☁️ About the Song
Few artists can write something so delicate it feels like you’re eavesdropping on their soul, but Joni Mitchell’s Both Sides Now does exactly that. Written in 1967, inspired by a line in Saul Bellow’s novel Henderson the Rain King, it first appeared on Judy Collins’s album before Joni released her own version on Clouds in 1969.
The song’s beauty lies in its quiet honesty. It’s a reflection on how perspectives shift as we age — clouds, love, life… they all look different depending on where you’re standing and how much heartbreak you’ve clocked. It’s wistful without wallowing, bittersweet without bitterness. Joni was in her twenties when she wrote it; by the time she re-recorded it in 2000 with a smoky orchestral arrangement, it sounded like someone looking back on her younger self through tears and a whisky glass.
Basically, it’s emotional origami: simple on the surface, endlessly complex once you unfold it.
🎸 Ukulele Playing Tips
Chords: C – G – Am – F – Dm – G7 — the holy folk trinity plus friends. If you prefer Joni’s original tuning vibe, slap on a capo at the 2nd fret and play in G shapes.
Strumming / Picking: Go light and steady — D D U U D U with an airy touch. Or finger-pick in a rolling pattern (P-I-M-A) if you want the lullaby flow.
Tempo: Around 72 bpm. Don’t rush; this one breathes like a sigh.
Dynamics: Verse one — gentle, reflective. Verse two — slightly warmer. Final verse — pull back and let the melancholy land.
Tone tip: Use the fleshy part of your thumb for downstrokes; nails sound too bright for Joni’s introspection.
Fancy move: On the line “It’s love’s illusions I recall…”, walk C → Cmaj7 → C7 → F — it mirrors that emotional shift in the lyrics.
🧠 Trivia You Can Drop Casually
Joni wrote it while flying above clouds, which explains the imagery — she was literally seeing “both sides.”
Judy Collins’s cover hit the charts first and won a Grammy, but even Collins admits Joni’s version “has the ache that mine only hinted at.”
Joni was only 23 when she wrote it — an unfair level of emotional insight for someone who probably still had milk in her fridge going off.
The song’s been covered by everyone from Frank Sinatra to Herbie Hancock, and even used in Love Actually for maximum tear-jerk effect.
🌈 Final Word
Play Both Sides Now like you’re telling a secret to someone who might break if you’re too loud. It’s tender, timeless, and hits harder the older you get.
Let each chord ring until it fades into silence — the kind of silence that says everything left unsaid.
