Joni Mitchell - Sex Kills (Live In-Studio 1995)

[@cyndia6278]

Joni is a force of nature, a bulldozer of truth.

[@toddm8609]

Well said- poetic :)

[@neilmusgrove4668]

I have loved Joni's music since I was 17, I'm almost 70 now and still love it, beautiful but it always has words you need to listen to!

[@davidespinosa1910]

She's hearing four parts on guitar and singing. And the rhythm is super original !

[@themaggattack]

David Espinosa BAM! Stick that in yer pipes and smoke it, new "artists"!

[@jakestevens3788]

David Espinosa and doing some groovy swaying

[@Gryphrue]

john martyn

[@sillyboyronaldflores]

Johnny Cash?

[@garywhite23]

Sorry, she's not playing 4 parts on the guitar. Tommy Emmanuel can play 4 parts at once. She's great, but it's simply an open tuning and she letting the low 6th string ring out while she has a unique strum. Bass, Melody. Middle, Drums. Not even close.

[@lucgrillet5972]

it's safe to say that joni is one of the (if the not, the) greatest singer/ songwriters in history. just absolutely stunning how talented and true to herself she is in her infinite multitude of crafts.... beyond inspiring. her art is timeless.

[@Vito_Tuxedo]

@lucgrillet5972 - "One of the greatest"...yeah, it's probably safe to say that anyone who argues with that is most likely suffering from a severe case of anal/cranial insertion syndrome. For the record, declarations of "the greatest" are an indication that you've wandered into territory that suggests you need to take your meds, or whatever you do to keep your emotions from overriding rationality. Don't get me wrong; I'm currently obsessing on *_Sex Kills_* as yet another of her masterpieces, and as a composer/singer/multi-instrumentalist/producer who has been making music since 1964, I know *_why_* Roberta Joan Anderson "Joni" Mitchell deserves to be listed among the very best singer/songwriters ever to walk planet Earth on their hind legs. There are hordes of others who've parsed her songs with enough microscopic detail to bore a dead parrot, and send a humanoid with an actual mind running and screaming and spitting and drooling and begging "Please STF up with the blathering that sucks the magic outa the music, already!" I'm not gonna do that. But it wouldn't ever occur to me to declare *_anyone_* "the greatest" at anything. What are the criteria? No one bothers to define them; not you, and not me, although her brief interview with Jay Leno touched on one of them: _The influence she has had on other musicians_ is one measure of greatness. And I suspect that Joni's influence vastly outstrips her commercial success. Genius is in the eye of the beholder. I'm telling you that so you'll know that you must have some of Joni's genius inside of you; it takes one to know one. Whether she's "the greatest" is probably unknowable, and it doesn't matter. What matters is what her work means to you. Like all valuations, that's purely subjective, but that doesn't make it invalid. 😎

[@mondosci]

Even now, in the year 2015, Joni is in a class by herself. One of the greatest masters of the craft of all time . . . in my humble opinion.

[@wayneblanchard97]

Charles Ostman Nothing humble about that opinion. You're as right as right can be.

[@edwinjamespope8118]

I always think of her & Prince as equivalents, who are unparalleled in songwriting & performance talent.

[@googleyeyed5814]

Charles Ostman You are so right. She is truly an icon.

[@Jackknifegyp]

20 yrs after this performance she emphatically does not ‘have it”. Why can’t they just leave gracefully?

[@SalaWalter]

Absolutely right

[@dahliafully]

She's 52 here. Brilliant, beautiful as always in every year. This song is underrated. The lyric is pointed and still relevant. Because sex sells and kills as directed by those running the corporate anti-art bullshit. The designers at NBC did a great job with the sound and set. And her paintings are remarkable.

[@garrycraig2095]

dahliafully she got prettier as she aged. But her talent is awesome throughout her life!

[@b.bailey8244]

What a courageous, honest choice for the first time on TV in 25 years! These lyrics... more timely than ever. What a song. What gifts and legacy she leaves us with her poetry, art, music, and singing.

