For The Roses

Album: For The Roses (1972)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Mitchell (from a 1996 interview with the Los Angeles Times): "That was my first farewell to show business. I was in Canada, where I have a sanctuary where I still go sometimes, and I had decided to quit show business and get away from all the pressures I felt. To me, this was an unfair, crooked business and it has nothing to do with real talent. I was up in Canada about a year and I guess it strengthened my nervous system a little, so I finally came back."
  • The "Run For the Roses" is a name for the Kentucky Derby horse race, where the winning horse is covered in a blanket of roses in the winner's circle. Introducing this song in concert in 1972, Mitchell said: "That comes from the expression 'To run for the roses.' You know what that's all about: you take this horse and he comes charging into the finish line and they throw a wreath of flowers around his neck and then one day they take him out and shoot him."
  • This is the title track to Mitchell's fifth album, which was her first released on David Geffen's Asylum Records. Mitchell and Geffen were good friends at the time - she had moved to British Columbia and stayed with Geffen on her return trips to Los Angeles.

Comments: 1

  • Martha from Knoxville, TnI have grown up believing this album was a cathartic therapy of sorts for Joni's break up with James Taylor. I love this album.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Prince

PrinceFact or Fiction

Prince is shrouded in mystery, making him an excellent candidate for Fact or Fiction. Is he really a Scientologist? Does he own an exotic animal?

Alan Merrill of The Arrows

Alan Merrill of The ArrowsSongwriter Interviews

In her days with The Runaways, Joan Jett saw The Arrows perform "I Love Rock And Roll," which Alan Merrill co-wrote - that story and much more from this glam rock pioneer.

Van Dyke Parks

Van Dyke ParksSongwriter Interviews

U2, Carly Simon, Joanna Newsom, Brian Wilson and Fiona Apple have all gone to Van Dyke Parks to make their songs exceptional.

Jesus Christ Superstar: Ted Neeley Tells the Inside Story

Jesus Christ Superstar: Ted Neeley Tells the Inside StorySong Writing

The in-depth discussion about the making of Jesus Christ Superstar with Ted Neeley, who played Jesus in the 1973 film.

Amy Grant

Amy GrantSongwriter Interviews

The top Contemporary Christian artist of all time on song inspirations and what she learned from Johnny Carson.

Janis Ian: Married in London, but not in New York

Janis Ian: Married in London, but not in New YorkSong Writing

Can you be married in one country but not another? Only if you're part of a gay couple. One of the first famous singers to come out as a lesbian, Janis wrote a song about it.