Joni Mitchell — Don Juan's Reckless Daughter
Album: Don Juan's Reckless DaughterAvg rating:
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Total ratings: 1415
Length: 6:35
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I'm Don Juan's reckless daughter
I came out two days on your tail
Those two bald-headed days in November
Before the first snowflakes sail
Out on the vast and subtle plains of mystery
A split tongue spirit talks
Noble as a nickel chief
Striking up an old juke box
And he says:
"Snakes along the railroad tracks."
He says, "Eagles in jet trails ..."
He says, "Coils around feathers and talons on scales ...
Gravel under the belly plates ..."
He says, "Wind in the Wings ..."
He says, "Big bird dragging its tail in the dust ...
Snake kite flying on a string."
I come from open prairie
Given some wisdom and a lot of jive!
Last night the ghosts of my old ideas
Reran on channel five
And it howled so spooky for its eagle soul
I nearly broke down and cried
But the split tongue spirit laughed at me
He says, "Your serpent cannot be denied."
Our serpents love the whisky bars
They love the romance of the crime
But didn't I see a neon sign
Fester on your hotel blind
And a country road come off the wall
And swoop down at the crowd at the bar
And put me at the top of your danger list
Just for being so much like you are!
You're a coward against the altitude--
You're a coward against the flesh--
Coward--caught between yes and no
Reckless this time on the line for yes, yes, yes!
Reckless brazen in the play
Of your changing traffic lights
Coward--slinking down the hall
to another restless night
As we center behind the eight ball
As we rock between the sheets
As we siphon the colored language
Off the farms and the streets
Here in Good-Old-God-Save-America
the home of the brave and the free
We are all hopelessly oppressed cowards
Of some duality
Of restless multiplicity
(Oh say can you see)
Restless for streets and honky tonks
Restless for home and routine
Restless for country-safety-and her
Restless for the likes of reckless me
Restless sweeps like fire and rain
Over virgin wilderness
It prowls like hookers and thieves
Through bolt locked tenements
Behind my bolt locked door
The eagle and the serpent are at war in me
The serpent fighting for blind desire
The eagle for clarity
What strange prizes these battles bring
These hectic joys-these weary blues
Puffed up and strutting when I think I win
Down and shaken when I think I lose
There are rivets up here in this eagle
There are box cars down there on your snake
And we are twins of spirit
No matter which route home we take
Or what we forsake
We're going to come up to the eyes of clarity
And we'll go down to the beads of guile
There is danger and education
In living out such a reckless life style
I touched you on the central plains
It was plane to train my twin
It was just plane shadow to train shadow
But to me it was skin to skin
The spirit talks in spectrums
He talks to mother earth to father sky
Self indulgence to self denial
Man to woman
Scales to feathers
You and I
Eagles in the sky
You and I
Snakes in the grass
You and I
Crawl and fly
You and I
I came out two days on your tail
Those two bald-headed days in November
Before the first snowflakes sail
Out on the vast and subtle plains of mystery
A split tongue spirit talks
Noble as a nickel chief
Striking up an old juke box
And he says:
"Snakes along the railroad tracks."
He says, "Eagles in jet trails ..."
He says, "Coils around feathers and talons on scales ...
Gravel under the belly plates ..."
He says, "Wind in the Wings ..."
He says, "Big bird dragging its tail in the dust ...
Snake kite flying on a string."
I come from open prairie
Given some wisdom and a lot of jive!
Last night the ghosts of my old ideas
Reran on channel five
And it howled so spooky for its eagle soul
I nearly broke down and cried
But the split tongue spirit laughed at me
He says, "Your serpent cannot be denied."
Our serpents love the whisky bars
They love the romance of the crime
But didn't I see a neon sign
Fester on your hotel blind
And a country road come off the wall
And swoop down at the crowd at the bar
And put me at the top of your danger list
Just for being so much like you are!
You're a coward against the altitude--
You're a coward against the flesh--
Coward--caught between yes and no
Reckless this time on the line for yes, yes, yes!