[@cyndia6278]

There has never been anyone like her. Sad that someone that has so much to offer the world has to age or die. She will live on forever in her music.Amazing woman..... She will always be.

[@richardharris1164]

and to think they gave old Bob Zimmerman a Nobel Prize for his largely incoherent gibberish. Joni Mitchell is head and shoulders above every other contemporary music artist of the last 60 years. Genius is a very overused term. Joni Mitchell is the only contemporary music / artist worthy of that elevated status

[@rind2015]

can't even imagine what it must be like to watch the mainstream energy of change in the air from the 60's and 70's slowly be swallowed and packaged and resold as a shadow of it's former glory while being a creative conduit of her caliber. you can really feel the pain coming from this song. she was always able to capture the spirit of the times and, man, does this apply now more than ever.

[@TrulygreenSolution]

One Woman. One Instrument. One LEGEND... Joni Anderson Mitchell.

[@philrobertson647]

What a brilliant songwriter.. she gives me chills .. Canadian treasure

[@RalfAnodin]

I guess it’s a treasure you can’t prevent sharing, I’m from France and equally proud to count the her in my fellow contemporaries.

[@perkyporkpie]

Let's not mince words- a drop dead genius!

[@svendbosanvovski4241]

The first time I hear Joni was Big Yellow Taxi on a tinny crystal set. I was a kid, and in my mind she was a giggling bigger sister. And then I saw images of her and was overwhelmed by her "Scandinavian" beauty. Over the decades, I grew older with her music penetrating my ears and mind. Now I thumb through her Morning Glory on the Vine and feel grateful that there was such a one as Joni Mitchell in my world, and I know millions feel the same way.

[@richalderson6069]

A powerful song, still relevant today. One woman and a guitar telling it like it is. Love you Joni, hope you make enough of a recovery to give another performance for us all soon. Xx

[@katcam1590]

She is absolute genius...I hear her influence in EVERY highly influential band of the 70's...she is highly revered and rightfully so.

[@charlielambrick9004]

She’s so good it’s ridiculous. ❤️

[@TheSweetsOfSin]

This actually the best version of Joni Mitchell doing this, better than the original.

[@Vito_Tuxedo]

@TheSweetsOfSin - ...um, well...I'll buy that you _like_ it more than the original; you're perfectly entitled to that opinion. But "better"? By what criteria? The recording has its faults (principally the lyrics are buried in the mix), but it's a different kind of sonic painting. The tonal colors and the dynamics on the original made me flag this song as a masterpiece the instant I heard it. On the original recording, Mike Landau's guitar is brilliant, the low E string on the guitar (tuned down to C) doesn't buzz almost every time she hits it (as it does here), the drums roll like thunder on the record, the chord changes in "the gas leaks" chorus (which she can't play clearly with just an acoustic guitar and her non-standard tuning) are completely missing here because there's no bass to define them,...and blah, blah, blah. Apparently, none of those things matter to you. That's fine. I've seen other live versions of this, which just her and her guitar, and while they're good, they're not as good as this one. The TV studio engineer on this version got the reverb right on the vocal, but the EQ on her guitar sucks. It's OK for what it is, but it's distracting (to me). On the record, the guitar strings are in balance. It sounds almost like a piano, which might be where she wrote the song...I dunno for sure. All I can tell you is that it's much easier to play this on the piano, and play all the chords, including the bass notes that are on the record, but completely absent here. She had to use a bizarre tuning on the guitar to be able to play it live, and that sacrificed that great chord movement in the chorus. It kinda rips the guts out of that part of the song...for me. None of this invalidates your judgement that you LIKE this version better than the original. I like it too; I can actually hear the vocal melody and the lyrics here, something I can't even do on my tri-amped studio monitors on the original. That's on the producers, one of whom was Joni. To my ears, the vocal is too far down in the mix on the record. I guess she thought that's where it should be; I disagree. But everything else about the original is awesome. I like THAT version better. Neither one of us is wrong to like what we like. But a flat declaration that this version is "better" on some kind of absolute basis is...well, incongruous.

