Joni Mitchell: Reading Rudyard Kipling, Working On New Material

It's been eight years since Joni Mitchell released a new record composed of original material. In 1998 she put out Taming the Tiger, then quit releasing new music, citing crippling frustrations with the music industry as one of many reasons for her retirement. (Her only output the last several years has been covers records.) But in an interview with the Ottawa Citizen, Mitchell apparently announced that she's currently working on songs for a completely new record.

She's not changed her mind about the leech-like nature of the recording industry ("the record labels are criminally insane . . . ugly, screwed up, crooked, uncreative, selfish" she reportedly reiterated,) but Mitchell apparently feels compelled by current political and social issues to make a statement with her music once more. "When the world becomes a massive mess with nobody at the helm, it's time for artists to make their mark," she said.

According to Uncut, the new record will be released online but does not yet have a set date, and will likely feature Mitchell's core group of fellow-musicians, including drummer Brian Blade, saxophonist Wayne Shorter and pianist Herbie Hancock. Mitchell will reportedly take care of piano, guitar and synthesizers herself. Some inclusions are apparently confirmed, including a song inspired by Rudyard Kipling's poem "If" and another titled "Holy War," which attacks wars fought in the name of religion.

We think this record falls under the category of Albums We Though We'd Never See, a topic many of you pondered, then posted about over the weekend on our Rock List. Do you agree?

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Song Stories

“Weird”

Hanson | 1997

Accomplished tunesmith Desmond Child co-wrote "Weird" with the three brothers that make up Hanson. Credited for dozens of cuts, including songs by Kiss, Cher, Bon Jovi and Aerosmith, Child told Rolling Stone that "Weird" holds a special place in his heart, "because it's about being different--and I grew up poor, I grew up being Latin, I grew up being gay, and now I'm fat!" The song was included on Hanson's 1997 album Middle of Nowhere, which sold more than ten million units.

More Song Stories entries »

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