All language subtitles for Clive.Davis.Most.Iconic.Performances.S01E00.Extended.Cut.1080p.WEB.h264-KOGi[eztv.re]

- Here's the truth, this
forthcoming show is so filled

with great stars, with
incredible music,

and with great conversations
that we really have no choice

to begin right now.

- As the recent HBO
documentary

on Tina Turner's life reminded
us, her life has been anything

but smooth sailing.

But it also reminded us that
no artist has ever been able

to take their personal pain
and turn it into

such visceral joy on stage
quite like she has.

She is without a doubt one
of the most exciting

live performers
in the history of music.

And she continues to inspire
us all with her positivity

and her art.

Look, I have a list of her
sales figures,

her billboard chart numbers,
and her concert ticket sales

that would literally blow
your mind.

Here to talk with me about
the great Tina Turner

is perhaps the biggest Tina
Turner fan in the world.

Ladies and gentlemen,
Ms. Oprah Winfrey.

- Hello everybody.

- Here we go.

In researching for this very
special conversation with you,

I learned that you're more
than a fan of Tina Turner,

you're self admittedly

Tina Turner's
number one groupie.

You've said the first time you
saw her perform you,

quote, "Got the spirit".
- I did.

- Oprah, can you describe
what you saw and heard

that first time and why it
affected you so profoundly?

- So here's the scene.

I was upstairs in my office,
it was around 5:30

in the evening, Tina had
come to do a rehearsal

for the next day, she was going
to be appearing on the show.

And I had the monitors on
in my office

and I heard the rehearsal.

I never see people before
I see them on stage

because I don't want to
ruin the moment.

I heard Tina downstairs just
in rehearsal.

I got up from my desk and I went
downstairs, started to watch.

When I say "I got the spirit",
it literally was the spirit.

So Clive, I decided
in that moment,

we're gonna take
the Oprah Show

out of the Chicago studios
and we're gonna follow Tina

to as many cities as we can.

And, and, and, and it was
the Wildest Dreams tour.

And to make it meaningful
to people,

we're gonna make wildest
dreams come true

all over the country and
send people

to these Tina concerts.

It truly, of the 25 years, one
of the most fantastical

experiences, meaningful
experiences, I've ever had.

- Live: Now Oprah, you
inducted Tina

at the Kennedy Center
honors and you summed up

your tribute that night by
saying, quote,

"You make me so proud
to spell my name

"W-O-M-A-N."

Could you elaborate on
that?

- Well that is a line from a
Maya Angelou poem

that Maya allowed me to
use her line.

So I took that right out of
the poetry of,

of Maya Angelou.

And I have to say, there
are a few women

in my lifetime, actually
more than a few,

that's why I had the
Legend's Ball

so many years ago, to
celebrate all of those

important women who had
built a bridge to my life,

and Tina is one of them.

The reason why she makes
me so proud

is because she was enslaved,
there's no other word for it

in my mind,
she was enslaved.

She was enslaved
psychologically, emotionally,

and actually physically
being beaten by whatever

Ike could get his hands on
to control her.

And it wasn't just physical
control,

it was also mind control.

And what it takes when
you have endured

that kind of trauma, to be
able to find the worth

within yourself,
just enough of self left

after everyone's tried to
snuff it out,

to say "I am better than
this".

And to escape it, and not
only escape and survive it,

but then to create a life
that allows you to thrive.

I just don't know of a
better example

of somebody who has taken
the worst of their pain

and turned it into a powerful
phenomenon

that affected the rest of
the world through her art.

- What do you think are
the personal qualities

that enabled Tina
to break away

from her brutal marriage
to Ike Turner

and then to become such
a huge professional success?

- Nobody makes it alone.

And if you're over 25 and
you've experienced

any kind of challenge or
pain in your life,

you know nobody gets
through anything alone.

You either have a faith or
you have a friend

or you have a belief system
that allows you to know

that there's something
other than yourself.

And I don't think that Tina
would have survived

had she not been introduced
to Buddhism,

had she not been introduced
to another way of seeing

and envisioning her life.

And understanding that
there was something more

beyond the horror that she
was experiencing everyday

and not knowing what
thing is going to, to,

to set Ike off,
what one moment or phrase

or something that's going
to trigger him.

Because, you know,
anybody who's lived through

domestic violence
understands

that you never know what
that thing is.

So I think that she became
strengthened

by the power of her faith,
having a faith

in something
bigger than herself.

And that planted the seed
for her to begin to see

herself differently.

Because we all know that
no change ever comes

to anybody unless you have
the vision to see

that the change is possible.

So I think what, what
Buddhism gave her

was a vision, a new way
of seeing what,

what could be possible for
her life,

that she didn't have to be
enslaved

in those circumstances
for the rest of her life.

"Simply the Best"
is one of my favorite

performances of hers.

And I know that she
performed that song

at your 50th birthday
celebration on your show.

Please tell me, what does
that song mean to you?

- What it means to me is
that each of us has

within ourselves the
internal wherewithal

if we have the internal
vision to see ourselves

as simply the best.

