Joni Mitchell's gift for writing extremely personal lyrics about the love and loss in her life is what made her the leader in singer/songwriter movement of the '70s. Mitchell introduced jazz and world music elements into her 1974 'Court & Spark' album long before it was fashionable in American pop music. Joni Mitchell’s body of work was and continues to be a huge influence on musicians around the world.

She was a key inspiration to many women as a talent who refused to be hemmed in by boundaries of genre or gender. The variety of her music is reflected by the range of different artists who credit her, from Laura Marling to Madonna, the latter who cited Joni Mitchell as the first female artist that really spoke to her as a teenager: "I was really, really into Joni Mitchell. I knew every word to Court and Spark; I worshipped her when I was in high school. Blue is amazing. I would have to say of all the women I've heard; she had the most profound effect on me from a lyrical point of view.”