[@CARambolagen]

@@Vito_Tuxedo Uh, - yeah...

[@amrahShsakaA]

Oh my fucking God. What a lady, what a voice, what a melody, what lyrics, what a Rockstar. The epitome of art.

[@ireneruthfox]

Truly one of a kind......She is timeless.

[@nightjarnine1126]

I spent a large part of my life dismissing Joni Mitchell as the annoying laugh at the end of Big Yellow Taxi - I only started to appreciate her when I began to mature and grow up. Quite simply she's a genius - brittle, passionate, wildly talented, faintly crazy and truly avant-garde. The stuff she was doing on Songs to a Seagull blows the material of the many contemporary singer/songwriters of the age out of the water - the crazy thing is that the LPs after that just got better and better! The fact that the legends of Jazz hold/held her in such high esteem speaks volumes about her shimmering brilliance and charisma. This performance positively glows - JM is one of those very few artists who can hold the attention like a full blown symphony orchestra encapsulated in a single person.

[@hannjenn]

+Nightjar Nine Yes! I couldn't have said it any better.

[@mayemcdonald9111]

I absolutely ADORE her. I wish we could meet. 😌

[@Starlight_Silver]

I wish I wrote like you. That was an impressive use of words. I especially liked “shimmering brilliance and charisma”. #Noice! 😊👍🏽

[@billt1954]

Nightjar Nine. Oh Mate. Don' t worry about it. I wish i had a penny for every artist that i failed to spot in my youth in the 60's and 70's. The point is.. you had the good taste to 'dig' them when you where ready, just as i did. I didn't discover the Genius of Neil Young, Nick Drake, Roy Harper and many others until i was older, even though i loved so many of their contemporaries. Keep on digging music my friend. Peace, from the UK.

[@slyslaughter5115]

Well said

[@stormdiscozia]

In all the years of Artistry in this tiny ball of water we call earth, there has never, or will never be an artist of such extraordinary truth

[@johnreynolds8508]

She is a true master of her craft ,,,,,,,,,,,,,history will reflect that she was one of the premier poets of our time

[@betsyscala8863]

Right on!

[@zonary1]

The universe makes stars, the stars make star dust, Joni is a creator, she makes all three. -with love.

[@carlajpatterson]

Man, I love KZbin! Had stopped watching late night TV on any of the mainstream channels for years by 1995 so I missed seeing this when it aired but here I am in 2016 getting to see it now. Fantastic.

[@irthlingz]

Really something to hear the explosion of applause from the audience both before and after she sang. So refreshing to hear someone who can really sing and write, and you can hear just about every word perfectly clearly. And a politically relevant song on the Tonight Show - wow!!! Also, the subject matter is so relevant today.

[@philiptagg1322]

I'm ashamed for not having heard this until recently. An excellent song with really great guitar tuning (dropped C#) producing suggestive sonorities, plus superb vocal delivery (controlled passion and outrage) of a vital message. Very moving.

[@eightbighillman]

Martin D45? She always played on Martin D28.

[@kimballard8362]

Oh man just love Joni since long time, am now 68 and the love has not diminished.

[@Revolution1117]

She could still do it, couldn't she? A classic voice, with beauty to match.

[@robin2012ism]

nope

[@doctorknowitall]

wow. I remember watching that. Almost 20 years ago. She is a gift.

[@joniglbe479]

Can't add anything more. You guys said it all. She's been my favorite musician/poet/singer/painter since Blue and Clouds. Wow

[@kennethmendoza7768]

her guitar playing blows me away!! dam!!!

[@kennethmendoza7768]

her guitar playing is something! blew me away!! genius!!!!

