[00:01] genuinely be called songwriting royalty but Joanie Mitchell is one of those special few we could spend weeks talking about any one of Jonie Mitchell's songs but in this video we're going to take one of her biggest hits of all time and
[00:16] deep dive into that song as a way to reveal six of her signature songwriting moves and if you're a songwriter this video is really for you because as we work through this journey Mitchell tune the insights we collect will be turned
[00:29] into practical tool rules that you can apply to your songwriting straight away down in this video is the song both sides now written in 1966 and released by Janie Mitchell on her 1969 album clouds the song quickly became one of
[00:46] her best known songs number one the songs number one the [Music]
[00:59] sounds throughout this song and her whole career is the use of open tunings different open tunings to the point where she had to develop her own numbering system to remember them all and this song is played in an open
[01:12] tuning chord d a d f a [Music] [Music] d that's the sound of d a f a d it's a beautiful warm Rich open Sound what jany Mitchell does with this song is put a
[01:26] capo on it so if we take a capo and put it on the fourth fret we get this m brighter brighter and obviously
[01:39] suits her range or the melody she was hoping to sing for this song and what create a very different sound on the guitar the sound of the chords are more open there's often drone notes that are ringing throughout the whole progression
[01:52] and the intro that jany Mitchell gives us is this little two chord move us is this little two chord move [Music] so simple so beautiful but it really invites us into the song and it creates
[02:08] throughout the whole song as a songwriter one of the things I love about open tunings is it's really a way to break out of familiar or habitual chord combinations because the shapes of the chords change often with open
[02:23] tunings that actually creates an open chord strum like that you often just need to kind of put some fingers down and start discovering new sounds and new shapes and new movements between chords then maybe you can't as quickly identify
[02:36] as oh this is a tonic chord to a two chord or a four chord to a five chord chord or a four chord to a five chord it's just sound they really do introduce not only a whole new sound but a less familiar set of finger patterns that you
[02:50] familiar set of finger patterns that you suddenly have to but I can't use the bar chords that I'm used to using I can't use the cage used to using I can't use the cage system of my standard tuning
[03:08] and if you're a songwriter who finds yourself stuck using the same chord sequences over and over again open tuning can be the thing to break you out tuning can be the thing to break you out of that rut Joanie Mitchell used so so
[03:21] many different open tunings and each one is its own beautiful land to explore and we've actually created a PD that you can download for free that lists a whole
[03:33] bunch of different open tunings that she used also with the song references so you can hear it in action inside her songs so download that for free right now and get started experimenting with some open tunings on your guitar number
[03:47] two contrasting rhyme schemes if we take a look inside the song at the rhyme scheme of just the verse sections you can see that Joanie verse sections you can see that Joanie sets up a very specific rhyme scheme
[04:01] when we look at the endline rhyme we can see rhyme between hair air where and then we get the last line which doesn't rhyme so we can actually call this an A rhyme so we can actually call this an A A ax rhyme scheme where a is used to
[04:16] denote lines that rhyme with each other and X is used to denote a line that is UN rymed now we have exactly the same rhyme scheme when we look at the second verse in the second verse we get a rhyme between Sun one and done so even though
[04:32] it's a different rhyme sound than the first verse it's the same scheme which is to say the same pattern which brings us to the last line which is essentially a repetition of the last line from the first verse which we can often think of
[04:45] first verse which we can often think of as a refrain line so the line varies a little but it's obviously a repetition of the same kind of line the same idea we're coming back to clouds and it's not exactly a rhyme because it's actually
[04:58] so we think of that actually more like as an identity it's identical it's not a here is that we have essentially a symmetrical structure we have a a ax and
[05:10] symmetrical structure we have a a ax and then BBB X and that pattern is the verse pattern Joanie Mitchell then moves into the chorus and gives us a completely different pattern and this pattern is two rhyming couplets one after the other
[05:23] two rhyming couplets one after the other we have now and how recall and all and if we were putting letters next to these because they're new rhyme sounds we would have CC and DD so the chorus is giving us a new
[05:37] what we've heard in the verses and that's important because it creates contrast between these sections and sends the message to The Listener that and heard differently and they they serve different functions and as a bonus
[05:53] joury Mitchell is also using something called internal line rhyme at the very beginning of each verse structure we see these two rhyming words in the case of the first verse it's Rose and flows and
[06:06] whole verse a little push a little bit of momentum right from the beginning but Joanie Mitchell sets up this pattern and throughout the song so that's a nice
[06:18] little moment where Joan's using rhyme but not just relying on the endline rhyme she's actually giving us a little internal rhyme moment number three variations to the hook line one of the most remarkable things about
[06:32] this song that anyone who listens to the song for the first time is really struck by is how Joanie Mitchell sets up a pattern with the lyric and then uses the pattern to create variations to that last line of the chorus which we can
