ALANIS MORISSETTE credits fellow Canadian rocker Joni Mitchell's ballad RIVER with helping her overcome her overwhelming home sickness when she moved to Los Angeles.

The IRONIC singer loves the song's romantic descriptions of her beloved Canada, and played it incessantly during the 1990s to comfort her when she was feeling nostalgic.

She says, "I played River a lot when I was living alone in LA in the mid-1990s. The fame thing had happened so quickly and I had to learn how to deal with being recognised, plus I was really missing Canada.

"I'd lie on my bed and play that song over and over again and shed a tear. Joni Mitchell romanticises Canada in a way that I do privately as well. I feel a real kinship with her."