The 1970 Joni Mitchell song so good David Crosby recorded it three times: “I love what it says”
David Crosby repeatedly returned to Joni Mitchell’s song ‘For Free’, recording it three times across his career. His continued affection for the track reflected both his friendship with Mitchell and the song’s lasting appeal, and it ultimately gave its name to his final solo album.
Mitchell first released ‘For Free’ on her 1970 album *Ladies of the Canyon*. Crosby recorded it with The Byrds in 1973, revisited it with Stills, Nash and Young, and made a final version with singer Sarah Jarosz for his 2021 album *For Free*. He said he loved what the song expressed; pianist James Raymond’s arrangement and Jarosz’s harmony helped persuade him to include the new recording.
- Crosby recorded Joni Mitchell’s ‘For Free’ three times.
- The song first appeared in 1970.
- His final version featured Sarah Jarosz.
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Joni Mitchell is a Canadian singer-songwriter whose early 1970s albums helped establish her as a major figure in folk and popular music. “For Free”, from her 1970 album Ladies of the Canyon, contrasts a successful musician’s life with that of a street performer playing for passers-by.
David Crosby was an American musician who became known through the Byrds and later Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. He and Mitchell were friends, and he recorded the song at different points in his career, including a 2021 version with singer Sarah Jarosz. That version gave his final solo album its title, linking the song to his long musical career.