Joni Mitchell back on Spotify, following Neil Young’s return
ByBob D'Angelo, Cox Media Group National Content Desk
Joni Mitchell: The singer, flanked by Brandi Carlile and Blake Mills during the 2024 Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, has returned to Spotify. (Taylor Hill/WireImage)
(Taylor Hill/WireImage)
ByBob D'Angelo, Cox Media Group National Content Desk
Singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell has quietly returned to Spotify, two years after removing her music from the streaming platform.
Mitchell, 80, a 10-time Grammy Award winner who also picked up a lifetime achievement award in 2002, followed the lead of fellow singer Neil Young, who announced he was returning to Spotify on March 12, The New York Times reported.
Mitchell has not made an official announcement, but fans on social media noted the reemergence of some of her albums on Spotify, according to the newspaper. By Friday, most of her original albums had returned to Spotify.
Joni Mitchell’s music has quietly returned to Spotify, more than two years after she followed Neil Young in protest of misinformation about Covid-19 vaccines being spread on the streaming platform by Joe Rogan and his podcast guests. https://t.co/HOu6oO5G2G
Her announcement came days after Young issued an ultimatum to Spotify, telling the company that “they can have Rogan or Young. Not both.” Spotify began removing Young’s music.
In a statement on March 12, 2024, Young said his decision to return “comes as music services Apple and Amazon have started serving the same disinformation podcast features I had opposed at Spotify.”
Mitchell’s move comes two years after she pulled her music in support of Young, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
“Irresponsible people are spreading lies that are costing people their lives,” Mitchell wrote on her website in January 2022. “I stand in solidarity with Neil Young and the global scientific and medical communities on this issue.”
Representatives for Mitchell, her record labels and Spotify either did not answer or had no comment when asked about the apparent return of Mitchell’s music to the streaming service, the Times reported.
Mitchell has written hits for herself -- “Help Me,” “Free Man in Paris,” “Big Yellow Taxi” -- and has penned big-selling songs for others. “Help Me” reached No. 7 on the pop charts in June 1974 and was her highest-charting single on the Top 40. The song also went to No. 1 on the easy-listening charts, Rolling Stone reported. The album “Court and Spark” peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard charts and remained there for four weeks.
“Both Sides Now” was a hit for Judy Collins and was featured in the opening ceremonies for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.
Mitchell suffered a brain aneurysm in 2015 but has returned to performing in public, Rolling Stone reported. In 2020 she played her first show in more than two decades, appearing at the Newport Folk Festival. The live album from the festival earned Mitchell her 10th Grammy Award. She sang “Both Sides Now” at the Grammy Awards in February in her first appearance on the show.
Mitchell also helped honor Elton John and Bernie Taupin on March 20 as they received the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, according to Rolling Stone.
