Wild Things Run Fast

Last updated

Wild Things Run Fast
Joni Wild.jpg
Studio album by
Joni Mitchell
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

Charts

Chart performance for Wild Things Run Fast
Chart (1982)Peak
position
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report) [6] 51
Canada Top Albums/CDs ( RPM ) [7] 33
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ) [8] 10
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista) [9] 14
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) [10] 50
UK Albums (OCC) [11] 32
US Billboard 200 [12] 25
US Cash Box Top 100 Albums [13] 28

Related Research Articles

<i>The Last Waltz</i> (soundtrack) 1978 soundtrack album by the Band

The Last Waltz is the second live album by the Band, released on Warner Bros. Records in 1978, catalogue 3WS 3146. It is the soundtrack to the 1978 film of the same name, and the final album by the original configuration of the Band. It peaked at No. 16 on the Billboard 200.

<i>Don Juans Reckless Daughter</i> 1977 studio album by Joni Mitchell

Don Juan's Reckless Daughter is a 1977 double album by Canadian singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell. Her ninth album, it is unusual for its experimental style, expanding even further on the jazz-influenced sound of Mitchell's previous recordings. Mitchell has stated that, close to completing her contract with Asylum Records, she allowed this album to be looser than anything she had done previously.

<i>House of Love</i> (Amy Grant album) 1994 studio album by Amy Grant

House of Love is the eleventh studio album by Christian and Pop singer Amy Grant, released in 1994.

<i>Mingus</i> (Joni Mitchell album) 1979 studio album by Joni Mitchell

Mingus is the tenth studio album by Canadian musician Joni Mitchell. It was released on June 13, 1979, and was her last studio album for Asylum Records. The album is a collaboration between Mitchell and Charles Mingus. It was recorded in the months before and after Mingus' death in January 1979 and is wholly dedicated to him. The album is one of Mitchell's most experimental and jazz-centric works. Mingus originally wrote six compositions for Mitchell to write lyrics for; three of these were included on the album. Two other tracks written exclusively by Mitchell are included, alongside a new version of Mingus' standard "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat", featuring lyrics written by Mitchell. In addition to these, five spoken word tracks are dispersed throughout the album.

<i>Shadows and Light</i> (Joni Mitchell album) 1980 live album by Joni Mitchell

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.

<i>Dog Eat Dog</i> (Joni Mitchell album) 1985 studio album by Joni Mitchell

Dog Eat Dog is the 12th studio album by the Canadian singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell, released in 1985. It was her second album for Geffen Records.

<i>Chalk Mark in a Rain Storm</i> 1988 studio album by Joni Mitchell

Chalk Mark in a Rain Storm is the 13th studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell, released on March 23, 1988, by Geffen Records. Her third release on the label, the album features duets with a number of artists such as Peter Gabriel on "My Secret Place", Willie Nelson on "Cool Water", Don Henley on "Snakes and Ladders", and Billy Idol and Tom Petty on the track "Dancin' Clown". Henley also performs backing vocals on "Lakota", and Wendy and Lisa perform backing vocals on "The Tea Leaf Prophecy ".

<i>Night Ride Home</i> 1991 studio album by Joni Mitchell

Night Ride Home is the 14th album by Canadian singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell, released in 1991. It was the last of four albums she recorded for Geffen Records.

<i>Turbulent Indigo</i> 1994 studio album by Joni Mitchell

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".

<i>Gurus Jazzmatazz, Vol. 2: The New Reality</i> 1995 studio album by Guru

Jazzmatazz, Volume II is the second solo studio album by American hip hop musician Guru. It was released on July 18, 1995, through Chrysalis Records as the second installment of the rapper's Jazzmatazz album series.

<i>Taming the Tiger</i> 1998 studio album by Joni Mitchell

Taming the Tiger is the sixteenth studio album by the Canadian musician Joni Mitchell. Released on September 29, 1998, through Reprise Records, it is the follow-up to the successful Turbulent Indigo (1994). The album was, at the time, widely believed to be her last of completely original material; this would be disproved with the release of Shine in 2007.

