| The Hissing of Summer Lawns | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | November 1975 | |||
| Recorded | 1975 | |||
| Studio | A&M (Hollywood) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 42:34 | |||
| Label | Asylum | |||
| Producer | Joni Mitchell | |||
| Joni Mitchell chronology | ||||
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| Singles from The Hissing of Summer Lawns | ||||
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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.
The lyrics focus on women's experiences such as standing up to patriarchal norms ("Don't Interrupt the Sorrow") or frustrations with suburban life (the title track, "Harry's House"). As with many of her albums, Mitchell created the cover art. It depicts a painting depicting a group of men carrying a large snake superimposed over the Beverly Hills suburbs; Mitchell's house is shaded in blue.
While it did not spawn a major hit single like its predecessor, The Hissing of Summer Lawns reached number 4 in the US and remains Mitchell's last top-10 album. "In France They Kiss on Main Street", the only single, reached number 66 on the Billboard Hot 100.
The Hissing of Summer Lawns initially received negative reviews, with critics finding the jazz stylings a disservice to Mitchell's lyrics and comparing it negatively to Court and Spark. However, it later became one of her most acclaimed works. It appeared at number 258 in Rolling Stone's 2020 edition of its list of the 500 greatest albums of all time, and at number 217 in the third edition of Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums in 2000.
- ^ The following sources label the album jazz-pop:
- Corcoran, Michael. "Fifteen nails in the coffin". Dallas Observer. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
- Hurt, Edd (March 7, 2013). "Brian Blade and his Fellowship Band live where jazz meets pop". Nashville Scene. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
- ^ The following sources label the album folk-jazz:
- Himes, Geoffrey (April 25, 2019). "Herbie Hancock and Joni Mitchell: Music & Lyrics". Jazz Times. Retrieved March 9, 2023.
- Connors, Bruce (January 30, 1976). "Joni 'jazzes' folk style in recent album Print-ready version" (PDF). The Bona Venture. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
- ^ Gill, Andy (May 9, 2015). "The academics have got pop wrong - here are the years when music really changed things". The Independent. Retrieved October 9, 2022.
- ^ The following sources label the album avant-pop:
- Hermes, Will. "Joni Mitchell Album Guide". Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
- Grimstad, Paul (September 4, 2007). "What is Avant-Pop?". Brooklyn Rail. Retrieved October 1, 2016.