Joni Mitchell is about to share her new box set Joni Mitchell Archives, Vol. 3: The Asylum Years (1972-1975). Before it’s out in full on October 6th, the iconic singer-songwriter has unveiled another snippet of that era with “Like Veils Said Lorraine,” a newly-unearthed demo track that’s receiving its first-ever release.
Mitchell wrote “Like Veils Said Lorraine” between 1971 and 1972, meaning it very well could’ve been a contender for her fifth studio album For the Roses — and, unsurprisingly, this outtake is miles ahead of what most musicians accomplish in a lifetime. It’s just her singing over a dynamic solo piano, effortlessly rattling off lyrics that could read just as well as poetry: “‘Life is like veils you tear off,’ said Lorraine/ ‘No, it’s walls we put up,’ said that tired voice again.”
Listen to “Like Veils Said Lorraine” below.
Pre-orders for Joni Mitchell Archives, Vol. 3: The Asylum Years (1972-1975) are ongoing. The set follows Mitchell’s earlier archival releases, 2020’s The Early Years (1963-1967) and 2021’s The Reprise Albums (1968-1971). This year, she also shared the live album At Newport, documenting her surprise appearance at the 2022 Newport Folk Festival.
