Woodstock is a song written by Joni Mitchell that captures the Woodstock festival’s spirit. Mitchell wrote it after learning of the 1969 festival from Graham Nash and watching coverage from New York City; it first appeared live in 1969 and was released in 1970 on the album Ladies of the Canyon as the B-side to Big Yellow Taxi. The track is a folk rock ballad about a traveler heading to Max Yasgur's farm to join the event, featuring the lines we are stardust, we are golden and other imagery about returning to the garden. In 1970 there were several popular versions, including Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young’s US hit on Déjà Vu and Matthews Southern Comfort’s UK number one arrangement. Woodstock became an emblem of the 1960s counterculture and has inspired many covers and interpretations.
