Both Sides, Now - Wikipedia Both Sides, Now For other uses, see Both Sides Now ( disambiguation ). `` Both Sides, Now '' Song by Joni Mitchell from the album Clouds Released 1967 Studio A&M, Hollywood, California Genre Folk rock Length 4 : 32 Label Reprise Songwriter ( s ) Joni Mitchell Producer ( s ) Joni Mitchell, Paul A. Rothchild Clouds track listing `` The Fiddle and the Drum '' ( 9 ) `` Both Sides, Now '' ( 10 ) `` Both Sides, Now '' is a song by Joni Mitchell, and one of her best - known songs. First recorded by Judy Collins in 1967, Collins ' version was a top - ten hit on the U.S. singles chart during the fall of 1968. It subsequently appeared on Mitchell 's 1969 album Clouds. Mitchell re-recorded the song in a lush, orchestrated fashion for her 2000 album Both Sides Now. In April 2000, Mitchell sang the song with a 70 - piece orchestra at the end of an all - star celebration for her at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City. Mitchell 's version is played during an emotional scene featuring Emma Thompson in the 2003 film Love Actually. Rolling Stone ranked `` Both Sides, Now '' # 171 on its list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. Contents 1 Background 2 Judy Collins version 3 Other cover versions 3.1 1960s 3.2 1970s 3.3 1980s and 1990s 3.4 2000s 3.5 2010s 4 References 5 External links Background Mitchell wrote `` Both Sides, Now '' in March 1967, inspired by a passage in Henderson the Rain King, a 1959 novel by Saul Bellow. I was reading Saul Bellow 's `` Henderson the Rain King '' on a plane and early in the book Henderson the Rain King is also up in a plane. He 's on his way to Africa and he looks down and sees these clouds. I put down the book, looked out the window and saw clouds too, and I immediately started writing the song. I had no idea that the song would become as popular as it did. `` Both Sides, Now '' is written in F - sharp major. Mitchell used a guitar tuning of E -- B -- E -- G ♯ -- B -- E with a capo at the second fret. The song uses a modified I -- IV -- V chord progression. The song is similar to her unreleased song, ' Just Like Me ', which she performed in 1966 on Let 's Sing Out. Judy Collins version `` Both Sides Now '' Single by Judy Collins from the album Wildflowers B - side `` Who Knows Where the Time Goes '' Released 1968 Format 7 - inch single Genre Folk, baroque pop Length 3 : 14 Label Elektra ( EK - 45639 ) Songwriter ( s ) Joni Mitchell Producer ( s ) Mark Abramson Judy Collins singles chronology `` Hard Lovin ' Loser '' ( 1967 ) `` Both Sides Now '' ( 1968 ) `` Someday Soon '' ( 1969 ) `` Hard Lovin ' Loser '' ( 1967 ) `` Both Sides Now '' ( 1968 ) `` Someday Soon '' ( 1969 ) Cover art US single sleeve Audio sample `` Both Sides Now '' file help Judy Collins recorded the first commercially released version of the song, shortly after Mitchell wrote it, for her 1967 Wildflowers album. In October 1968 it was released as a single, reaching # 8 on the U.S. pop singles charts by December. It reached # 6 in Canada. In early 1969 it won a Grammy Award for Best Folk Performance. The record peaked at # 3 on Billboard 's Easy Listening survey and `` Both Sides, Now '' has become one of Collins ' signature songs. Mitchell disliked Collins ' recording of the song, despite the publicity that its success generated for Mitchell 's own career. Chart ( 1968 -- 70 ) Peak position Australia KMR 37 Canada RPM Top Singles 6 New Zealand 7 UK 14 U.S. Billboard Hot 100 8 U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary U.S. Cash Box Top 100 8 Chart ( 1968 ) Rank Canada 96 U.S. ( Joel Whitburn 's Pop Annual ) 82 Other cover versions Mitchell 's song has been recorded by many other artists over the decades. For his version, folk legend Pete Seeger added a custom fourth verse with her permission. Fairport Convention recorded the song as a demo in 1967. The band 's recording did not become available until 2000, however, when it appeared on The Guv'nor Vol 4 by Ashley Hutchings. ( A live recording featuring Judy Dyble from 1981 is included on Fairport 's Moat on the Ledge album. ) This section may contain indiscriminate, excessive, or irrelevant examples. Please improve the article by adding more descriptive text and removing less pertinent examples. See Wikipedia 's guide to writing better articles for further suggestions. 