[06:47] think of as the hook line so the first time we hear it we hear her really talking about clouds she's describing clouds and she's talking about seeing clouds specifically from two different perspectives from up and down from both
[07:02] sides and she delivers the hookline by saying I really don't know clouds at all but if we look at the second chorus and the third final chorus she has developed
[07:14] the third final chorus she has developed the idea and replaces clouds with love and then life so we start small with clouds and then we grow bigger to a reflection on love and finally to an
[07:28] absolutely massive EX exential reflection on life itself but she uses the pattern she set up in that first hookline I really don't know at all to hookline I really don't know at all to replace that as the plot progresses as
[07:43] the idea grows in emotional and like conceptual weight and this addresses two songwriting Community the first is how it goes on how do you keep people interested and engaged this is a great
[07:59] example of a technique where as kby said we start with clouds we go to love and then we end with life so it has this feeling of gaining weight emotionally it feels like we're talking about more important issues as the song develops
[08:12] and the second question we hear a lot is am I allowed to change the chorus am I chorus or do I have to deliver it exactly the same way each time this song is permission to play around with little variations on a theme and as long as
[08:26] it's still recognizable as a chorus as long as we can still tell it's the chorus changing that one line changing that word really has a beautiful and profound effect as the song goes on number four
[08:40] antithesis antithesis is such a great word because if we think of the idea of a thesis which is making a statement making a case or something and then we go antithesis the opposite of that case that you're making we get the word
[08:54] antithesis antithesis antithesis antithesis antithesis and this is what we see in this song on two levels we see a macro interpretation of antithesis and we see a micro
[09:07] of antithesis and we see a micro application of antithesis wowy yeah okay so macro antithesis did you ever think you would hear that phrase talking about you would hear that phrase talking about song already no the macro antithesis in
[09:19] this song we can really see as a pattern within the verses so each verse is essentially eight lines but split in half where the first first four lines are the thesis and the second four lines are the antithesis the first four lines
[09:35] show us in this song the positive and then the antithesis is showing us the negative so we see this kind of macro antithesis inside the structure of each verse section and not only is each verse structured like that but she uses a
[09:51] specific word to Signal the shift from one to the other which is the word but so on a macro level we have the song titled both sides now which tells us
[10:03] that the theme of this song is about two different sides of a story then we get this structure in the verses where we get the first half of each verse stating the thesis and then the second half giving us the antithesis the butt always
[10:17] appearing as the point where it flips but we can also think of antithesis as micro as in line by line or just sometimes a word placed strategically to chorus we get I've looked at clouds from both sides now from up and down and
[10:34] still somehow the up and down in this situation following the both sides now is giving us another little micro moment of antithesis the up and down just being opposites is helping to reinforce the
[10:48] this song and then in the second chorus we hear another variation on this micro antithesis technique I've Looked at Love from both sides now from give and take and still somehow and then in the final chorus we get I've looked at life from
[11:03] both sides now from win and lose and still somehow up down give take win lose all variations on the same idea of presenting the Opposites so clearly
[11:15] Benny gets very excited about antithesis and using phrases like macro antithesis technique but how do we apply this as songwriters to our own songwriting how do we use the concept of antithesis to help us structure our own IDE and build
[11:30] and develop verses beyond the first verse I think that this song gives us that if we take the concept of antithesis itself we can just simply think about things that are contrasting so let's say for example I've working on
[11:44] a song and I am I'm working on a song where the refrain line is this body of mine has an end it's a reflection on finitude is that a word yeah okay not going to use that word in the song but it's a great word though okay great
[12:00] and when we really dig inside what is inside that concept that's about brevity shortness something that's finite right and if I actually just use the concept and if I actually just use the concept of antithesis well what's the opposite
[12:13] shortlived well something that is long lived something that goes on and on and on so that's a really helpful concept to me in how I might actually structure the verses of this song so I could start with describing things that go on and on
[12:28] and on I could talk about the solar system I could talk about the Godfather movies I could talk about conversations with good friends going on and on all night and then contrast that to things that are very short and brief and
[12:42] shortlived and then when I come to that main idea of just like this body of mine it has an end I can use this contrasting thing to really structure my lyrics and create development through my verses number five the delayed resolution of
[12:58] Melody and hookline let's go back to the chorus to look at these final two signature songwriting moves because one of the most beautiful remarkable things about the melody and what gives us so much satisfaction at the end of the
