# For the Roses

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1972 studio album by Joni Mitchell

For the Roses Studio album by Joni Mitchell Released November 1972 Recorded 1972 Studio A&M (Hollywood) Genre Folk rock soft rock jazz Length 40:20 Label Asylum Producer Joni Mitchell Joni Mitchell chronology Blue (1971) For the Roses (1972) Court and Spark (1974) Singles from For the Roses "You Turn Me On, I'm a Radio" Released: October 1972 "Cold Blue Steel and Sweet Fire" Released: 9 March 1973

***For the Roses*** is the fifth studio album by the Canadian singer-songwriter [Joni Mitchell](/source/Joni_Mitchell). It was released in November 1972, between her two biggest commercial and critical successes—*[Blue](/source/Blue_(Joni_Mitchell_album))* and *[Court and Spark](/source/Court_and_Spark)*. In 2007 it was one of 25 recordings chosen that year by the [Library of Congress](/source/Library_of_Congress) to be added to the [National Recording Registry](/source/National_Recording_Registry).[1]

*For the Roses* features the single "[You Turn Me On, I'm a Radio](/source/You_Turn_Me_On%2C_I'm_a_Radio)", which Mitchell wrote sarcastically out of a record company request for a radio-friendly song. The single peaked at number 25 on the [*Billboard* Hot 100](/source/Billboard_Hot_100) chart, becoming Mitchell's first top 40 hit released under her own name (as a songwriter, several other performers had had hits with songs that she had written). "Cold Blue Steel and Sweet Fire", a menacing and jazzy portrait of her then lover [James Taylor](/source/James_Taylor)'s heroin addiction,[2] which was also released as a single, backed with "Blonde in the Bleachers"[3] and the [Beethoven](/source/Ludwig_van_Beethoven)-inspired "Judgement of the Moon and Stars" were also popular.

## Cover art

While the final cover depicts a conventional picture of Mitchell in a forest setting, she originally intended for the cover to be one of her own [ink](/source/Ink)-and-[felt-pen](/source/Marker_pen) drawings, titled *For the Roses* and featuring "a bunch of roses sticking out of a [horse](/source/Horse)'s ass" (the imagery of which related to her feelings on the music industry). When this was rejected by [Asylum Records](/source/Asylum_Records) on the grounds that they wanted her face on the cover, Mitchell presented them with a full-rear nude photograph of herself standing on ocean rocks, and was only dissuaded after [David Geffen](/source/David_Geffen) pointed out that "she wouldn't like (an) 'Only $4.99' (sticker) slapped across her ass." The nude photograph was used for the inner [gatefold](/source/Gatefold) of the album instead.[4]

## Critical reception

Professional ratings Retrospective reviews Review scores Source Rating AllMusic [5] Christgau's Record Guide A[6] Encyclopedia of Popular Music [7] The Great Rock Discography 7/10[8] Music Story [citation needed] MusicHound Rock [9] Pitchfork 9.1/10[10] The Rolling Stone Album Guide [11] Uncut 8/10[12]

*For the Roses* was met with critical acclaim. *[The New York Times](/source/The_New_York_Times)* said in 1973, "Each of Mitchell's songs on *For the Roses* is a gem glistening with her elegant way with language, her pointed splashes of irony and her perfect shaping of images. Never does Mitchell voice a thought or feeling commonly. She's a songwriter and singer of genius who can't help but make us feel we are not alone."[13] Writing for *[Rolling Stone](/source/Rolling_Stone)*, [Stephen Davis](/source/Stephen_Davis_(music_journalist)) applauded the singer's ability to explore a variety of emotional perspectives, sometimes in the course of one song: "Her great charm and wit, her intense vocal acting and phrasing abilities (the way she chooses to deal with a single word can change the feeling of an entire song) and the sheer power and gumption of her presence combine to bring it all off and make it shine."[14] Randall Davis from the *Arcadia Tribune* found it difficult to analyze but ultimately "a very nice album, pleasant to listen to and, as always with Joni, it is full of sensitive, meaningful lyrics placed against a background of light rock with folky rhythms."[15] In *[The Michigan Daily](/source/The_Michigan_Daily)*, Mike Harper called it the [folk rock](/source/Folk_rock) album of the year, "deeply personal and at times self-denyingly severe", saying "this album lacks the innocence of, say, *[Ladies of the Canyon](/source/Ladies_of_the_Canyon_(album))* but what it gains in womanly heart and wisdom is unmistakably greater: sincere but moreover real, *For the Roses* is emotionally fulfilling in the best sense of the word."[16]