1960s Dave Van Ronk recorded the song under the title `` Clouds '' for his 1968 album Dave Van Ronk and the Hudson Dusters. Anne Murray recorded the song for her 1968 debut album What About Me. Claudine Longet recorded a French version of the song for her 1968 album Colours. The Collection released the song on their 1968 single on the Hot Biscuit Disc Company label ( 1968 ). Frank Sinatra recorded the song under the title `` From Both Sides, Now '' on his 1968 album Cycles. Harpers Bizarre recorded the song for their 1968 album Secret Life of Harpers Bizarre. Leonard Nimoy recorded the song for his 1968 album The Way I Feel. Marie Laforêt recorded a French version of the song with adapted lyrics by Eddy Marnay in 1968 under the title `` Je n'ai rien appris ''. Robert Goulet recorded the song for his 1968 album Both Sides Now. Christine Charbonneau recorded her own version of the song under the title `` Je n'avais pas compris '' released in Quebec in 1969 on Gamma Records. Bing Crosby recorded the song for his 1969 album Hey Jude / Hey Bing !, and he sang a slightly different rendition of the song on the TV variety show The Hollywood Palace. Ed Bruce recorded a Country version of the song for his 1969 album Shades of Ed Bruce. Davy Graham recorded the song for his 1969 album Large as Life But Twice as Natural. His version included a long Middle Eastern - style introduction. Dion recorded the song under the title `` From Both Sides Now '' on his album Dion. His cover reached # 91 in the U.S., and is the only other charting version of the song besides Collins '. Jimmie Rodgers recorded the song for his 1969 album Windmills of Your Mind. Nana Mouskouri recorded the song under the title `` Je n'ai rien appris '' on her 1969 album Dans le soleil et dans le vent. Neil Diamond recorded the song for his 1969 album Touching You, Touching Me. Oliver recorded the song for his 1969 album Good Morning Starshine. Pete Seeger recorded the song for his 1969 album for children and elderly called Young vs. Old. Seeger added a more optimistic fourth verse to the song. Tirso Cruz III recorded the song for his 1969 album Tirso Cruz III. The Osmond Brothers recorded the song, under the title `` Clouds '', on the 1968 album The Wonderful World of The Osmond Brothers. 1970s Andy Williams recorded the song for his 1970 album Raindrops Keep Fallin ' on My Head. Cilla Black recorded the song for her 1970 album Sweet Inspiration. Engelbert Humperdinck performed the song in 1970 on The Engelbert Humperdinck Show. Larry Santos recorded a pop version of the song for his 1970 album Mornin ' Sun. Euson released the song as a single in 1970. His version made it to # 7 on the Dutch Top 40. Glen Campbell recorded the song for his 1970 album Try a Little Kindness. Willie Nelson recorded the song for his 1970 album Both Sides Now. Hugh Masekela recorded an instrumental version on his 1970 album Reconstruction. The Tokens recorded the song for their 1970 album Both Sides Now. Brazilian guitarist Bola Sete recorded an instrumental version on his 1971 album Workin ' on a Groovy Thing. Tirso Cruz III recorded the song in 1971 under Vicor Music Corporation Philippines Roger Whittaker recorded the song for his 1971 album New World in the Morning. He changed the title to `` From Both Sides Now ''. Gene Puerling recorded it with The Singers Unlimited on the 1971 album A Capella. Cleo Laine recorded the song for her 1972 album Feel The Warm with Cleo Laine. Randy Scruggs recorded a finger - picking guitar version of the song on the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band 's 1972 album Will the Circle be Unbroken. This version only had two verses of the song, omitting the third. Jim Nabors recorded the song for his 1973 album The Twelfth of Never. Pat Martino recorded an instrumental guitar version of the song for his 1974 album Consciousness. This version only had one verse of the song. 1980s and 1990s Paradox ( 夢 劇院 ), a Hong Kong girl group, recorded the song for their 1988 album Paradox, which also included a Cantonese version of the song under the title `` Color Theory of Relativity ''. Michael Feinstein recorded the song for his 1990 compilation