I think that that song
is an anthem

to everyone of us who in
our own lives are striving

to be simply the best
in our work,

in our relationships,
in our giving, in our art.

- I know that your fondest
wish that you ever head

was singing background
for Tina.

- And that moment did
indeed come

when she was on tour.

So tell us, what was
performing with Tina

on stage like for you?

- I have never been so

out of body,

out of my own comfort
zone, out of my realm

of what is normal for me.

And the song, I remember
because I knew every word,

every beat of the song.

4 minutes
and 14 seconds long.

And I was so caught up in
just trying to remember

to do that dance thing on
the stage.

And I was so caught up in
how nervous I am.

I realized when
I had a 100,

when the last refrain came,
that I had a minute

and 36 seconds left
and I thought,

"You better relax
and enjoy this

because this is never
gonna happen again."

And you don't wanna spend
the whole 4 minutes

and 14 seconds being out
of your body,

crazed and nervous.

So just relax
and enjoy it.

And I saw the stadium
for the first time,

I could see her
for the first time.

And still one of the most
memorable moments

of my life.

And most nervous.

- You know, Tina has said
that the documentary

and the musical about
her life are her farewell

to her fans.

How would you sum up
Tina Turner's career?

- There's one word
that resonates

for the experience
that she has brought

to the planet in her life
and that for me is triumph.

Her life is a triumph from
beginning to now.

Because of her triumph
she allows us to see

what that looks like.

And that's what all celebrity
is to me.

You are celebrated because
other people see something

in you that is possible as
a human being.

And so her triumph allows
the rest of the world

to see that being triumphant

is not just possible

but it's a reality.

- Well, let me thank you
for, for chatting with me

tonight.
Thank you, thank you.

- Thank you, Clive.
This was great.

- Thank you, thank you.
- Thank you.

- I think the question I've been
asked most in interviews

over the years, is whether
I have a favorite song.

I usually give some kind of
answer that gets me

out of trouble of picking
favorites.

Something to the effect of

"I really love so many equally."

Well, I think it's time that
I confess that I do

have two favorite songs.

And I think now is as good
a time as any

to tell you it's "the Boxer"

and
"Bridge Over Troubled Water".

There, I've said it.

And yes, I do feel better
saying it.

I had the incredible
pleasure of working

with Simon and Garfunkel
at Columbia Records

from 1965 through their
final album,

titled "Bridge Over Troubled
Water".

I'm still to this very day,
in such awe of the work

they did together.

Please welcome a long-
time friend, Paul Simon.

- Hello, my old friend.

Clive, before you, before
you go forward,

I really want to tell the
viewers

that you were the person
who picked

"Bridge Over Troubled
Water".

You came into the studio,
we played the album

for you, and you said that,
you said to us,

"What do you think the
single is?"

And I said, "Well, I think
it's probably Cecilia".

And you said, "No, it has to be
Bridge Over Troubled Water."

Which at the time I thought,
"Well, that's a five-minute

"song, there's nothing but
piano and vocal

"for the first three and
a half minutes."

Anyway, of course you were
completely right

and that was, that was the
record

that should have been
released first.

It was the major piece of
music from that album

and I, I'm always grateful
to you that you were

a big supporter of that.

And I wanted people to
know that you were.

Thank you, thank
you for that.

One of the proudest
moments of my life,

when we were sitting on
my side of the table

where you just don't give
a formulaic expected

response, where you have
to be aware, you know,

of what could be and
make history, and it is

one of the greatest songs
of all time.

And so, thank you.
- Thank you.

- Thank you for your
memory there.

Simon and Garfunkel's
performance of "The Boxer"

at the 1981 concert in
Central Park,

it has really become an
historic event.

It was estimated that more
than half a million people

were there.

So, what was it like to
perform in front of a crowd

of that size?

And was it especially
moving that it took place

in your hometown?

- Yes, it was of great
significance

that it took place
in our hometown.

And really,
right in our backyard

'cause it was on
that great lawn.

And the half a million
people, I think that was

the largest audience that we
had played to at that point.

And we were both
really nervous.

That was, that was a
large group.

But once you get out
there, it takes a little while,

and then you, then you
fall into the rhythm of it

and then you're okay.

So it was a
big emotional event

and a really nice night for
Arty and for me.

- It's a wonderful night
for New York and for music.

So, let's talk about the
song, "The Boxer" for a minute.

It's certainly a very,
very personal song.

Is it possible for you to
describe the process

for writing it?

Was it a personal or
autobiographical song

in any way?

- Probably all of my songs
have some element

of autobiography in them.

But there, but that song,
and I'm sure that song

has as well,
but...

no, it's not, it's a
piece of imagination.

And what I do remember
is that I wrote

part of the lyrics down on,
while I was at, on a flight.

I wrote it down on the
back of one of those bags

that they give you in case
you want to throw up.

You recently posted an
acoustic version

of "The Boxer" on YouTube
and you dedicated it

to the people of New York City.
- Ah yeah, that's true.

Was that a nod
to the resilience,

the fighting spirit
of New Yorkers

during the pandemic?

