| "Carey" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Joni Mitchell | ||||
| from the album Blue | ||||
| B-side | "This Flight Tonight" | |||
| Released | 1971 | |||
| Recorded | 1971 | |||
| Genre | Folk rock, soft rock [1] | |||
| Length | 3:00 | |||
| Label | Reprise | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Joni Mitchell | |||
| Producer(s) | Joni Mitchell | |||
| Joni Mitchell singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Official Audio | ||||
| "Carey" on YouTube | ||||
"Carey" is a song from the 1971 Joni Mitchell album Blue . It was inspired by her time spent with Cary Raditz, living with a cave-dwelling hippie community at Matala, on the Greek island of Crete.
In early 1970, Mitchell's relationship with Graham Nash had recently ended, and she decided to fly to Greece for a break, with a female friend. Mitchell's European travels, which also encompassed France and Spain, were intended as a "time out" from her increasing fame and fortune in the music business. After a few days in Athens the two friends traveled to Crete, rented a car and drove to Matala on the south coast of the island. There, Mitchell met a red-haired cane-carrying American, Cary Raditz, [2] [3] who was working as a cook at the Delphini Taverna. [4] She wrote the first version of "Carey" in Matala, for Raditz's 24th birthday. After about two months, she and Raditz traveled to Athens together, but Mitchell then flew alone to Paris, where she wrote "California", referring to Raditz as a "red, red rogue", and on returning to the U.S. completed "Carey" together with other songs for the Blue album. [2]
Although the song was sometimes rumoured to be about fellow singer-songwriter James Taylor, who plays guitar on some Blue tracks (although not on "Carey" itself) and with whom Mitchell had a brief affair, Mitchell stated publicly that the "Carey" in question was Cary Raditz. References to the village of Matala and the al fresco hippie lifestyle abound in the song lyrics. Mitchell frequently introduced live performances of "Carey" by recounting anecdotes about Raditz and their Cretan adventures. [5] [6]
In November 2014, The Wall Street Journal published interviews by Marc Myers with Mitchell [7] and Raditz, [8] [9] about the background to the song. Mitchell said that she "latched on to Cary because he seemed fierce and kept the crowd off my back... I enjoyed Cary's company, and his audacity....[h]e was a bit of a scoundrel." Raditz said that his "cane" had in fact been a discarded shepherd's crook, and commented: "I liked Joni a lot and didn't like losing her company. But on the road, you already know the friendships you develop are short-lived. That's built into the experience." [2]
While in Europe, Mitchell taught herself to play the Appalachian dulcimer, which was to become a feature of her musical output in the following years. Her dulcimer skills were first showcased on Blue and in particular the original recording of "Carey", which also features Stephen Stills on bass and acoustic guitar. "Carey" was released as a single, debuting at number 93 on the Billboard Chart on September 4, 1971 and lasting just one week; nevertheless, it remains one of Mitchell's most enduring and popular songs.
In 1971 Record World called it "a tune that others are sure to record." [10]
According to the liner notes: [11]
"Carey" appears on two Joni Mitchell greatest hits albums – Hits (1996) and Dreamland: The Very Best of Joni Mitchell (2004).
Mitchell herself performed a different interpretation of Carey on her 1974 live album Miles of Aisles . Backed by jazz band Tom Scott & The LA Express, and recorded at the Universal Amphitheater in Los Angeles, this reggae/ska version has been criticised by Stephen Davis in Rolling Stone , who went so far as to say that the song was "murdered". [12]
In 1972, actress Goldie Hawn recorded her version of the song for her album Goldie (Warner MS 2061). [13] Kiki Dee issued a live version of the song on her 1995 album Almost Naked. [14] At the televised 2000 tribute concert to Mitchell, held at the Hammerstein Ballroom, New York, the song was performed by Cyndi Lauper. [15]
At the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize concert in 2023 honoring Mitchell, [16] Carey was performed by Marcus Mumford as the opening number, with Raditz in attendance in the audience.
| Chart (1971) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100 [17] | 93 |
Roberta Joan "Joni" Mitchell is a Canadian-American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and painter. As one of the most influential singer-songwriters to emerge from the 1960s folk music circuit, Mitchell became known for her starkly personal lyrics and unconventional compositions which grew to incorporate pop and jazz elements. She has received many accolades, including ten Grammy Awards and induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997. Rolling Stone called her "one of the greatest songwriters ever", and AllMusic has stated, "When the dust settles, Joni Mitchell may stand as the most important and influential female recording artist of the late 20th century".
Matala is a village located 75 km south-west of Heraklion, Crete, Greece. Matala is part of the community of Pitsidia within the municipal unit of Tympaki, Faistos municipality, Heraklion regional unit.
"A Case of You" is a song by Joni Mitchell, from her 1971 album Blue.
"Little Green" is a song composed and performed by Joni Mitchell. It is the third track on her 1971 album Blue.
Hejira is the eighth studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell, released in 1976 on Asylum Records. Its material was written during a period of frequent travel in late 1975 and early 1976, and reflects Mitchell's experiences during that time. Characterized by lyrically dense, sprawling songs, as well as the overdubbed fretless bass playing of Jaco Pastorius, Hejira continued the musician's journey towards a freer, jazz-inspired sound.