Reckless brazen in the play
Of your changing traffic lights
Coward--slinking down the hall
to another restless night
As we center behind the eight ball
As we rock between the sheets
As we siphon the colored language
Off the farms and the streets
Here in Good-Old-God-Save-America
the home of the brave and the free
We are all hopelessly oppressed cowards
Of some duality
Of restless multiplicity
(Oh say can you see)
Restless for streets and honky tonks
Restless for home and routine
Restless for country-safety-and her
Restless for the likes of reckless me
Restless sweeps like fire and rain
Over virgin wilderness
It prowls like hookers and thieves
Through bolt locked tenements
Behind my bolt locked door
The eagle and the serpent are at war in me
The serpent fighting for blind desire
The eagle for clarity
What strange prizes these battles bring
These hectic joys-these weary blues
Puffed up and strutting when I think I win
Down and shaken when I think I lose
There are rivets up here in this eagle
There are box cars down there on your snake
And we are twins of spirit
No matter which route home we take
Or what we forsake
We're going to come up to the eyes of clarity
And we'll go down to the beads of guile
There is danger and education
In living out such a reckless life style
I touched you on the central plains
It was plane to train my twin
It was just plane shadow to train shadow
But to me it was skin to skin
The spirit talks in spectrums
He talks to mother earth to father sky
Self indulgence to self denial
Man to woman
Scales to feathers
You and I
Eagles in the sky
You and I
Snakes in the grass
You and I
Crawl and fly
You and I
Comments (183)add comment
I LIKE IT!! GREAT TUNE!! Thanx RP! 
david16 wrote:
Lotsa people with zero musical taste around here sometimes...
This is soooo before its time! It's genius! I just noticed how many 1's it has, WTF?
Lotsa people with zero musical taste around here sometimes...
Imagine remembering all the words to this song while playing it in concert?
This is soooo before its time! It's genius! I just noticed how many 1's it has, WTF?
keno wrote:
Then you want to read more and understand mania
Then you want to read more and understand mania
On_The_Beach wrote:
Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds.
- A.E.
NUMBER of SONGS on the Radio Paradise Playlist by these 2 artists:
- JONI MITCHELL: Fifty One
- CARLY SIMON: Zero
"Holy VIOLENT OPPOSTION, Batman!".
"Yes Robin . . . . . disguised as being . . . . 'ECLECTIC'."
Steely_D wrote:
Jaco!
I remember reading a biography of this great guitarist who abstained from alcohol in his early life but quickly became addicted shortly after his first drink. A very sad and tragic story of perhaps one of the best bass guitarists ever.
Jaco!
I remember reading a biography of this great guitarist who abstained from alcohol in his early life but quickly became addicted shortly after his first drink. A very sad and tragic story of perhaps one of the best bass guitarists ever.
rrowdies wrote:
Reminds me of the story of an Englishman overhearing two African gentlemen apparently discussing how to pronounce 'womb ' (womba vs wum). On telling them it was 'woom', they retorted that they doubted he'd even seen a hippopotamus, let alone heard one fart underwater.
Yeah I can't believe all the negativity here for this....Jaco sounds like elephant farts? Your opinion smells like elephant farts....all you classic rock fogies need to put down your Coors Lights get off your barstools and open your ears this is genius
ok...I'll state the obvious, cause that's what I do
this is so freaking Dylan-like...I'm freaking out
I need to take a walk and think about it
before the dawn's early light
this is so freaking Dylan-like...I'm freaking out
I need to take a walk and think about it
before the dawn's early light
rrowdies wrote:
Yes, insulting is persuasion...
Yeah I can't believe all the negativity here for this....Jaco sounds like elephant farts? Your opinion smells like elephant farts....all you classic rock fogies need to put down your Coors Lights get off your barstools and open your ears this is genius
Yes, insulting is persuasion...
A good song except for the annoying bass line!
trippy song
trippy album
trippy time
trippy album
trippy time
Astonished by the very low average rating, some musical biases should be studied at the university.
I admire how unafraid she was to be so trippy, so unabashedly hippie in this!
Yeah I can't believe all the negativity here for this....Jaco sounds like elephant farts? Your opinion smells like elephant farts....all you classic rock fogies need to put down your Coors Lights get off your barstools and open your ears this is genius
I seriously can’t understand the Joni haters here! this is solid stuff… beautiful poetry to some of the best music/musicians of the time.
that's painful ! I like most music but there is something about the whinging noise of JMs voice that is annoying. And this song is just awful. Not every day I make a comment. Never play again please
It took me years to formulate an opinion on this song. It really grew on me. Solid 8 for now.
