Wild Things Run Fast

Last updated

Wild Things Run Fast
Joni Wild.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedOctober 1982
Studio
Genre Pop rock, folk
Length36:44
Label Geffen
Producer Joni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell chronology
Shadows and Light
(1980)
Wild Things Run Fast
(1982)
Dog Eat Dog
(1985)
Singles from Wild Things Run Fast
  1. "(You're So Square) Baby I Don't Care"
    Released: November 1982
  2. "Underneath the Streetlight"
    Released: February 1983 (US and Canada)
  3. "Chinese Café (Unchained Melody)"
    Released: February 1983 (Europe and Australia)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [1]
Robert Christgau B [2]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [3]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [4]

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.

Contents

Inspiration

Mitchell claimed that her inspiration for the album came from hearing the music of popular bands such as Steely Dan, Talking Heads and The Police at a discothèque during a trip to the Caribbean in 1981. She said that hearing The Police, especially, affected her sound, saying, "their rhythmic hybrids, and the positioning of the drums, and the sound of the drums, was one of the main calls out to me to make a more rhythmic album". [5]

Tour

The resulting world tour took Mitchell through the U.S., Europe, Asia and Australia. A video of the tour was released in 1983, entitled Refuge of the Roads. The recorded performances were not performed in front of a live audience, but rather recorded live in a studio once the tour had been completed, with applause dubbed-in during post-production. There was also some Super 8 footage taken by Mitchell on the road. It has since been released on DVD.

Track listing

All tracks are written by Joni Mitchell, except where noted.

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Chinese Café / Unchained Melody"Mitchell / Alex North, Hy Zaret 5:17
2."Wild Things Run Fast" 2:12
3."Ladies' Man" 2:37
4."Moon at the Window" 3:42
5."Solid Love" 2:57
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Be Cool" 4:12
2."(You're So Square) Baby I Don't Care" Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller 2:36
3."You Dream Flat Tires" 2:50
4."Man to Man" 3:42
5."Underneath the Streetlight" 2:14
6."Love" 3:46

Personnel

Track numbering refers to CD and digital releases of the album.

Technical personnel

Reception

In The Boston Phoenix , Ken Emerson said that "Mitchell’s belated rediscovery of 'heart. and humor and humility' makes Wild Things Run Fast (Geffen) her finest album since Hejira and her most commercial since Court and Spark (1974). ... The album is by no means a regression, but it is a rejection of the false sophistication that made Don Juan and Mingus so off-putting. Now, once again, like a child but also like a true artist, Joni Mitchell is confronting life and herself 'face to face.'" [6]

Charts

Chart performance for Wild Things Run Fast
Chart (1982)Peak
position
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report) [7] 51
Canada Top Albums/CDs ( RPM ) [8] 33
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ) [9] 10
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista) [10] 14
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) [11] 50
UK Albums (OCC) [12] 32
US Billboard 200 [13] 25
US Cash Box Top 100 Albums [14] 28

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References

  1. Ruhlmann, Robert (2011). "Wild Things Run Fast – Joni Mitchell | AllMusic". allmusic.com. Retrieved July 19, 2011.
  2. Robert Christgau review
  3. Larkin, Colin (2011). "Mitchell, Joni". The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). London: Omnibus Press. ISBN   978-0-85712-595-8.
  4. Rolling Stone review
  5. JoniMitchell.com – Biography (1981–1984 A Solid Love)
  6. Emerson, Ken (November 9, 1982). "Mitchell at the Gates of Dawn". The Boston Phoenix. Retrieved September 30, 2024.
  7. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992: 23 years of hit singles & albums from the top 100 charts. St Ives, N.S.W, Australia: Australian Chart Book. ISBN   0-646-11917-6.
  8. "Top RPM Albums: Issue 6179a". RPM . Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  9. "Charts.nz – Joni Mitchell – Wild Things Run Fast". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  10. "Norwegiancharts.com – Joni Mitchell – Wild Things Run Fast". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  11. "Swedishcharts.com – Joni Mitchell – Wild Things Run Fast". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  12. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  13. "Joni Mitchell Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  14. "Cash Box Top 100 Albums" (PDF). Cash Box . December 18, 1982. p. 29. Retrieved July 16, 2024.