Woodstock (song)
Encyclopedia
"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 a manager. She wrote this song in a hotel room in New York City, watching the reports of the festival on television. "The deprivation of not being able to go provided me with an intense angle on Woodstock," she told an interviewer shortly after the event. It was later released on her third album, Ladies of the Canyon
in 1970, on her Shadows and Light album, and again in 1996 on her Hits album.
Mitchell's original version featured a stark and haunting arrangement - solo vocal, multi-tracked backing vocals and tremoloed Wurlitzer electric piano
, all performed by Mitchell herself. All subsequent recordings featured a fuller backing band sound.
Prior to release on any album, Mitchell performed "Woodstock" at the 1969 Big Sur Folk Festival, one month after Woodstock. The solo performance can be seen in the festival concert film Celebration at Big Sur
(released in 1971). The performance was an exception to Mitchell's mounting distaste for large festival gigs.
The song later went on to be hits for Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young
and Matthews Southern Comfort
, the latter reaching #1 on the UK singles chart
for three weeks in October 1970, and the former reaching #11 on the Billboard Hot 100
. David Crosby, in an interview in the documentary Joni Mitchell: Woman of Heart and Mind, said that Mitchell had captured the feeling and importance of the Woodstock festival better than anyone who had been there.
Led Zeppelin
incorporated Woodstock's lyrics and structure into live renditions of their song "Dazed and Confused" between 1973 and 1975. It can be heard on the currently unreleased "Dazed and Confused" section of the video from one of the 1975 Earl's Court concerts.
A version was performed by Richard Thompson at the 2000 All-Star Tribute To Joni Mitchell, later broadcast on TNT
A 40th anniversary version of "Woodstock" was released in 2009 by Nick Vernier Band
featuring Iain Matthews
(formerly of Matthews Southern Comfort).
The band America
recorded a version of this song for their 2011 album Back Pages.
about the 1960s.
The song was also used in an episode of Beverly Hills, 90210
where the characters act out the story of a girl from the 1960s whose diary is found by Brenda.
The song was used in a Six Feet Under episode entitled "Back to the Garden" (named after a lyric in the song) in 2002, but the song isn't featured on the official soundtrack
.
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
about the Woodstock Music and Art Festival
Woodstock Festival
Woodstock Music & Art Fair was a music festival, billed as "An Aquarian Exposition: 3 Days of Peace & Music". It was held at Max Yasgur's 600-acre dairy farm in the Catskills near the hamlet of White Lake in the town of Bethel, New York, from August 15 to August 18, 1969...
of 1969.
Joni Mitchell
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...
wrote the song from what she had heard from then-boyfriend, Graham Nash
Graham Nash
Graham William Nash, OBE is an English singer-songwriter known for his light tenor vocals and for his songwriting contributions with the British pop group The Hollies, and with the folk-rock band Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. Nash is a photography collector and a published photographer...
, 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
The Dick Cavett Show
The Dick Cavett Show has been the title of several talk shows hosted by Dick Cavett on various television networks, including:* ABC daytime ...
by a manager. She wrote this song in a hotel room in New York City, watching the reports of the festival on television. "The deprivation of not being able to go provided me with an intense angle on Woodstock," she told an interviewer shortly after the event. It was later released on her third album, Ladies of the Canyon
Ladies of the Canyon
Ladies of the Canyon is Joni Mitchell's third album, released in 1970. Its title refers to Laurel Canyon, Los Angeles, a center of popular music culture in Los Angeles during the sixties...
in 1970, on her Shadows and Light album, and again in 1996 on her Hits album.
Mitchell's original version featured a stark and haunting arrangement - solo vocal, multi-tracked backing vocals and tremoloed Wurlitzer electric piano
Wurlitzer electric piano
Wurlitzer 200A|250px|thumbThe Wurlitzer electric piano was one of a series of electromechanical stringless pianos manufactured and marketed by the Rudolph Wurlitzer Company, Corinth, Mississippi, U.S. and Tonawanda, New York...
, all performed by Mitchell herself. All subsequent recordings featured a fuller backing band sound.
Prior to release on any album, Mitchell performed "Woodstock" at the 1969 Big Sur Folk Festival, one month after Woodstock. The solo performance can be seen in the festival concert film Celebration at Big Sur
Celebration at Big Sur
Celebration at Big Sur is a film of the 1969 Big Sur Folk Festival in Big Sur, California, featuring Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young , Joan Baez, Joni Mitchell and others....
(released in 1971). The performance was an exception to Mitchell's mounting distaste for large festival gigs.
The song later went on to be hits for Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young
Crosby, Stills & Nash (and Young)
Crosby, Stills & Nash is a folk rock supergroup made up of David Crosby, Stephen Stills and Graham Nash, also known as Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young when joined by occasional fourth member Neil Young...
and Matthews Southern Comfort
Later That Same Year
Later That Same Year is the 1970 album by country rock/folk rock musician Ian Matthews' band Matthews' Southern Comfort. This was Iain's third album after his departure from Fairport Convention.-Track listing:#"Woodstock" - 4:26...
, the latter reaching #1 on the UK singles chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
for three weeks in October 1970, and the former reaching #11 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
. David Crosby, in an interview in the documentary Joni Mitchell: Woman of Heart and Mind, said that Mitchell had captured the feeling and importance of the Woodstock festival better than anyone who had been there.
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
incorporated Woodstock's lyrics and structure into live renditions of their song "Dazed and Confused" between 1973 and 1975. It can be heard on the currently unreleased "Dazed and Confused" section of the video from one of the 1975 Earl's Court concerts.
A version was performed by Richard Thompson at the 2000 All-Star Tribute To Joni Mitchell, later broadcast on TNT
A 40th anniversary version of "Woodstock" was released in 2009 by Nick Vernier Band
Nick Vernier Band
Nick Vernier Band is an alias for productions by Dutch musician and record producer Eric Van Den Brink. Although a ‘one man band’ in essence, featured collaborators include Probyn Gregory, Gerry Beckley , Stephen John Kalinich, Paul Jones, Iain Matthews, Matt Malley, Emitt Rhodes, Duncan Maitland,...
featuring Iain Matthews
Iain Matthews
Iain Matthews is an English musician and songwriter. He was born Iain Matthew McDonald, in Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire, England. He was known in the 1960s first as Ian McDonald, then as the 1960s progressed, as Ian Matthews...
(formerly of Matthews Southern Comfort).
The band America
America (band)
America is an English-American folk rock band that originally included members Gerry Beckley, Dewey Bunnell and Dan Peek. The three members were barely out of their teens when they became a musical sensation during 1972, scoring #1 hits and winning a Grammy for best new musical artist...
recorded a version of this song for their 2011 album Back Pages.
In popular culture
A line from the chorus, "We are billion year old carbon," was used by Corey Mesler as the title of a novelNovel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
about the 1960s.
The song was also used in an episode of Beverly Hills, 90210
Beverly Hills, 90210
Beverly Hills, 90210 is an American drama series that originally aired from October 4, 1990 to May 17, 2000 on Fox and was produced by Spelling Television in the United States, and subsequently on various networks around the world. It is the first series in the Beverly Hills, 90210 franchise...
where the characters act out the story of a girl from the 1960s whose diary is found by Brenda.
The song was used in a Six Feet Under episode entitled "Back to the Garden" (named after a lyric in the song) in 2002, but the song isn't featured on the official soundtrack
Six Feet Under (soundtrack)
Six Feet Under is a soundtrack album to the HBO television series Six Feet Under, released in 2002 on Universal Music.-Track listing:# Thomas Newman, "Six Feet Under Title Theme" * Plays at start of every episode....
.