[@lindadote]

Oh, thanks so much for this treasure. You would indeed need a "Tin Ear" not to appreciate this magnificent artist. Thank you Joni for over 40 years (for me) of your beautiful, insightful words and music.

[@SonicDykstra]

I love how she always sounds so Canadian when she speaks.

[@marilynwellman5030]

There absolutely has never been anyone ever better than Joni!

[@lemorab1]

I love Joni as a social critic. I wish she'd make another record and perform again. We need her!

[@sebastiano6793]

Singer, songwriter, musician, poetess, painter, producer... She's The Quintessential Artist. 💖

[@cherylczekala4558]

Her guitar blows me away.

[@Natashahoneypot]

"You can feel it out in traffic....Everyone hates Everyone"

[@jannaleesmithey3775]

I just want to throw my arms around you, Joni, and hope you see this. Love for all you gave me in my teenage years, which carried me into my life as a strong woman. LOVE YOU!

[@billt1954]

Oh my God what do you say about this? nothing to say really except, Thank you so much Joni.

[@lindadote]

Oh Joni, please get well soon. We NEED you.

[@suryanagara9943]

Joni is The true meaning of art

[@devotion1100]

Joni . . . Wow . . Poetry In Her Whole Self !!!

[@nkkiroyall]

A consummate performer, original, elegant, beautiful - a legend !

[@billt1954]

Privileged to have lived in the same era as this woman.

[@toneman335]

How many other 53 year old women look as good as Joni?

[@anthonypina8034]

An absolutely flawless performance--both vocally and instrumentally. The best version of this song.

[@CollinKelley]

Thrilled to see this again. A fantastic performance.

[@sonicboy19]

Glad you enjoyed it! I love it too.

[@tomjohnson9366]

Collin Kelley flaying auffôs

[@barbararenton8009]

Whether Joni is standing up or sitting down singing, she is still the best!

[@kennethmendoza7768]

who could play guitar like that these days??? wow!!! Joni!

[@kateblue2542]

Absolutely no one now... or ever again.

[@noregretcoyote1808]

This is only my view...but this woman bestrides the musical firmament like a colossus.

[@almichael74]

Canada’s greatest natural resource- Joni Mitchell.

[@YouzTube99]

From the first chord you can tell it's Joni. Then, the poetry. A unique, provocative artist.

[@thelarrygreenshow]

genius; my favorite female vocalist of all time

[@ann_jee]

One helluva attitude..i love you Joni .You've been my idol.

[@muara246]

Fabulous Joni. Even better than the studio version

[@Dentropy100]

Not a common phenomenon but true in this case.

[@Pamzoo]

What a powerful portrait of where we were to where are.

[@DemMaj]

Man, I Love Joni!😊💛✌

[@hemi969]

I love this video. Gifted with both talent and beauty, how blessed can anyone be. Joni looks stunning in black.

[@HometownFan-g3y]

One of our truly GREAT artists... like no other...

[@tradest1]

What a song - what a unique master of her craft

[@sirfrancisdrake4285]

I cannot get enough of this performance. Incredible it Kills.

[@paco5503]

Jay: "I never met a girl that didn`t like Joni Mitchell." Joni: "Oh." (watch her eyes)

[@rickbroderick9146]

Rick Broderick 1 second ago remember this song, tune, soulpiercing message of our times...and Jay Leno is really of no importance, other than this is prob the best thing he ever did...inane little man that he is.. who cares really, the thing is..Joni Mitchell is again available to those who need her work presented, anywhere anytime...She's a soul fulcrum...found her on WBAI in the 60s, via Buffy Ste Marie and Tom Rush...who wrote that?...then she was opened up to the forever....THANK YOU Sonic

[@sisterghostofficial]

Her right hand technique blows my mind 🎸

[@tradest1]

A cool genius of a true artist - in a class of her own.......

[@NoveltyCitizen]

what a happy, intelligent, sincere performance and interview :)

[@michaelreidperry3256]

She and her art are still relevant decades later.

