A Case of You (song)

"A Case of You"
"A Case of You"
Song by Joni Mitchell
from the album Blue
Released	June 22, 1971
Recorded	1971
Genre	Folk, folk rock
Length	4:20
Label	Reprise
Songwriter(s)	Joni Mitchell
Producer(s)	Joni Mitchell
Official audio
	"A Case of You" (2021 remaster) on YouTube

"A Case of You" is a song by Joni Mitchell, from her 1971 album Blue. The song has been covered by numerous artists and has been listed by listeners of BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs as the No. 1 female song.^[1] In 2021, it was listed at No. 26 on Rolling Stone's "Top 500 Best Songs of All Time".^[2]

Writing and recording

Mitchell wrote "A Case of You" in or before 1970. She performed the song at the Amchitka Greenpeace benefit concert in October 1970. She recorded the song in 1971, and it was released on the 1971 album Blue with Mitchell playing Appalachian dulcimer, accompanied by James Taylor on acoustic guitar, which was tuned to standard tuning, (EADGBE), although there are cover versions played in an open G tuning (DGDGBD).

Mitchell's earliest public performances of "A Case of You" contain six lines that had changed by the time Blue was recorded. The line "I am as constant as a northern star" is an allusion to Caesar's "I am constant as the Northern Star" from the Shakespeare play Julius Caesar, while the quoted line "Love is touching souls" is inspired by the German poet Rainer Maria Rilke.^[3]

"A Case of You" was also released as the B-side of "California".^[4]

Personnel

According to the liner notes:^[5]

Joni Mitchell – Appalachian dulcimer, guitar, vocals, production
James Taylor – guitar^[6]
Russ Kunkel – drums

Additional recordings and performances

Mitchell later re-recorded the song for her live album Miles of Aisles (1974), as well as her orchestral album Both Sides Now (2000). She performed it regularly on her 1983 tour. The original recording was included on Mitchell's compilation Misses (1996). A demo recording was included on the 50th anniversary EP of Blue in 2021.^[2]

Certifications


Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)^[7]	Silver	200,000^‡
^‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Cover versions

There are well over 500 known recordings of "A Case of You".^[8] The cabaret singer Connie Champagne recorded "A Case of You" in the persona of Judy Garland on her 2003 album Imagine Judy Garland: An Evening with Connie Champagne.^[9] In 2012 the Portuguese singer Ana Moura recorded a cover version for her album Desfado produced by Mitchell's former husband and producer Larry Klein.^[10]

Soundtrack appearances

The song appears in the films Truly, Madly, Deeply, Practical Magic, Clickbait (cover) and Waking the Dead. Mitchell declined, however, to grant permission to use the song in the 2013 film A Case of You.^[11]

Truly, Madly, Deeply, writer-director Anthony Minghella's first film, marked the first appearance of "A Case of You" in a narrative film; the stars, Juliet Stevenson and Alan Rickman, sing the first verse and chorus of the song to each other, leading directly to the titular dialogue, "I truly, madly, deeply love you".^[12]

In 2013 the song was featured in "In Dreams Begin Responsibilities", the fourth episode of the fifth season of NBC's Parenthood.^[13] One of the main characters, Drew, is pursuing a girl who mentions she loves the song. Drew tries to learn as much about Joni Mitchell as he can, only to find out that the girl only knows "A Case Of You" because it was in a movie.

References

^ "Your Desert Island Discs results". Desert Island Discs. BBC. Retrieved November 15, 2011.
^ ^a ^b "Joni Mitchell Library - Joni Mitchell Blue Celebrates 50 years with new digital EP: Rhino Records, June 21, 2021". jonimitchell.com. Retrieved January 8, 2022.
^ Chiasson, Dan (October 2, 2017). "Joni Mitchell's Openhearted Heroism". The New Yorker – via www.newyorker.com.
^ "Joni Mitchell – California". Discogs. 1971. Retrieved January 10, 2016.
^ Blue (LP liner notes). Joni Mitchell. US: Reprise Records. 1971. MS 2038.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^ Zoladz, Lindsay (June 20, 2021). "50 Reasons to Love Joni Mitchell's 'Blue'". The New York Times. Retrieved June 20, 2021.
^ "British single certifications – Joni Mitchell – A Case Of You". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved December 22, 2024.
^ "Joni Mitchell - Known recordings of 'A Case of You'". jonimitchell.com.
^ "Joni Mitchell Library - Blue @ 50: Joni Mitchell's Music in Film: Film Experience, June 18, 2021". jonimitchell.com. Retrieved February 11, 2022.
^ Denselow, Robin (April 4, 2013). "Ana Moura: Desfado – review". The Guardian. Archived from the original on February 23, 2014. Retrieved February 8, 2014.
^ "Romantic Comedy: Imbibe in Moderation". The New York Times. November 6, 2013. Retrieved February 4, 2017.
^ "Joni Mitchell Library - Blue @ 50: Joni Mitchell's Music in Film: Film Experience, June 18, 2021". jonimitchell.com. Retrieved February 11, 2022.
^ "Music from Parenthood S5E04". tunefind.com. Retrieved February 4, 2017.

[1] "Your Desert Island Discs results". Desert Island Discs. BBC. Retrieved November 15, 2011.

[:0-2] "Joni Mitchell Library - Joni Mitchell Blue Celebrates 50 years with new digital EP: Rhino Records, June 21, 2021". jonimitchell.com. Retrieved January 8, 2022.

[3] Chiasson, Dan (October 2, 2017). "Joni Mitchell's Openhearted Heroism". The New Yorker – via www.newyorker.com.

[4] "Joni Mitchell – California". Discogs. 1971. Retrieved January 10, 2016.

