Free Man in Paris

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“Free Man in Paris”
Song by Joni Mitchell
Album	Court and Spark
Released	January 1974
Recorded	1973
Genre	Folk jazz, Singer-songwriter
Length	3:02
Label	Asylum
Writer	Joni Mitchell
Producer	Joni Mitchell
Cover versions
Sufjan Stevens on A Tribute to Joni Mitchell
Court and Spark track listing
"Help Me" (2) “Free Man in Paris” (3) "People's Parties" (4)
from the album A Tribute to Joni Mitchell
Length	5:01
Label	Nonesuch Records
"Free Man in Paris" (1) "The Boho Dance" (3)

"Free Man In Paris" is a song written by Canadian singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell. It appeared on her 1974 album Court and Spark, as well as her live album Shadows and Light. It is one of her more popular songs. It is about music agent/promoter David Geffen, a close friend in the early 1970s and a trip they made to Paris with Robbie and Dominique Robertson. [1]

In the 1970s, an instrumental version of the song was the theme music used for CBC Television's The Saturday Evening News, which aired at 6 p.m. till 1982 when it was replaced with Saturday Report. Neil Diamond covered the song on his album, I'm Glad You're Here With Me Tonight in 1977.

In 2007 the song was covered by Sufjan Stevens for a tribute to Joni Mitchell compilation. Similar to his cover of The Beatles "What Goes On", Stevens kept only the lyrics and let the words inspire him to write a new arrangement and melody for the song ^[1] Stevens has stated that with his cover he "decided to conjure up a party song, with strings and trumpets and trombones and vibraphones marching in a parade down the Champs Elysees to the Arc de Triomphe, all lit up with fireworks." ^[2]

Adrienne Young covered the song on her 2007 album Room to Grow.

The song is ranked #470 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

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