Joni Mitchell and David Crosby had a romantic relationship in the late 1960s. Crosby, famous from The Byrds and Crosby, Stills & Nash, even produced Joni’s first album.
But things went wrong when Joni discovered Crosby was being unfaithful.
Instead of ending things quietly, Joni did it in the most Joni way possible: she wrote a breakup song, sang it straight to him, and made sure everyone knew what it was about.
At a party at Peter Tork’s house (yes, that Peter Tork from The Monkees), Joni stood up, announced she had a new song, and then performed “That Song About the Midway” while looking right at Crosby.
The song was her public, emotional goodbye.
What’s more, after finishing the first time, she sang it again just in case he didn’t get the message.
Then she packed up her guitar and walked out.
In the lyrics, she uses the image of a fairground midway (a carnival) to talk about their love — its excitement, its risks, and how things spiraled out of control.
She sings lines like:
“You were betting on some lover … I thought I saw you cheating once or twice.”
For Joni, who was known for being deeply personal in her songwriting, this was more than just a song. It was a statement. It wasn’t just about moving on — it was about calling out what had hurt her.
David Crosby later admitted that the song was clearly about him. He said it was a very direct “goodbye” message.
Despite the dramatic end, they didn’t completely drift apart; they still had respect for each other as artists.