Rubáiyát, which celebrated the 40th anniversary of Elektra Records. Clannad released a version as a duet with British singer Paul Young for the 1991 motion picture Switch. It was the only chart appearance for Clannad in the Canadian RPM 100 Singles Chart. Hole recorded the song under the title `` Clouds '' for their 1991 debut album Pretty on the Inside. b - flower recorded the song for their 1994 album Clover Chronicles l. Dianne Reeves recorded the song for her 1994 album Quiet After the Storm. Parasites recorded the song for their 1994 album Pair. Randy Scruggs recorded an instrumental version of the song on his 1998 album Crown of Jewels. Sharon Cuneta recorded the song for her 1999 album When I Love, and it was released as the album 's lead - off single. The song was subsequently used as the theme for her 2002 movie, Magkapatid ( Siblings ). Pat Martino recorded the song with vocals by Cassandra Wilson on his 1997 album All Sides Now. On Sesame Street, Telly did a parody of the song called `` Three Sides Now '' as he sings about the shapes he loves, which are triangles. Dana Winner recorded a dutch version ( Dat ben jij ) of the song for her 1996 album Waar is het gevoel. 2000s A version of the song is featured in the film Life as a House ( 2001 ) in the climax of the film during which George Monroe, played by Kevin Kline and ex-wife Robin, played by Kristin Scott - Thomas dance on the deck of George 's unfinished cliffside home. Dengue Fever recorded a version of the song in Khmer and it appeared on the soundtrack of the 2002 movie City of Ghosts. Dolly Parton recorded the song for her 2005 album Those Were the Days. Parton 's version featured vocals by Judy Collins. Tori Amos ( 2005 ) Hayley Westenra recorded the song for her 2005 album Odyssey. Cathrine Hickland Lindsay recorded it for the 2006 album One Life, Many Voices, which featured many stars from the soap opera One Life to Live to raise money for Hurricane Katrina. Doris Day originally recorded a version in a television special in 1971 and it was incorporated in the 2006 reissue of her album The Love Album. Håkan Hellström released a version of the song in Swedish in 2006. His version is called `` Båda sidor, nu ''. Michael Lington recorded the song for his 2006 album A Song for You. In the 2006 musical stage adaptation of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, the song is used in the Australian, New Zealand, and London productions, but was replaced in the Broadway production by Cyndi Lauper 's True Colors. Herbie Hancock recorded an instrumental version of the song for his 2007 album River : The Joni Letters. Hancock 's version of the song was nominated for a 2008 Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Jazz Solo. The album won the 2008 Grammy for Album of the Year. Mindy Gledhill recorded the song for her 2007 album Feather in the Wind. Paul Anka recorded the song for his 2007 album Classic Songs, My Way. Sandro Perri recorded the song for his 2007 album Tiny Mirrors. Allison Moorer recorded the song for her 2008 album Mockingbird. John Barrowman recorded the song for his 2008 album Music Music Music. Linda Eder recorded the song for her 2008 album The Other Side of Me. Rie fu recorded the song for her 2008 album Who is Rie fu ? Bei Xu recorded a super slow version of the song for her 2008 album You Are So Beautiful. Tina Arena recorded the song for her 2008 album Songs of Love & Loss 2. Lara Fabian recorded the song for her 2009 album Every Woman In Me. Rachael Yamagata recorded the song for her 2009 album The Village, a tribute album honoring the folk music scene of New York 's Greenwich Village in the 1960s. Ronan Keating recorded the song for his 2009 tribute album to his late mother, Songs for My Mother. The Swingle Singers recorded an a cappella version of the song on their 2009 album Ferris Wheels. Luce Dufault recorded the song on her 2007 album Demi - jour. 2010s Roch Voisine recorded the song for his 2010 cover album Americana III : California. Yamori ( Ryoko Moriyama and Akiko Yano ) recorded the song for their 2010 album Anata To Utaou. The Idea of North ( 2011 ) recorded the song for their 2011 album Extraordinary Tale. Susan Boyle recorded the song for her 2011 album Someone to Watch Over Me. Orla