If I dug deep enough, I'd probably find a definitive answer, but there doesn't seem to be one easily available. So, just what was the first Joni Mitchell-written song ever released on a single or LP?
The first I ever heard on the radio was "Circle Game" by Tom Rush on CKLG-FM. What I've read indicates that Tom was drawn to Joni's writing by "Urge for Going" which is on the same Tom Rush album.
During the years that followed Joni's rise to stardom, I'd always believed that Tom's recordings were the first released recording of Joni's songs. But we didn't have the Internet back then....