Arabic version: جودي كولينز تتأمل موسيقى الفولك وتعاوناتها الممتدة طوال حياتها

According to The Guardian, Judy Collins is continuing her Sweet Judy Blue Eyes farewell tour while reflecting on the songs, writers and friendships that shaped her career. Collins said Joni Mitchell sang “Both Sides, Now” to her over the telephone in 1967 after Al Kooper put Mitchell on the line. Collins recorded the song the following day, before Mitchell had recorded it herself, and said it became a huge hit.

Collins described Mitchell as “one of the great writers of all time” and said she was proud to have helped introduce the then-unknown songwriter to the world. She also recalled meeting Leonard Cohen in 1966 after a contact at Atlantic Records said Cohen wanted her to sing his songs. Cohen played “Suzanne” in her apartment, and Collins said she recorded it the next day. She credited Cohen with prompting her to write, saying she went to the piano and wrote “Since You Asked” in 40 minutes.

The singer discussed her relationship with Stephen Stills, who wrote “Suite: Judy Blue Eyes” about her. Collins said their affair lasted four months while they were making Who Knows Where the Time Goes, and that Stills later sang the song to her on her birthday in California. She said they have been friends for 60 years. Following the death of her husband Louis in 2024, Collins said Stills joined her to perform a song and told the audience: “She married the right guy.”

Collins also traced her approach to folk music to songs she learned through the Denver Folklore Society. She said folk connects with listeners because its songs tell stories of people’s joy and pain, adding: “Inside every great pop song, there’s a folk song.” Her recent album Spellbound contains 12 songs she wrote, her first album made entirely of her own compositions, and was nominated for a Grammy. Collins said she is writing for another project and has not lost the thrill of songwriting.