*For the Roses* was named the seventh best album of 1972 in [Robert Christgau](/source/Robert_Christgau)'s year-end list for *[Newsday](/source/Newsday)*.[17] In his review for *[Creem](/source/Creem)*, he said the music lacked the liveliness of *[Blue](/source/Blue_(Joni_Mitchell_album))*'s "All I Want" and the lyrics' insularity diminished her voice, but he ultimately regarded the album as a "remarkable work" and the year's aesthetically boldest record. "Mitchell has integrated the strange shifts of her voice into an almost 'classical' sounding music", Christgau wrote, calling it "hypnotic when you give it a chance to work".[18] It was voted number 148 in [Colin Larkin](/source/Colin_Larkin_(writer))'s [All Time Top 1000 Albums](/source/All_Time_Top_1000_Albums) 3rd Edition (2000).[19]

In 2007, the [Library of Congress](/source/Library_of_Congress) added the album to its [National Recording Registry](/source/National_Recording_Registry). In an essay accompanying the selection, Cary O'Dell wrote that the record was "Mitchell's first overt foray into [jazz](/source/Jazz), a genre that, for the next several years, would come to dominate her art."[20]

## Track listing

All tracks are written by [Joni Mitchell](/source/Joni_Mitchell).

Side one No. Title Length 1. "Banquet" 3:01 2. "Cold Blue Steel and Sweet Fire" 4:17 3. "Barangrill" 2:52 4. "Lesson in Survival" 3:11 5. "Let the Wind Carry Me" 3:56 6. "For the Roses" 3:48 Total length: 21:05

Side two No. Title Length 1. "See You Sometime" 2:56 2. "Electricity" 3:01 3. "You Turn Me On, I'm a Radio" 2:39 4. "Blonde in the Bleachers" 2:42 5. "Woman of Heart and Mind" 2:38 6. "Judgement of the Moon and Stars (Ludwig's Tune)" 5:19 Total length: 19:15

## Personnel

- Joni Mitchell – vocals, guitar, piano

- [Tom Scott](/source/Tom_Scott_(saxophonist)) – [woodwinds](/source/Woodwinds), [reeds](/source/Reed_instruments)

- [Wilton Felder](/source/Wilton_Felder) – bass

- [Russ Kunkel](/source/Russ_Kunkel) – drums

- [Bobbye Hall](/source/Bobbye_Hall) – percussion

- [Bobby Notkoff](/source/Bobby_Notkoff) – [strings](/source/String_section)

- [James Burton](/source/James_Burton) – electric guitar on "Cold Blue Steel and Sweet Fire"

- [Graham Nash](/source/Graham_Nash) – harmonica on "You Turn Me On I'm a Radio"

- [Stephen Stills](/source/Stephen_Stills) – [rock and roll band](/source/Rock_band) on "Blonde in the Bleachers"

**Technical**

- [Henry Lewy](/source/Henry_Lewy) – sound engineer, production guidance

- Anthony Hudson – art direction, design

- [Joel Bernstein](/source/Joel_Bernstein) – photography

## Charts

Weekly charts Weekly chart performance for For the Roses Chart (1972–1973) Peak position Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[21] 19 Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[22] 5 US Billboard 200[23] 11 US Cash Box Top 100 Albums[24] 9 Year-end charts Year-end chart performance for For the Roses Chart (1973) Position US Billboard 200[25] 69

## Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales United States (RIAA)[26] Gold 500,000^ ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** ["The National Recording Registry 2007 : National Recording Preservation Board (Library of Congress)"](https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-board/recording-registry/registry-by-induction-years/2007/). Loc.gov. 13 May 2011. Retrieved 16 February 2012.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** Stevens, Jenny (17 February 2020). ["'I was a bad influence on the Beatles': James Taylor on Lennon, love and recovery"](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/feb/17/james-taylor-i-was-a-bad-influence-on-the-beatles-lennon-love-and-a-life-in-song). *The Guardian*. [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [0261-3077](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0261-3077). Retrieved 12 April 2024.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** ["Singles: 7" & 12" Vinyl Releases, Promos & Radio Programs"](https://jonimitchell.com/music/singles_vinyl.pdf) (PDF). *Jonimitchell.com*. Retrieved 20 March 2022.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** ["Joni Mitchell - for the Roses - paintings"](https://jonimitchell.com/paintings/view.cfm?id=105). *Jonimitchell.com*.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-allmusic_5-0)** Cleary, David. [For the Roses](https://www.allmusic.com/album/r13210/review) at [AllMusic](/source/AllMusic_(identifier)). Retrieved 13 August 2005.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-CG_6-0)** [Christgau, Robert](/source/Robert_Christgau) (1981). ["Consumer Guide '70s: M"](https://www.robertchristgau.com/get_chap.php?k=M&bk=70). *[Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies](/source/Christgau's_Record_Guide%3A_Rock_Albums_of_the_Seventies)*. [Ticknor & Fields](/source/Ticknor_%26_Fields). [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [089919026X](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/089919026X). Retrieved 8 March 2019.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** [Larkin, Colin](/source/Colin_Larkin) (2011). "Mitchell, Joni". [*The Encyclopedia of Popular Music*](/source/Encyclopedia_of_Popular_Music) (5th concise ed.). London: [Omnibus Press](/source/Omnibus_Press). [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-85712-595-8](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-85712-595-8).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** Strong, Martin C. (2004). *The Great Rock Discography* (7th ed.). Canongate. p. 1013.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** Graff, Gary; Durchholz, Daniel, eds. (1999). [*MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide*](https://archive.org/details/isbn_9781578590612/page/769). Farmington Hills, MI: Visible Ink Press. p. [769](https://archive.org/details/isbn_9781578590612/page/769). [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [1-57859-061-2](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/1-57859-061-2).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** ["Joni Mitchell: The Studio Albums 1968–1979 | Album Reviews"](http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/17269-the-studio-albums-1968-1979/). [Pitchfork Media](/source/Pitchfork_Media). 9 November 2012. Retrieved 20 March 2014.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-11)** DeCurtis, Anthony; George-Warren, Holly; Henke, James, eds. (1992). *The Rolling Stone Album Guide*. Random House. p. 194.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-12)** "Buyer's Guide: The Asylum Years, 1972–1975". *[Uncut](/source/Uncut_(magazine))*. No. 305. October 2022. p. 93.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-13)** ["The New Woman"](https://www.nytimes.com/1973/02/11/archives/article-4-no-title-the-new-woman.html). *[The New York Times](/source/The_New_York_Times)*. 11 February 1973. p. 162. Retrieved 19 August 2020.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-14)** Davis, Stephen (4 January 1973). ["Joni Mitchell *For The Roses* > Album Review"](https://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/for-the-roses-19730104). *[Rolling Stone](/source/Rolling_Stone)*. No. 125. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20070312042815/http://rollingstone.com/artists/jonimitchell/albums/album/119437/review/5941475/for_the_roses) from the original on 12 March 2007. Retrieved 26 July 2006.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-15)** Davis, Randall (14 December 1972). ["Musical Notes"](https://jonimitchell.com/library/view.cfm?id=1498). *Arcadia Notes*. Retrieved 29 July 2019.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-16)** Harper, Mike (9 January 1973). ["Looking back at '72…records to remember"](https://jonimitchell.com/library/view.cfm?id=3975). *[Michigan Daily](/source/Michigan_Daily)*. Retrieved 29 July 2019.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-17)** Christgau, Robert (31 December 1972). ["Choice Bits From a 'Sorry' Year"](https://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/news/nd721231.php). *[Newsday](/source/Newsday)*. Retrieved 7 March 2018.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-18)** Christgau, Robert (March 1973). ["The Christgau Consumer Guide"](https://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/cg/crm7303.php). *[Creem](/source/Creem)*. Retrieved 7 March 2017.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Larkin_19-0)** [Colin Larkin](/source/Colin_Larkin_(writer)), ed. (2000). *[All Time Top 1000 Albums](/source/All_Time_Top_1000_Albums)* (3rd ed.). [Virgin Books](/source/Virgin_Books). p. 87. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-7535-0493-6](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-7535-0493-6).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-20)** O'Dell, Cary (2007). ["For the Roses"](http://www.loc.gov/static/programs/national-recording-preservation-board/documents/ForTheRoses.pdf) (PDF). [Library of Congress](/source/Library_of_Congress). Retrieved 29 July 2019.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-21)** [Kent, David](/source/David_Kent_(historian)) (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](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-646-11917-6](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-646-11917-6).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-ac_Canada_22-0)** "[Top RPM Albums: Image 5314](https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/rpm/Pages/image.aspx?Image=nlc008388.5314&URLjpg=http%3a%2f%2fwww.collectionscanada.gc.ca%2fobj%2f028020%2ff4%2fnlc008388.5314.gif&Ecopy=nlc008388.5314)". *[RPM](/source/RPM_(magazine))*. [Library and Archives Canada](/source/Library_and_Archives_Canada). Retrieved April 7, 2021.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-ac_Billboard200_Joni_Mitchell_23-0)** "[Joni Mitchell Chart History (*Billboard* 200)](https://www.billboard.com/artist/Joni-Mitchell/chart-history/TLP)". *[Billboard](/source/Billboard_(magazine))*. Retrieved April 7, 2021.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-24)** ["Cash Box Top 100 Albums"](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Cash-Box/70s/1973/Cash-Box-1973-02-10.pdf) (PDF). *[Cash Box](/source/Cashbox_(magazine))*. 10 February 1973. p. 37. Retrieved 16 July 2024.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-25)** ["Top US Billboard 200 Albums - Year-end 1973"](https://bestsellingalbums.org/year-end/Billboard_Top_Albums_1973). *BestSellingAlbums.org*. Retrieved 29 November 2024.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-United_StatesJoni_MitchellFor_the_RosesalbumCertRef_26-0)** ["American album certifications – Joni Mitchell – For the Roses"](https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/?tab_active=default-award&ar=Joni+Mitchell&ti=For+the+Roses&format=Album&type=#search_section). [Recording Industry Association of America](/source/Recording_Industry_Association_of_America). Retrieved 24 December 2025.

