DESCRIPTION:
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James Taylor's adaption of Joni Mitchell's River. From the 2006 album "James Taylor at Christmas". "River" is a song from Mitchell's 1971 album Blue. Although never released as a single, it has become one of Mitchell's most famous songs. Rives has become rooted in the Christmas canon of modern singers with James' lonesome voice tailor-made for the tune.

I like this song for two reasons: although it's not about Christmas as such, nevertheless it gives you the "holiday- feeling" and above all it's about the miracle of skating: freedom.

In keeping with the Christmas theme of the lyrics, the arrangement of the song on Blue starts with a theme reminiscent of "Good King Wenceslas" and this theme figures several times throughout the accompaniment.

Although merely set near Christmas time rather than being about Christmas, the song ruminates on a recent breakup of a romantic relationship. Christmas is nearing, and Mitchell/Taylor longs to escape emotional bonds, openly wishing "I wish I had a river / I could skate away on", a river so long she "would teach my feet to fly." I think it's a
strong metaphore to combine skating and freedom. To skate on a dark frozen river must come close to how it feels for a bird to fly. It's a feeling of freedom and it brings you to places you never see otherwise. For this reason I chose to illustrate this song with pictures of skating in a Dutch landscape.

Pictures credit: www.shorpy.com