Don Juan's Reckless Daughter was released in December 1977 to mixed reviews, but managed to peak at #25 on the Billboard charts and attained gold record status within three months.
Much of the album is experimental, but especially so are: "Overture," played with six simultaneous guitars, some in different tunings from others, with vocal echo effects; "The Tenth World," an extended-length instrumental of Latin percussion; and "Dreamland," which features only percussion and voices (including Chaka Khan).
Most experimental of all is "Paprika Plains," a 16-minute song played on improvised piano and arranged with a full orchestra; it takes up all of Side 2. In it, Mitchell narrates a first-person description of a late-night gathering in a bar frequented by Indigenous peoples of Canada, touching on themes of hopelessness and alcoholism. At one point in the narrative, the narrator leaves the setting to watch the rain and enters into a dreamstate, and the lyrics – printed in the liner notes but not sung – become a mixture of references to innocent childhood memories, a nuclear explosion and an expressionless tribe gazing upon the dreamer. The narrator returns inside after the rain passes. In speaking to Anthony Fawcett about working on "Paprika Plains," Mitchell said:
"The Improvisational, the spontaneous aspect of this creative process – still as a poet – is to set words to the music, which is a hammer and chisel process. Sometimes it flows, but a lot of times it's blocked by concept. And if you're writing free consciousness – which I do once in a while just to remind myself that I can, you know, because I'm fitting little pieces of this puzzle together – the end result must flow as if it was spoken for the first time."
Don Juan's Reckless Daughter attracted contributions from prominent jazz musicians, including four current members of Weather Report – Jaco Pastorius, Wayne Shorter, Manolo Badrena, and Alex Acuña; all of whom would later become frequent collaborators with Mitchell.
The album jacket is a photomontage and includes three photographs of Mitchell. In the foreground she is in blackface as her "reputed alter ego, a black hipster named Art Nouveau."
Joni Mitchell – vocals, guitars; piano on "Paprika Plains"
Jaco Pastorius – bass; bongos on "The Tenth World"; cowbells on "Dreamland"
John Guerin – drums
Wayne Shorter – soprano saxophone on "Jericho" and "Paprika Plains"
Alejandro Acuña – congas, cowbell, backing vocals on "The Tenth World"; shakers on "Dreamland"; ankle bells on "Don Juan's Reckless Daughter"
Don Alias – bongos on "Jericho"; congas, claves, backing vocals on "The Tenth World"; snare drum, sandpaper blocks on "Dreamland"; shakers on "Don Juan's Reckless Daughter"
Manolo Badrena – congas, coffee cans, lead vocal on "The Tenth World"; congas on "Dreamland"; credited "in spirit" on "Don Juan's Reckless Daughter"
Airto Moreira – surdo on "The Tenth World" and "Dreamland"
Larry Carlton – electric guitar on "Otis And Marlena"
Michel Colombier – piano on "Otis And Marlena"
Chaka Khan – backing vocals on "The Tenth World" and "Dreamland"
Glenn Frey, J.D. Souther – backing vocals on "Off Night Backstreet"
Michael Gibbs – orchestral arrangements and conductor on "Paprika Plains" and "Off Night Backstreet"
Bobbye Hall – credited "in spirit" on "Don Juan's Reckless Daughter"
El Bwyd – the split-tongued spirit on "Don Juan's Reckless Daughter"
Overture-Cotton Avenue
Joni Mitchell Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And the frogs and dogs and night birds then
Started up singing sweet country lullaby
You see that patch of city lights
Somewhere in there's Cotton Avenue
That's where I'm going to take myself tonight
With a spit shine on my dancing shoes
If you got a place like that to go
You just have to go there
If you got no place special
Well then, you just go no place special
I guess it's just the summer in the young blood
Ripe and juicy in the young blood
Teasing to go down to
Cotton Avenue
To hear the shiny, shiny music
See all the shiny people dancing to it
Anytime you go to
Cotton Avenue
If you got a place like that to go
You know you got to go there
If you got no place special
Well then, you just go no place special
Hey, mm
You see that summer storm brewing in the southern sky
By the time it hits here, I'll be dancing high and dry
To rhythm and blues on Cotton Avenue
Poor boys'll be hanging around outside in the street
They got all the latest words
They're dancing to the latest beat
While they're hustling and sizing you
On Cotton Avenue
If you got a place like that to go
You just have to go there
If you've got no place special
Well, my dear
You just so no place special
The opening lines of Joni Mitchell's "Overture-Cotton Avenue" paint a striking image of a red sun descending upon a grey sky, and the sounds of nature awakening as a new day draws to a close. Mitchell then turns her attention to the cityscape, singling out one particular street: Cotton Avenue. This is where she intends to go tonight, with her dancing shoes polished and ready. However, she recognizes that not everyone has a place like Cotton Avenue, a special spot where they can let loose and forget their worries. She acknowledges that sometimes life offers no special destination, and one has to make do without one.
On Cotton Avenue, Mitchell finds exactly what she's looking for: shiny music and shiny people dancing to it. She describes the atmosphere as one of youthful vibrancy, where the young and restless come to release their energy and embrace the rhythms and blues. Even the street outside is infused with excitement as boys hustle and size you up, attuned to the latest developments in the music and dance scene.
Line by Line Meaning
A red sun came rolling down a grey sky
The sun set in the evening sky, painting it red and casting a grayish hue on the surroundings.
And the frogs and dogs and night birds then
Started up singing sweet country lullaby
As the night fell, the animals in the countryside started singing a melodious tune, lulling the surroundings into a peaceful state.
You see that patch of city lights
Somewhere in there's Cotton Avenue
That's where I'm going to take myself tonight
With a spit shine on my dancing shoes
Looking in the distance, the singer spots a patch of bright city lights where Cotton Avenue lies, and she decides to head there that very night, making sure her shoes are well-polished for dancing.
If you got a place like that to go
You just have to go there
If you got no place special
Well then, you just go no place special
If you have a special place that you enjoy going to, then you should definitely go there. But if you don't, then you can go anywhere else because nothing else is special for you.
I guess it's just the summer in the young blood
Ripe and juicy in the young blood
Teasing to go down to
Cotton Avenue
To hear the shiny, shiny music
See all the shiny people dancing to it
Anytime you go to
Cotton Avenue
The singer believes the feeling of excitement she's experiencing is due to the youthful energy of summer, thrilling her young blood to head to Cotton Avenue, where she can listen to the enchanting music and watch the shiny, happy people dancing to it anytime she goes there.
You see that summer storm brewing in the southern sky
By the time it hits here, I'll be dancing high and dry
To rhythm and blues on Cotton Avenue
Poor boys'll be hanging around outside in the street
They got all the latest words
They're dancing to the latest beat
While they're hustling and sizing you
On Cotton Avenue
The singer notices a brewing storm in the southern sky but doesn't worry since she'll be high and dry, dancing to the rhythmic blues on Cotton Avenue. She notes how boys will be present outside the dance hall, trying to show off their latest words and dance moves while also sizing people up.
If you got a place like that to go
You just have to go there
If you got no place special
Well, my dear
You just so no place special
The chorus reiterates the importance of having a special place to go to and making sure to visit it whenever possible. However, if you haven't identified such a place yet, then there's no need to worry since you can simply go somewhere else, even if it's not special.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Joni Mitchell
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind