, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Steel Magnolias and Straight Talk...
covered "Both Sides, Now" on her 2005 album Those Were the Days. Parton's version featured vocals by Judy Collins, who, as noted, first recorded the song. - Hayley WestenraHayley WestenraHayley Dee Westenra is a New Zealand soprano, classical crossover artist, songwriter and UNICEF Ambassador. Her first internationally released album, Pure, reached No. 1 on the UK classical charts in 2003 and has sold more than two million copies worldwide...
also recorded this song in 2005, on her album OdysseyOdyssey (Westenra album)Odyssey is the second internationally published album by Hayley Westenra. Her other previous albums, with the exception of Pure, were released only in New Zealand and Australia...
. - In 2006, Cathrine Hickland Lindsay from One Life to LiveOne Life to LiveOne Life to Live is an American soap opera which debuted on July 15, 1968 and has been broadcast on the ABC television network. Created by Agnes Nixon, the series was the first daytime drama to primarily feature racially and socioeconomically diverse characters and consistently emphasize social...
recorded it for an album titled One Life, Many Voices, which featured many stars from the program to raise money for Hurricane KatrinaHurricane KatrinaHurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall... - Swedish singer Håkan HellströmHåkan HellströmHåkan Hellström is a Swedish musician. He got his Swedish breakthrough in the year 2000 with the song "Känn ingen sorg för mig Göteborg"...
did a cover in Swedish in 2006. His version is called "Båda Sidor, Nu." - A version by Doris DayDoris DayDoris Day is an American actress, singer and, since her retirement from show business, an animal rights activist. With an entertainment career that spanned through almost 50 years, Day started her career as a big band singer in 1939, but only began to be noticed after her first hit recording,...
, originally recorded on a televisionTelevisionTelevision is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
special in 1971, was incorporated in the 20062006 in musicThis is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 2006.-January:*January 10 – Eric Burdon releases his album Soul of a Man and begins touring with a new band....
reissue of her album The Love Album. - Contemporary jazz saxophonist Michael LingtonMichael LingtonMichael Lington is a contemporary jazz saxophonist and recording artist.Lington plays a distinctive contemporary saxophone leaning strongly towards the pop side of jazz. He reaches a younger demographic than traditional jazz listeners and is emerging as a contemporary face of jazz.Born in...
covered the song from his 2006 renditions album "A Song for You." - In the 2006 musical stage adaptation of Priscilla, Queen of the DesertPriscilla Queen of the Desert - the MusicalPriscilla, Queen of the Desert is a musical with a book by Australian film director-writer Stephan Elliott and Allan Scott, using well-known pop songs as its score...
, the song is used in the Australian, New Zealand and London productions, but was replaced in the Broadway production by Cyndi LauperCyndi LauperCynthia Ann Stephanie "Cyndi" Lauper is an American singer, songwriter, actress and LGBT rights activist. She achieved success in the mid-1980s with the release of the album She's So Unusual and became the first female singer to have four top-five singles released from one album...
's True ColorsTrue Colors (song)"True Colors" is a song written by songwriters Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly, additional lyrics by Cyndi Lauper. It was both the title track and the first single released from Cyndi Lauper's second album. It was the only original song on the album that Lauper did not help write...
. - Jazz musician Herbie HancockHerbie HancockHerbert Jeffrey "Herbie" Hancock is an American pianist, bandleader and composer. As part of Miles Davis's "second great quintet," Hancock helped to redefine the role of a jazz rhythm section and was one of the primary architects of the "post-bop" sound...
and his band performed the song on the 2007 album River: The Joni LettersRiver: The Joni LettersRiver: The Joni Letters is the 2007 album by Herbie Hancock. His 47th studio album, it was released on September 25, 2007 by Verve Records. The tribute album is a homage to Joni Mitchell, a longtime associate and friend of Hancock...
. Hancock's version of the song was nominated for a 2008 Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Jazz Solo. The album won the 2008 Grammy for Album of the Year. - Tina ArenaTina ArenaFilippina Lydia "Tina" Arena is an Australian singer, songwriter and musical theatre actress. She has won several awards, most notably 6 ARIA Awards and in both 1996 and 2000 she received the World Music Award for the world's best selling Australian artist...
recorded the song in 2008 on her album Songs of Love & Loss 2Songs of Love & Loss 2Songs of Love & Loss 2 is the eighth studio album by Australian singer and songwriter Tina Arena, released on 15 November 2008 by EMI in Australia. Her second cover album, it follows on from Songs of Love & Loss, released in 2007, and includes covers of songs by Blondie, Lulu, Alice Cooper and...
