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Joni Mitchell approves of Harry Styles’ new album title

'Harry's House' is an apparent nod to Mitchell's 1975 track of the same name

By Joe Goggins

Harry Styles and Joni Mitchell, 2022
Styles covered 'Big Yellow Taxi' in 2020. (Photo: WikImedia Commons/Lovclyhes/Library of Congress Life)

Joni Mitchell has given her blessing to the title of Harry Styles’ new album.

Styles announced yesterday (March 23) that his third solo album will be entitled ‘Harry’s House’, in an apparent direct nod to the track ‘Harry’s House/Centerpiece’ on Mitchell’s 1975 LP ‘The Hissing of Summer Lawns’. Mitchell’s track is a excoriation of materialist culture, which interpolates Harry Edison and Jon Hendricks’ arrangement of the jazz standard ‘Centerpiece’.

Within hours of the record’s announcement, Mitchell quote-tweeted her approval, saying “love the title.” Shortly afterwards, she used the same platform to share the track’s opening verse, “Heatwaves on the runway / as the wheels set down / He takes his baggage off the carousel / He takes a taxi into town.”

Styles is an avowed fan of Mitchell’s, telling Rolling Stone in 2019 that his song ‘Canyon Moon’ arose from going down “a pretty big Joni hole”, with the former One Direction man sufficiently inspired to track down the dulcimer player from Mitchell’s seminal ‘Blue’. A year later, he’d cover one of her best-loved tracks, ‘Big Yellow Taxi’, on BBC Radio 2’s ‘The Zoe Ball Breakfast Show’.

‘Harry’s House’ is set for release via Columbia on May 20th. Its announcement comes after Styles had repeatedly teased a new record based around the concept of home on various TikTok burner accounts; despite the fact that no music has yet been released from it, the album will be out in time for him to air new material at his long-delayed ‘Love on Tour’ UK stadium dates, which are now in the diary for June. You can see the full dates below.

Whilst Styles sets himself up for a busy summer on the road, Mitchell is gearing up to be honoured as this year’s Recording Academy 2022 MusiCares Person of the Year. The Academy’s annual benefit gala is set to be held at the MGM Grand Conference Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, on April 1 – the likes of Cyndi Lauper, Angélique Kidjo, Sara Bareilles, Chaka Khan, Beck, St. Vincent, Billy Porter and Stephen Stills will perform in Mitchell’s honour. 

“I’m honoured to be chosen as person of the year by this great charity,” Mitchell said in a statement when her award was announced. “I look forward to being part of this gala that will help MusiCares continue their inspired work in providing a support system for those in need.”

Harry Styles, June 2022:

11 – Glasgow, Ibrox Stadium

15 – Manchester, Emirates Old Trafford

16 – Manchester, Emirates Old Trafford

18 – London, Wembley Stadium

19 – London, Wembley Stadium