Fallon performed the song in her 2011 show My Land. Carly Rae Jepsen recorded the song for her 2012 EP Curiosity. U.S. Elevator ( Sarah Lee Guthrie & Johnny Irion and Rondo Brothers ) recorded a beat folk version on their 2012 single, A Valentine. Marina Prior recorded the song for her 2012 album Both Sides Now Melanie C recorded the song for her musical theatre - inspired 2012 album Stages Idina Menzel performed the song during a number of concerts on the second leg of her Barefoot at the Symphony tour ( 2012 -- 2013 ) Cilla Kung recorded the song in 2013 for the TVB drama Slow Boat Home. Mary Fahl ( former lead singer of October Project ) released the song as a single in September 2013. Michael Ball recorded the song for his 2013 album Both Sides Now. Danish jazz vocalist Cæcilie Norby recorded the song for her 2015 album `` Just the Two of Us '' accompanied by bassist Lars Danielsson. Scottish singer George Donaldson covered the song as a member of Celtic Thunder during their Mythology record sessions in 2013. It wa officially released in 2015. Dexys, formerly known as Dexys Midnight Runners, recorded the song for their 2016 album `` Let the Record Show Dexys Do Irish and Country Soul '' and released the song as the lead single on 25 April 2016. Gang of Youths recorded the song as a bonus track for their 2016 EP ' Let Me Be Clear ' in a style reflecting Jeff Buckley 's cover of Leonard Cohen 's ' Hallelujah '. A piano arrangement of the song was chosen as an examination piece in the 2011 & 2012 Piano Grade 3 Syllabus ( List C, No. 3 ) by the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music, in an effort to incorporate more beginner - level pieces that appeal to adults. Years & Years ( 2016 ) recorded a cover of this song for a Torch Songs charity project. Sara Bareilles performed the song at the 89th Academy Awards in Los Angeles on 26 February 2017 during the `` In Memoriam '' portion of the ceremony. Rick Price and Jack Jones covered the song on their album California Dreaming ( 2017 ). Kristian Matsson under the moniker The Tallest Man on Earth covered the song during his YouTube series, calling it the `` best song in the world. '' References Jump up ^ Farber, Jim ( April 16, 2000 ). `` Joni 's Jamboree : 19 singers use 15 songs & show why Mitchell matters ''. New York Daily News. Retrieved September 3, 2016 -- via Joni Mitchell Library. Jump up ^ `` The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time : # 171 Joni Mitchell, ' Both Sides, Now ' ''. Rolling Stone. Retrieved 16 June 2012. Jump up ^ Hilburn, Robert ( December 8, 1996 ). `` Both Sides, Later ''. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 12 July 2011. Jump up ^ Bellow, Saul ( 1985 ). Henderson the Rain King. Penguin Books. p. 280. ISBN 0 - 14 - 007269 - 1. We are the first generation to see the clouds from both sides... more likely `` And I dreamed down at the clouds, and thought that when I was a kid I had dreamed up at them, and having dreamed at the clouds from both sides as no other generation of men has done, one should be able to accept his death very easily. '' Chapter 5 para 7. Jump up ^ Whitesell, Lloyd ( 2008 ). The Music of Joni Mitchell. New York : Oxford University Press. pp. 43 -- 44. Jump up ^ `` Image : RPM Weekly ''. Library and Archives Canada. 17 July 2013. Retrieved 3 September 2016. Jump up ^ `` Wildflowers - Judy Collins : Awards ''. Allmusic. Retrieved 23 June 2012. Jump up ^ Yaffe, David ( 2017 ). Reckless Daughter : A Portrait of Joni Mitchell. Jump up ^ `` Australian Chart Book ''. austchartbook.com. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 3 September 2016. Jump up ^ `` Image : RPM Weekly ''. Library and Archives Canada. 17 July 2013. Retrieved 11 July 2017. Jump up ^ `` Both Sides, Now ''. Flavour of New Zealand. Jump up ^ `` JUDY COLLINS - full Official Chart History ''. Official Charts Company. Retrieved 3 September 2016. Jump up ^ Whitburn, Joel, Top Pop Singles 1955 - 2002 Jump up ^ `` Item Display - RPM ''. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 11 July 2017. Jump up ^ Whitburn, Joel ( 1999 ). Pop Annual. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin : Record Research Inc. ISBN 0 - 89820 - 142 - X. Jump up ^ `` Oliver, Good Morning Starshine ''. AllMusic. Retrieved March 10, 2012. Jump up ^ `` Euson - Both Sides Now ''. Stichting Nederlandse Top 40. Retrieved 11 July 2017. Jump up ^ `` Tori Amos Song Summary ''. Toriset.org. Retrieved 4 January 2012. Jump up ^ `` Jag hatar att jag älskar dig och jag älskar dig så mycket att jag hatar mig ''. Svensk mediedatabas ( in Swedish ). 2006. Retrieved 18 March 2015. Jump up ^ `` Michael Lington - A Song for You ''. SmoothViews.com. Jump up ^ `` A Song for You overview ''. Allmusic.com. Jump up ^ Billard, Arno ( July 13, 2011 ). `` ARIA Award winners The Idea of North announce new album and national tour ''. The AU Review. Retrieved 17 September 2011. Jump up ^ `` ABRSM Piano Syllabus 2011 & 2012 '' ( PDF ). Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music. Archived from the original ( PDF ) on 7 October 2013. Retrieved 8 July 2010. Jump up ^ `` ABRSM piano final ''. Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music. Retrieved 1 July 2010. External links Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics Joni Mitchell Studio albums Song to a Seagull ( 1968 ) Clouds ( 1969 ) Ladies of the Canyon ( 1970 ) Blue ( 1971 ) For the Roses ( 1972 ) Court and Spark ( 1974 ) The Hissing of Summer Lawns ( 1975 ) Hejira ( 1976 ) Don Juan 's Reckless Daughter ( 1977 ) Mingus ( 1979 ) Wild Things Run Fast ( 1982 ) Dog Eat Dog ( 1985 ) Chalk Mark in a Rain Storm ( 1988 ) Night Ride Home ( 1991 ) Turbulent Indigo ( 1994 ) Taming the Tiger ( 1998 ) Both Sides Now ( 2000 ) Travelogue ( 2002 ) Shine ( 2007 ) Live albums Miles of Aisles Shadows and Light Amchitka, The 1970 Concert That Launched Greenpeace Compilation albums Hits Misses The Beginning of Survival Dreamland Songs of a Prairie Girl Love Has Many Faces : A Quartet, a Ballet, Waiting to Be Danced Singles & key songs `` Both Sides, Now '' `` Chelsea Morning '' `` Big Yellow Taxi '' `` Woodstock '' `` Little Green '' `` Carey '' `` California '' `` This Flight Tonight '' `` River '' `` The Last Time I Saw Richard '' `` You Turn Me On, I 'm a Radio '' `` Help Me '' `` Free Man in Paris '' `` Down to You '' `` Coyote '' Collaborations `` You 've Got a Friend '' `` You Can Close Your Eyes '' `` Long Ago and Far Away '' The Last Waltz The Wall -- Live in Berlin `` Got ' til It 's Gone '' River : The Joni Letters Related articles Discography Albums Songs Paul Young Studio albums No Parlez The Secret of Association Between Two Fires Other Voices Compilation albums From Time to Time -- The Singles Collection Singles `` Wherever I Lay My Hat ( That 's My Home ) '' `` Come Back and Stay '' `` Love of the Common People '' `` Love Will Tear Us Apart '' `` I 'm Gonna Tear Your Playhouse Down '' `` Everytime You Go Away '' `` Softly Whispering I Love You '' `` Oh Girl '' `` Calling You '' `` Senza una donna ( Without a Woman ) '' `` Both Sides Now '' `` Do n't Dream It 's Over '' `` What Becomes of the Brokenhearted '' Songs `` I 've Been Lonely for So Long '' `` Pale Shelter '' Related topics Discography Q - Tips Band Aid Live Aid Book : Paul Young Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Both_Sides,_Now&oldid=814825352 '' Categories : 1967 songs Songs written by Joni Mitchell Joni Mitchell songs Judy Collins songs Anne Murray songs Bing Crosby songs Frank Sinatra songs Dion DiMucci songs Jimmie Rodgers ( pop singer ) songs Neil Diamond songs Oliver ( singer ) songs Andy Williams songs Glen Campbell songs Willie Nelson songs Paul Young songs Dolly Parton songs Doris Day songs Grammy Award for Best Ethnic or Traditional Folk Recording Song recordings produced by Joni Mitchell Song recordings produced by Paul A. Rothchild Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist ( s ) Hidden categories : CS1 Swedish - language sources ( sv ) Articles with hAudio microformats Articles which use infobox templates with no data rows Music infoboxes with deprecated parameters Audio sample to be checked Articles with too many examples Talk Contents About Wikipedia Dansk Español Italiano 日本 語 Norsk Norsk nynorsk Português Русский Svenska Українська Tiếng Việt Edit links This page was last edited on 11 December 2017, at 04 : 06. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: who wrote i've looked at life from both sides now
Answer: Joni Mitchell