Today is the 50th anniversary of Joni Mitchell's album Blue.

Brandi Carlile, a huge fan of Joni's who has performed Blue in its entirety for the icon, may have said it best in a tweet: "Where would any of us be without Joni Mitchell? Where would any of us be without 'Blue'? Happy 50th birthday to the concept of power in vulnerability and thank you Joni for the greatest album of all time."

In an interview with Cameron Crowe for the Los Angeles Times, Joni said, "Like all of my albums, Blue came out of the chute with a whimper. It didn't really take off until later. Now there's a lot of fuss being made over it, but there wasn't initially."

In an article in the New York Times, James Taylor reflected on his work on the album: "I played on four songs, 'A Case of You,' 'Carey,' 'California' and 'All I Want.' Those were songs that Joni had written while she was traveling the previous year, and she wrote most on an instrument called a three-string dulcimer, which is a very mobile and very simple instrument. But it left me a wide-open opportunity to pick whatever chords would work with the melody and her spare accompaniment on the dulcimer. That was great fun for me."

In the same article, Graham Nash said, "I must confess that when 'Blue' was released, I listened to it, of course, and then I didn't for many, many years. It was an intense time for Joni and I. Obviously there are a couple of songs on the record that I recognize, from when she would write them in the house, that involved me. 'My Old Man,' 'River.' She finished the album after we parted, but for many months I saw her there writing this stuff. It was a fascinating process to see, I must confess. It's as if she tore her skin off and just released all her nerves into music."

In an NPR tribute to the album, Ann Powers pointed out a quote from Joni from 1970: "The Blue album, there's hardly a dishonest note in the vocals. At that period of my life, I had no personal defenses. I felt like a cellophane wrapper on a pack of cigarettes. I felt like I had absolutely no secrets from the world and I couldn't pretend in my life to be strong. Or to be happy. But the advantage of it in the music was that there were no defenses there either."

So for today's 9:30 Coffee Break in honor of Joni Mitchell's Blue, what songs do you want to hear from essential female singer-songwriters?

Respond with your song ideas in the comments below.

Have an idea for a Coffee Break topic? Submit your idea for a future theme and browse past Coffee Breaks in our archive.

Songs played

Bobbie Gentry - Ode to Billie Joe
Arlo Parks - Black Dog
Ani DiFranco - 32 Flavors
Joni Mitchell - River
Memphis Minnie - When the Levee Breaks
Brandi Carlile - A Case Of You - Joni Mitchell Cover (State Theater)