## External links

- [Joni Mitchell's New For The Roses, Robert Hilburn, Los Angeles Times, 21 November 1972; appears at the unofficial site JoniMitchell.com](http://jonimitchell.com/library/view.cfm?id=599)

v t e Joni Mitchell Discography Studio albums Song to a Seagull (1968) Clouds (1969) Ladies of the Canyon (1970) Blue (1971) For the Roses (1972) Court and Spark (1974) The Hissing of Summer Lawns (1975) Hejira (1976) Don Juan's Reckless Daughter (1977) Mingus (1979) Wild Things Run Fast (1982) Dog Eat Dog (1985) Chalk Mark in a Rain Storm (1988) Night Ride Home (1991) Turbulent Indigo (1994) Taming the Tiger (1998) Both Sides Now (2000) Travelogue (2002) Shine (2007) Live albums Miles of Aisles Shadows and Light Amchitka, The 1970 Concert That Launched Greenpeace Joni Mitchell at Newport Compilation albums Hits Misses The Beginning of Survival Dreamland Songs of a Prairie Girl Love Has Many Faces: A Quartet, a Ballet, Waiting to Be Danced Joni's Jazz Archives series Box sets Volume 1: The Early Years (1963–1967) The Reprise Albums (1968–1971) Volume 2: The Reprise Years (1968–1971) The Asylum Albums (1972–1975) Volume 3: The Asylum Years (1972–1975) The Asylum Albums (1976–1980) Volume 4: The Asylum Years (1976–1980) Auxiliary releases Early Joni – 1963 Blue 50 (Demos & Outtakes) Live albums Live at Canterbury House – 1967 Live at Carnegie Hall – 1969 Singles "Chelsea Morning" "Big Yellow Taxi" "Carey" "California" "You Turn Me On, I'm a Radio" "Raised on Robbery" "Help Me" "Free Man in Paris" "In France They Kiss on Main Street" "Coyote" "My Secret Place" Notable songs "Both Sides, Now" "The Fiddle and the Drum" "Woodstock" "The Circle Game" "Little Green" "Blue" "This Flight Tonight" "River" "A Case of You" "The Last Time I Saw Richard" "Down to You" "Twisted" "Two Grey Rooms" Tribute albums Back to the Garden River: The Joni Letters A Tribute to Joni Mitchell Joni 75: A Birthday Celebration Related articles L.A. Express Blackface controversy Category

Authority control databases MusicBrainz release group

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [For the Roses](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/For_the_Roses) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/For_the_Roses?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.