At this moment i am listening to Down to You, a lovely song by Joni Mitchell from her album Court and Spark.

Suddenly it occurs to me that the long 'semi-classical' instrumental part of this song reminds me a lot of the long 'semi-classical' intro of Condition of the Heart.

Anyone else has noticed this resemblance? It might not be a note-to-note thing, but it is surely there in the use of instruments and 'sounds' IMO.

Sounds very Joni-esque, don't it?

Sounds like several songs from The Hissing of Summer Lawns, and even "Paprika Plains" from Don Juan's... <-- sometimes I wonder if the song title didn't inspire "Paisley Park"

It's quite possible that Joni was the inspiration there. Prince seemed really into her during that period. IIRC, Lisa introduced him to her music. He did invite her to the first official listening party for ATWIAD. He name checked her Hissing album as the last album he enjoyed all the way through during a Rolling Stone interview in 1985. Her album Hejira is featured during a scene in Under The Cherry Moon and Wendy & Lisa's music for Sometimes it Snows in April sounds like something pulled off of Joni's Blue album.

jtfolden said:

Really? Didn't Prince go to a Joni concert whilst he was still knee-high to a very small grasshopper? I read an interview with Joni where she talked about seeing this young kid with big eyes - Didn't realise Lisa knew him when he was a kid. Didn't she come around during the Dirty Mind period?
[Edited 4/4/07 0:29am]

vivid said:

Yes, I've read that interview with Joni, as well. Yet, I'd also read more than once over the years that it was Lisa that originally started introducing Prince to other, more eclectic, forms of music, including Joni. I suppose it's possible that Prince DID attend a Joni concert as a kid but Lisa re-introduced him to some of Joni's, then, later more jazzy experimental works. It's hard to reconcile those two accounts (if you can believe Joni would remember an unknown child in a random concert audience at the height of her popularity ).

What I heard was, when Lisa and Prince first met, one of the things they had in common was that they both loved Joni Mitchell's music. Lisa did NOT introduce him to Joni's music, he was already a fan. I also remember an interview with Joni where she said that Prince told her that he stayed holed up in his room, listening to her "Hissing Of Summer Lawns" album a lot when he was a teenager. I do think that Joni was an influence on "Condition of the heart" but I don't think it was influenced by any particular Joni song, just the overall feel of her music.

Great. Now I gotta listen to Court and Spark...again.

My all-time favorite Joni album...

I don't really hear a lot of Down To You in Condition of the Heart. I mean...they both use the piano to the fore...but other than that, they aren't really similar. Condition of the Heart reminds me of Debussy...Down To You definitely doesn't.

If anything, I'd say the middle third of DTY reminds me more of Alexa de Paris (though the former is piano-based and the latter guitar-based), particularly in their use of strings.

Condition of the heart is definitly a Joni inspired song.

duggalolly said:

Yep. Good post.

The instrumental part is RTF's "The Romantic Warrior" intro.

FruitToAttractBears said:

Yep again.

blackguitaristz said:

very cool. never heard of it. just bought it at itunes to check out.

thanks!

Don't forget the reference to Joni on the back of Controversy as the headline in the "Controversy Daily" & that was back in what 1982?
[Edited 4/4/07 16:11pm]

Farfunknugin said:

1981, actually... I think that might be the earliest official reference.

jtfolden said:

11/81 to be exact

Farfunknugin said:

Actually, I think it was October to be totally accurate.

jtfolden said:

I can't remember if it was on a Tuesday or Wednesday,
but I do remember it being late afternoon.
Like 3:30ish or something.

Illustrator said:

It was a Tuesday and the first store to have it available was a Camelot records at 9:01AM EST in an east coast mall.

jtfolden said:

Yeah, but back then I didn't get out of Sears (my part-time job at the time),
til 3:00.
Now, I know that since my shift didn't star til 10:00 in the a.m., & that I probably could've gotten it before I punched in,
but I always liked to stop into the McD's first & enjoy a sausage McMuffin with egg & orange juice whilst reading the latest issue of "Right On" or Daredevil by Miller & Jansen, which ever was out first.
So for me,
it was late afternoon.

Tremolina said:

The Ballad of Dorothy Parker

jdcxc said:

Definitly too!
His singing on both songs is sometimes almost exactly as Joni would sing it.

I could totally believe this is Joni inspired. Thanx Joni. cause i love Condition of the Heart.