- It goes back to when it
was really, really rough

for New York, when the
cases were piling up

in the hospitals and
Elmhurst in particular

was overwhelmed with,
you know, with patients.

They were right at the point of
just being incapacitated.

And the whole city
was suffering.

And we were really the
first in the country

to get hit that hard.

And so I,

yeah, I dedicated that song
to New York.

Partly, it's embedded in

the New York history

and lore because of the
performance that I did

on Saturday Night Live
after 9/11.

It has New York in the
lyrics too, of course.

So it seemed like the, it
seemed like

the appropriate song for
me to sing about my hometown.

- Paul, one of the most
famous lines you've written

is "they've all come
to look for America."

So let me ask you, how does
America look to you these days?

- I should say this about,
you know, America,

I think we have much to
be proud of

and much to be ashamed
of, you know?

And now we're coming to
some kind of reconciliation

with our past.

And the polarization
in the country,

which is so upsetting, is
part of a, of a dialogue.

Is part of people grappling
with the difficulty

of having a conversation
with people

when they feel probably
much more estranged

than they actually are.

I don't have to tell you
that these are hard times,

but hard times can forge

a very powerful new reality

and I believe
that will happen.

- So, my last question:
looking back at your career

as a composer
and as an artist,

are you satisfied that you
fulfilled all your dreams

or is there any dream that
has not yet been fulfilled?

- I must say, I do get a
sense of pleasure

out of the fact that millions
of people really liked

what I did and got
something from it.

So in that sense, I fulfilled,
I don't know if that

was ever my dream, but
I fulfilled my duty

as a, as a musician to bring
as much pleasure as I can to,

to people.

So, grateful, I'm grateful that
it was on such a large scale.

Culture keeps feeding itself,
it keeps nourishing itself.

And if you're one of the people
that happens to be that provider

of nourishment,
well then you're blessed.

You know?
And that's how I feel.

- Well, you've been blessed
but we've been blessed,

honestly, for having you,
for having your incredible

songs to just be with us
as part of our life.

I mean, so many copyrights,

so many great songs that
will live forever.

So it's very special to chat
with you tonight

and I look forward to
hearing whatever

new songs you're writing,
whatever you do.

- I'll play it for you.

I'll bring it,
I'll play it for you before.

I'll play it for you.

You'll be one of the people
that hears it

before I put it out there.
- I look forward to it.

- It's great, it's great to see
you, great to talk to you.

I love you, Clive.

You're a good friend to me
for so many years.

You know, it's great.

- Thank you.
- I wish you the best.

- You too.
- Okay, bye.

- You too, thank you.

- I remember sitting in my
office at Arista

the day I met Alicia Keys.

She was 18 years old, so
gifted, so extraordinary,

so special.

Her style was uniquely her own.

I knew, Peter Edge knew,
we both had to sign her.

She's gone on to be one
of the most successful

female artists of all time,
29 Grammy nominations,

15 wins, 42 million albums
sold worldwide.

Well, I'm just as proud to
say this today

as I was the day I first
presented her.

Please welcome the
incredibly special Alicia Keys.

Hi!

Can you describe how
Jay-Z approached you

about singing on
"Empire State of Mind"?

- I remember getting the
phone call

that he wanted me
to hear a song.

He said, "This is a really
special one, Alicia,

"I think that it's something
really powerful

"and you're the only one
that can do it

because it has to be about
New York."

I remember going to the
studio and listening with him,

when it was even just in a
skeleton, just a basic idea,

and even though there--, his
lyrics weren't on it,

just pieces of some of the
melodies where on it,

you could tell right away
that it was something

really special.

So of course, I was very excited
about figuring out how to do it.

Because it actually was one
of those things

where it was quite
complicated to come together.

He was trying to reach me
through different people

and finally when he got me
he was like,

"I've been trying to find you!"

And obviously,
I'm glad I was found

because that would have
been a shame.

So obviously you're
a native New Yorker yourself.

- Yes.

- Did you tap in your own
feelings about the city

for your performance?

- Of course.
I mean, that's the whole thing,

that's why it was such a
thrill, that's why it was

so exciting, that's why it was
such an important moment

for me, because this is my city.
New York born and raised.

You know, this is the only city
that I've known my whole life.

It's shaped me in such a
powerful, powerful way.

I know that you
performed the song

many times with Jay-Z.

What is it like
to perform with Jay-Z?

- Performing with Jay
is quite natural.

You know,
we're both New Yorkers,

we've known each other
for a lot of years.

We definitely respect each
other so much.

The song is like a homecoming,
it's such a beautiful feeling

to sing it.

I gotta say, he probably
smiles more than I've ever

seen him smile when he
sings that song,

just because
it feels that good.

And even just the memories
of what it,

what it meant for both of
us, you know.

For him, I know if you
spoke to him

he'd have a whole other set of
memories and recollections.

So when we perform together
it's just easy, it's fluid.

He passes off to me, I pass
off to him.

I'm singing his lyrics, he's
singing mine.

