Everything for Nothing

knevils   2009-Jun-15 at 21:18:08 One more thing: I'd love to know the story behind this song, which I adore. It's got to be a very interesting story! Anybody know?

JMFriend_Canada   2009-Jun-16 at 05:00:14 If I remember correctly... it was based on dispute with Joni Mitchell's housekeeper suing that ended in ligation. If you listen to it - it makes references to working for Elvis and he bought his servants cars. I guess it is the philosophy of North America. You may not be entitled to it but you can sue to get it. YOU WANT EVERYTHING FOR NOTHING!  (edited: 2009-Jun-17 at 01:28:31)

knevils   2009-Jun-16 at 14:26:01 Her housekeeper? Really! "Clothes from fancy stores"? I had assumed some kind of higher role in Joni's life. Do you know if anybody's ever written a biography of Joni?

JMFriend_Canada   2009-Jun-17 at 01:53:49 I remember hearing Joan talk briefly about 'The Windfall - Everything for Nothing' years ago. I did some research and I was correct. There are a few sentences about it in a book about Elvis Costello and Joni Mitchell. "This classic diatribe rallies against those seeking something for nothing. The auteur is grinding her axe on a topic near and dear (supposedly, a former housekeeper sued Mitchell over her firing)as she lambasts lawyers and the legal system..." It is based on this situation, maybe she treated her housekeeper very well or it was poetic licence - I don't know. The book that I quoted from was Joni Mitchell and Elvis Costello and the Torch Song Tradition. Biography - Shadows and Light (Karen O'Brien)   (edited: 2009-Jun-17 at 02:17:34)  (edited: 2009-Jun-17 at 18:55:52)

knevils   2009-Jun-17 at 19:04:20 Thanks. Do you recommend the book? I don't care about Elvis, but I would be interested in reading about Joni.

JMFriend_Canada   2009-Jun-17 at 19:24:27 Dear Knevils, I like the book that was written by Karen O'Brien. It came in paperback. It was printed in Britain and was available in soft cover. I never saw the book "Torch Song Tradition" until earlier today. The book is divided into two parts - one for Joni and the other for Elvis. If you google search and type in - "Larry David Smith Torch Song Tradition" - google will bring up a copy of the book in PDF format (all 300 and some pages). I don't know if Karen O'Brien's book is available in the United States as I purchased it in Canada. I checked to see if the book was available on line at Borders but it ws not. I checked and I found that it is available on amazon.com for $22.95.   (edited: 2009-Jun-18 at 05:27:42)

knevils   2009-Jun-17 at 21:12:41 JMFriend: I just saw in "What is Joni's best song?" that you replied "Two Grey Rooms." Wow! That's one of my favorites, too. So haunting and beautiful. No telling how many times I've listened to that. Other favorites: Again and Again the Same Situation (Is that the title?) Wonderful song, wonderful lyrics. I also love, love, love the instrumental version of Taming the Tiger. That was an obsession not long ago.

larryrap   2009-Jun-20 at 02:12:24 This is from Joni's liner notes to The Complete Geffen Recordings regarding Everything for Nothing: In 1974, I bought an old Spanish house that sat on the market for a few years and I got it for a fraction of its worth. I moved into it from an apartment in Burbank. I moved in like the Beverly hillbillies, with everything I owned in a pickup truck. The big house swallowed up my few pieces of furniture like a whale eating anchovies. I had to hire someone to help keep the dust and spiders down. Most of the people who came for the position were horrified, because it was so Spartan. One applicant, a professional houseboy, asked: "Where is your silver?" It was clearly beneath him to keep a house so poorly appointed. Finally, there came a Guatemalan who spoke no English. She was smiley and kind of cute, she wore white patent-leather go-go boots and a red miniskirt. Over the years, she learned to speak English and I finally moved her and her husband and their infant daughter into my house and for a few years, all was well. But she began to climb...

knevils   2009-Jun-25 at 21:23:30 Larry, darn I'd love to read the rest of the liner notes!

larryrap   2009-Jun-26 at 03:09:31 Heh, that would keep me busy for a while. If you can afford to, get the Geffen Years box. It's not Joni's best by any stretch, but it has its share of jems, and the packaging is nice. Strange that the notes aren't available on the net.

ljirvin   2009-Jun-26 at 08:21:34 Not only are they available on the 'net, but they are available right here on this site. Here are the notes to the Geffen set. Click on 'Album Notes' under additional information.

larryrap   2009-Jun-27 at 00:29:21 That's great. Thanks!

knevils   2009-Jul-09 at 09:13:28 I really enjoyed reading those notes. Thank you!