Album: Turbulent Indigo (1994)

License This Song 

Songfacts®:

• This bitter song describes a famous guy who is abusive to one woman and drives another to suicide, all the while claiming he is not to blame. The likely inspiration is Jackson Browne, whom Mitchell dated for a time in the early '70s. Browne's first wife, Phyllis Major, committed suicide in 1976, and in 1992 Daryl Hannah suffered injuries at the home she and Browne shared in Santa Monica, California. Hannah didn't file charges against Browne, and he vigorously denied any wrongdoing. The incident happened at the end of their relationship.
  
  Mitchell claimed the song was not about a specific person, but about "batterers of women" in general, but Browne was so clearly implicated in the song that he took to the press to defend himself, reiterating that he never struck Hannah.
• This is a track on Mitchell's 15th album, Turbulent Indigo, one of her most acclaimed. It won the Grammy Award for Best Pop Album, her first win in an album category.

Comments: 4

• Tyto Alb from AustraliaPhrases like "lifelong deranged enmity" in the comments above don't do as much to undermine Joni Mitchell as their authors seem to think. "She's crazy" is the catch-cry of every domestic abuser, and the fact that the man in question tried to use the same tactic does not speak well for him. Calling a woman "crazy" because she does not put a filter on her honesty is just another form of abuse. So is threatening to sue her. If she puts a man she used to know into a part of a song that would seem to the vast majority of listeners just to be a song about domestic violence, and he arcs up and tries to say it's all just because she was mentally ill - and he is a man who is known to be litigious - why wouldn't she "refuse to confirm or deny" that the song is all about him? The commentators here seem to forget that usually when a woman says a man has been violent towards her, she is telling the truth.
  
  But all of this distracts from the purpose of the song, which is to shine a light on the way certain sycophants flock to aid violent men in their gaslighting campaigns - drawing upon them suspicion of similar deeds. Funny, that.
• Barbara Allen from ScotlandIt wasn't Jackson Browne who abused her, it was the musicial Don Alias, who played on a few albums with her. She always said JB didn't hit her.
  Incidentally, and re Daryl Hannah, just because someone doesn't press charges against a person, it doesn't mean it didn't happen. If you've ever been on the receiving end, you would understand how these people operate in their abuse of others.
• Tws from Los Angeles Only because I find myself listening to these two amazing artists a good bit these days do I feel any impulse to chime in. Of course few - if any - people can know the absolute truth about the specifics of either issue. But in that Mitchell's "brand" was to be as brutally honest as possible (one of the many things that makes her such an incredible artist) why then would she refuse to confirm or deny that this song was directed at Browne? She just lets the slander dangle unanswered. To strike out publically without proof is yet another kind of abuse. Ironic - given the tragic theme of the song.
• Mrmeaning from Uk'Not to Blame' is widely understood to be Joni's condemnation of her ex Jackson Browne as a wife-beater who drove women to suicide but says he's not to blame. Her 'Song For Sharon' (on 'Hejira' ) also puts the boot in about the suicide of Jackson's first wife, Phyllis Major. The casual reader/listener might well assume that honest Joni, who knew him well must be telling the truth. But the truth is: Browne isn't a violent man. He earned her lifelong deranged emnity by not loving her enough and then dumping her. See, if you will, my post: https://soothfairy.com/2015/03/29/jackson-browne-and-daryl-hannah/#mitchell

More Songfacts:

Open Your HeartMadonna

The kid in Madonna's "Open Your Heart" video became a successful songwriter. His songs include Amy Winehouse's "You Sent Me Flying" and James Blunt's "1973."

Ur So GayKaty Perry

Katy Perry says her 2008 song "Ur So Gay" is about "guys who wear the guyliner, steal your jeans, and that whole almost hipster emo scene."

Private DancerTina Turner

Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits wrote "Private Dancer," which went to Tina Turner when he realized it wasn't a song for a man to sing.

Mmm Mmm Mmm MmmCrash Test Dummies

The third verse of "Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm" by Crash Test Dummies ("they shook and lurched all over the church floor...") was inspired by girl whose parents would speak in tongues at their Pentecostal service.

Evening StarJudas Priest

Judas Priest's "Evening Star" is a Christmas carol that describes the journey of the Magi from a first person perspective.

I'll Be Missing YouPuff Daddy

Puff Daddy didn't get permission to sample the Police song "Every Breath You Take" on his Notorious B.I.G. tribute "I'll Be Missing You," but he later reached an agreement and even performed the song with Sting.

Editor's Picks

Holly Knight ("The Best," "Love Is A Battlefield")Songwriter Interviews

Holly Knight talks about some of the hit songs she wrote, including "The Warrior," "Never" and "The Best," and explains some songwriting philosophy, including how to think of a bridge.

Maxi PriestSongwriter Interviews

The British reggae legend tells the story of his #1 hit "Close To You," talks about his groundbreaking Shabba Ranks collaboration "Housecall," and discusses his latest project with Robin Trower.

Paul Stanley of Kiss, Soul StationSongwriter Interviews

Paul Stanley on his soul music project, the Kiss songs with the biggest soul influence, and the non-make-up era of the band.

Second Wind SongsSong Writing

Some songs get a second life when they find a new audience through a movie, commercial, TV show, or even the Internet.

Bob DaisleySongwriter Interviews

Bob was the bass player and lyricist for the first two Ozzy Osbourne albums. Here's how he wrote songs like "Crazy Train" and "Mr. Crowley" with Ozzy and Randy Rhoads.

DevoSongwriter Interviews

Devo founders Mark Mothersbaugh and Jerry Casale take us into their world of subversive performance art. They may be right about the De-Evoloution thing.