“Success doesn’t come from what you do occasionally, but from what you do consistently.” ~ Unknown
I love Joni Mitchell. I was a little late to her party with 1988’s release of Chalk Mark In A Rain Storm, but it didn’t matter so long as I got there. It’s a desert island disc for me. You wouldn’t think so given her early monumental works like Blue (1971), Hejira (1976), and Court and Spark (1974), which is a very close second to Chalk Mark on my list followed by Night Ride Home (1991), but it is my standout Joni Mitchell record start to finish. I loved her mid-career sound that really hit its stride on this recording. She had embraced burgeoning digital audio and used it to perfection as only she could. Plus, Chalk Mark is loaded with so many of my favorite players there’s just no way I wouldn’t fall in love. And the funny thing is, this record may have never crossed my path if we hadn’t been on tour for our self-titled release the same year it was released. CD’s were coming on hot and heavy in 1988. It was big news when you could buy a new release for only $18. (Highway robbery? You bet!) One of our stops on tour was a disc manufacturer and distributor plant. I don’t remember which one it was, or even where it was, but I remember they set us loose in the warehouse and said, “Pick out anything you’d like.” Talk about a kid in a candy store: rows and rows of floor to ceiling shelves filled with music. Both Kiya and I walked out with over-stuffed bags (plural) of discs and cassettes, the latter were still the medium of choice for most people back then. In fact, now that I think about it, my introduction to this record was actually a cassette. In any case, I remember seeing it on the shelf. I don’t know what drew me to it, but I knew I needed to hear it. It always pays to follow that sort of intuition. I was transported out of the van, out of my body, and into a place that only exquisite music can take me from the very first note I heard. Even now, I listen to it and I go somewhere else. I can only describe it as a place of pure calm. Those songs are emblazoned into my brain and they resurface at the oddest times. Take this photo from Craggy Gardens, for instance. I hear Joni singing My Secret Place (lyrics below) with Peter Gabriel. You can hear it here. I hope you enjoy it!
My Secret Place, by Joni Mitchell
My special place
It’s a place that you
Like no one else I know
Might appreciate
I don’t go there with anyone–but
You’re a special case
For my special place
For my secret place
Or to take up space
Guess I’m only talking
To be talking to
Your pretty face
I don’t talk much to anyone, but
You’re a special case
For my special place
My secret place
In New York City
I’m just getting used to Colorado,
Oh street bravado
Carry me
Why did you bring me to
A place so wild and pretty?
Are there pigeons in this park,
Muggers after dark,
In these golden trees,
In the secret place?
My special place
It’s a place no amount of hurt and anger
Can deface
I put things back together there
It all falls right in place,
In my special space
My special place
In New York City
That was shot in Colorado,
Girl meets desperado
In the trembling mountain trees
Out of all of the girls that you see
In bleachers and cafe windows
Sitting, flirting with someone
Looking to have some fun
Why did you pick me?
For the secret place
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