Not a huge JM fan, but I do like this one...
TLynneHenry wrote:
Consider therapy.
or join the Taliban
Consider therapy.
or join the Taliban
Stetsonman wrote:
Fortunate that no one thinks the same about you, I suppose.
gotta join the sucko barfo gang on this one
someone should have broken her fingers and ripped her tongue out
Fortunate that no one thinks the same about you, I suppose.
talexb wrote:
It's all dreck
I'm astonished at the low ratings across the board for this creative piece of music. Sure, it's a little odd, and I get that it's not everyone's cup of tea. These songs are all three or four minute's of stuff. I'm delighted to hear this every once in a while -- music like this is inspiring. :) Peace.
It's all dreck
Stetsonman wrote:
Jesus, dude....seek help. You need it.
It's just a song.
gotta join the sucko barfo gang on this one
someone should have broken her fingers and ripped her tongue out
someone should have broken her fingers and ripped her tongue out
Jesus, dude....seek help. You need it.
It's just a song.
Stetsonman wrote:
Consider therapy.
gotta join the sucko barfo gang on this one
someone should have broken her fingers and ripped her tongue out
someone should have broken her fingers and ripped her tongue out
Consider therapy.
OH PROPHETIC JONI
Stetsonman wrote:
Possibly the most pathetic comment ever on RP.
gotta join the sucko barfo gang on this one
someone should have broken her fingers and ripped her tongue out
someone should have broken her fingers and ripped her tongue out
Possibly the most pathetic comment ever on RP.
am hearing 2 separate tunes...this leans toward Hierja but that is a superior album IMHO
gotta join the sucko barfo gang on this one
someone should have broken her fingers and ripped her tongue out
someone should have broken her fingers and ripped her tongue out
martin112 wrote:
Credited to "El Bwyd", aka the split-tongued serpent.
According to this reference, "El Bwyd" is painter Boyd Elder -- the guy whose bird skull artwork adorns the cover of the first Eagles greatest hits album.
Edit: I see someone already provided that info. Thanks!
I sometimes forget the songs that were out there BEFORE I studied audio engineering and music production. So when I hear them now, I go into 'critical listener' mode. Incredible recording and arrangements. Who is the male voice heard occasionally in the background? Sounds like Leonard Cohen?
Credited to "El Bwyd", aka the split-tongued serpent.
According to this reference, "El Bwyd" is painter Boyd Elder -- the guy whose bird skull artwork adorns the cover of the first Eagles greatest hits album.
Edit: I see someone already provided that info. Thanks!
lokiwolf wrote:
Smart move, lokiwolf. I would venture to say that Bill and Rebecca are "ancient babyboomers"
For crying out loud!
Joni mitchell barfs at the best of times. She may be a song writer and a lounge performer, but for god's sake, not on radioparadise.com
Please please; who are you trying to appeal to; ancient babyboomers with brains too slow to comprehend more modern music?
wrong!!!!!!!!!!!!!!they don't listen to Internet Radio.
Smart move, lokiwolf. I would venture to say that Bill and Rebecca are "ancient babyboomers"
I don't usually go for Joni Mitchell but I kinda dig this one. 
KevinM wrote:
Joni is always playing something different. She is constantly evolving and morphing.
Joni Mitchell = PSD
Joni is always playing something different. She is constantly evolving and morphing.
Chimpmeister wrote:
I'll be happy to chip in on your purchase. 🙉🙉🙉🔇🔇🔇💩💩💩
I say let's leave it here so the rest of us can carry on enjoying it's wonderfulness while you guys can simply use that skip forward button.
I'll be happy to chip in on your purchase. 🙉🙉🙉🔇🔇🔇💩💩💩
I say let's leave it here so the rest of us can carry on enjoying it's wonderfulness while you guys can simply use that skip forward button.
Something about this song... Joni can sing like a bird.. guitar shuffle and tone... maybe or that instrument that has a bass beat... a gourd? Love it... thanks
Jim_Messenger wrote:
I'll be happy to chip in on your purchase. 🙉🙉🙉🔇🔇🔇💩💩💩
Please Make it Stop.
I'll even pay you to lose this song forever
Name your price
I'll even pay you to lose this song forever
Name your price
I'll be happy to chip in on your purchase. 🙉🙉🙉🔇🔇🔇💩💩💩
Lot's of talk about Jaco, Bill play some Weather Report!!
Joni Mitchell is usually not my taste but this is a different sound I haven't heard from her before. She can have an 7.
I always liked this song.
Never really cared for the full album until I bought the CD - Now I love it.
Never really cared for the full album until I bought the CD - Now I love it.
Joni Mitchell = PSD
martin112 wrote:
Mitchell says this album was the loosest she'd ever done and the production is amazing. It's one of my favorite records of all times - decades ahead of its time.
The role of the Split-Tongued Spirit was spoken by Boyd Elder (credited as "El Bwyd") , artist and mystic from Texas.
But Cohen did a pretty cool cover of The Jungle Line with Herbie Hancock.
I sometimes forget the songs that were out there BEFORE I studied audio engineering and music production. So when I hear them now, I go into 'critical listener' mode. Incredible recording and arrangements. Who is the male voice heard occasionally in the background? Sounds like Leonard Cohen?
Mitchell says this album was the loosest she'd ever done and the production is amazing. It's one of my favorite records of all times - decades ahead of its time.
The role of the Split-Tongued Spirit was spoken by Boyd Elder (credited as "El Bwyd") , artist and mystic from Texas.
But Cohen did a pretty cool cover of The Jungle Line with Herbie Hancock.
ThePoose wrote:
I agree that Pastorius was a great bass player who played a fretless bass, but the oft-repeated story that he invented it is not true. Wikipedia says that Bill Wyman of the Rolling Stones made a fretless bass in 1961 and was using it on some Rolling Stones songs in 1966.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bass_guitar#Fretless_basses
Wikipedia's entry for Pastorius says that he bought a bass when he was 21, and removed the frets from it. That would have been around 1972.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaco_Pastorius#Bass_of_Doom
Drink in the work on this LP of the greatest bass player (and inventor of the fretless electric bass when he pulled all the frets out of a Fender and fill the leftover fretboard grooves with epoxy) of all time: Jaco Pastorius.
I agree that Pastorius was a great bass player who played a fretless bass, but the oft-repeated story that he invented it is not true. Wikipedia says that Bill Wyman of the Rolling Stones made a fretless bass in 1961 and was using it on some Rolling Stones songs in 1966.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bass_guitar#Fretless_basses
Wikipedia's entry for Pastorius says that he bought a bass when he was 21, and removed the frets from it. That would have been around 1972.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaco_Pastorius#Bass_of_Doom
stargazer1 wrote:
Thank you stargazer1 for enlightening me musically!
This is such an outstanding song; although it was too challenging for my "popular music sensibilities" for me to appreciate it fully when the album came out.
For years, I listened over and over again to Hejira: it was Hejira that taught me to appreciate the enormous musical importance of the bass. For the first time, really, I heard how powerfully and ingeniously the virtuosity of bass players like Jaco Pastorius and Max Bennett transformed many of the (musically bland) cuts on that album into emotive soundscapes infused with lyrical genius!
Wow such polarization. This is one of my desert island songs. I think it's awesome.
Jaco Pastorius was on bass for this album. He was one of the few bassists that could cope with Joni Mitchell. Most music has some kind of ground tone, but Joni's music does not, so the bass needs to be as much of a melodic element as the guitars. That's probably the reason it grates on some ears.
Kudos to RP for including this in their rotation.
Jaco Pastorius was on bass for this album. He was one of the few bassists that could cope with Joni Mitchell. Most music has some kind of ground tone, but Joni's music does not, so the bass needs to be as much of a melodic element as the guitars. That's probably the reason it grates on some ears.
Kudos to RP for including this in their rotation.
Thank you stargazer1 for enlightening me musically!
This is such an outstanding song; although it was too challenging for my "popular music sensibilities" for me to appreciate it fully when the album came out.
For years, I listened over and over again to Hejira: it was Hejira that taught me to appreciate the enormous musical importance of the bass. For the first time, really, I heard how powerfully and ingeniously the virtuosity of bass players like Jaco Pastorius and Max Bennett transformed many of the (musically bland) cuts on that album into emotive soundscapes infused with lyrical genius!
The only 10 I have ever rated on RP. One of my favourites of all her music.
There are definietly strong opinions for and against her music, but to each his own.
It still doesn't take away from her genius.
There are definietly strong opinions for and against her music, but to each his own.
