Joni Mitchell has a treat for fans this Christmas.
The Canadian hitmaker, 78, just debuted the first official music video for “River”, taken from her landmark 1971 album Blue, which turned 50 this summer.
According to a press release, Director Matvey Rezanov and Skazka Studios “use animated watercolour painting to capture the song’s lonesome mood while paying tribute to Mitchell’s prolific creativity as a painter” in the newly-released clip.
READ MORE: Joni Mitchell Talks ‘Blue’ On 50th Anniversary Of Iconic Album In Rare Interview With Cameron Crowe
Mitchell shares of her much-loved track, “‘River’ expresses regret at the end of a relationship… but it’s also about being lonely at Christmas time… A Christmas song for people who are lonely at Christmas! We need a song like that.”
It’s been a huge year for Mitchell, as she was honoured with a lifetime of artistic achievement at the 44th Kennedy Center Honors celebration earlier this month.
Norah Jones, Ellie Goulding, Brandi Carlile, Brittany Howard, and Herbie Hancock all paid tribute to Mitchell at the Honors Gala with performances of her songs.
Additionally, Mitchell’s boxed set, Archives Vol. 1: The Early Years (1963-1967) has been nominated for Best Historical Album at the 2022 Grammys, set to take place on January 31.
This marks Mitchell’s 17th Grammy nomination, with her winning nine awards to date.
A few days before the show, the Recording Academy will honour Mitchell as its 2022 MusiCares Person of the Year during a star-studded event on January 29. Jon Baptiste, Black Pumas, Brandi Carlile, Leon Bridges, Mickey Guyton, Herbie Hancock, Graham Nash, Maggie rogers, and James Taylor are among the artists set to perform.
