| "River" | |
|---|---|
| Song byJoni Mitchell | |
| from the albumBlue | |
| Released | June 1971 |
| Genre | Folk |
| Length | 4:00 |
| Label | Reprise |
| Songwriter(s) | Joni Mitchell |
| Producer(s) | Joni Mitchell |
"River" is a song byCanadian singer songwriterJoni Mitchell, from her 1971 albumBlue. Written on piano, it has become astandard for artists in many music styles, and has become popular asChristmas music. Although never released as a single, "River" holds second place among Mitchell's songs most recorded by other artists.[1] In 2021, it was ranked at No. 247 on Rolling Stone's "Top 500 Best Songs of All Time".[2]
The song is about the recent breakup of a romantic relationship, with the singer longing to escape her painful emotional bonds. It is thought to be inspired by Mitchell's 1968–1970 relationship withGraham Nash.[3] Although the song is merely set nearChristmas time, rather than being about Christmas, it has become something of a modern Christmas standard. WriterWill Blythe believes the song is connected to a visit toChapel Hill that Mitchell made with then beauJames Taylor and a caroling session with his family, the Taylor family, and Mitchell.[4]
The piano accompaniment to the vocal borrows heavily from the tune to the 19th-century winter song "Jingle Bells".[5]
| Chart (2019) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Scotland (OCC)[6] | 75 |
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Canada (Music Canada)[7] | Gold | 40,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
| "River" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single byEllie Goulding | ||||
| from the EP Songbook for Christmas | ||||
| Released | 14 November 2019 (2019-11-14) | |||
| Recorded | 2019 | |||
| Length | 4:06 | |||
| Label | Polydor | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Joni Mitchell | |||
| Ellie Goulding singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
English singer and songwriterEllie Goulding released a cover version of the song as a single on 14 November 2019 exclusively onAmazon Music.[8] The song peaked at number one on theUK Singles Chart.[9]
In an interview withBillboard earlier in the year, Goulding spoke of her love for Joni Mitchell in the past, she named her as one of the first songwriters she fell in love with in her youth. She said, "Only when I got into my teens did I discover song-writing, that was when I learned the guitar, and I listened toImogen Heap andBjörk,Ani DiFranco and especially Joni Mitchell."[10] On her social media, she said, "Joni was one of the reasons I wanted to be a songwriter. I'm honoured to have had the opportunity to cover this song."[11]
A music video to accompany the release of "River" was first released onto YouTube on 4 December 2019.[12] The music video was directed by David Soutar and filmed along the coastline nearDungeness. It shows Goulding and her friends picking up litter and recycled objects to make a zero-waste Christmas tree. The tree was donated to The Village Prep School in North London for the Christmas season, before being deconstructed and re-used. Goulding said, "Shooting the video in Dungeness was beautiful but a timely reminder that every single piece of plastic ever made is still on this planet. Plastic stuff is everywhere and our coastlines are suffering horrendously. It's a material that will last for hundreds of years so we need to have a plan. We wanted to show something different and to incorporate a different type of Christmas message while creating something reusable and beautiful - I'm so happy that it will live on at the Village Prep School, hopefully visiting many more schools to come."[13]
I'm so over the moon that I got the chance to sing such a beautiful song so close to my heart by one of the best songwriters of all time – someone who inspired me greatly for the next album and it makes me so happy that people have also become new Joni fans as a result. It's been a rollercoaster of a year but can't think of a better birthday present than being the last Number 1 of the decade.
— Goulding, on her social media accounts,[14]
On 27 December 2019, the song reached number one on theUK Singles Chart, making it the last number-one song of the decade.
The single was not released onto most common download or streaming platforms, and only available throughAmazon Music andYouTube. Music industry analysts noted that it reached the top of the charts primarily on the back of passive "lean back" streams; Amazon added the song to their Christmas playlists, meaning that "River" was played whenever someone asked anAmazon Alexasmart speaker to play Christmas songs.[15][16]
| Chart (2019) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles (OCC)[17] | 1 |
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI)[18] | Silver | 200,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
"River" is the second-most widely recorded song in Mitchell's oeuvre (432 recordings, behind only "Both Sides, Now"),[1] frequently appearing on albums of Christmas music bypop,folk andjazz artists.[19]
The song was covered by the cast ofGlee in 2011.[20] The cover peaked at number 41 on theCanadian Hot 100[21] and number 33 on the USHoliday Digital Song Sales chart.[22]
Linda Ronstadt covered "River" on her 2000 albumMerry Little Christmas. This version was the first to be included in a Christmas album.
Heart has covered "River" during their live acoustic sets over the years.
"River" was covered byBarry Manilow on his 2002 albumA Christmas Gift of Love with only one verse change involving a gender flip.[23] It charted as a single at No. 17 on the U.S. Adult Contemporary charts.
Robert Downey Jr. sang a version of this song on the 4th series of the TV showAlly McBeal and it was later included on the album A Very Ally Christmas byVonda Shepard.
Sarah McLachlan also covered it on her 2006 albumWintersong and released it as a single.[24] Her cover charted at No. 71 on theBillboard Hot 100, No. 8 on theBillboard Adult Contemporary chart, and number two on theCanadian Singles Chart.[25][26] American singer-songwriterJames Taylor covered the song for his 2006 studio album, entitledJames Taylor at Christmas. He had first heard the song when Joni Mitchell played it for him at her house in 1970.[27] In 2006, American jazz singerMadeleine Peyroux recorded it as a duet withk. d. lang for her albumHalf the Perfect World.
In 2017,Sam Smith covered the song as part ofSpotify'sSpotify Singles series. Smith's version was recorded atRAK Studios inLondon, England.[28]
In December 2018, the song was the subject of an episode ofBBC Radio 4'sSoul Music, examining the song's influence on people including Mitchell's biographerDavid Yaffe.[2]Ben Platt, as his character, Payton Hobart, performed the song during the first episode of the seriesThe Politician (2019),[29] and on thesoundtrack associated with the show. A cover byJudy Collins appears on her 2019 albumWinter Stories.[30] In the 1998 movieYou’ve Got Mail the Kathleen Kelly character, played byMeg Ryan, sub-vocalizes the song's opening lines as she types an email to the character played byTom Hanks:It's coming on Christmas, "They're cutting down trees You know that Joni Mitchell song?I wish I had a river I could skate away on ... Such a sad song, and not really about Christmas at all but I was thinking about it tonight as I was decorating my Christmas tree …"
In 2020,Delta Goodrem covered this song and gave it a video on her Christmas albumOnly Santa Knows.[citation needed]
Darren Criss covered the song on his 2021 Christmas album “A Very Darren Crissmas”.[31]
On November 26, 2021, Australian singer-songwriterGretta Ray released a cover of "River" as part of her three-song Christmas EPIt's Almost Christmas in Philly.[citation needed]
"River" was covered bySixpence None the Richer on their 2008 albumThe Dawn of Grace.[32]
Other artists to cover "River" includeTravis,Olivia Rodrigo,Tracey Thorn,Lighthouse Family,Weyes Blood,Indigo Girls,Holly Macve,Tom Barman andGuy Van Nueten,[33] andHarry Styles.
| Studio albums |
| ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Live albums | |||||||
| Compilation albums | |||||||
| Archives series |
| ||||||
| Singles | |||||||
| Notable songs | |||||||
| Tribute albums | |||||||
| Related articles | |||||||