It still doesn't take away from her genius.
One of the worst songs ever played on RP.
Absolutely phenomenal performance across the board- Joni’ ability to turn a phrase and weave a story- and interpolate- matched by Jaco’s virtuosity. We are fortunate to have lived in times where artists like this push the boundaries.
To the haters out there: take a minute to actually ´listen’ rather than spew your vitriol- and feel free to hit PSD as needed if you aren’t willing to try expanding your horizons.
Chimpmeister wrote:
There's an easier solution to your problem.
Unlistenable, like almost every Joni Mitchell song. Just awful. Please delete Joni Mitchell from your list!
There's an easier solution to your problem.
I'm astonished at the low ratings across the board for this creative piece of music. Sure, it's a little odd, and I get that it's not everyone's cup of tea. These songs are all three or four minute's of stuff. I'm delighted to hear this every once in a while -- music like this is inspiring. :) Peace.
I feel like I deserve one of those "I survived" bumper stickers.
I generally like bass...but it destroys this song.
I generally like bass...but it destroys this song.
Please Make it Stop.
I'll even pay you to lose this song forever
Name your price
I'll even pay you to lose this song forever
Name your price
Proclivities wrote:
It's a fretless bass guitar but synthesizers were around long before 1977.
Jaco must have had finger muscles of steel. Crazy as a loon, but one of the top five best bass players of all time.
c.
It's a fretless bass guitar but synthesizers were around long before 1977.
c.
DaidyBoy wrote:
Certainly is. It seems to be OK for some and not for others. It's never OK.
https://time.com/5680868/justi...
1977 called… they’d like to talk to you about a bunch of other stuff that’s changed too.
Certainly is. It seems to be OK for some and not for others. It's never OK.
https://time.com/5680868/justi...
1977 called… they’d like to talk to you about a bunch of other stuff that’s changed too.
Unlistenable, like almost every Joni Mitchell song. Just awful. Please delete Joni Mitchell from your list!
TAI wrote:
Certainly is. It seems to be OK for some and not for others. It's never OK.
https://time.com/5680868/justi...
can anyone confirm,, is that Joni in "blackface makeup" on cover of album?
Certainly is. It seems to be OK for some and not for others. It's never OK.
https://time.com/5680868/justi...
Her music is mediocre at best and I can take it or leave it. My 1 rating is due to the pretentiousness of her and her followers, as depicted by the earlier comments to this song.
“Joni's music is not for the simple-minded”
“Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds”
“Joni's music is not for the simple-minded”
“Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds”
sb204 wrote:
It's a fretless bass guitar but synthesizers were around long before 1977.
Interesting instrumentation. What's that thing that sounds like an elephant farting?
Edit: Oops, just noted that I wasn't the first to have that association (funny enough). Still interested in learning which device produced that sound - think that in 1977 it wasnt a synthesizer.
Edit: Oops, just noted that I wasn't the first to have that association (funny enough). Still interested in learning which device produced that sound - think that in 1977 it wasnt a synthesizer.
It's a fretless bass guitar but synthesizers were around long before 1977.
I'd rate this song a clear +3, together with Mitchell's voice it's -5
Joni at the height of her creative Joni powers.
I think this is a good song and I like it but the thing that dates it and affects its longevity is the pre or post effects that are added to the guitars that make them sound in and out of tune - sort of primitive pitch-shifter or maybe an early type of auto-wah. Grates on my ears and I think it would benefit from being remastered by putting it through an autotune processor to "smooth" it out so to speak.
Not hating this - just not loving it as much as I could..
Not hating this - just not loving it as much as I could..
Steely_D wrote:
Jaco!
I had the good fortune to see Jaco with Weather Report and later met him at a friends house in Ft. Lauderdale. Strange dude but unbelievably talented. My all time favorite bassist.
Jaco!
I had the good fortune to see Jaco with Weather Report and later met him at a friends house in Ft. Lauderdale. Strange dude but unbelievably talented. My all time favorite bassist.
Such a cool song, I don't get the negativity. Thanks RP for really introducing me to Joni.
KCTS9/PBS has a 75th birthday special for the Old Girl on Monday 11th at 9pm featuring all her friends (doing tributes I assume)
just when i think rp (and the whole world) is here to entertain me, joni comes on and shows i'm not the reason for everything.
