Court and Spark

This Music Monday, I'm diving into one of my favorite Joni Mitchell albums, "Court and Spark" as it turns 49 today. Read on for some fun facts, history, Mitchell's inspirations, and unlikely collaborators.

Just Like This Train

“I wrote a song for James Taylor that mentioned his suspenders. And then on his next album, he went and wore his bloody suspenders on the cover! Well, then the cat was completely out of the bag!” That song was ‘See You Sometime’ off of "For the Roses". But her song ‘Just Like This Train’ was also about James Taylor.

(Source: "Far Out Magazine" - https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/songs-joni-mitchell-wrote-about-the-men-in-her-life/)

Free Man in Paris

"Appearing on Mitchell’s 1974 album Court and Spark, Joni’s song ‘Free Man in Paris’ was inspired by the head of Geffen records, [friend] David Geffen...In the song, Mitchell describes the trip she shared with Geffen, Robbie Robertson and his wife Dominique as they travelled to Paris. The song quite explicitly describes Geffen at the time and how Paris offered him respite from his imposing career. Mitchell sings, 'I was a free man in Paris. I felt unfettered and alive. Nobody calling me up for favours. No one’s future to decide.'"

Source: "Far Out Magazine" - https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/songs-joni-mitchell-wrote-about-the-men-in-her-life/)

Bob Dylan said of the song "I always liked this song because I'd been to Paris and understood what being a free man there was all about. Paris was, after all, where freedom and the guillotine lived side by side. I'm not so sure that the meaning I heard in the song was what Joni intended but I couldn't stop listening to it". He selected 'Free Man in Paris' for inclusion on the Starbucks compilation album "Joni Mitchell: Selected Songs in 2005". And musician Sufjan Stevens covered this song for the album "A Tribute to Joni Mitchell" (2007).

One of my favorite Mitchell lyrics comes from 'Free Man in Paris': "Going café to Cabaret". So effortlessly perfect!

Car on a Hill

It is rumored that this song is about fellow musician Jackson Browne. The story goes, Browne was supposed to pick Mitchell up at her house in Laurel Canyon (the car on a hill) for a date. He stood her up as he was currently meeting his soon to be future wife, model Phyllis Major. I don't know how much of this story to be true. I just know the stories my mother told me. If it's false, points to her for creativity! "Court and Spark" was her favorite album.

(Source: My mother)

Another song rumored to be about him is 'Not to Blame' off of "Turbulent Indigo".

Help Me

The Prince song "Ballad of Dorothy Parker" (from his 1987 album Sign o' the Times) mentions the song in the lyrics: "..and it was Joni singing: ‘Help me, I think I'm falling’."

Mitchell's original recording was recorded with jazz band Tom Scott's L.A. Express as the backing band.

Personally, this song is one of my earliest musical memories. My parents would play it in the car and I would dance in the back seat when I was a little girl. I loved the way the guitar "twirled" at the end.

Twisted

'Twisted' was originally a tenor saxophone solo by Wardell Gray recorded in 1949. Then in 1952, singer Annie Ross gave Gray's song lyrics, making "Twisted" a vocalese* piece.

Mitchell recorded the song for "Court and Spark". The track featured Cheech and Chong! And it was a long time coming: "I love that song, I have always love it...I tried to put it on the last record [For the Roses] but it was totally inappropriate. It had nothing to do with that time period and some of my friends feel it has nothing to do with this album [Court and Spark] either" said Mitchell of 'Twisted'. I'd argue 'Twisted' blends quite well with the other songs on "Court and Spark", displaying her jazz influences beautifully.

(You can hear Cheech and Chong at 1:47. Enjoy!)

I first learned about the origin of this song from my "Western Music as Sounding History" class in college. Shout out to Professor Gilbert!

*Vocalese is a style of jazz singing in which words are added to an instrumental soloist's improvisation.

And among all these fun facts lies the fact that Mitchell provides vocals and plays acoustic guitar, piano, and clavinet on the album. She's a force.

Favorite song on the album: Help Me

What's yours?