Raised On Robbery

by Joni Mitchell

Footnotes to Raised On Robbery

"Maple Leafs"
Despite the fact that the plural of leaf is leaves, Joni wasn't being illiterate here. The male character in Raised On Robbery is watching a televised hockey game in the bar and has made a friendly wager on a Canadian team called the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The proud Leafs name goes back to their formation in 1927 when the team owners chose "a patriotic Maple Leaf as the team namesake and crest."

Because of the City of Toronto's important (and, some say, overbearing) role in the economy and culture of Canada, the Maple Leafs have been called both Canada's Team and "those #%&!*?$# Leafs."

Incidentally, betting on the Leafs anytime between 1967 (when they won their last Stanley Cup) and about 1999, would probably have been a losing proposition: the only thing proud about the Leafs during that long period was their heritage, not their on-ice performance.

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"57 Biscayne"
Is Joni using an artistic license here? Chevrolet didn't even debut the Biscayne until 1958 (shown here), probably due to the success of the previous year's overall car sales. With 1,522,536 units sold in 1957, Chevy beat out Ford by 136 cars. Although their eventual popularity was certainly not predicted when they were first introduced, 1957 Chevrolet vehicles have become one of the most sought after model years of all vehicles.

Guitar Transcriptions of Raised On Robbery

• Guitar chords by Hits songbook

Raised On Robbery has been recorded by 24 others

• Aces & Eights (from "unreleased live recording" - )
• Adams, Bryan & Wynonna Judd (from "An All-Star Tribute to Joni Mitchell (TV Broadcast)" - 2000)
• Blue Shadows (from "On The Floor Of Heaven" - 2010)
• Blue Tapestry (from "Blue Tapestry" - 2002)
• Canadian Suite (from "Coast to Coast" - 2002)
• Easton, Sheena (from "Live At The Palace, Hollywood (Video)" - 1982)
• Eden, Joanna (from "Joni & Me" - 2016)
• Heidi Martin, Janet Garbe, Esther Haynes, Diane Rosenthal & Steuart Smith (from "Strathmore Presents - A Tribute To Joni Mitchell" - 2008)
• Jim Stringer & The Am Band (from "In My Hand" - 2004)
• Kai, Carole (from "Let Me Love You" - 1978)
• Kennedy, Sherry (from "Don't Wait" - 1996)
• Matthew's Minstrels (from "Traditional Fare" - 1994)
• Medley, Sue (from "(unreleased live performance)" - 1990)
• Mesibov, Paul (- )
• Miller, Betsy  (from "Becology" - 2013)
• Molaskey, Jessica (from "Portraits of Joni" - 2017)
• Moxie (from "It Takes Moxie" - 2003)
• Robin Adler & Mutts of the Planet (from "Joni Mitchell's Blue & Court And Spark - Live At Dizzy's" - 2011)
• Sally Barker - Joni Mitchell Project (from "Conversation: The Joni Tapes" - 2010)
• Smith, Sara (from "A Tribute To Joni Mitchell" - 1974)
• The Bucknell Jazz & Rock Ensemble (from "Warm Winter Winds" - )
• The Whims (from "Tuxedo Junction" - 1980)
• Tincher, Jeff (from "All I Want" - 2015)
• TRAP (from "45 single" - 1976)
• [more information on recordings by other artists]

Comments on Raised On Robbery

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Margie on 2015-Dec-18 at 19:37:17 GMT-5: 

S or no s it's good poetry and the"jokers glued to that damn hockey game" are patrons of the hotel lounge, including the man the hooker is talking to

bobconstans on 2015-Apr-26 at 15:41:02 GMT-5: 

Not to quibble with Joni's official site, but since you can hear her clearly deviate from what is here at least once (an 's' on 'best recipe'S to rhyme with groceries), and since Joni is such a consummate song crafter, I just wonder is all.
Plus I always thought it was (appropriately enough) 'LOSING that damn hockey game' LOL

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