It truly feels like a brother
and a sister, you know,

at a homecoming.
It feels so good.

- I'm looking back about
three years ago,

my pre-Grammy party.

And Jay-Z was the icon.

When you came out that night

with one of the most
incredible performances

ever, and what you did
was a medley

of Jay-Z's greatest hits.

I watched the expression
on his face.

He was blown away, Alicia.

- Oh my goodness.

I will never forget that
night, never!

I mean, I was so clear that
I wanted to pull together

all of my favorite Jay-Z
songs and play them

just on piano.

And I'm a Jay-Z fan, like,
I, I, I grew up

walking the street with his
songs in my headphones,

you know what I mean?

On my way to school, on
my way home.

It was an honor for me to
take these songs that,

that, that grew me up
and, and sit down

and create something that
was unforgettable.

I remember, I was so laser-
focused on this performance,

I knew exactly what I wanted.

I couldn't wait to blow
people's minds.

That's how I felt because
that's how passionate I am

about these songs
and this music.

And hip-hop
and R&B and soul

and classical are such a
staple in the music

that I create, so to be able
to put that all together

in this way to honor him
and his amaze and legacy

and honor you for all that
you've done

for both of us, honestly,

maybe top performance
of my life.

Like seriously, I really,
really, it has a special

special place in my heart.

Mission accomplished.
You brought it home.

And I'm telling you, to
this day people still talk

about that performance.
- Thank you.

I-- Look,
you and I go back a long way.

And seeing you fresh is
very touching

and very special to me.

I so vividly remember the
first time I heard you

perform your songs, it was
in my office.

And I knew from the
minute you sat down

at the piano
and started playing,

that I had to sign you.

After you broke huge,
after you were multi-platinum,

after you won all those
Grammy awards,

you and I were together.

I said, "What's the next dream?"

And you said, "You know, I
would like to share the stage

with Aretha Franklin."

I said, "You know I can only do
that at my Grammy party."

And do you remember the
night that you and Aretha

sang together?

- Oh my gosh,
I clearly remember.

A lot of the times you've
given me the opportunity

to have some of the most,
like, awe-inspired memories

of my life.

- A lot of the times I would
just look around me,

like what am I doing here?
How am I even here?

And I remember feeling
like that that night.

You know, she is absolutely
one of the most profound

inspirations as a writer, as a
piano player, as an artist,

as a vocalist, as a soulful
human being.

And also, you just don't
ever wanna sing with,

you just don't sing with
Aretha like...

- You don't sing with Aretha,
you don't sing

with Stevie Wonder.
You just, you just problem---

- You don't sing with
Whitney Houston, unh-uh.

And you might probably
shouldn't sing

with Mariah Carey either.

It's just a certain number,
a certain level,

of like extraordinariness that
Ms. Aretha Franklin always has.

I feel like I was probably
just standing by watching

with my jaw dropped
the whole time.

But I think I did what I
did, I did my best.

I think I did it.
- It was great.

It was wonderful.

You know, you hosted the
Grammy's in 2019

which is the first time a
woman ever hosted the show

at that time in 14 years.

And then you did it again
in 2020.

What was, what was that
experience like for you?

- Another two
unforgettable moments.

I never thought that I would
host the Grammy's,

obviously, you don't quite
think that.

And pretty much everybody
was telling me,

"Don't do it."
Because it's just unforgiving.

You know, it's like one little
thing goes wrong

and like everybody
gets to blame you.

So I'm sure they had
some good points

but I knew for a fact
that I could bring

a certain thing
that was missing.

I could bring
a certain understanding

and an energy of love
and welcoming

that I think sometimes gets
lost in these very large

award shows, and especially
during that time

with the transition politically.

And I think, you know,
with the extreme need

for women to be more at
the forefront,

we recognized that in 19,
in 2019,

we recognize it today.

You know, it's just the
constant evolution

that must happen and it's
happening so much more

but it has to continue.

And so I felt so proud to
be a part of ushering in

this more feminine energy
and this more divinely

feminine power that we
have as women.

And so I was really proud
to have brought that

for those two years.
- You're fearless.

You published your own
memoir last year.

"For Everybody, More
Myself: A Journey."

How different was
writing that story

from writing songs for you?
- Whoo.

You know, in some ways
it was totally different.

You know, obviously the
length of time.

It takes so long just to
organize the thoughts.

You know better than
anybody, I mean,

your book is phenomenal and I'm
so honored to be a part of it.

And I could only imagine to
recollect all of those things.

It takes long to figure it out
and to put it in the order

that you want it to be and to,
and to find the bravery to share

certain things that maybe
you never thought you would

or whatever the case.

So it's definitely a longer
emotional experience.

Where I find that writing
songs, although I spend

quite a lot of time putting
together a whole album,

each song, you know, it
takes a day,

it takes two days, it maybe
takes a week

or whatever the case.

But to extend something so long
over time was very different.

But I think the soul of it
and the heart of it

was quite the same, just
more in depth.

- You are to me still the
quintessential young

renaissance woman.
- Thank you.

