A FORGOTTEN JONI MITCHELL CLASSIC — URGE FOR GOING

A GREAT SONG ABOUT THE CHANGES IN SEASONS AND ATTITUDES

Geese in Flight by John Vetterli from Toronto, Canada Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0

See the geese in chevron flight flapping and racing on before the snow

They’ve got the urge for going and they’ve got the wings so they can go

They get the urge for going

When the meadow grass is turning brown

URGE FOR GOING, SONGWRITER: JONI MITCHELL

SONG HISTORY

Joni Mitchell wrote Urge For Going in 1965 but never included it in any of her early albums. She did release it as the B-side to You Turn Me On, I’m a Radio, but she did not include it in her album, For the Roses with You Turn Me On, I’m a Radio. I have read where she had planned to include it with Blue but decided to go with more recent songs in keeping with the theme of Blue. She said of the song in an interview with Cameron Crowe:

Cameron Crowe: Can we say “Urge For Going” is a song that felt like a kind of beachhead for you?

Joni Mitchell: I think so. I think it’s the first well-written song that I have. I felt it was well-written. Memories of summer’s end and winter coming on. Just what the song says, you know? And a desire to escape that cold period.

Joni Mitchell finally released the song with her Hits album in 1996.

URGE FOR GOING WAS A HIT FOR OTHER ARTISTS

Tom Rush included several Joni Mitchell songs in his 1968 album The Circle Game, including Tin Angel and The Circle Game. Rush also included songs in the album that were written by artists who were not household names in 1968, such as James Taylor, Jackson Browne, and Charlie Rich.

Country artist George Hamilton IV had a hit with his cover of Urge For Going, charting at #7 on the U.S. Country Music chart. Hamilton had a very successful career in Canada as a country singer. He covered many songs by Canadian songwriters such as Gordon Lightfoot, Ian and Sylvia Tyson, and Joni Mitchell. His multi-record album, My North Country Home (2011), is his tribute to Canadian songwriters and their music, including his version of these great songs throughout his career.

WITHOUT FURTHER DELAY, HERE IS JONI MITCHELL SIGNING URGE FOR GOING

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[embed]Joni Mitchell Library - Joni Mitchell's Urges for Going, 1965-67: Coffeehouses, Counterculture, and… The release of a new album by 76-year-old Joni Mitchell on October 30, 2020 - 13 years since she released her last…jonimitchell.com