<i>Deborah</i> (album) 1997 studio album by Debbie Gibson

Deborah is the sixth studio album by American singer-songwriter Debbie Gibson. Released on June 11, 1997, under Gibson's own record label, Espiritu Records, this was the first release where the singer was credited with her full name. The original release sold to Debbie Gibson International Fan Club (DGIF) members includes her covers of "People" and "Don't Rain on My Parade" from Funny Girl, as she starred in the off-Broadway production tour of the musical the previous year. The second release for the general market replaced the Funny Girl covers with "Only Words" and a re-recording of Gibson's 1987 debut single "Only in My Dreams".

<i>Other Roads</i> 1988 studio album by Boz Scaggs

Other Roads is the tenth studio album by Boz Scaggs released in 1988. After an eight-year hiatus from recording, Scaggs returned in 1988 with this album, a record aimed primarily at the adult contemporary market.

<i>One Nil</i> 2001 studio album by Neil Finn

One Nil, released in 2001, is the second solo album by New Zealand singer-songwriter, Neil Finn. When released in the United States the following year, the album had a slightly different track listing and was issued under the name One All.

<i>All Systems Go</i> (Donna Summer album) 1987 studio album by Donna Summer

All Systems Go is the thirteenth studio album by Donna Summer. It was released on September 15, 1987; it would be her final release on Geffen Records, which had been Summer's label since 1980. There were two singles released in the US, "Dinner with Gershwin" and "Only the Fool Survives", although both failed to reach the top 40 of the Hot 100. The title cut, "All Systems Go" was released as single in the UK. The album peaked at number 122 on the US Billboard 200, becoming her lowest charting studio album to date.

<i>Love on the Beat</i> 1984 studio album by Serge Gainsbourg

Love on the Beat is the fifteenth studio album by French singer and songwriter Serge Gainsbourg. On this album, Gainsbourg used American musicians to achieve a funk-heavy rock sound. The album was controversial due to its very sexual lyrical content, with homosexuality and prostitution as the subject matters on many of the tracks. Perhaps the most controversial was "Lemon Incest", which was set to Frédéric Chopin's Étude No. 3 and sung as a duet with his then-13-year-old daughter Charlotte Gainsbourg.

<i>Eyes That See in the Dark</i> 1983 studio album by Kenny Rogers

Eyes That See in the Dark is the fifteenth studio album by American country singer Kenny Rogers, released by RCA Records in August 1983.

<i>Three Chord Opera</i> 2001 studio album by Neil Diamond

Three Chord Opera is the twenty-fifth studio album by Neil Diamond, released in 2001. It marked the first album since 1974's Serenade to consist solely of original material written solely by Diamond, and the first album of any original songs since 1996's country-themed Tennessee Moon where he co-wrote all but one of the songs.

<i>New Day Dawning</i> (Wynonna Judd album) 2000 studio album by Wynonna

New Day Dawning is the fifth solo studio album by American country music artist Wynonna, released in 2000. It produced only two chart singles on the Billboard Hot Country Singles and Tracks charts: "Can't Nobody Love You " at #31, and "Going Nowhere" at #43. Also included are cover versions of Joni Mitchell's "Help Me" and the Fabulous Thunderbirds' "Tuff Enuff".

<i>Wonderland</i> (Take That album) 2017 studio album by Take That

Wonderland is the eighth studio album by English band Take That. It was released on 24 March 2017 through Polydor Records.

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 [ dead link ]
  5. ↑ JoniMitchell.com – Biography (1981–1984 A Solid Love)
  6. ↑ 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.
  7. ↑ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 6179a". RPM . Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  8. ↑ "Charts.nz – Joni Mitchell – Wild Things Run Fast". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  9. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Joni Mitchell – Wild Things Run Fast". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  10. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Joni Mitchell – Wild Things Run Fast". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  11. ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  12. ↑ "Joni Mitchell Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  13. ↑ "Cash Box Top 100 Albums" (PDF). Cash Box . December 18, 1982. p. 29. Retrieved July 16, 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.