song of the day: may 24/2011

Joni Mitchell - Coyote
Album: Hejira [1976]

in early 1976, joni mitchell traveled with friends who were driving cross country to maine. afterwards, mitchell drove back to california alone and composed several songs during her journey which would feature on her next album, 1976's "hejira". the album was written mostly while she was traveling in the car, which is why there were no piano songs. "hejira" was arguably mitchell's most experimental album, due to her ongoing collaborations with legendary jazz virtuoso bass guitarist jaco pastorius on several songs including the first single, "coyote", the atmospheric title track, the disorienting, guitar-heavy "black crow," and the album's last song "refuge of the roads." the album climbed to number 13 on the billboard charts, reaching gold status three weeks after release, and received airplay from album oriented FM rock stations. while the album was greeted by many fans and critics as a return to form, by the time she recorded it her days as a huge pop star were over. however, if hejira did not sell as briskly as mitchell's earlier, more radio-friendly albums, its stature in her catalogue has grown over the years. mitchell herself believes the album to be unique and in 2006 said, that though she supposed a lot of people could have written a lot of her other songs, she felt the songs on hejira could only have come from her. hejira was the last in an astonishingly long run of top-notch studio albums dating back to her debut.

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