For the Roses is the fifth studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell. It was released in November 1972, between her two biggest commercial and critical successes—Blue and Court and Spark. In 2007 it was one of 25 recordings chosen that year by the Library of Congress to be added to the National Recording Registry. For the Roses is perhaps best known for the hit single "You Turn Me On, I'm a Radio", which Mitchell wrote sarcastically out of a record company request for a radio-friendly song. The single was a success, peaking at number 25 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, becoming Mitchell's first top 40 hit released under her own name (as a songwriter, several other performers had had hits with songs that she had written). "Cold Blue Steel and Sweet Fire", a menacing and jazzy portrait of her then lover James Taylor's heroin addiction, which was also released as a single, backed with "Blonde in the Bleachers" and the Beethoven-inspired "Judgment of the Moon and Stars" were also popular. Background Some of the songs were inspired by Mitchell's 1970–1971 relationship with James Taylor. By March 1971, his fame exploded, causing friction. She was reportedly devastated when he broke off the relationship. By November 1971, he had taken up with Carly Simon, whom he married a year later. Songs "Banquet" describes a metaphorical table from which "some get the gravy / Some get the gristle... and some get nothing / Though there's plenty to spare". "Cold Blue Steel and Sweet Fire" is a menacing and jazzy portrait of a lover's heroin addiction – and his need to find the sweet release of the drug through the cold blue steel of the needle. In "Barangrill", Mitchell uses the hunt for an elusive roadside eatery as a metaphor for the quest to "find herself", enjoying the journey, but with increasing impatience about reaching her destination. "Lesson in Survival" is about the longing for greater privacy, a sense of isolation, the frustration of incompatibility, and a love for nature. "Let the Wind Carry Me" contrasts thoughts of a more stable, conventional life, based partly on Mitchell's own adolescence, with the need to live with minimal constraints upon one's freedom. The title song is both a self-portrait and a cool assessment of the frustration and sadness of a lover being a celebrity, dealing with the challenges of fame and fortune. The second