And to see you
host the Grammy's,

to see you branch off
into writing.

I can only, number one:
encourage it.

Because there's nothing
you can't do

on a personal level.

You're a rare, rare woman.

So, much love.

- Let me just echo those
sentiments.

You are such a unique,
one-of-a-kind human,

there's nobody like you.

Everybody knows there's
nobody who really engages

the way you do, who
understands music

the way you do, who cares
from beginning to end

and every piece in the
middle about how things

are going and brought to life.

You have such an attention
to detail an care about art

and what it feels like
and looks like

and what it does for people
in the world.

I'm so blessed to have you
as a mentor in my life

and to have you as such
an imprint

on my musical journey.

And when I see all those
other names that are in

all the books that you write
or the documentaries

that you do, and I'm, like,
standing beside

those great giants, and you.

Thank you, thank you with
all my heart

for being such a beautiful,
beautiful family member to me.

- This next performer isn't
called the Boss for nothing.

There's simply no one
who takes control

of a stage like him.

And his relentless pursuit
of capturing the truth

and the American dream
through song,

including all of its
complications,

is simply unmatched.

Bruce Springsteen has emerged

as a true poet laureate
of America

and his influence on
contemporary music,

musicians of every genre,
and frankly life itself

is second to none.

Please welcome
Bruce Springsteen.

Welcome to you, Bruce.

So good to see you.
- Hey!

Thanks, Clive.

So I'm thinking
back, I'm thinking back

when we first met, but
I'm thinking back further.

And I've always wanted
to ask you,

when did you decide that music
was going to be your career?

- You know, I always had a band
since I was 14 and a half.

And it was the only thing I was
really deeply interested in.

So I went to college
for one year

and didn't do very well,
wasn't getting along

very well with everybody
else that was there.

I was a bit of a freak.

- And so at the end of that year

I met a producer in New
York City who offered me

a record contract

so I quit school at 19.

Unfortunately, several
months after that

I was drafted and I was
never able to get the guy

on the phone again.

Anyway, at that point
I had, I was stuck

with one thing
and one thing only

and that was I going to
be a professional musician.

So I really, really knew that
was going to be

my profession at 18.

And whether I ended up
playing in Asbury Park

in a bar for the rest of my
life or whether

I ended up making it to
Madison Square Garden,

I knew one thing, I was going
to make a career out of music.

- Now, few songs have
been as misinterpreted

as "Born in the USA".

Can you, Bruce, bring us
back to your original

intention for the song
when you wrote the song?

- Yes, I can.

And the trick with
"Born in the USA" is

you have to be able to
hold two conflicting ideas

in your mind at the same time.

Which they say is
the sign of adulthood.

And that is: you can be
both prideful in a country

you grew up and were
born in and nurtured by,

and you can be harshly
critical of that country

when you believe it has
gone the wrong way.

If you miss either one of
those attributes,

you are going to
miss the song.

And so a lot of its
misinterpretation

are people only grabbing on
to half of that song.

But that's the, uh,
that seems to be

my cross to bear for the
rest of my life

so I try to wear it--

- I try to wear it with as
much of a smile as I can.

But that's the key to the song.

- Now, the song is the
very definition

of a rock-and-roll anthem
but you played

acoustic versions of it
many times.

Now, what is the difference
between those two versions

in your trying
to combine both?

- Its original incarnation
was acoustic.

There is a version on a
record I put out called,

"Tracks" which was a record
of stuff from our vault,

that has the original version
of "Born in the USA" on it.

And when you put it on
you will see

it was an acoustic version
that belonged on

"Nebraska", which possibly
I should have put it on

in the looking back on it now.

But it was version I
recorded for "Nebraska",

it was an acoustic version
and I didn't use it.

And instead I rewrote it
for the rock,

for the East Street band.

And that became the version
that obviously everybody heard.

You've had the
most unique special

relationship to your audience,

particularly the fans who
have grown up with you.

How would you describe
your relationship

with your audience?

- It's intense, it's intimate,
it's long.

There's just a long line
from when I started in 1973,

to now,
and bordering on 50 years

of speaking to the audience
that arrived with me

when I first began.

While I'm also speaking
to audiences

who have really never
heard of us,

possibly it's on this last
record that we've put out.

So you're speaking to kids
that are in their teens,

I'm speaking to people
in their middle ages,

I'm speaking, speaking to
people who are actually

as old as
or older than myself.

So I have many audiences
at many stages

in their relationship with
me that I'm communicating

with at any one time.

And I have to take that
into consideration.

But the main thing I try
to do is, is, is I provide

a map and a context
through which

it might help you on a
good day to contextualize

your own life, your own
troubles, your own joys,

your own happinesses,
your own failures,

your own successes

into a cohesive life philosophy.
You know?

And so, at my, at my best
I think I assist

in doing that in a small way.

- So, perhaps the most uplifting

and optimistic song
you've ever written

is "Land of Hope and Dreams."

So, are you despondent
about the nation's future

and the American promise
or are you as hopeful

as you were when you wrote

about those big wheels
rolling through fields

with sunlit streams?

