In listening to The Hissing Of Summer Lawns, it dawned on me not too long
ago that "Harry's House/Centerpiece" is in fact the centerpiece of the
record itself, and all themes, motifs and magic emminate from its center.
The album is not for the creator's dissemination, as the liner notes point
out, but its mystery is just too tantalizing to leave alone, especially
since Joni hints at the importance of Centerpiece, that 1958 nugget she so
engeniusly includes in the song.
The basic theme throughout the record, from what I can tell, is a portrait
of suburban normality (in all his bourgeoise dullness) in opposition to
rebellion or nonconformity. One could even argue that a landscape described
in the sneaky title track, full of segregated lawns and rooms full of
untouched Chip And Dale, breeds a yearning to rebel, particularly from a
female perspective. Yet Joni gives the lady a choice, calling her will to
stay with the master "a love of some kind." She is never a trapped victim.
It's a theme seen many times in Joni's work, but it is especially apparent
on The Hissing Of Summer Lawns. For example "In France They Kiss On Main
Street" is the struggle between youthful idealism and society's hierarchies,
be it churches or schools, and the ensuing middle class circumstance.
In "Harry's House" the kept lady in the ranch house on the hill returns
(perhaps it is a more domestic version of Edith or Scarlet) only this time
it's her master who we see, roaming from air port to continental suite,
distracted, disgusted and broken. Joni turns on the lady and makes her
unsympathetic, giving her enormous power over Harry and his house. When the
song disolves into that wonderful, jazzy "Centerpiece" (the centerpiece of
the song, actually) we see the total irony in it. Not only because Joni
Mitchell (woman of heart and mind) is singing these naive and almost sexist
lyrics, but because we come to understand that the naivity is deliberate and
intensional; "Shining as she reeled him in..." The lady's intent is to
build all her dreams around Harry and his house - an image which is
shattered when we hear Joni mocking her incessant and repetative inquiries:
"When will you be home Harry? Boy, I sure am sick of that sofa. When will
you be home Harry? Nothing's any good!"
Just as the album opened on a note of conflict, so too does it close.
Shadows and Light is a rendering of all the polarities the listeners have
been exposed to throughout the record.
Oh, please pardon the ramblings of this good Joni Mitchell fan!
-Andrew of Ottawa
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