The Pop Corporation

Joni Mitchell’s archive series has been really great and it should be of no surprise that there’s been some real gems that have previously been unheard by us plebs in the vaults.

And so, with her Archives Volume 3 which is out October 6th, we’re getting treated to a track called ‘Like Veils Said Lorraine’ which is a piano forward number that was recorded as a demo in late ’71/early ’72 at A&M Studios in Hollywood.

The liner notes, told to Cameron Crowe, Joni says: “It was a piece of dialogue that happened with the real-estate woman. I had almost found the land where I would build my little (stone-cabin) house. Lorraine was the real-estate woman who showed me properties. She had a Marlene Dietrich kind of look. She was a platinum blond and she was elegant. She had lived in China with her husband, so she was kind of worldly… and glamorous. It’s an account of our conversation. At some point, I switched to another realtor, and found the property where I would live. It was a piece of an old lumber-jack town. It wasn’t on the market, but it called out to me. Houses are important to me, and I know how to pick them. I investigated it and I found out who owned it. I paid what she wanted, and she thought she took me. I thought I got a deal. (laughs) So we were both happy.”

This is post ‘Blue’ and leading into ‘For The Roses’ period Joni, so obviously, she’s on fine form here.