- Well, music,

the American dream
itself is aspirational.

And the distance between
American reality

and the American dream,

we are always trying

to close, whether you're
an artist or whether

you're a politician, you
know, good statesman.

I think good artists are
always focused in

on that issue.

So I remain hopeful even
in the midst

of the great difficulties
we are going through

at this moment, that the
nation can reunite

and, you know, find its better
angels and move forward.

You know,
I have to believe that.

I have to believe it
in my heart.

But realistically, you know,
I mean, you, you,

you have to taken into
consideration

all of the difficulties that
face us today.

And still find that glimmer
of possibility.

There's a lot of good
people out there working

for, for that to come true,
you know?

And so my hope remains

despite this tremendously

difficult moment in
American history.

I think there's a majority
of people out there

of good will who are
working hard

to make that come true.

And that's my story and
I'm sticking to it.

Now, your new
album, your new album

titled "Letter to You".

Was there a particular
message that you wanted

to convey to your fans
with letter to you?

- I think the only thing I
wanted to convey

was the continuity of my
work with the band,

how that was

45 years long at this point.

And how I feel the band
is at the peak of its game.

And I'm anxious
to go out and play.

But even in the studio,
where we recorded

the entire record live, the band
was just spectacular on it.

And so my main, you
know, the main thing

I was concerned with was
making a great live

rock record that, where I
used, you know,

the E Street Band and, and
getting that out to the fans.

So beyond that, it was
just a personal message,

I suppose, of, of, of once
again I say,

of continuity
and of our relationship

and keeping on.

And I tried to fill it with
the spirit and soul

of the times and what I've
been feeling at the moment.

And just make it something
that was heartfelt

that would make their day.

You know, that's, that's
really about the size of it.

- Additional memory of mine,
Bruce,

is when you sent me
your first album

and I called you and I
expressed overall delight

but I also expressed
some apprehension

that we might need one or two
more friendly radio songs.

And this, this is always
very sensitive territory

for someone
behind the desk,

artists can be very resentful
of that feedback,

but not you.

Yes, we got the
communication back

that there was nothing that
could be played on the radio.

So I said, "Well, I love
the radio, I'd like to be

on the radio, let me see
what I can come up with."

You know?

And I sat on the beach
with my notebook, I think,

and my surfboard.

And I wrote
"Blinded by the Light"

and "Spirit in the Night".

And I would not have
those two songs

if it wasn't for
Clive Davis saying,

"Man, we need something
we can play on the radio."

You know.

- And those were the two
songs that ended up

being radio friendly and
that got all the airplay.

- So, first a deep thank
you for sharing tonight

- with us, with me, you know--
- Thanks, Clive.

50 years ago
you changed my life,

I've never forgotten it,
I will never forget it.

You're one of the most
special people in my life

and without you
I wouldn't be here,

so thank you very much.

- Well, thank you, thank
you from my heart.

- Her impact on women in
music is just too monumental

to define in just one word.

For many people,
especially young women,

she is the very reason they
ever picked up a guitar.

Her voice and its vast
array of tones and textures

has such an immediate
visceral reaction

on one's body that I will
work to add her voice

added to the periodic
table of elements.

And now it really brings
me the most pleasure

imaginable to introduce
one of the greatest talents

of this century, last century,

and just about any century
that is to follow.

Wow, what a thrill to say this.

Please welcome
Joni Mitchell.

When did you first begin
writing songs?

- When I was seven I wrote,
it wasn't a song

but it was an instrumental,
it was called "Robin Walk"

and I played it for my
piano teacher.

And she hit me across the
knuckles with the ruler.

And said, "Why
would you want to play

"by ear when you could
have the masters

under your fingers?"
- Oh my gosh.

So I said to her,
"Look, the masters

had to play by ear to
come up with that stuff."

I was only seven.

But that was
my first composition.

If you could recall
when might it

have occurred to you that

"I'm gonna have music
as my profession"?

- I don't think it ever
occurred to me,

it just kind of slowly
happened, you know.

I went to art college.

And driving to my
apartment I passed a place

called the depression and
so I had the cab stop

and I went in and I asked,
you know,

if I could perform there.

They had already hired a
folk singer in residence

but he said "yes, they'd
hire me from time to time."

And the other performer
would say,

"You can't play that song
and you can't play that song

because those songs are mine
in this territory."

And I thought, the only
way around this dilemma

is to begin to write your
own songs.

Did you get a
manager or an agent

at some point when you
felt you had a body of work

that might be seen or heard?

- No, I submitted it to
some record companies

but they rejected it
because the folk-boom

was over and the English
invasion had begun

and rock and roll was
being reinvented.

And they just thought
I was a folk singer,

girl with a guitar.

And you know, they had
already dumped Judy Collins

and Joan Baez, so to speak.

So they didn't
want another one,

they didn't want another
one of those.

Right.

That's what
they thought.

So Joni, the
song "Both Sides Now",

what did the song mean to you?

- Well, I was up in a plane,
I was reading a book

called
"Henderson the Rain King".

