So, what is this?

This is my own personal shrine/webpage dedicated to the American singer-songwriter Joanna Newsom. I will be talking a lot about my own personal experience with her music. I'd you would like more explanation of who she is - and why she's important to me - keep reading this page. Or start exploring through the navigation bar above.

But remember, as Joanna herself said:

Never get so attached to a poem you forget truth that lacks lyricism.

Who is Joanna anyway?

Ok, if you are looking at this page, there is a chance you probably already know who Joanna is. But for those who don't know, Joanna Newsom (to the general public) is an American singer/instrumentalist/writer who writes folk music, and is classically trained on the harp, which she uses in a lot of her songs.

So far, she has released four albums and three EPs (which you can take a look at on the 'discography' page), and she's also starred in a few movies and TV shows.* She started off playing the piano in a band called 'The Pleased' (whose music isn't easy to find now) and began writing and performing her own music, which she released on EPs, before releasing her first album 'Milk-Eyed Mender' in 2004 to critical acclaim. And then came the other albums.

As of the time of writing, she hasn't released any new music since the album 'Divers' in 2016, but I don't feel starved - I am always finding something new to relish in Joanna's existing repertoire.

Plus, Joanna is known for having epic songs. Her second album, 'Ys', has only 5 tracks, but is still nearly an hour long - with the shortest song on it being a mere 7 minutes. And every one of those minutes is packed full of dense, vivid lyricism. Joanna's songs don't often follow a traditional verse/chorus structure - they are structured more like epic poems than songs.** Another thing she's known for is her unique singing voice, which is also inspired by old folk music. ***

Why does Joanna matter to me?

I don't really remember exactly how I got into Joanna Newsom's music - it was more of a slowburn than some kind of revelation. I do remember, as a child, my parents playing 'Ys' and the lyrics:

But for now, just dance, darling. C’mon, will you dance, my darling? Darling, there’s a place for us. Can we go before I turn to dust?

I don't think I had much of a big emotional response to that at the time (I was still a kid, so I wasn't really drawn to long epics and harp music) but it is interesting that those lyrics stood out to me, and that I recognised them when I listened to the album for myself years later.

One time, I went to a charity shop with a friend and 'Bridges and Balloons' (from 'Milk Eyed Mender') was playing. At the time, it was the only Newsom album I didn't own, so asking the cashier if I could buy the CD felt like fate. The cashier went to ask the manager and came back with the message: "Yes, and he also wants to say you have good taste". Since then, I've seen 'Bridges and Balloons' as a lucky song. It is a pretty cheery song. And it's interesting that I saw this as some act of fate, considering the opening lyrics...

We sailed away on a winter's day with fate as malleable as clay

I don't think me liking Joanna Newsom is some deep, profound thing - I just really enjoy her music. But it is special to me. And there have been times where I've really felt her lyrics speaking to a situation I was going through. I'm just glad that someone as unique as her exists.