1 of 23
Joni Mitchell through the years Here are some memorable photos of acclaimed singer and songwriter Joni Mitchell through the years. (Jack Robinson/Getty Images, File)
Joni Mitchell through the years 1969: Graham Nash and Joni Mitchell clap during an act at the Big Sur Folk Festival at the Esalen Institue on September 14-15, 1969 i n Big Sur, California. (Robert Altman/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images, File)
Joni Mitchell through the years 1970: Comedian Jonathan Winters (right) and singer Peggy Lee (left) congratulate Grammy winners Henry Mancini and Joni Mitchell on March 11, 1970 in Los Angeles. (Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images, File)
Joni Mitchell through the years 1970: Joni Mitchell can be seen performing in the United Kingdom on Aug. 29, 1970. (Tony Russell/Redferns, File)
Joni Mitchell through the years 1971: Singer-songwriters James Taylor and Joni Mitchell provide backing vocals during the recording of Carole King's album "Tapestry" at A&M Records Recording Studio in January 1971 in Los Angeles. (Jim McCrary/Redferns, File)
Joni Mitchell through the years 1976: Neil Young and Joni Mitchell perform with The Band during The Last Waltz at Winterland on Nov. 25, 1976 in San Francisco. (Ed Perlstein/Redferns/Getty Images, File)
Joni Mitchell through the years 1976: Joni Mitchell performs at The Boston Music Hall on Dec. 19, 1976, in Boston. (Ron Pownall/Getty Images, File)
Joni Mitchell through the years 1980: Joni Mitchell and BB King perform at the Bread & Roses Festival at the Greek Theater in Berkeley, California, on Oct. 4, 1980. (Clayton Call/Redferns, File)
Joni Mitchell through the years 1982: Canadian musician Joni Mitchell plays acoustic guitar on stage at Studio 54 in New York City on April 2, 1982. The performance was part of a benefit concert for Jazz musician Larry Rivers. (Gary Gershoff/Getty Images, File)
Joni Mitchell through the years 1985: Joni Mitchell attends the 27th annual Grammy Awards on Feb. 26, 1985, at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. (CBS Photo Archive/CBS via Getty Images, File)
Joni Mitchell through the years 1988: Joni Mitchell can be seen in this photo from March 22, 1988. (Doug Griffin/Toronto Star via Getty Images, File)
Joni Mitchell through the years 1991: Billy Idol & Joni Mitchell during a party after a Sting concert in Los Angeles in 1991. (Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic, Inc, File)
Joni Mitchell through the years 1995: Pop singer Peter Gabriel stands beside songwriter Joni Mitchell, who is holding her Billboard's 1995 Century Award, at the 1995 Billboard Music Awards on Dec. 6, 1995 in New York City. The awards honor the year's number one musical artists, albums and songs as determined by the record-buying audience and radio airplay statistics. (Evan Agostini/Liaison via Getty Images, File)
Joni Mitchell through the years 1996: Joni Mitchell smiles as she holds two Grammy Awards at 38th Annual Grammy Awards on Feb. 28, 1996, in Los Angeles. Mitchell won Grammys for Best Pop Album for "Turbulent Indigo." (JEFF HAYNES/AFP via Getty Images, File)
Joni Mitchell through the years 1996: Emmylou Harris, Eddie Van Halen, and Joni Mitchell are seen during the 1996 Gibson Guitar Awards at the Hard Rock Cafe in Los Angeles. (Steve Granitz/WireImage, File)
Joni Mitchell through the years 1999: Joni Mitchell and Stevie Wonder are seen during the 1999 ASCAP Pop Music Awards at the Beverly Hilton hotel in Beverly Hills, California. (Steve Granitz/WireImage, File)
Joni Mitchell through the years 2000: Singer Joni Mitchell gets a kiss from Elton John as singers Shawn Colvin (L) and James Taylor (R) watch after the finale of Turner Network Television's "All-Star Tribute to Joni Mitchell" at the Hammerstein Ballroom on April 6, 2000, in New York City. The event featured numerous singers and musicians performing Mitchell songs. (Matt Campbell/AFP via Getty Images, File)
Joni Mitchell through the years 2012: Singers Neil Young and Joni Mitchell attend Clive Davis and The Recording Academy's 2012 Pre-GRAMMY Gala and Salute to Industry Icons Honoring Richard Branson at the Beverly Hilton hotel on February 11, 2012 in Beverly Hills, California. (Lester Cohen/WireImage, File)
Joni Mitchell through the years 2013: Joni Mitchell performs on stage at Toronto's Massey Hall on June 18, 2013, with guests during Luminato's "Joni: A Portrait in Song - A Birthday Happening Live at Massey Hall." (Tara Walton/Toronto Star via Getty Images, File)
Joni Mitchell through the years 2021: Singer Joni Mitchell attends a reception for Kennedy Center honorees hosted by President Joe Biden and first lady Dr. Jill Biden in the East Room at the White House on Dec, 5, 2021, in Washington, DC. The reception at the White House was held ahead of the Kennedy Center Honors in Washington. (Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images, File)
