Judy Collins is a music icon, plain and simple. Collins' storied career, first inspired by folk legends Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger, is now in its seventh decade and touches much of American music royalty. (Songwriting legend Leonard Cohen is just one such icon she elevated.) Her musical journey continues this month with the release of Spellbound – surprisingly, her first-ever full album of original songs.

Amongst her respected oeuvre, Collins’ biggest hit -- a Grammy-winning Platinum smash -- is her emotional rendition of Stephen Sondheim’s classic A Little Night Music show tune “Send in the Clowns." In this eighth episode of The Story Behind the Song podcast, host Peter Csathy speaks with Collins about how her rendition of "Send in the Clowns" came to be, and why it continues to resonate above the hundreds of other versions of the song. The two also discuss Collins' wistful new original country-folk song "When I Was a Girl in Colorado" from Spellbound.

Throughout the conversation, Collins is warm, funny, and passionate -- about her music, her connection with fans, and what she believes in (including the latest Spotify controversy and performance royalties for musicians). Listen now, and watch the full discussion over at Consequence.

Then make sure to like, subscribe, and review The Story Behind the Song wherever you get your podcasts. You can also keep an eye on the Consequence Podcast Network for updates on all our podcasts, and follow host Peter Csathy on Twitter @pcsathy and check out his company CREATV Media.

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