She requested Billy Idol for Dancin' Clown and Willie Nelson for his duet with her on Cool Water, a song she remembered from her childhood. Recorded at a number of studios, the album reflects Mitchell's concern about war. One recording session for the anti-war song, The Beat of Black Wings, took place at Peter Gabriel's studio in rural England. It was during the session that U.S. warplanes departed from a nearby air base to bomb Libyan military targets. While the album itself is true to the Mitchwll trend of not repeating herself and presenting a vibrant new sound, she expressed a disdain for the market forces that are in place to sell her product.
Disc jockeys have no freedom to play the music of their choice.
In the U.S., radio is geared to certain markets and it's difficult to place my music in those markets - it's not quite jazz, folk or rock. But she is encouraged by the success of performers like Paul Simon, Sting and Gabriel, whose music defies the strict marketing guideline prevalent in radio today to incorporate new sounds and yet receive airplay. Mitchell was almost self-effacing about the positive reaction to the new album. I think people are ready to like me again - it's time for me to be liked again. She recalled her days as a youngster modelling fur coats and attending sock hops at the Bessborough, attending Aden Bowman Collegiate and going to high school dances.