Chalk Mark in a Rainstorm

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Chalk Mark in a Rain Storm
Chalk Mark in a Rain Storm cover
Studio album by Joni Mitchell
Released March 23, 1988
Recorded 1986-1987
Genre Adult Alternative, Pop/Rock, Experimental
Length 46:11
Label Geffen Records
Producer Joni Mitchell, Larry Klein
Professional reviews
Joni Mitchell chronology
Dog Eat Dog
(1985)		 Chalk Mark In A Rain Storm
(1988)		 Night Ride Home
(1991)

Chalk Mark In A Rain Storm is an album by Joni Mitchell, released in 1988. It was her third for Geffen Records. The album features various duets with guest artists such as Peter Gabriel on "My Secret Place", Willie Nelson on "Cool Water", Don Henley on Snakes and Ladders, Billy Idol and Tom Petty on the track "Dancin' Clown", and Don Henley is heard on "Lakota" and "Snakes and Ladders".

Many of the songs comment on social issues: "Lakota" deals with Native American and environmental matters, "Cool Water" (a Mitchell rewrite of the Bob Nolan original) discusses water pollution, "The Tea Leaf Prophecy (Lay Down Your Arms)" and "The Beat of Black Wings" tell war-related tales. But Mitchell's main theme, which encompasses those topics, concerns the evils of contemporary culture in which one struggles to be "Number One", rises and falls like a game of "Snakes and Ladders", and suffers "The Reoccurring Dream" brought on by advertising. "The Beat of Black Wings" is about an encounter she'd had back in the late '60s with an embittered Vietnam vet named Killer Kyle; the song contains the line "...like a chalk mark in a rain storm", which would become the title of her album.

Contents

[edit] History

In early 1986, Joni went along with Larry Klein when he traveled to Peter Gabriel's studio in Bath, called Ashcombe House. Since Gabriel had mostly finished his album, he offered Joni and Larry the use of his studio if they wanted to record. They did, and the result was the track "My Secret Place" featuring a duet of Joni and Peter. Joni told Musician magazine about this song: "It's a love beginning song. The song's about the threshold of intimacy. It's a shared thing so I wanted it to be like the Song of Soloman, where you can't tell what gender it is. It's the uniting spirit of two people at the beginning of a relationship".

In February 1987, Joni saw Billy Idol performing his song "To Be A Lover" on the Grammy Awards show. She felt he captured the original spirit of rock'n'roll along with a new spark of energy, and would be perfect for a cameo on her song "Dancin' Clown". Billy came over to Joni's studio one evening a few days after the Grammys and recorded his part, complete with yelps and howls. Joni told Macleans magazine about this pairing up: "It was for the contrast he provided. It's a great little cameo for him, and he brings real life to the part." Later, Tom Petty recorded his cameo on the same song.

On Chalk Mark, Joni said told interviewer Kristine McKenna: "I've discovered that with your focus no longer on finding a mate, you get a heightened sense of community, and I've become a bit more political - not too political though".

Most of the recordings on Chalk Mark in a Rain Storm were begun in very early 1988. Chalk Mark in a Rain Storm was readied for release in March of 1988, but a pre-release single was serviced to radio stations in January with Joni's duet with Don Henley on her song "Snakes And Ladders" which received decent airplay on rock radio.

[edit] Release

The official first single of the album was "My Secret Place." It was released in March and "bubbled under" for a few weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 charts. The video, a black & white film featuring Joni and Peter Gabriel, got a bit of video airplay on VH-1, where it premiered in May of 1988.

Billboard magazine's Steve Gett reviewed the new album and awarded it an early rave. Other reviews were mostly very favorable, and the fact that there were cameos by many well-known musicians brought it a great deal of notice. The album easily bested Dog Eat Dog's chart position, peaking at #45 on the Billboard Top Album chart.

To promote the album, Joni also travelled to Australia in late May, appearing on a few TV shows including "The Midday Show with Ray Martin," "Rock Arena" and the morning show "Sunday" where she performed "Number One" and "Night Ride Home".

In January 1989, the nominations for the 31st Annual Grammy Awards were announced and for the first time in more than a decade, Joni received a nomination in the Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female. Although she was a sentimental favorite, the tailwind behind Tracy Chapman and her first single "Fast Car" was just too strong, and Joni went home awardless.

[edit] Track listing

All tracks composed by Joni Mitchell; except where indicated

  1. "My Secret Place" – 5:01
  2. "Number One" – 3:46
  3. "Lakota" – 6:25 (Mitchell, Larry Klein)
  4. "The Tea Leaf Prophecy (Lay Down Your Arms)" – 4:49 (Mitchell, Larry Klein)
  5. "Dancin' Clown" – 4:09
  6. "Cool Water" – 5:25 (Mitchell, Bob Nolan)
  7. "The Beat of Black Wings" – 5:19
  8. "Snakes and Ladders" – 5:37 (Mitchell, Larry Klein)
  9. "The Reoccurring Dream" – 3:02 (Mitchell, Larry Klein)
  10. "A Bird That Whistles (Corrina, Corrina)" – 2:38

[edit] Personnel

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