Richard Skinner at 3:AM Magazine:
When Don Juan came out, the lyrics were printed on the album sleeve. Included in the lyrics for “Paprika Plains” was a 72-line passage of stream-of-consciousness imagery which was meant to be read while listening to ‘The Medallion’ section of “Paprika Plains”. Drawn from a dream Mitchell had, this lyrical tableau further explored Mitchell’s childhood but, this time, these memories of indigenous Canadian prairie folk were presented as a post-apocalyptic vision.
In interview, Mitchell has stated that “Paprika Plains” was the hardest piece of music she ever worked on. None of Joni’s contemporaries could have produced such a unique and distinctive tone poem as she did with “Paprika Plains”. Not one. The way she held on to her vision and trusted her artistic process is a measure of the heights of her creativity in this period of her life.
And then for something completely different – “Otis and Marlena”, a portrait of an elderly couple vacationing in Miami, observing other holidaymakers from their 10th floor hotel balcony. The song paints such incredible colours of the Floridian city and skies (once again evoked by Larry Carlton’s fine guitar harmonics).
more here.
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