Joni Mitchell - Free Man In Paris (1979).

"Free Man in Paris" is a song written by Canadian singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell. It appeared on her 1974 album Court and Spark, as well as her 1980 live album Shadows and Light. It is ranked No. 470 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

The song is about music agent/promoter David Geffen, a close friend of Mitchell in the early 1970s, and describes Geffen during a trip the two made to Paris with Robbie and Dominique Robertson. While Geffen is never mentioned by name, Mitchell describes how he works hard creating hits and launching careers but can find some peace while vacationing in Paris. Mitchell sings "I was a free man in Paris. I felt unfettered and alive. Nobody calling me up for favors. No one's future to decide."

Billboard described it as having a "good mix of acoustic and electric instrumentals" with Mitchell's "distinctive vocals." Cash Box said that "lyrically, this is a total gem and the musical arrangement is letter perfect" and that "the melody is infectious."

Bob Dylan selected it for inclusion on the Starbucks compilation album Joni Mitchell: Selected Songs in 2005. For the album's liner notes, Dylan wrote: "I always liked this song because I'd been to Paris and understood what being a free man there was all about. Paris was, after all, where freedom and the guillotine lived side by side. I'm not so sure that the meaning I heard in the song was what Joni intended but I couldn't stop listening to it".

"Free Man in Paris" went to number 22 on the Billboard Hot 100 and to number two on the Easy Listening.
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Roberta Joan "Joni" Mitchell (born November 7, 1943) is a Canadian-American singer-songwriter. Drawing from folk, pop, rock, classical, and jazz, Mitchell's songs often reflect on social and philosophical ideals as well as her feelings about romance, womanhood, disillusionment and joy. She has received many accolades, including ten Grammy Awards and induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997. Rolling Stone called her "one of the greatest songwriters ever", and AllMusic has stated, "When the dust settles, Joni Mitchell may stand as the most important and influential female recording artist of the late 20th century"...

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Joni Mitchell - Shadows And Light (1979).
Tracklist:
1. Free Man In Paris (Joni Mitchell).
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Personnel:
1. Joni Mitchell – electric guitar, vocals
2. Pat Metheny – lead guitar
3. Lyle Mays – electric piano, synthesizer
4. Michael Brecker – saxophones
5. Jaco Pastorius – electric bass
6. Don Alias – drums, percussion.
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Genre: Folk Jazz/Soft Rock/Fusion
Recorded: at the Santa Barbara Bowl, C.A.; September 9, 1979.
Label: Asylum Records – BB-704
Release: 1980
Format: 2 x LP
Art Direction – Glen Christensen
Management [Personal Management] – Elliot Roberts
Mastered By – Bernie Grundman, Bernie Grundman
Photography By – Glen Christensen, Joel Bernstein.