[@zorbanongreco]

aàarrr. yesssss! perfection.she is an all time lioness lady legend 💕💔💜💛💓❤💚💞💗💘💙💗💟💞💕💓❤💜💛💚💞💝💟💟💟💟💛

[@hemi969]

No one like this today, nada.

[@richarddrolet7746]

I mean wow.......proud to be canadian.....thank you joni.....shes are sweetheart......rick.

[@kamadowoah4584]

24 years ago she listed these problems many of which were fixable but none have been because sex n cash rules. joni is the best.

[@GeekRex]

Turbulent Indigo is one I always go back to when I need my Joni. Can you imagine a current flak working into a song Robispierre?

[@IvanLendl87]

Vividly remember waiting for this performance. Awesome.

[@bernardpopp541]

Discovered her very late...nobody compares! Sex Kills...her most meaningful message since Big Yellow Taxi. How she could keep smoking cigs all these years is also mind boggling though!!!

[@thyslop1737]

First time hearing this song. Joni Mitchell, WOW!

[@dtsdigitalden5023]

Brilliant, beautiful. What an incredible human.

[@rubicon-oh9km]

Damn, she looked great here.

[@Last_one_before_I_go]

***** I agree. A beautiful middle aged woman in 1995

[@bholaoates1542]

Especially considering her chain smoking habit. Smokers don't age well, but she looks great here.

[@generallee7692]

Joni is one of the greats.....oh she is one of the greatest

[@undertakr]

god damnit i'm glad we have her

[@bigkkm]

Amazing guitar. Sounds like many more instruments playing behind her. Saw her in 1998, and she was amazing! Backed up Bob Dylan. But to all of you haters out there-Jay got her to perform on American television for the first time in 25 years. He seemed in awe of her, and her talent (as he should have been). Jay got a lot of folks to perform on his show "for the first time in many years." So stop your hating.

[@wendileona]

Finally, in better quality, thank you. Captivating song and performance. Sex Kills... gives me chills, every time I hear it.

[@alaneisenberg1438]

My first viewing. Another superb track from this most creative artist.

[@catherinelevison3310]

Twenty five year break from TV, wow. She is great!

[@jeffreyc.mcandrew8911]

Marvelous musician.

[@jeffreyc.mcandrew8911]

Gifted musician.

[@gle062]

Audience mesmerized. An absolute legend

[@BURNTsquid]

Absolutely fantastic. Love Joni.

[@johngraydon506]

Thanks to all, my real honest favourite spirit Joni xx

[@sharonconstable8146]

Loved her comment about how Prince has puffin eyes -- LOL!

[@johnreese7590]

Robezzzpierre ! Love it !!

[@LightSnowOvernight]

An amazing guitarist (I think she uses a lot of alternate tunings)

[@ashamaerose9512]

LightSnowOvernight yeah, she uses all sorts of amazing and unique chords and tunings. I think she had polio, so she can't play many chords in standard tuning

[@googleyeyed5814]

LightSnowOvernight She had polio as a child, which left her with some difficulties with traditional tunings, so she developed her own unique style because of that.

[@mayemcdonald9111]

Googley Eyed Is that why? Thank you. Joni has adapted beautifully. ❤️

[@GeekRex]

And now we know the rest of the story--couldn't figure out the Joni + Prince connection until this interview after her song.

[@richardbamsey5242]

I read she doesn't know how much we love her, stuff me Joni, you don't get it, we get Goose bumps listening to you. You paint we listen. I wish you might read what we are all saying, stuff me I cant find a better writer. Joni we get it, we love it and we will keep it because its special

[@peterwright-bellamy434]

big Joni fan always have been- fab.

[@mcnowski]

Fiercely powerful beautiful art, fiercely powerful beautiful woman

[@misslindacjones2392]

she sounds amazing here............

[@angeliquenomade1446]

Brilliant Joni, brilliant song

[@ZacharyStratton-n7i]

Beautiful song by a beautiful song writer