| "Raised on Robbery" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 German cover | ||||
| Single by Joni Mitchell | ||||
| from the album Court and Spark | ||||
| B-side | "Court and Spark" | |||
| Released | December 1973 | |||
| Recorded | 1973 | |||
| Genre | Soft rock | |||
| Length | 2:20 | |||
| Label | Asylum | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Joni Mitchell | |||
| Producer(s) | Joni Mitchell | |||
| Joni Mitchell singles chronology | ||||
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"Raised on Robbery" is a song written by Joni Mitchell. It was the lead single from her 1974 album Court and Spark .
The lyrics are about a prostitute who tries to pick up a man sitting alone in a hotel. [1] [2] [3] The prostitute tells him about her life, until at the end of the song the man leaves. [2] Los Angeles Times music critic Robert Hilburn explains that although the lyrics are provocative, they are "camouflaged enough" for AM radio, for example by using a cooking metaphor. [3]
"Raised on Robbery" has a strophic structure with a refrain at the end of each verse and a four-line introduction section to describe the setting and characters. [4] The music is more commercial than much of the music Mitchell performed before releasing this song, and Allmusic critic William Ruhlmann describes it as "an outright rock tune," although retaining the acoustic guitar work that Mitchell was known for. [1] [2] Robbie Robertson of the Band plays electric guitar on the song to enhance the rock music feel. [2] Billboard described the guitar playing as "funky" and said that the guitars and horns keep the music flowing. [1] According to music professor Lloyd Whitesell, Mitchell "employs vocal histrionics to portray" the prostitute and conveys her brash personalities through "a bright, forceful vocal tone and suggestive, flamboyant slides." [4]
Music critic Sean Nelson regarded "Raised on Robbery" as a tribute to such 1950s rock and roll songs as "Shake Rattle and Roll" and performers such as Chuck Berry but did not think it was very convincing, saying that it sounded "stodgy and wrinkled." [5] On the other hand, Ruhlmann regarded the song as a perfectly realized "short story in song" with "funny and saucy" lyrics. [2] Fellow Allmusic critic Jason Ankeny stated that "Raised on Robbery" " offers an acutely funny look at the predatory environment of the singles bar scene." [6] Hilburn called it the "liveliest track" on Court and Spark, calling it a "surprising, but welcome exercise in humor." [3] Tallahassee Democrat critic Bud Newman claimed that it was the only song on Court and Spark that "comes right out and grabs you, holding you captive to the lyric and the musical package." [7] Cash Box said that "a rocking, rolling hard driving effort by Joni is a rarity...but this one was well worth waiting for." [8] Record World said that "Joni goes for a boogie-woogie beat, tight '30s harmonies and great instrumental backup on her spectacular new single entry." [9]
"Raised on Robbery" reached No. 50 on the Cashbox singles chart, No. 65 on the Billboard Hot 100, and No. 40 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. [10] [11] [12]
"Raised on Robbery" was later included on the video version of Mitchell's 1980 live album Shadows and Light , along with her compilation albums Hits (1996) and Songs of a Prairie Girl (2005), the latter album being dedicated to Saskatchewan's centenary celebrations. [2] [13] [14] [15]
| Chart (1973–1974) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada Top Singles ( RPM ) [16] | 51 |
| Canada Adult Contemporary ( RPM ) [17] | 27 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 [18] | 65 |
| US Adult Contemporary ( Billboard ) [19] | 40 |
| US Cash Box Top 100 [20] | 50 |
Ladies of the Canyon is the third studio album by the Canadian singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell, released on Reprise Records in 1970. It peaked at No. 27 on the Billboard 200, and has been certified platinum by the RIAA. The title makes reference to Laurel Canyon, a center of popular music culture in Los Angeles during the 1960s, where Mitchell lived while she was writing the album. Specifically, Mitchell lived and wrote at 8217 Lookout Mountain Avenue, the house which is the subject of Graham Nash's "Our House". The album includes several of Mitchell's most noted songs, such as "Big Yellow Taxi", "Woodstock" and "The Circle Game".
That's Why I'm Here is the eleventh studio album by singer-songwriter James Taylor released in 1985, four years after his previous effort, Dad Loves His Work. The album contains a version of Buddy Holly's "Everyday", as well as the participation of several singers, including Don Henley, Joni Mitchell, Graham Nash and Deniece Williams. "My Romance" was not on the LP or cassette version. "Only One" peaked at number 6 on the US Adult Contemporary chart and at number 3 in Canada.
The Hissing of Summer Lawns is the seventh studio album by the Canadian-American singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell, released in November 1975 on Asylum Records. It continues the jazz-influenced sound of Mitchell's previous album, Court and Spark, with more unconventional and experimental material. It features sampling, synthesizers such as the Moog and ARP, and contributions from acts including the jazz-rock groups the L.A. Express and the Jazz Crusaders and James Taylor, David Crosby, and Graham Nash.