I sometimes forget the songs that were out there BEFORE I studied audio engineering and music production. So when I hear them now, I go into 'critical listener' mode. Incredible recording and arrangements. Who is the male voice heard occasionally in the background? Sounds like Leonard Cohen?
You gotta love Ms. Mitchell's relentless interpretation of generic impulsiveness as the more glamorous "reckless." Although, yeah, it's often hard to match up one's current 2018 moodset with a Joni selection via RP. May need to ASTS.
Not this bloody woman again. PSD
Lyrics that transcend!
So many outstanding memorable lyric lines in this song. One of the few albums I never get tired of.
Wow such polarization. This is one of my desert island songs. I think it's awesome.
Jaco Pastorius was on bass for this album. He was one of the few bassists that could cope with Joni Mitchell. Most music has some kind of ground tone, but Joni's music does not, so the bass needs to be as much of a melodic element as the guitars. That's probably the reason it grates on some ears.
Kudos to RP for including this in their rotation.
Jaco Pastorius was on bass for this album. He was one of the few bassists that could cope with Joni Mitchell. Most music has some kind of ground tone, but Joni's music does not, so the bass needs to be as much of a melodic element as the guitars. That's probably the reason it grates on some ears.
Kudos to RP for including this in their rotation.
sb204 wrote:
Jaco!
Interesting instrumentation. What's that thing that sounds like an elephant farting?
Edit: Oops, just noted that I wasn't the first to have that association (funny enough). Still interested in learning which device produced that sound - think that in 1977 it wasnt a synthesizer.
Edit: Oops, just noted that I wasn't the first to have that association (funny enough). Still interested in learning which device produced that sound - think that in 1977 it wasnt a synthesizer.
Jaco!
Funny how so many people hate it - this gets me in the best mood i can have. Missing days and people i never knew... Peace
Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds.
- A.E.
Interesting instrumentation. What's that thing that sounds like an elephant farting?
Edit: Oops, just noted that I wasn't the first to have that association (funny enough). Still interested in learning which device produced that sound - think that in 1977 it wasnt a synthesizer.
Edit: Oops, just noted that I wasn't the first to have that association (funny enough). Still interested in learning which device produced that sound - think that in 1977 it wasnt a synthesizer.
This is like banging one's head against a wall. Only reason to listen to it is it will feel so good when it stops
Awful.
GreenKittenLines wrote:
Haha, good one, I haven't seen this atrocity for quite some time!
Better seen than heard ~
Haha, good one, I haven't seen this atrocity for quite some time!
Better seen than heard ~
She's like Dylan ~ streaming genius that can't stop yakking and creating, changing and morphing, pleasing no one and everyone.
Yes.
Just read biography and it turns out she was all about trying that blackface thing. Fooled her closest associates and friends.No one could recognize her or believe she would do it.
TAI wrote:
Just read biography and it turns out she was all about trying that blackface thing. Fooled her closest associates and friends.No one could recognize her or believe she would do it.
TAI wrote:
can anyone confirm,, is that Joni in "blackface makeup" on cover of album?
can anyone confirm,, is that Joni in "blackface makeup" on cover of album?
Not as good as the best of Hejira, but still some real gems on this album, including this one - despite what the nattering nabobs say. 
doc_dave wrote:
Hahaha, I can't hear anything else in this song now!
Wee shame about the elephant farting its way through this song. 
Hahaha, I can't hear anything else in this song now!
sfyi2001 wrote:
Haha, good one, I haven't seen this atrocity for quite some time!
Haha, good one, I haven't seen this atrocity for quite some time!
gmichaelt wrote:
Missed it by _that_ much. It appears this number is on a 30-day rotation. Next month, on the 18th.
Missed it by _that_ much. It appears this number is on a 30-day rotation. Next month, on the 18th.
Joni is a planetary treasure. Her music, yes, will roll on the hard drives of the ships that head to another star system. To save us from ourselves.
I am a fan of some of Joni's music.
I would readily refer to her as an icon.
But this song in my opinion, reveals that no matter how witty the lyrical prose, sometimes you feel like you have been dragged across a bed of nails followed by a bed of coals. then turned around to repeat.
And FWIW, I find it extremely hard to believe that this versions instrumentation was her work. She is far more creative than that.
I would readily refer to her as an icon.