For the Roses is the fifth studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell. It was released in November 1972, between her two biggest commercial and critical successes—Blue and Court and Spark. In 2007 it was one of 25 recordings chosen that year by the Library of Congress to be added to the National Recording Registry.
Miles of Aisles is the first live album by Canadian singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell, released in 1974 on Asylum Records. It is a double album documenting her concerts in support of the Court and Spark album with her backing band for the tour, the L.A. Express. It reached No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and became one of her biggest-selling records, certified a gold record by the RIAA.
Blue is the fourth studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell, released on June 22, 1971, by Reprise Records. Written and produced entirely by Mitchell, it was recorded in 1971 at A&M Studios in Hollywood, California. Created just after her breakup with Graham Nash and during an intense relationship with James Taylor, Blue explores various facets of relationships from love on "A Case of You" to insecurity on "This Flight Tonight". The songs feature simple accompaniments on piano, guitar and Appalachian dulcimer. The album peaked at number 3 on the UK Albums Chart, number 9 on the Canadian RPM Albums Chart and number 15 on the Billboard 200.
Taming the Tiger is the sixteenth studio album by the Canadian musician Joni Mitchell. Released on September 29, 1998, through Reprise Records, it is the follow-up to the successful Turbulent Indigo (1994). The album was, at the time, widely believed to be her last of completely original material; this would be disproved with the release of Shine in 2007.
"Blue" is the title song from Joni Mitchell's 1971 album of the same name. The song is generally thought to be about James Taylor, with the line "Here is a song for you" being directed to Taylor. As Sheila Weller states in the biography Girls Like Us, "Its references to a drug addict's 'needles' and...proffering a seashell to her lover...make it fairly clear that 'Blue' is about James".
Since her debut album in 1968, Canadian musician Joni Mitchell has released 19 studio albums, most recently 2007's Shine. Her most commercially successful period was the early-mid 1970s, which included 1970's Ladies of the Canyon, 1971's Blue and 1974's Court and Spark, all three of which reached Platinum status in the US.
"This Flight Tonight" is a song originally by Joni Mitchell, from her 1971 album Blue. Scottish hard rock band Nazareth released the song as a single in 1973 that charted internationally.
Memphis Blues is the eleventh studio album by American singer Cyndi Lauper, containing cover versions of classic blues songs. Regarded as a continuation of her 2008 comeback, the album was a nominee for the Grammy Awards 2010 and was released on her 57th birthday, June 22, 2010. According to the Brazilian daily newspaper O Globo, the album had sold 600,000 copies worldwide by November 2010. Memphis Blues was voted the 7th best album of 2010 by the New York Post, and it went on to become Billboard's biggest selling blues album of 2010. To support the album, Lauper made her biggest tour ever, the Memphis Blues Tour, which had more than 140 shows.
"California" is a song written by Joni Mitchell that first appeared on her 1971 album Blue. It was also released as the second single from the album, as a follow-up to "Carey".
The Joni Mitchell Archives is an ongoing project to release previously unreleased recorded material by Canadian singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell. So far, each new release schedule consists of a box set collection, a compilation with material on the box set release, and a live album. The project is being overseen by Mitchell and Patrick Milligan, director of A&R for Rhino Records, the label through which the project's offerings are being released. The first release also received input from Neil Young, who had experience with the release of his own extensive archival series, and Mitchell and Young's late manager Elliot Roberts, who died during the process of planning the first box set, and to whom the release is dedicated.
The Reprise Albums (1968–1971) is a four-disc box set by Canadian singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell, that was released on June 25, 2021, by Rhino Records. The set is the sixth overall release and first box set of remastered albums from the Joni Mitchell Archives, a planned series of releases featuring remastered and unreleased material from the singer's archives. Formatted in chronological order, the first volume of the remaster series includes Mitchell's first four albums, all of which were released on Reprise Records: Song to a Seagull (1968), Clouds (1969), Ladies of the Canyon (1970), and Blue (1971).
Joni Mitchell Archives – Vol. 2: The Reprise Years (1968–1971) is a five-disc box set by Canadian singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell, released on November 12, 2021, by Rhino Records. The box set is the seventh overall release and second offering of unreleased material from the Joni Mitchell Archives, a planned series of releases containing remastered material from the singer's personal archives. Formatted in chronological order, the second volume of the series consists of the archived material that was recorded during Mitchell's tenure at Reprise Records, which includes the years between the release of her debut studio album, Song to a Seagull (1968) and her fourth studio album, Blue (1971).
Live at Carnegie Hall – 1969 is a live album by singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell, released on November 12, 2021, by Rhino Records. The album, which is the eighth overall release and the second live release of the Joni Mitchell Archives, features the storied, two-set recording that was captured at New York City's famed Carnegie Hall in 1969. This separate live album was pressed exclusively on vinyl, and serves as a companion to Joni Mitchell Archives – Vol. 2: The Reprise Years (1968–1971), the box set from which its material is derived.
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