. - Allison MoorerAllison MoorerAllison Moorer is an American alternative country singer and the younger sister of Shelby Lynne. She signed to MCA Nashville in 1998 and made her debut on the U.S...
covered the song on her 2008 album Mockingbird. - John BarrowmanJohn BarrowmanJohn Scot Barrowman is a Scottish-American singer, actor, dancer, musical theatre performer and media personality. Born in Glasgow yet growing up in Illinois after his family emigrated to the United States when he was eight years old, Barrowman was encouraged to further his love for music and...
covered this song for his 2008 album Music Music MusicMusic Music MusicMusic Music Music is a 2008 album by John Barrowman preceded by the digital-only single "What About Us?", written by Gary Barlow and Chris Braide...
. - Japanese singer Rie fuRie fu, born on January 11, 1985, in Tokyo, is a Japanese singer-songwriter. She resides in Tokyo but frequently travels to the United Kingdom to record and promote her work.-Personal life:...
covered the song on her UK released album Who is Rie fu? in 2008. - Adult contemporary artist Linda EderLinda EderLinda Eder is an American singer and actress. She made her Broadway debut in the musical Jekyll & Hyde, for which she received 1997 Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Nominations, as well as the Theatre World Award for Best Actress in a Musical...
recorded the song, which appeared on her 2008 album The Other Side of Me - Ronan KeatingRonan KeatingRonan Patrick John Keating is an Irish recording artist, singer-songwriter, musician, and philanthropist. Keating debuted on the professional music scene alongside Keith Duffy, Mikey Graham, Shane Lynch and Stephen Gately, in 1994 as the lead singer of Boyzone. His solo career started in 1999, and...
recorded "Both Sides, Now" on his 2009 tribute album to his late mother, Songs for My MotherSongs For My MotherSongs for My Mother is the fifth studio album released by Boyzone frontman and Irish singer/songwriter Ronan Keating. The album was released on March 16, 2009 on Polydor Records, and is his first album to be released since the reunion of Boyzone....
. - In 2009, the song was covered by European singer Lara FabianLara FabianLara Fabian is a Belgian-Italian international singer who also holds Canadian citizenship. Multilingual, she sings in French, Italian and English....
on her album Every Woman In MeEvery Woman in MeEvery Woman In Me is an English album by Lara Fabian, that was only available to buy on her tour or from her website.It follows Toutes les femmes en moi, and just like it, EWIM is also a cover album, only that it's completely acoustic ....
. - Rachael YamagataRachael YamagataRachael Yamagata is an American singer-songwriter and pianist from Arlington, Virginia. She began her musical career with the band Bumpus before becoming a solo artist and releasing four EP's and three studio albums...
recorded a version of the song for 2009's The Village, a tribute album honoring the folk music scene of New York's Greenwich VillageGreenwich VillageGreenwich Village, , , , .in New York often simply called "the Village", is a largely residential neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City. A large majority of the district is home to upper middle class families...
in the 1960s. - Clay AikenClay AikenClayton Holmes "Clay" Aiken is an American singer, songwriter, actor, producer and author who began his rise to fame on the second season of the television program American Idol in 2003. RCA Records offered him a recording contract, and his multi-platinum debut album Measure of a Man was released...
performed this song at the National Inclusion Project Champions Gala 2010. - Japanese folk song group Yamori (Ryoko MoriyamaRyoko Moriyama, is a Japanese folk and jazz singer. Her father is Hisashi Moriyama, a pioneer of Japanese jazz. Her son Naotaro Moriyama is a singer. Her first cousin Hiroshi Kamayatsu is also a musician....
and Akiko YanoAkiko Yanois a Japanese pop and jazz musician and singer. She was born as Akiko Suzuki in Tokyo and raised in Aomori, Aomori, and later began her singing career in the mid-1970s...
) covered the song on their 2010 album Anata To Utaou. - Susan BoyleSusan BoyleSusan Magdalane Boyle is a Scottish singer who came to international public attention when she appeared as a contestant on the TV programme Britain's Got Talent on 11 April 2009, singing "I Dreamed a Dream" from ...
covered the song on her 2011 album Someone To Watch Over MeSomeone to Watch Over Me (album)*The album is also available in a Special Edition that features a bonus DVD with music videos of the songs "You Have to Be There", "Unchained Melody", "Autumn Leaves", and "Perfect Day".-Charts:-Release history:...
.
Other versions
Other versions have been recorded and/or performed by: Leonard NimoyLeonard Nimoy
Leonard Simon Nimoy is an American actor, film director, poet, musician and photographer. Nimoy's most famous role is that of Spock in the original Star Trek series , multiple films, television and video game sequels....
(1968), Catherine McKinnon
Catherine McKinnon (actress)
Catherine McKinnon is a Canadian actress and folk/pop singer.McKinnon began as a child performer, making her first radio appearance at age eight and her television debut at age 12. She subsequently studied music at Mount St...