But this song in my opinion, reveals that no matter how witty the lyrical prose, sometimes you feel like you have been dragged across a bed of nails followed by a bed of coals. then turned around to repeat.
And FWIW, I find it extremely hard to believe that this versions instrumentation was her work. She is far more creative than that.
gmichaelt wrote:
Missed it by _that_ much. It appears this number is on a 30-day rotation. Next month, on the 18th.
Hopefully, I'll get a chance to closely compare the audio with the transcript (lyrics) before long.
Missed it by _that_ much. It appears this number is on a 30-day rotation. Next month, on the 18th.
Oh for heaven's sake...
We need more strange, trippy, off-center, musicians like Joni, who want to pursue music, for the sake of music. Not less.
We need more strange, trippy, off-center, musicians like Joni, who want to pursue music, for the sake of music. Not less.
amb599 wrote:
There's Joni I like, and there's Joni where I go WTF?!?
First minute of this I liked it, then I was all like WTF?!?
something about this is super annoying, and it's never ending.
There's Joni I like, and there's Joni where I go WTF?!?
First minute of this I liked it, then I was all like WTF?!?
AMEN.
On_The_Beach wrote:
On_The_Beach wrote:
Joni's music is not for the simple-minded.
It seems to me—after a perusal of the lyrics—that they've been bowdlerized. On this occasion, I heard the song through a doorway, so may have misheard... Hopefully, I'll get a chance to closely compare the audio with the transcript (lyrics) before long.
Her music always takes me back to 1970s California, sunsets on a long drive... a simpler time.
Wow, 5.6. That's interesting the song doesn't do it for people.. I expected a 7.2 at least. My only complaint is this song sounds like a lot of her others, like Coyote.
Wow, 5.6. That's interesting the song doesn't do it for people.. I expected a 7.2 at least. My only complaint is this song sounds like a lot of her others, like Coyote.
Joni's music is not for the simple-minded.
something about this is super annoying, and it's never ending.
The vast majority of Joni's "music" makes me want to go buy two ice picks and shove one in each ear... sucko-barfo indeed!
doc_dave wrote:
Wee shame about the elephant farting its way through this song.
"Why, I oughta ..!" :-) You've ruined it for me now - all I hear is Elephant farting, not jazz geniuses. Too funny.
Keep it comin she's awesome! She drew great album covers too! Did she move to Canada after last weeks election!?
doc_dave wrote:
Watch those cheeks shake
Wee shame about the elephant farting its way through this song.
Watch those cheeks shake
Like most of her catalogue, thanks!
Like most of her catalogue, no thanks.
Wee shame about the elephant farting its way through this song.
For a second I thought it was Paul Simon 
I always wondered what it would be like to sit at a bar and have a conversation with this woman, during a week day afternoon, sun light and shadows.
Dave_Mack wrote:
I was thinking this sounded just like Coyote.
SCJoniguy wrote:
She actually composed this alongside "Coyote" from the same album as Black Crow. On her 1976 tour she performed Coyote & Don Juan as a medley.
That must have been cool to hear...
This may be one big reason why the two songs sound alike:
spinslps wrote:
Joni talking about Jaco on this song:
" So Jaco got an idea. I don't know if he detuned his bass, but he started striking the end of the strings, up by the bridge, and he'd slide with the palm of his palm all the way down to the head. He set up this pattern: du du du doom, du du du doom. Well, it's a five minute song, and three minutes into it his hand started to bleed. He shredded it making it slide the full length of his bass strings. They turned into a grater. So we stopped tapping and he changed to his Venus mound, below the thumb. And when we finished the take, that was bleeding, too. So his whole hand was bleeding. But the music was magnificent, and he was so excited because he'd discovered a new thing. Later he built up calluses and you'd always see him doing those slides."
I was thinking this sounded just like Coyote.
SCJoniguy wrote:
She actually composed this alongside "Coyote" from the same album as Black Crow. On her 1976 tour she performed Coyote & Don Juan as a medley.
That must have been cool to hear...