And in the book he was up
on a plane flying to Africa

and he looked down on clouds.

And he mused that, that,
you know,

he'd looked up at the clouds
but he'd never looked down

on them before.

So that was where the
germ of the idea

for the song came from.

And I started writing,

"I've looked at clouds
from both sides now."

- Well, everyone stands on
the shoulders

of those who came before.

Who were your inspirations
musically

and as a songwriter?

- I don't know.

I mean, I think you're made
up of everything

you ever admired, you know?

There was a,
there was a sideshow

when the fair came to my
hometown called

Harlem in Havana and we
were all forbidden

by our parents as kids to be
seen even standing there

watching, 'cause it was
black burlesque is all.

These black girls would
come out and dance

and they played a really
sexy version of "Night Train".

And that piece of music really,
you know, affected my writing.

It took a while
for it to come out.

I think everything you ever
admire, sooner or later,

appears.

- Did you fall personally
under the spell

of the Beatles when they
arrived in 1964?

What was your reaction?

- No, I didn't.

I liked "Revolver" but I
wasn't, I wasn't a huge fan.

You know, you know,
I was more of a fan

of the Nocturnes
by the composers.

It was melody I was
interested in.

You know, "Claire de Lune"

and "Moonlight Sonata",

all of those kind of
moonlit pieces.

But when you go to
write words to it,

they're kind of sad melodies

and they take a sad lyric,
you know.

Yes.

Now, I know that your
home is filled with paintings.

So how would you describe
your style as a painter?

- Well, I paint as if I was
painting alongside

of Gogan and Van Gogh,
somewhere between

their two styles.
I'm influenced by both of them.

There's one of my paintings
that I put on an album cover

which was a take off of
Van Gogh with his ear cut off,

and, and they
made a print of that

and they hung it in the lobby

of the Van Gogh museum
in Amsterdam.

I was really honored by
that, you know?

There I'm hanging with
real Van Goghs.

Wow.
Wow, wow, believe me.

As a composer, you really
have drawn on

many different styles,
many different genres

of music.

Looking at music,
what kind of music

do you tend to listen to today?

- Oh, well it depends on
where I am.

Like, my house in Canada,
I tried a lot

of different music in it
and the only thing

it likes to hear is
Miles Davis "Kind of Blue".

I just leave that
on the record player

and I put speakers in every room
of my house up there.

I just let it play ambiently,
you know.

I love that record.

- You often have jazz
session at your home.

I know Herbie Hancome
comes there.

- Uh-huh.

- Jazz has definitely been a
part of your musical heritage.

- Absolutely.

Well, when I,
when I was in Detroit

I was in a duo
with Chuck Mitchell

and, and we were regulars
at this club

called the Chessmate,
which was folk music

until midnight and jazz
after hours.

And my audience changed.

And the jazzers would come
a little early

and catch our last set,
you know, before

the after-hours jazz.

- You're still the archetype of
the female singer-songwriter.

Have you ever been able to
fully take in your influence

on popular music and several
generations of artists.

- Well, you know, when I
first started writing, like,

less from fantasy, my early
work was kind of fantasy.

I started scraping my own
soul more and more

and got humanity in it.

Over time I think it did
make an influence.

I think it encouraged
people to write more

from their own experience.

But people used to say to me,

"Nobody's ever gonna cover your
songs, they're too personal."

I'm out there
and I'm telling you

that every generation
that I know,

there's no artist that has
had more impact, influence,

that has touched people
and reached a sacred place

in their heart than you.

- Alright, beautiful, Clive.

Thanks, thank you.

Thank you.

- I only got to work with
our next performer once

but he left an incredible
imprint on me.

His quiet demeanor when
I conversed with him

was such a stark contrast
to his stage presence

that I always wondered
if he really was

two different people.

There was no match to
his genius,

both on stage and off.

He was a musician, a
producer, a writer,

a dancer, a fashion icon,
there was little he didn't do

when it came to his art.

It poured out of him at
such a rate

that none of us
could keep up.

In his lifetime he released
over 35 albums

and upon his death in
2016, it was said

that his infamous vault
was found to have had

enough unreleased music
to put out a new album

every year for the next century.

It's absolutely incredible.

Here with me now to chat
about the artist Prince

is one of the most
important artists

in the music business today.

For the past few years she's
been described by many

as quote,
"the next big thing."

Well, after a total of
four Grammy wins,

she's no longer next,
she's right now.

So please welcome H.E.R.

- Hi!

Can you recall
the first time

you heard Prince's music
and you saw him perform?

What kind of impact did
that have on you?

- Oh my gosh, since I was
a toddler I remember

my dad playing, you know,
"Rave into the year 2000"

concert DVD in the house
almost every single morning.

And I remember watching
him and Lenny Kravitz

were playing "American
Woman" together

and they did this huge,
like, moment,

it was guitar solos.

And at that moment I
knew I wanted to, like,

be a rockstar and I wanted to be
like Prince and play guitar.

So, you know, he's
impacted my artistry

so much in the way that
he has made his live show

such an experience
and his artistry

and how much control
he has of his art.

