When she says he’d “even kiss a Sunset pig” she’s indeed referring to either the LAPD or the LASD (Weho) who were probably suppressing all sorts of bad behavior along Sunset Blvd at the time that her vision of the area was formed. Remember the war protests, plus the Hollywood/Weho music scene.

What I like about Joni’s earlier music is how she transports you to the time and place. Consider Chelsea Morning, Woodstock and Carey, in addition to California.

In November 2000, after writing a blog entry about some Joni Mitchell songs, I got an email in my guestbook from “KMF” stating, “I have a friend who was a friend of Joni Mitchell’s during the writing of “Carey Get Out Your Cane,” and she once told me the story behind that song. The girl in the story is Joni herself, and the “Carey” character (who is also referred to as the “red red rogue” in “California”) is a guy she hooked up with on an extended trip to Italy & Greece back in ’69 or so.”