Bob's eloquent suggestion; "What WOULD be interesting, and far more meaningful I think, would be to match Joni's albums with partners for ourselves." A great idea, after all, I think this is what drives us to be so curious about what romantic aspects of Joni's life the music coincides with - it's a comparative thing, a way to feel closer to an artist; i.e. "Are/Were we going through the same thing?" In light of that, I must once again express my appreciation for "Night Ride Home". This disc came out while I was up at college in New Hampshire and dating the last woman of romantic significance in my life (I jumped ship for beings of a more burly appeal after that, and it remains that way to this day). The day the CD was released, I cut class and drove to Keene to pick it up. It was later winter/early spring, which if the mud isn't completely out of control, can be a magical time in New England. My girlfriend, Rachel, was so excited to be present for a new Joni release, being able to share it with me etc; this became 'our record'. Though it was not July, the title track signified a very romantic period for us, a magical time that I will never forget and that, sadly, many people only experience once in a lifetime. Though the disc certainly does not ride along like one blissful bonanza all the way through, the bittersweet themes of aging, acceptance, and reluctant contentedness I believe apply universally to the shift in romance when a domestic dependance and routine take over, often leaving people wondering what happened to the fireworks. For the time in which the disc was written, I think Joni was trying to reconcile these same feelings, and the title track is evidence that romantic moments wax and wane, but certainly are still possible if love is true. As my relationship with Rachel began to buckle under the strain of my sexual confusion, an element of loss crept into the picture, which I can also hear on NRH. In keeping with these themes, the CD ends with "Two Grey Rooms", which chokes me up TO THIS DAY and without fail, an indelible memory of a love never quite recovered from. Rachel and I remain close these days, and NRH will always be a time capsule for us, a reminder of the ups and downs that our relationship went through in it's initial stages. Though I won't completely unhash this one, "Turbulent Indigo" was released at the 'beginning of the end' of a long term relationship with a man here in Boston. I remember sitting in the living room with him, listening to the last bits of "The Sire of Sorrow" on the advance tape that Wally had sent me, and Greg turning to me and saying "It sounds like she feels all her Gods have failed her;" needless to say, I just burst into tears. Even now, I can barely listen to "Last chance Lost". -Chris NP:Stone Temple Pilots "No. 4" ________________________________________________________________ GET INTERNET ACCESS FROM JUNO! Juno offers FREE or PREMIUM Internet access for less! Join Juno today! For your FREE software, visit: http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj.
