各位朋友們平安, 今天的週末問安的主題是 - 1967, 2000, 2022 Both Sides, Now
1967年 Joni Mitchell 23歲, 寫了 Both Sides, Now 這首歌, 歌詞的意思是一朵雲有兩面, 想瞭解雲朵, 就要看兩面, 就如同人生, 也是有兩種面向, 不容易瞭解.
唱紅這首歌的卻是 Judy Collins, 歌迷到1968 年 Join Mitchell 出了一張 Cloud 的專輯, 才勉強將這首歌跟 Joni Mitchell 連在一起, 這首歌跟其他流行歌曲一樣, 紅了一陣子就銷聲匿跡了, 到了 2000 年, Joni Mitchell 五十七歲, 這首歌忽然又出現了, 是 Joni Mitchell 唱的爵士版, 據說有七十個人的管弦樂團伴奏, 新的唱法, 新的詮釋, 人與歌都不再年輕, 卻有飽經世事的成熟與認命, 好像開了一瓶陳年好酒, 香醇美妙; 然後這首歌和 Mitchell 又沉寂了一陣子.
再過了二十二年, Joni Mitchell 忽然間在上個星期天出現在羅得島州的 Newport Folk Festival, 這個音樂節是她 1967 出來唱歌的第一個舞台, 這次出現 Joni Mitchell 已經七十八歲了, 她在 2015 年腦瘤開刀, 神經系統重新復健, 重新學習彈吉他, 重新學習唱歌, 已經不是歌星了, 她卻應邀在 Festival 裏坐著唱 Both Sides, Now, 台上的其他歌者及台下的觀眾流著淚陪她唱, 這次不再是年輕時浮躁的快節奏的唱法, 也不再是飽經世故的陳酒開瓶爵士版, 而是面對人生的無奈, 病痛的纏身, 再次用這首歌闡釋過去的日子.
CBS 新聞網的音樂評論家這様說 - The song was always a tough pill to swallow, in a sense — it’s an exercise in realizing the follies of one’s youth. But to hear it come from Mitchell at this stage in her life — and knowing that she suffered a brain aneurysm a few years ago — is to hear it fully realized. I defy you to watch the video and not shed a few tears.
是的, 我也是淚眼汪汪看完這段錄影, 下方的紐約時報的報導也説得很好, 還是分享 1967 Judy Collins 唱的年輕版, 及 2000 年 Mitchell 唱的成熟版, 至於 2022 年的感傷版您就自己看錄影去體會”老之將至”的感傷吧!
The highlight of the set, though, was “Both Sides, Now,” a song that a 23-year-old Mitchell wrote in 1967, the same year she played Newport for the first time. Back then, some critics scoffed at the lyrics’ presumptive wisdom: What could a 23-year-old girl possibly know about both sides of life? But over the years, the song has revealed itself to contain fathomless depths that have only been audible in later interpretations.
When she was 57, Mitchell rerecorded a lush version of “Both Sides Now” on her 2000 album of the same name, backed by a 70-piece orchestra. Her voice was deeper, elegiac and elegantly weary. “It’s life’s illusions I recall,” she sang at the end of the song, “I really don’t know life at all.”
That version was considered a tear-jerker…. but then again, it’s easy to find pathos in getting older. Aging inherently brings suffering, debilitation and loss — this is not news. What Mitchell’s 2022 performance of the song asserted was that it can also bring serendipity, long-delayed gratification and joy.
Jane
August 22, 2022
今日初讀此文,感觸之餘,想到了聽雨: （此時此刻多倫多正下著絲絲小雨）
少年聽雨歌樓上,紅燭昏羅帳.
壯年聽雨客舟中,江闊雲低,斷雁叫西風.
而今聽雨僧廬下,鬢已星星也.
悲歡離合總無情,一任階前點滴到天明.