Coyote - Joni Mitchell (1976)
Joni is songwriting royalty. Not just among female songwriters, but all of them. She is up there with the best. When I saw her perform this in The Last Waltz, I was blown away. I wanted to be the Coyote and to have had that, even if fleeting, intimate encounter with this beauty and energy. I was familiar with her early stuff (almost picked Big Yellow Taxi for today's song) and her connection with Graham Nash and CSN&Y. But, the difference between 'Big Yellow Taxi' and 'Coyote' is like the difference between 'Blowin in the Wind' and 'Tangled Up in Blue'. It demonstrates a real evolution in her craft.
The imagery in this song is like a short film. It is a visual tale laden with sensation as much as with emotion. The arrangement creates the perfect feel, using only guitars, Jaco's smooth fretless bass and congas. She strums the ease of "No regrets, Coyote" while Jaco bounces through the story from scene to scene. It comes across as autobiographical - about her realizing her lifestyle is not compatible with that of her new love interest. But, it's okay. It is clear by the ease of pace of the song and her matter-of-fact delivery of the lyric -- she may be fully taking it in, but she's not slowing down for regrets. Her independence is not stated, but it is apparent. To me (just a dude), the over arching theme is a story of feminism in the "post sexual revolution" 70's. Near the end, when she says she's a "prisoner of the fine white lines of the free, freeway" with that strum and bounce of the music, the closing credits are framed by the dashboard and windshield, looking out at that expanse - the possibilities. She sounds more committed to this way of life than imprisoned by it.
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