Court and Spark is the sixth studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell. Released in January 1974, it infuses the folk rock style of her previous albums with jazz elements.
"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 1980 live album Shadows and Light. It is ranked No. 470 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
"Big Yellow Taxi" is a song written, composed, and originally recorded by Canadian singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell in 1970, and originally released on her album Ladies of the Canyon. It was a hit in her native Canada as well as Australia and the UK. It only reached No. 67 in the US in 1970, but was later a bigger hit there for her in a live version released in 1974, which peaked at No. 24. Charting versions have also been recorded by the Neighborhood, and most notably by Amy Grant in 1995 and Counting Crows in 2002. The song was also sampled in Janet Jackson's "Got 'til It's Gone" (1997).
Miles of Aisles is the first live album by Canadian singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell, released in 1974 on Asylum Records. It is a double album documenting her concerts in support of the Court and Spark album with her backing band for the tour, the L.A. Express. It reached No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and became one of her biggest-selling records, certified a gold record by the RIAA.
Shadows and Light is the second live album by Canadian musician Joni Mitchell. It was released in September 1980 through Asylum Records, her last release for the label. It was recorded in September 1979 at the Santa Barbara Bowl in Santa Barbara, California.
Wild Things Run Fast is the 11th studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell. Her first of four releases for Geffen Records, it was released in 1982 and represents her move to a more 1980s pop sound. This was her first album to work with bassist Larry Klein, whom she married in 1982. Klein would play bass on and co-produce her next four albums.
"Help Me" is a love song written, produced, and performed by Joni Mitchell and released on her 1974 album Court and Spark. The song was recorded with jazz band Tom Scott's L.A. Express as the backing band.
Turbulent Indigo is the 15th album by Canadian singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell. Released in 1994, it won a Grammy Award for Best Pop Album. John Milward, writing for Rolling Stone, wrote that it was Mitchell's "best album since the mid-'70s".
Stoney End is the twelfth studio album by American singer Barbra Streisand. Released in 1971 and produced by Richard Perry, it was a conscious change in direction for Streisand, having a more upbeat, contemporary pop/rock sound. It included cover versions of several songs by contemporary singer-songwriters, including Laura Nyro, Randy Newman and Joni Mitchell.
"Your Smiling Face" is a song by singer James Taylor. First available on the album JT, and released as the album's sophomore single in September 1977, "Your Smiling Face" peaked at number 11 in Cash Box magazine and at 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 near year's end. It reached number 11 on the RPM Top Singles chart in Canada. On Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart, it reached number 6.
"Almost Saturday Night" is a song written by John Fogerty and first released on his 1975 album John Fogerty. It was released as a single and reached No. 78. It has been covered by a number of artists, including Dave Edmunds, who also released it as a single to more success, Gene Clark, Ricky Nelson, The Searchers, The Georgia Satellites and Ned LeDoux.
"Long Ago and Far Away" is a song written by James Taylor and first released on his 1971 album Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon. It was the follow-up single to "You've Got a Friend" and became a Top 40 hit in the U.S. and a Top 20 hit in Canada, and made the Top 10 on the Adult Contemporary chart in the U.S. It has also been covered by New York Voices and Johnny Mathis.
"Mexico" is a song written by James Taylor that first appeared as the opening track of his 1975 album Gorilla. It was released as a single, with the album's title track as the B-side, and reached No. 49 on the Billboard Hot 100, but performed much better on the Adult Contemporary chart, reaching No. 5. "Mexico" has appeared on many of Taylor's live and compilation albums. It has been covered by Jimmy Buffett, Alex de Grassi and Lauren Laverne.
"Down to You" is a song written by Joni Mitchell that was first released on her 1974 album Court and Spark. It won the Grammy Award for Best Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s).
"California" is a song written by Joni Mitchell that first appeared on her 1971 album Blue. It was also released as the second single from the album, as a follow-up to "Carey".
"How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)" is a song recorded by American soul singer Marvin Gaye from his fifth studio album of the same name (1965). It was written in 1964 by the Motown songwriting team of Holland–Dozier–Holland, and produced by Brian Holland and Lamont Dozier. The song title was inspired by one of the actor and comedian Jackie Gleason's signature phrases, "How Sweet It Is!"
"In France They Kiss on Main Street" is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell from the album The Hissing of Summer Lawns. It was released as a single in 1976 and reached number 66 on the Billboard Hot 100. Despite the title referring to kissing in France, the song actually tells a story of young romance and coming of age in the 1950s in North America.
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