Watch Joni Mitchell's amazing cover of Elton John's 'I'm Still Standing' at Gershwin Prize Tribute
The Canadian singer-songwriter returned to the ceremony a year after being honoured
Last month, the U.S. Library of Congress presented Elton John and Bernie Taupin with the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song in a ceremony in Washington, D.C. The event, which aired Monday night on PBS, featured a number of incredible performances paying tribute to the evening's honourees, and the most memorable moment of the night was a beautiful rendition of John's 1983 hit, "I'm Still Standing," by last year's Gershwin Prize winner Joni Mitchell.
Accompanied by a star-studded backing band that included Brandi Carlile, Annie Lennox, Blake Mills and Davey Johnstone, Mitchell performed a more jazz-inspired rendition of the song, one that Carlile noted in her introduction holds special meaning to the Canadian singer-songwriter. Carlile also added that Mitchell was given permission by John and Taupin to change some of the lyrics to fit her, "which is honestly the most Joni Mitchell thing I think I've ever heard of," she joked.
Mitchell changed one of the lines to, "My heart's not broken and my path is clear/ you were just a little bumpy detour, dear," which prompted John's husband, David Furnish, to laugh. John and Taupin were also seen singing and dancing along to the performance. Other artists who paid tribute to John and Taupin included Metallica, Garth Brooks, Maren Morris and Charlie Puth.
Watch Mitchell's cover of "I'm Still Standing" below.