[liner_notes-5] Blue (LP liner notes). Joni Mitchell. US: Reprise Records. 1971. MS 2038.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)

[6] Zoladz, Lindsay (June 20, 2021). "50 Reasons to Love Joni Mitchell's 'Blue'". The New York Times. Retrieved June 20, 2021.

[United_KingdomJoni_MitchellA_Case_Of_YousingleCertRef-7] "British single certifications – Joni Mitchell – A Case Of You". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved December 22, 2024.

[8] "Joni Mitchell - Known recordings of 'A Case of You'". jonimitchell.com.

[9] "Joni Mitchell Library - Blue @ 50: Joni Mitchell's Music in Film: Film Experience, June 18, 2021". jonimitchell.com. Retrieved February 11, 2022.

[guardian-10] Denselow, Robin (April 4, 2013). "Ana Moura: Desfado – review". The Guardian. Archived from the original on February 23, 2014. Retrieved February 8, 2014.

[11] "Romantic Comedy: Imbibe in Moderation". The New York Times. November 6, 2013. Retrieved February 4, 2017.

[12] "Joni Mitchell Library - Blue @ 50: Joni Mitchell's Music in Film: Film Experience, June 18, 2021". jonimitchell.com. Retrieved February 11, 2022.

[13] "Music from Parenthood S5E04". tunefind.com. Retrieved February 4, 2017.

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v t e Ana Moura
Albums	Guarda-me a Vida na Mão (2003) Aconteceu (2004) Para Além da Saudade (2007) Leva-me aos Fados (2009) Desfado (2012) Moura (2015) Casa Guilhermina (2022)
Songs	"Caso Arrumado" "Rumo ao Sul" "A Case of You" "Andorinhas"

v t e James Blake
Discography Songs written and produced
Studio albums	James Blake (2011) Overgrown (2013) The Colour in Anything (2016) Assume Form (2019) Friends That Break Your Heart (2021) Playing Robots into Heaven (2023) Bad Cameo (2024)
EPs	The Bells Sketch (2010) CMYK (2010) Klavierwerke (2010) Enough Thunder (2011) Love What Happened Here (2011) 200 Press (2014) Before (2020) CMYK 002 (2024)
Singles	"Limit to Your Love" "The Wilhelm Scream" "Lindisfarne / Unluck" "Fall Creek Boys Choir" "A Case of You" "Retrograde" "Modern Soul" "King's Dead" "If the Car Beside You Moves Ahead" "Don't Miss It" "Mile High" "Barefoot in the Park" "You're Too Precious" "Say What You Will"
Other songs	"Stop Trying to Be God" "Can't Believe the Way We Flow" "I'll Come Too" "Hummingbird"
Related articles	Blake Works I Re:SET Concert Series
Category

v t e Prince singles
1970s	"Soft and Wet" "Just as Long as We're Together" "I Wanna Be Your Lover"
1980s	"Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad?" "Still Waiting" "Sexy Dancer" "Uptown" "Dirty Mind" "Do It All Night" "Gotta Stop (Messin' About)" "Controversy" "Let's Work" "Do Me, Baby" "1999" "Little Red Corvette" "Delirious" "Let's Pretend We're Married" "When Doves Cry" "Let's Go Crazy" "Purple Rain" "I Would Die 4 U" "Take Me with U" "Paisley Park" "Raspberry Beret" "Pop Life" "America" "Kiss" "Mountains" "Anotherloverholenyohead" "Girls & Boys" "Sign "O" the Times" "If I Was Your Girlfriend" "U Got the Look" "I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man" "Alphabet St." "Glam Slam" "I Wish U Heaven" "Batdance" "Partyman" "The Arms of Orion" "Scandalous!"
1990s	"The Future" "Thieves in the Temple" "New Power Generation" "Gett Off" "Cream" "Diamonds and Pearls" "Money Don't Matter 2 Night" "Insatiable" "Thunder" "Sexy MF" "My Name Is Prince" "7" "Damn U" "The Morning Papers" "Pink Cashmere" "Nothing Compares 2 U" "Peach" "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World" "Letitgo" "Space" "Purple Medley" "I Hate U" "Gold" "Dinner with Delores" "Betcha by Golly Wow!" "The Holy River" "The Truth" "The Greatest Romance Ever Sold"
2000s	"U Make My Sun Shine" (with Angie Stone) "When Will We B Paid?" (with Audio Stepchild) "Supercute" "The Work, pt. 1" "Days of Wild" "Controversy (Live in Hawaii)" "Musicology" "Cinnamon Girl" "S.S.T." "Te Amo Corazón" "Black Sweat" "Fury" "Guitar" "F.U.N.K." "Dance 4 Me"
2010s	"Rocknroll Loveaffair" "Breakfast Can Wait" "Fallinlove2nite" "Breakdown" "This Could B Us" "Free Urself"
Promotional singles	"When You Were Mine" "Erotic City" "Nothing Compares 2 U" "Love Sign" (with Nona Gaye) "Somebody's Somebody" "It's About That Walk" "Call My Name" "The Song of the Heart"
Internet downloads	"Guitar (original "demo" version)"
New Power Generation	"Get Wild" "The War" "Come On"
EPs	The Beautiful Experience NYC 1999: The New Master
Other songs	"I Feel for You" "Partyup" "Private Joy" "International Lover" "How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore?" "The Beautiful Ones" "Computer Blue" "Darling Nikki" "Baby I'm a Star" "17 Days" "Around the World in a Day" "Sometimes It Snows in April" "The Ballad of Dorothy Parker" "Starfish and Coffee" "Adore" "Don't Talk 2 Strangers" "I Can't Make U Love Me" "La, La, La Means I Love U" "One of Us" "Everyday Is a Winding Road" "A Case of U" "Crimson and Clover" "Moonbeam Levels"