This may be one big reason why the two songs sound alike:
spinslps wrote:
Joni talking about Jaco on this song:
" So Jaco got an idea. I don't know if he detuned his bass, but he started striking the end of the strings, up by the bridge, and he'd slide with the palm of his palm all the way down to the head. He set up this pattern: du du du doom, du du du doom. Well, it's a five minute song, and three minutes into it his hand started to bleed. He shredded it making it slide the full length of his bass strings. They turned into a grater. So we stopped tapping and he changed to his Venus mound, below the thumb. And when we finished the take, that was bleeding, too. So his whole hand was bleeding. But the music was magnificent, and he was so excited because he'd discovered a new thing. Later he built up calluses and you'd always see him doing those slides."
On_The_Beach wrote:
completely agree. i can take or leave anything prior to For the Roses, then she really gets her legs. great early folk music, but only hinting at her potential. this is one of my favorite albums of all time.
Thanks again RP for playing some of Joni's relatively obscure material.
From '74 to '80 no one could touch her: Court & Spark, The Hissing of Summer Lawns, Hejira, Don Juan's Reckless Daughter, Mingus, Shadows & Light . . . all excellent.
From '74 to '80 no one could touch her: Court & Spark, The Hissing of Summer Lawns, Hejira, Don Juan's Reckless Daughter, Mingus, Shadows & Light . . . all excellent.
completely agree. i can take or leave anything prior to For the Roses, then she really gets her legs. great early folk music, but only hinting at her potential. this is one of my favorite albums of all time.
...this guy sounds a lot like joni mitchell!..
Yeah for strange, breezy, off-center, trippy, groovy twists and and turns of melodics and harmonics.
Joni talking about Jaco on this song:
" So Jaco got an idea. I don't know if he detuned his bass, but he started striking the end of the strings, up by the bridge, and he'd slide with the palm of his palm all the way down to the head. He set up this pattern: du du du doom, du du du doom. Well, it's a five minute song, and three minutes into it his hand started to bleed. He shredded it making it slide the full length of his bass strings. They turned into a grater. So we stopped tapping and he changed to his Venus mound, below the thumb. And when we finished the take, that was bleeding, too. So his whole hand was bleeding. But the music was magnificent, and he was so excited because he'd discovered a new thing. Later he built up calluses and you'd always see him doing those slides."
" So Jaco got an idea. I don't know if he detuned his bass, but he started striking the end of the strings, up by the bridge, and he'd slide with the palm of his palm all the way down to the head. He set up this pattern: du du du doom, du du du doom. Well, it's a five minute song, and three minutes into it his hand started to bleed. He shredded it making it slide the full length of his bass strings. They turned into a grater. So we stopped tapping and he changed to his Venus mound, below the thumb. And when we finished the take, that was bleeding, too. So his whole hand was bleeding. But the music was magnificent, and he was so excited because he'd discovered a new thing. Later he built up calluses and you'd always see him doing those slides."
Nope.Thank you for posting lyrics! Sensational words in this song along with the phenomenal music, love it : )
I love Joni, but everything from this album sounds the same.
Thanks again RP for playing some of Joni's relatively obscure material.
From '74 to '80 no one could touch her: Court & Spark, The Hissing of Summer Lawns, Hejira, Don Juan's Reckless Daughter, Mingus, Shadows & Light . . . all excellent.
From '74 to '80 no one could touch her: Court & Spark, The Hissing of Summer Lawns, Hejira, Don Juan's Reckless Daughter, Mingus, Shadows & Light . . . all excellent.
lennep wrote:
and this album is a starry night, indeed.
And for those of you still stuck on the Joni of "Ladies of the Canyon", sorry, but if Van Gogh had painted "the Potato Eaters" over and over, he never would have painted "The Starry Night".
and this album is a starry night, indeed.
This woman is a genius.
Right on Meloman. Have none of these naysayers heard of Jazz? Jazz, Rock and Pop were derived from Blues but went down different paths. You guys get that, don't you? Joni Mitchell's fearless growth from "Big Yellow Taxi" through "Don't Interrupt the Sorrow" and "Don Juan's Reckless Daughter" to "Sex Kills" has brought those paths closer together. Perhaps some of you can't appreciate that. So stop gagging and just listen to whatever passes for music to your tin ears. And for those of you still stuck on the Joni of "Ladies of the Canyon", sorry, but if Van Gogh had painted "the Potato Eaters" over and over, he never would have painted "The Starry Night".
For me, this is about when Joni started to sound like a caricature of herself. She kind of lost me after Hejira. Everything up to and including that album was awesome.
Too funny! LOL!