Steve Jobs is known around the world as the genius behind Apple and a self-made billionaire – but his sensitive side has been exposed with a new revelation that he was moved to tears by Joni Mitchell’s music.
Jobs said Mitchell’s song Little Green, about putting their daughter up for adoption, reminded him of his own adoption and made him “cry every time I hear it.”
The son of a political migrant from Syria, Jobs was adopted in California shortly after his birth in 1955. He died of pancreatic cancer in 2011 at the age of 56.
Insights into the man behind the iPhone have been provided in unearthed emails from Jobs to himself, which are included in a new book about the inventor called Make Something Wonderful: Steve Jobs In His Own Words.
In a 2003 email about Little Green, Jobs wrote, “Maybe it’s because I’m adopted, but this song moves me like few others. After realizing what this song is about, I cry every time I hear it.’
Steve Jobs is known around the world as the genius behind Apple, whose invention made him a billionaire – but his sensitive side has been revealed in a new book written “in his own words”.
Jobs was estranged from his biological father, Abdulfattah “John” Jandali, throughout his life. The inventor was adopted shortly after his birth in 1955
“She wrote it when she was young and it remains one of the best of her many great songs.”
Mitchell wrote the song about giving up her own daughter, Kelly Dale Anderson, for adoption in 1966 when she was a struggling singer at the age of 23.
The story only became public in 1993, when Mitchell went on to become one of the most successful singer-songwriters of all time.
Her daughter claimed that she didn’t know she had been adopted until 1997, when she was in her late 20s.
Meanwhile, Jobs has been estranged from his biological father, Abdulfattah “John” Jandali, throughout his life.
He referred to his birth parents as “my sperm and egg bank” and told his biographer that he had “no interest” in meeting his birth father.
The couple had Jobs out of wedlock and abandoned him before marrying and having another child, daughter Mona Simpson (née Jandali), who became a successful writer.
It was later discovered that the inventor frequented a Silicon Valley restaurant run by Jandali without either man ever knowing.
Jobs’ relationship with his birth mother, Joanne Schieble, is said to have been amicable, and the couple bonded after the death of his adoptive mother in 1986.
The latest revelation about Jobs’ personal life gives a glimpse into his feelings about his adoption, as well as his respect for co-creators and his love of music.
The new book about his life begins with a quote from a 2007 interview with Jobs: “One of the ways people express their appreciation for the rest of humanity, I think, is by making something wonderful and publishing it. ”
Insights into the inventor have been provided in unearthed emails from Jobs to himself, contained in a new book entitled Make Something Wonderful: Steve Jobs In His Own Words
Jobs’ love of music was seen as seminal in the development of the Apple brand, with Bob Dylan reportedly being another of his heroes.
An email in the new book reveals that the music lover compiled and sent out his own “celebrity playlist” – which was then a feature of the recently launched iTunes.
The Apple founder’s playlist, which unlike other celebs has never been uploaded, includes the likes of Bob Dylan and Cat Stevens.
Jobs’ emotional response to music wasn’t just limited to Mitchell’s song, another note in the book revealed his love for Jackson Browne’s song For A Dancer, written by the American musician about a friend who died in a fire.
Jobs wrote, “I first heard this on my car radio as I was driving down Highway 280 and I started crying.”
The revelations were included in the book released yesterday by the Steve Jobs Archive, an organization founded last year by Jobs’ friends and family, including his wife Laurene Powell Jobs.
The free digital book consists of emails, speeches, interview excerpts and unpublished photos from the Apple executive.
A handwritten note on Pixar-headed paper, featuring Woody from Toy Story, reads, “Steve, President Clinton is holding.”
It was designed by Sir Jony Ive, Apple’s former UK design chief, and his creative agency LoveFrom.
Among other incredible revelations made in the collection is that Jobs kept former US President Bill Clinton waiting on the phone when he was working at the production company Pixar, which he later sold to Disney.
A handwritten note on Pixar stationery featuring Woody from Toy Story, one of the computer animation company’s most iconic characters, reads, “Steve, President Clinton is holding.”
The archive also states that Jobs was in frequent contact with President Clinton, also sharing that in 1996 he sent an agitated email to colleagues at the White House computer company NeXT.
“I’m sending you this email from the White House!!” it reads and is signed off with “Steve”.
According to his biographer, Jobs developed a friendship with Clinton, with their correspondence ranging from Jobs providing government advice to the president telling the technology chief his name was in a newspaper crossword puzzle.
Shortly after Jobs’ death, Clinton opened up about his friendship with the Apple founder, revealing that he had helped him be close to his daughter Chelsea (right) when she started college
Clinton even allegedly asked Jobs during a late-night phone call what he had to do with his affair with Monica Lewinsky, and allegedly advised the president, “I don’t know if you did it, but if you did, you have to say.” it to the country.’
Shortly after Jobs’ death, Clinton opened up about his friendship with the Apple founder in an interview with Time editor Richard Stengel.
Clinton said, “When my daughter was at Stanford, he got in touch with me and said, ‘It’s hard to travel to see your kid when you’re president. I have a place in the country.
“You and Hillary can stay there and take Chelsea and her friends there whenever you want.”
“He gave me a priceless gift: the opportunity to see my child while I was still a very public figure, so I’m very biased in his favor. Also, even I can work with an iPad.”