(1968), Robert Goulet
Robert Goulet
Robert Gerard Goulet was a Canadian American entertainer as a singer and actor. He played the role of Lancelot in the Broadway musical Camelot of 1960.-Early life:...
(1968), Neil Diamond
Neil Diamond
Neil Leslie Diamond is an American singer-songwriter with a career spanning over five decades from the 1960s until the present....
(1969), Jimmie Rodgers
Jimmie Rodgers (pop singer)
James Frederick "Jimmie" Rodgers is an American singer. He is not related to the country singer of the same name.-Career:...
(1969), Glen Campbell
Glen Campbell
Glen Travis Campbell is an American country music singer, guitarist, television host and occasional actor. He is best known for a series of hits in the 1960s and 1970s, as well as for hosting a variety show called The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour on CBS television.During his 50 years in show...
(1970), Engelbert Humperdinck
Engelbert Humperdinck (singer)
Engelbert Humperdinck is a British pop singer, best known for his hits including "Release Me " and "After the Lovin'" as well as "The Last Waltz" .-Early life:...
(1970), Claudine Longet
Claudine Longet
Claudine Georgette Longet is a French singer and recording artist who was popular during the 1960s and 1970s. She is also an actress and a dancer.Born in Paris, France, Longet was married to pop singer Andy Williams from 1961 until 1975...
(1970), the Tokens
The Tokens
The Tokens are an American male doo-wop-style vocal group from Brooklyn, New York. They are known best for their chart-scoring 1961 single, "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" .-Career:...
(1971), The Boomtang Boys
The Boomtang Boys
The Boomtang Boys are a Canadian dance-remix trio. They are known for both their remix work and pop-dance music. Their debut album, Greatest Hits Volume One, was released in 1999, and produced the hit "Squeeze Toy" as well as "Pictures", both performed by Kim Esty. Greatest Hits did well in...
(1999), Jason Falkner
Jason Falkner
Jason Falkner is an American pop and rock musician. Active since the late 1980s, he has performed with several bands. In addition to releasing several albums as a solo artist, he is a prolific session musician and producer who has contributed to dozens of other recordings by other bands and...
(2001), Tori Amos
Tori Amos
Tori Amos is an American pianist, singer-songwriter and composer. She was at the forefront of a number of female singer-songwriters in the early 1990s and was noteworthy early in her career as one of the few alternative rock performers to use a piano as her primary instrument...
(2005), and The Idea of North
The Idea of North
The Idea of North are an Australian a cappella vocal ensemble, founded in Canberra in 1993. The group's name is taken from radio broadcasts of pianist Glenn Gould....
(2011).
Media appearances
- This song was featured in the film Life as a HouseLife as a HouseLife as a House is a 2001 American drama film produced and directed by Irwin Winkler. The screenplay by Mark Andrus focuses on a man who is anxious to repair his relationship with his ex-wife and teenaged son after he is diagnosed with terminal cancer....
in 2001. - The song is being played on a CD player by a crying Karen (Emma ThompsonEmma ThompsonEmma Thompson is a British actress, comedian and screenwriter. Her first major film role was in the 1989 romantic comedy The Tall Guy. In 1992, Thompson won multiple acting awards, including an Academy Award and a BAFTA Award for Best Actress, for her performance in the British drama Howards End...
) when she realizes that her husband Harry (Alan RickmanAlan RickmanAlan Sidney Patrick Rickman is an English actor and theatre director. He is a renowned stage actor in modern and classical productions and a former member of the Royal Shakespeare Company...
) is possibly having an affair with his administrative assistant in the film Love ActuallyLove ActuallyLove Actually is a 2003 British romantic comedy film written and directed by Richard Curtis. The screenplay delves into different aspects of love as shown through ten separate stories involving a wide variety of individuals, many of whom are shown to be interlinked as their tales progress...
. - The opening ceremonies of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games featured "Both Sides, Now" as accompaniment to a dance depicting the vastness of the Canadian prairies.
Clannad & Paul Young Single
In 1991 Irish band Clannad and English pop singer Paul YoungPaul Young (singer and guitarist)
Paul Antony Young is an English pop musician. Formerly the frontman of the short-lived bands Kat Kool & The Kool Cats, Streetband and Q-Tips, his following solo success as a solo recording artist turned him into a 1980s teenage pop idol...
recorded a cover version of "Both Sides, Now" as part of the soundtrack to the film Switch
Switch (film)
Switch is a 1991 comedy film written and directed by Blake Edwards. A promiscuous man is murdered by his lovers and reincarnated as a beautiful woman .-Legacy:...
. The song was also released as a single.
Tracklisting
7" vinyl- Both Sides Now [edit]
- Broken Man
12" vinyl, cassette & 5" compact disc
- Both Sides Now [edit]
- Are You Listening Lucky?
- Both Sides Now