"Carey" is a song from the 1971 Joni Mitchell album ''

Blue Blue is one of the three primary colours in the RYB colour model (traditional colour theory), as well as in the RGB (additive) colour model. It lies between violet and cyan on the spectrum of visible light. The eye perceives blue when ...

''. It was inspired by her time spent with Cary Raditz, living with a cave-dwelling hippie community at Matala, on the

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

island of

Crete Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern: , Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus, ...

Background

In early 1970, Mitchell's relationship with

Graham Nash Graham William Nash (born 2 February 1942) is an English musician, singer, songwriter, photographer, and activist. He is known for his light tenor voice and for his contributions as a member of the Hollies and the supergroups Crosby, Stills ...

had recently ended, and she decided to fly to Greece for a break, with a female friend. Mitchell's European travels, which also encompassed France and Spain, were intended as a "time out" from her increasing fame and fortune in the

music business The music industry consists of the individuals and organizations that earn money by writing songs and musical compositions, creating and selling recorded music and sheet music, presenting concerts, as well as the organizations that aid, train, ...

. After a few days in Athens the two friends traveled to Crete, rented a car and drove to Matala on the south coast of the island. There, Mitchell met a red-haired

cane Cane or caning may refer to: *Walking stick or walking cane, a device used primarily to aid walking * Assistive cane, a walking stick used as a mobility aid for better balance *White cane, a mobility or safety device used by many people who are ...

-carrying American, Cary Raditz, who was working as a cook at the Mermaid café (now the site of the Petra & Votsalo restaurant). She wrote the first version of "Carey" in Matala, for Raditz's 24th birthday. After about two months, she and Raditz traveled to Athens together, but Mitchell then flew alone to Paris, where she wrote "

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

", referencing Raditz as a "red, red rogue", and on returning to the U.S. completed "Carey" together with other songs for the ''Blue'' album. Although the song was sometimes rumoured to be about fellow singer-songwriter

James Taylor James Vernon Taylor (born March 12, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A six-time Grammy Award winner, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. He is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, havi ...

, who plays guitar on some ''Blue'' tracks (although not on "Carey" itself) and with whom Mitchell had a brief affair, Mitchell stated publicly that the "Carey" in question was Cary Raditz. References to the village of Matala and the

al fresco Alfresco may refer to: * ''Al fresco'', or fresco, a technique of mural painting * Al fresco dining * Alfresco Software Alfresco Software is a collection of information management software products for Microsoft Windows and Unix-like opera ...

hippie lifestyle abound in the song lyrics. Mitchell frequently introduced live performances of "Carey" by recounting

anecdote An anecdote is "a story with a point", such as to communicate an abstract idea about a person, place, or thing through the concrete details of a short narrative or to characterize by delineating a specific quirk or trait. Occasionally humorous ...

s about Raditz and their Cretan adventures. In November 2014, ''

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'' published interviews by Marc Myers with Mitchell and Raditz, about the background to the song. Mitchell said that she "latched on to Cary because he seemed fierce and kept the crowd off my back... I enjoyed Cary's company, and his audacity.... was a bit of a scoundrel." Raditz said that his "cane" had in fact been a discarded

shepherd's crook A shepherd's crook is a long and sturdy stick with a hook at one end, often with the point flared outwards, used by a shepherd to manage and sometimes catch sheep. In addition, the crook may aid in defending against attack by predators. Wh ...

, and commented: "I liked Joni a lot and didn't like losing her company. But on the road, you already know the friendships you develop are short-lived. That's built into the experience."

Recording and release

While in Europe, Mitchell taught herself to play the

Appalachian dulcimer The Appalachian dulcimer (many variant names; see below) is a fretted string instrument of the zither family, typically with three or four strings, originally played in the Appalachian region of the United States. The body extends the length of ...

, which was to become a feature of her musical output in the following years. Her dulcimer skills were first showcased on ''Blue'' and in particular the original recording of "Carey", which also features Stephen Stills on bass and acoustic guitar. "Carey" was released as a single, debuting at number 93 on the ''Billboard'' Chart on September 4, 1971 and lasting just one week; nevertheless, it remains one of Mitchell's most enduring and popular songs.

Albums

"Carey" appears on two Joni Mitchell greatest hits albums – '' Hits'' (1996) and '' Dreamland: The Very Best of Joni Mitchell'' (2004). Mitchell herself performed a different interpretation of ''Carey'' on her 1974 live album ''

Miles of Aisles ''Miles of Aisles'' is the first live album by Canadian singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell, released in 1974 on Asylum Records. It is a double album documenting her concerts in support of the ''Court and Spark'' album with her backing band for the ...

''. Backed by

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

band Tom Scott & The LA Express, and recorded at the Universal Amphitheater in Los Angeles, this

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...

ska Ska (; ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. It combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues. Ska is characterized by a walki ...

version has been criticised by Stephen Davis in ''

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'', who went so far as to say that the song was "murdered".

Cover versions

In 1972, actress

Goldie Hawn Goldie Jeanne Hawn (born November 21, 1945) is an American actress, dancer, producer, and singer. She rose to fame on the NBC sketch comedy program ''Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In'' (1968–1970), before going on to receive the Academy Award and Go ...

recorded her version of the song for her album ''Goldie'' (Warner MS 2061). At the televised 2000 tribute concert to Mitchell, held at the

Hammerstein Ballroom The Hammerstein Ballroom is a ballroom located within the Manhattan Center at 311 West 34th Street in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. The capacity of the ballroom is dependent on the configuration of the room; it seats 2,500 people for theat ...

, New York, the song was performed by

Cyndi Lauper Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper Thornton (born June 22, 1953) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and activist. Her career has spanned over 40 years. Her album ''She's So Unusual'' (1983) was the first debut album by a female artist to achi ...

Charts

References

External links

Lyrics from jonimitchell.com

2021 interview with Cary Raditz

''The Mermaid Café'' from the jonimitchell.com's lyrics glossary (did the Café exist?)

''Acoustic Guitar'' interview with Mitchell (includes discussion of learning the dulcimer in Greece)

''Miles of Aisles'' at Amazon.com (includes link to audio clip of "reggae" version)
*
"Elect Kerry" song parody
from

Am I Right Am I Right is a popular music and humor website dedicated to topics as song parodies, misheard lyrics (mondegreens), and album cover parodies. Visitors may submit their own without registering. It was created by Charles R. Grosvenor Jr. (born ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Carey (Song) Songs about hippies 1971 songs Joni Mitchell songs Songs written by Joni Mitchell Song recordings produced by Joni Mitchell 1971 singles Reprise Records singles