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After Decades Of Success, Joni Mitchell Is Still Just 'A Painter Who Writes Songs'

"It took a mature woman to bring it to life. I grew into that song."

Joni Mitchell on re-recording "Both Sides Now," a song written after she'd chosen adoption for her daughter 54 years earlier. She talks about her new four-disc boxed set, Love Has Many Faces, and the different colors such a collection can reveal in a lifetime of work.

For more conversations with music-makers, check out NPR's Music Interviews.

Home page photo: Ebet Roberts/Redferns/Getty Images

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Renee Montagne, one of the best-known names in public radio, is a special correspondent and host for NPR News.
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