Everything that represents
Prince is Prince 100%

and that's like how I, how I
like to operate in my artistry.

So yeah, I saw him at the
Oracle Arena

when I was like 13 years
old and I came,

I came to school the next
day on a 100,

like "Oh my gosh, I saw
Prince last night!"

I was going crazy.

- When in your life, you're
talking about real early ages,

so when in your life did you
come to the realization

that you wanted music to
be your career?

- I don't know.

I mean, you know, since
I was a toddler

it had been a given, it was
something I did for fun.

My parents embraced me
and supported me in music

and every opportunity that I had
to perform, they put me in it.

Whether it was a talent
show or, you know,

a talent competition, or,
you know, any kind of

performance, they just,
you know they took

the opportunity for me and made
sure I was able to do that.

But, um, I think, you know,
after I graduated high school

I was signed to RCA
for so long,

but after I graduated high
school I had to make a decision,

you know, whether I was
gonna go to college or not.

And I made that decision
to be in music 100%, you know?

Put my all into this and
really just submerse myself

in my music, in my artistry
and developing as an artist

all those years and writing
this honest music.

So I think as soon as I
dropped, you know,

volume one in 2016, that's
when it really got real for me.

So with Prince
such a big influence,

was his use of a symbol
as his name

an inspiration for you to
adopt the moniker "H.E.R."?

- Yeah, yeah, a little bit,
I think so.

I think, I think the idea was,
you know,

H.E.R. is who I am truly.

That is, that is me in my
purest form, is my music

and my message and the
things that I write about.

It's a very vulnerable space,
my music.

And I'm sure Prince felt
the same way

about his music and
everything that he created.

- Alright, well I know that
H.E.R. stands for

"having everything revealed"
so can you tell us

what you mean by that?

- I think, I think I'm
having everything revealed

in my music.

You know, like I said,
my artist, who I am

in my purest forms.

So people are focused
on the exterior of things,

the looks and you know,
who a person is dating,

and what they're doing
today, and you know,

all of, all of these things.

But for me, I have
everything revealed

in my music, in my lyrics.

- And you sure do.

Now Prince's "Purple Rain"
obviously that's been

his signature song.

What does that particular
song mean to you?

- Oh my gosh!

I mean, the movie itself,
I was able to watch

and my dad would just
skip over the parts

that I wasn't allowed to
watch when I was young,

but I was so inspired by
that whole album.

But the song itself was
honestly one of the reasons

why I started guitar soloing.

I used to study that solo
up and down.

And I found
this obscure website,

'cause Prince used to delete
everything off the internet,

you couldn't find any live
performances online.

So I found this obscure
website, like,

from a different country of
a performance

that he did on
the "Purple Rain" tour,

I don't even know when it was.

It was some time in the
late 80's or early 90's.

And yeah, he did that
performance

and I studied it, I studied
it from front to back.

And every single day after
school I was playing

that "Purple Rain" solo.

So I think I wouldn't be
the guitar player I am today

without that song.

- Well, another great Prince
signature song

is "Nothing Compares to You".
So tell me about that song.

What about that song, how
does that speak to you?

- You know, the lyrics are
so universal,

but the idea is I think we've
all lost somebody,

whether it's a breakup or,
you know, losing somebody

really close to us and mourning
the loss of someone.

And I kind of felt
connected to that song

in a certain way, in that
way, of kind of mourning

the loss of somebody.

So it has a much deeper
meaning, I think to me

than anybody else.

But I've heard so many
different versions of it

and when I decided to
perform it

I really wanted to make it
my all but also do

like the live version that
Prince usually does

with, I believe, Rosie Gaines
would sign on it with him.

And that's like
my favorite version.

So I loved watching him
perform that song.

And yeah, I kind of wanted to
put my own little twist on it.

- Well, you talk about
Prince as a guitar player.

Well, very much like yourself,
Prince did have

a very distinctive style as
a guitar player.

How would you describe
the way that Prince played?

- It was blue-sy but
melodic at the same time.

And Prince, he was so
soulful and he could just

move you with just hitting
one note.

You know, and the confidence

and the present that he--
presence that he had

when he played, was just
unlike any other player.

And there's a difference
between skill and real feeling.

And I think he had both and
that's why he's, to me,

one of the greatest,
if not the greatest.

So, what do you
think is the principal legacy

that Prince has left to us?

- I'm not, I'm...
I don't even know.

I mean, I think he, he's,
he's made so many

different types of marks on
this earth already,

you know, with his
musicianship alone,

his control of his art,
and him pushing

these different boundaries
of what an artist is

and what music
should sound like.

Crossing all genres
and making records

that you, you didn't hear any
other music like Prince music.

You know it, he had such
a distinctive sound

and it's very rare
that someone has

a distinctive sound
like Prince.

So I, I would say his, his
legacy is really his originality

and how much
he's touched people,

all different types of people
with his music

and his sound.

- I'll echo that.

Thank you so much.
- Thank you so much.

Great to see you.

- And you.
See you soon, I hope.