Prince, Fanboy Extraordinaire

I had read that Prince was a huge Joni Mitchell fan. In interviews, he mentioned Mitchell's The Hissing Of Summer Lawns, an entire album that sounds like its title; his favorite local record store reported that Mitchell's Hejira was among the last records he purchased, in support of Record Store Day.

So, it was no surprise to hear that he had covered Mitchell; the surprise came when my heart gave a horrible thump at those first unmoored chords, fluttering like birds until they landed on the tonic. What was this?

The arrangement settles in to old-school R and B, with some tantalizing hints of classic country, while Prince's vocal continues the high flying with a stunning falsetto. You've never heard Joni Mitchell like this.

Attitude problems notwithstanding, this is the most brilliant and innovative Joni Mitchell cover I've ever heard. Here's Prince with "A Case Of You".