[13:13] chorus is the gigantic space that she leaves right in the middle of that final leaves right in the middle of that final [Music]
[13:25] [Music] phrase i' looked at clouds from sides phrase i' looked at clouds from sides now from up and down and still somehow it's Cloud Illusions I recall I really don't know
[13:47] [Music] clouds at clouds at [Music] all it feels like an eternity it feels like we're waiting so long for that
[14:00] like we're waiting so long for that rhyming couplet to land and to resolve and the tension that is created in that space is an absolute feature of this song and really not something you hear very often we often hear songwriters in
[14:13] such a rush to complete the couplet and Janie Mitchell makes us wait she makes us sit in that pause and then when it lands the resolution is so satisfying let's turn this into a usable tool by showing simply how adding in a bit of
[14:29] space inside a melodic phrase can really make it interesting and memorable so why that I'm working with this body of mine has an end so let's come up with a
[14:41] Melody that has no space to start with so we can really feel the difference and we'll do it in this tuning why the hell okay
[14:59] okay of M [Music] [Music] from the
[15:13] beginning has an end oh that's nice oh hey has an end yeah this body of my [Music] has so let's try to rephrase it now with
[15:29] that space two three four this [Music] body an end just that little
[15:42] different feeling a different a different mood yeah it's not as dramatic different mood yeah it's not as dramatic as the joury m one let's make it as Dr yeah okay let's go three four this body m
[15:57] body m [Music] with that was we had to find something to hold the moment and it was you
[16:14] to hold the moment and it was you know beautiful chord that chord there uh but really the the songwriting process that we were chasing or the thought we were chasing was how do we create as much tension by making people wait for
[16:29] that Melody to land as possible a question that comes up again and again in our song feedback sessions with the song writers in our membership Community is how do I ride a hook what's a hook what's a hook a hook is not that
[16:43] complicated and one thing that can really hook ay a Melody which is just to say make it memorable and interesting in some way is just the use of space and in
[16:56] some way is just the use of space and in this case it's space inside a phrase and here is that she's delaying the resolution of the final part of that last line I really don't know clouds space space space at all number six
[17:13] creating momentum with Melody what does that mean creating momentum with Melody how do you create momentum with Melody so one of the ways that it's possible to and that Johnny Mitchell demonstrates this idea in this
[17:28] song is that it's not just a series of random Melodies it's not even one Melody that kind of repeats with repetition and variation what we see in her construction of the melody of the verse is that every line is its own
[17:45] independent Melody at least on the surface so if we take the melody of the surface so if we take the melody of the first line here's what we have first line here's what we have [Music]
[18:03] would repeat that exactly right because pop has an expectation that you essentially you know keep it pretty tight you know give us a Melody give us variation and then back to the original Melody but that is not jany Mitchell's
[18:17] signature sound one of the things that she does as a master of Melody is continues the story to create momentum with her Melody so the melody to the second line feels like its own Melody so let's hear
[18:32] feels like its own Melody so let's hear The Melody to the second
[18:50] different Melodies independent Melodies obviously part of the same song but there's not repetition from one to the other however one of the important things to observe here is even though she's continuing the melodic Story the
[19:04] second Melody is a response to the first Melody so where the first Melody really angled down and landed on the kind of home note the note of the key the tonic note the second Melody is a response to that in that it goes in the opposite
[19:20] that in that it goes in the opposite direction so it's almost like a call and response relationship between line one and line two so they're different Melodies but there's a relationship between those Melodies and what you
[19:33] would then often hear is this cor and response structure repeated you know we've heard one Melody we've heard a response you would so often hear that move repeated but that again is not what
[19:46] jany does no we hear lines three and four which sound like this
[20:13] [Music] again that third that we're not hearing any melodic material repeated but it is a methodical
[20:27] development of what we've already heard the first two lines as a package deal both of them end on the most stable note so what does she do again it's like the second half of the verse is a response to the first half of the verse
[20:40] response to the first half of the verse she's ending The Melodies In really she's ending The Melodies In really unstable places to bring in a sense of tension a sense of no this melody is not resolved we started in a kind of
[20:52] resolved place and now these Melodies are now ending in a very open unresolved resolution happens in the second half of the verse is really important because we have to go then to the chorus to get the
[21:07] resolution [Music]
[21:38] from this as songwriters it's simply about looking at the ends of our different kinds of sections and making sure that we're not ending different kinds of sections like verses and choruses with the same note or in the
[21:52] same way if every section is resolving we're not creating a sense of momentum or Journey or storytelling which is really one of the signature moves of Joanie Mitchell's masterful Melody
[22:05] writing remember to download the free pdf below of Johnny Mitchell's open learning about songwriting from other great songwriters check out this video Happy songw writing guys bye bye